UNDP - The Inclusive Governance Initiative

When assessing the results, it is important to screen the results keeping in mind the situation for LGBTQI people and the perception of LGBTQI in the African context. The changing of attitudes and beliefs take a long time, which sometimes makes the outputs themselves an important step towards the outcomes. There is also a trend in Africa (and elsewhere) that SRHR and especially LGBTQI rights are challenged, and we see an increase of anti-LGBTQI bills in Africa so even a status quo in regard to LGBTQI rights might be a result from activities and work done to slow down or stop an anti-LGBTQI development. In regard to the outcome 1 that has as a goal to sensitize and build capacity towards decision makers, both the African Regional Parliamentarian's Forum and the African Regional Judges Forum have gathered 1 044 government decision-makers during 2023. These forum's create safe space outside their own countries to meet and discuss LGBTQI issues. It is a huge step for these groups as it is both a personal risk but also a risk for their professional reputation and safety to meet and discuss issues that are criminalized in many of their home countries. The number of persons that are willing to attend the African Regional Judges Forum meeting have increased from 11 judges the first year to over 120 judges in 2023 many of them coming from Supreme and High courts (95 judges) representing 30 countries. The project target of sensitizing 306 decision makers by the end of 2024 has far exceeded as the cumulative total is 1 747 and then the last year of the project is not included in these figures. The 2022-2023 outcomes harvesting report from the consultant firm FLOWZ also shows that IGI has enhanced the collaboration and capacity building of CSOs and other stakeholders and that the project has have influence on policy and decision making and also on jurisprudence and legislation. In 2023, the Kenyan Supreme Court upheld the rights of an LGBTQI organisation to register as an NGO and the Eswatini Supreme Court judges held the registrations refusal to register an LGBTI organisation to be unconstitutional. In both cases judges that have attended the Judges Forum were represented. Integration of LGBTI issues into processes such as Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) has resulted in several policy recommendations and changes. One example is in Ivory Coast were LGBTQI civil society organisations came together to agree on items to raise in the UPR report, which were taken on board. In Angola LGBTQI issues were integrated in the Ministry of Justice's 2023 Annual Work Plan. In the statement on report for 2022 it was mentioned that outcome 4 and 5 need more focus to be able to achieve the results. During 2023 the results under outcome 4 and 5 have increased. Evidence and experiences have been developed into knowledge products that have been downloaded from UNDPs website and work on increase funding for LGBTQI has been done.

The overall goal of the programme is for state entities in Sub-Saharan Africa to be increasingly accountable to – and inclusive of – their entire populations, including LGBTI people, which in turn contributes to better laws, more responsive public sector services, and social norms that affirm LGBTI rights. The goal will be achieved through five outcomes.  1. Increased number of African decision-makers who are responsive to, inclusive of, and accountable to sexual and gender minorities. The key project objectives to contribute to this outcome will be: a. To increase the capacity and commitment of those decision-makers who are supportive of LGBTI inclusion and rights. b. To increase the number of decision makers and influencers who are supportive of LGBTI inclusion and rights. Key strategies include expand and strengthen a network of LGBIT-supportive decision-makers and ensure that LGBTI activists and experts are supported to co-strategize with these decision-makers in different forums. UNDP will also run workshops and dialogues that examine personal values and emotions. UNDP will support the African Regional Judges’ Forum on HIV, TB and Human Rights and the establishment of a new initiative for Parliamentarians together with Sida partner Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC) supported by the Global Equality Fund and Sida partner Parliamentarians for Global Action. 2. Increased capacity of LGBTI activists and allies to sensitize and influence relevant decision-makers and to hold authorities to account. The key project objectives to contribute to this outcome will be: a. To increase involvement of LGBTI activists (and to increase attention to LGBTI issues) in processes related to broader rights, development and gender equality issues. b. To increase interest and engagement in LGBTI issues by experts and activists focused on rights, development and gender equality issues. Key strategies include strengthen alliances among the most relevant intersecting movements (e.g. gender equality, youth empowerment, civil society space and universal health coverage), and increase literacy and commitment to act on LGBTI issues among them. Develop a set of strategic assets to facilitate movement organizing including calendars of key strategic events. Organizing  learning opportunities on related issues (gender equality, poverty, etc.) as pre- or post-conference events at major LGBTI-related gatherings in the region (Pan Africa ILGA; Kopano; Changing Faces, Changing Spaces, etc.). Strengthen core partners organizational security protocols, as necessary and sensitize CSOs from allied movements, new to LGBTI work, on relevant security concerns and how to mitigate their risks. 3. Increased inclusion, participation, representation and influence of diverse African LGBTI populations and their allies in relevant policy development and decision-making. The key project objectives to contribute to this outcome will be: a. To increase interaction of LGBTI populations and their allies with national decision-makers in priority countries, in the development of relevant legislation, policies, programmes, and investment decisions. b. To increase interaction of LGBTI populations and their allies with sub-regional and regional decision-makers, in the development of relevant norms, standards and guidance. c. To increase interaction of LGBTI populations and their allies with decision-makers shaping the Africa-related work of development cooperation actors and multilateral organizations. For this outcome, in each of 5 to 6 priority countries organize a national level, multi-stakeholder convening to develop a country-level strategic framework and action plan for LGBTI rights and inclusion by 2030, in order to increase the involvement of LGBTI populations and their allies in decision making at national level. Implement follow-up work at country level in priority countries. Organize tailored and targeted interactions at conferences and other events being held by political parties in priority countries, when possible, with an emphasis on youth and women’s events and the training/cultivation of new candidates for political office and encourage political parties to address LGBTI issues (or diversity issues) in platforms and promises. Conduct LGBTI “in-reach” training for UNDP staff (and/or UN country teams) to advance inclusive social norms, effective governance, and development efforts more broadly. At regional and sub-regional levels, bring together relevant African decision-makers and relevant civil society representatives to learn from each other and to shape policies and programmes, such as the African Key Population Expert Group (or AKPEG), co-organized by UNDP with UNFPA and UNAIDS; the regional sexual orientation and gender identity human rights initiative led by the Network of African National Human Rights Institutions (NANHRI); and as openings become available with the African Union and the African Union Commission. Encourage and facilitate regional economic communities, regional human rights bodies, and similar institutions to include a diverse range of African LGBTI people and views in the development of regional and sub-regional policy guidance, and support the ratification, domestication and implementation of relevant regional and global commitments by African countries. 4. Increased demand for, and use of African ideas, evidence and innovations that support LGBTI-inclusive governance and related work. The key project objectives to contribute to this outcome will be: a. To increase demand for relevant evidence, tools, products and ideas from African sources that can be effectively used to promote LGBTI-inclusive governance and related work. b. To increase access to relevant evidence, tools, products and ideas from African sources that can be used to effectively implement LGBTI-inclusive governance and related work. To deliver on this outcome, UNDP will design a cross-objective knowledge management strategy to create demand, compile and share and if needed develop helpful resources with key allies. UNDP will also map and share and/or translated tools that have been developed but lack uptake into multiple languages. IGI will also influence the research agenda of stakeholders with greater capacity for original research including through the proposed Sida supported HEARD/APHRC of African researchers involved in LGBTI network. Leverage “tacit knowledge” through mentoring programmes, structured and goal-oriented networking, South-South initiatives, and by learning from parallel movements on gender equality, youth inclusion, disability and so forth. Develop and keep up to date a matrix of who is doing what related to inclusive governance and LGBTI issues in Sub-Saharan Africa and strengthen opposition research. Establish and provide ongoing facilitation to several virtual “Communities of Practice” and develop an electronic community for information sharing and light coordination among key initiatives working at a regional level to deliver elements of the April 2019 strategic framework. 5. Sustained and increased international donor funding for LGBTI and key population regional work in Africa. The key project objectives to contribute to this outcome will be: a. To increase availability of evidence about what works – and what doesn’t work – in regional programming for LGBTI rights and inclusion in Africa. b. To increase the number of international donors that provide funding for evidence-based regional programming on LGBTI rights and inclusion in Africa, and to increase the total amount of available funding for such work. Key strategies to deliver on these outcomes to identify and package key elements of success of LGBTI-programming, applying lessons to the design and implementation of the IGI initiative, including what works in regional programming. Periodically reconvene the stakeholders involved in the UNDP/Sida April 2019 and August 2019 workshops, both in-person and virtually, to monitor progress and identify priorities for additional action and investment. Map resources – and resource gaps – against the April Strategic framework and engage in dialogue with potential funders for strategic investments. Leverage UNDP access to relevant decision-makers to advocate for and facilitate the contribution of LGBTI populations to the design, implementation and monitoring of relevant policies, strategies and funding decisions. Advocate for prioritized investment in evidence-informed work to influence social norms more broadly in supportive of LGBTI rights and inclusion. Effectively implement IGI, documenting and reporting results and lessons. Maintain accountability to LGBTI populations in Africa, the broader community of LGBTI stakeholders, UNDP corporately, Sida and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the broader donor community. The key target groups for the intervention include LGBTI CSOs and activists, rights/development CSOs, parliamentarians, senior country and regional civil servants and government officials, national human rights institutions, judges, traditional / religious leaders, UN actors, in-country donors, and private sector.