By J. Andrew Baker | Fundraising and MEL Manager
A Strong Start to 2025
In the first half of 2025, ILGA World continued to champion the rights of LGBTI people worldwide, navigating growing anti-rights pushback with resilience and solidarity. From grassroots networks to the United Nations, we ensured that voices on sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) remained heard and influential.
Mandate Victory: IE SOGI Renewal
A major milestone came in July when the UN Human Rights Council voted to renew the mandate of the Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (IE SOGI) for three more years. This success was the result of coordinated global advocacy, with 1,259 civil society organisations from 157 states and territories uniting behind the campaign. The renewal passed with 29 votes in favour, 15 against, and 3 abstentions — a clear message that LGBTI rights remain firmly on the international human rights agenda.
IDAHOBIT 2025: Coordinating a Global Movement
As host of the IDAHOBIT Secretariat, ILGA World coordinated the global theme and provided tools, resources, and visibility for the International Day Against LGBTI-phobia on May 17.
This year’s theme — “The Power of Communities: loud, bold, and unapologetically ours” — was embraced around the world, fostering solidarity across movements and highlighting community resilience in the face of rising hostility. ILGA World’s leadership ensured cohesive global messaging, a widely endorsed joint statement, and amplified visibility for hundreds of local and national events across all regions.
Strategic Vision for the Future
In March, we launched our 2025–2029 Strategic Plan, shaped at the 2024 Cape Town World Conference. It sets bold goals to strengthen the global LGBTI movement, expand advocacy, and build alliances across feminist, disability, and climate justice spaces.
Celebrating 2024 Achievements
The 2024 Annual Report, released in July, showcases a historic year: our largest-ever ILGA World Conference, the first International Pride Awards, record scholarship support for activists, and impactful advocacy in over 119 countries.
Global Advocacy Highlights
United Nations: Beyond the IE SOGI mandate renewal, we led and supported advocacy at the Human Rights Council, CSW69, preparations for Beijing+30, UPR, and treaty body sessions, enabling defenders from more than 20 countries to engage directly.
UN Trans Advocacy Week (TAW) 2025: Each year, ILGA World coorganises the landmark UN Trans Advocacy Week, a vital platform empowering trans and gender-diverse defenders to engage directly with UN decision-makers. In 2025, activists addressed critical issues such as foreign aid cuts, antigender legislative rollbacks, and the renewal of the IESOGI mandate. This initiative combines capacity-building with strategic advocacy, amplifying trans-led voices during the UN Human Rights Council session.
7 Recommendations from Intersex Advocates for Inclusive Change: Building on the historic adoption of the UN’s first-ever resolution on intersex rights, ILGA World published a report featuring seven expert recommendations from intersex activists. These outline priorities for driving inclusive social change, such as ensuring bodily autonomy, ending pathologization, deepening GIESC research, and centring intersex-led advocacy within broader justice movements.
Research & Programmes
GIESC Programme: Advanced intersex rights, inclusive sports policy work, and coalition-building.
Research Programme: Produced critical data and analysis to strengthen advocacy worldwide.
UN Team: Trained hundreds of activists to effectively engage with mechanisms like the UPR, CEDAW, and ILO.
Communications Impact
From January to July, our campaigns reached 130,000 people directly and appeared in 148 media articles with an estimated global readership of 585 million. Highlights included multilingual advocacy materials for IE SOGI renewal, IDAHOBIT global coordination, International Non-Binary People’s Day, and Disability Pride Month.
Looking Ahead
For the rest of 2025, ILGA World will:
Begin implementing the 2025–2029 Strategic Plan
Deepen intersectional advocacy with feminist, disability, and climate justice partners
Defend and advance SOGIESC rights amid growing challenges
The Difference We’ve Made Together
From influencing policy at the UN to connecting communities across borders, the first half of 2025 has been a time of tangible progress. Our work has helped ensure global protections for LGBTI people remain in place, brought coordinated visibility to a worldwide day of action, and placed trans and intersex voices at the centre of international human rights discussions.
Through skills training, evidence-based research, and strong alliances, we’ve backed advocates in every region to speak up for equality. We have seen those efforts resonate in courtrooms, parliaments, and grassroots gatherings alike. Our outreach this year has inspired conversations in more than 100 countries, reached millions through media and events, and built new pathways for lasting change.
Every step forward reflects the power of a united movement. You play a role in these efforts. By standing with ILGA World, you are part of a global network committed to making equality not just a principle, but a lived reality.
Thank you for standing with us. Your support through GlobalGiving fuels our work toward a world where everyone, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or sex characteristics, can live free and equal.
Learn more at www.ilga.org
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