25 June 2025 | UNHCR Side Event, Geneva Graduate Institute, Geneva, Switzerland.
Co-Organisers: Afghanistan LGBTIQ+ Organization (ALO), Forcibly Displaced People Network (FDPN), Equal Asia Foundation (EAF), Liminality Research Consortium, Gender Centre, Geneva Graduate Institute, and OutRight International.
59th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council
Co-organised by the Liminality Research Consortium, this off-site side event responds to the upcoming thematic report by the UN Independent Expert on SOGI, which focuses on forced displacement and is informed by submissions from States, UN agencies, and civil society, including LGBTIQ+ refugee-led organisations. Organised by those with lived experience, the event provides a space to reflect on the report, engage with stakeholders, and explore how its recommendations can drive systemic change.
LGBTIQ+ individuals are forcibly displaced not simply because of who they are, but due to targeted violence, criminalisation, and systemic exclusion. Many are left with no option but to flee, facing immense risks such as border violence, pushbacks, and dangerous routes with no legal alternatives. Once in transit and host countries, they continue to experience marginalisation within protection systems that are often inadequate, inaccessible, or unsafe. These conditions are well documented and show that LGBTIQ+ people are frequently excluded from humanitarian responses, denied services, or placed in unsafe accommodation.
At the same time, refugee-led organisations are creating practical, community-driven solutions to address urgent protection needs. However, they remain systematically under-resourced and excluded from key policy and decision-making spaces. This event aims to centre their leadership, showcase effective protection models, and mobilise tangible support for their work. It will draw on existing evidence and reinforce the importance of evidence-informed, rights-based responses. The conversation will also highlight the urgent need to establish safe and legal pathways for relocation and protection, and to advance global efforts that recognise refugee-led participation as essential leadership—not a symbolic gesture.
