Policy paper
Equal Rights Coalition strategic plan 2021 to 2026: annex B, 5-year implementation plan
Published 6 July 2021
© Crown copyright 2021
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S01: Contribute to ending laws and policies that discriminate against LGBTI persons, including the criminalisation of LGBTI persons
i. Decriminalisation of same-sex conduct
| Reference | Action | Lead | Delivery date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ERC Member States will work together with civil society and multi-lateral organisations to identify priority countries and will develop targeted interventions | Diplomacy TG | June 2026 |
| 2 | Increased cooperation between the ERC and the UN LGBTI Core Group and the Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity will identify opportunities to advance decriminalisation efforts | Diplomacy TG | June 2026 |
| 3 | Work with faith leaders to encourage a declaration condemning violence and discrimination against LGBTI individuals and use the declaration to drive cultural change | ERC Co-Chairs | March 2022 |
| 4 | ERC Member States will work collaboratively in all multilateral fora to end criminalisation of same sex conduct | Diplomacy TG and ERC Co-Chairs | June 2026 |
ii. Decriminalisation of trans and gender non-conforming identities
| Reference | Action | Lead | Delivery date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ERC Member States will work together with civil society and multi-lateral organisations to identify priority countries and develop targeted interventions | Diplomacy TG | June 2026 |
| 2 | Increase cooperation between the ERC and the UN LGBTI Core Group and the Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity to identify opportunities to advance decriminalisation efforts | Diplomacy TG and ERC Co-Chairs | June 2026 |
| 3 | Work with faith leaders to encourage a declaration condemning violence and discrimination against LGBTI individuals and use the declaration to drive cultural change | ERC Co-Chairs | June 2026 |
iii. Ending the death penalty for same-sex conduct
| Reference | Action | Lead | Delivery date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ERC Member States will work collaboratively in all multilateral fora to end the death penalty for same sex conduct | ERC Member States | June 2026 |
| 2 | ERC Member States will work together with civil society and multi-lateral organisations to identify and prioritize countries and will develop targeted interventions | ERC Member States | June 2026 |
S02: Contribute to the elimination of violence and discrimination based on SOGIESC
i. Ensuring system-wide legislation, policy, and procedures to eliminate violence and discrimination based on SOGIESC
| Reference | Action | Lead | Delivery date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Encourage ERC Member States to adopt and implement robust laws, policies, and practices, including by collecting and reporting on incidents of violence, discrimination and abuse based on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression and sex characteristics and by sharing relevant national best practice and policies | National Laws & Policies TG | June 2026 |
| 2 | Develop an ERC mechanism for sharing of best practice between ERC MS, a resource that will build over time the sharing of expertise and accountability | National Laws & Policies TG | June 2026 |
| 3 | Share best practice between ERC MS on non- discrimination and equality across all rights - including in the relation to education, employment, access to health care and employment | National Laws & Policies TG | June 2026 |
ii. Enacting hate crime and hate speech legislation and creating policies and procedures to ensure implementation
| Reference | Action | Lead | Delivery date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Develop a mechanism for sharing of best practice between ERC MS, specifically in relation to hate speech and hate crimes | National Laws & Policies TG | June 2026 |
| 2 | Encourage ERC Member States to collect and report on incidents of hate crime and hate speech based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity and/or sex characteristics by the regular sharing of relevant national best practice and policies | National Laws & Policies TG and ERC Co-Chairs | June 2026 |
iii. Codification of qender recoqnition
| Reference | Action | Lead | Delivery date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Share best practice with ERC MS re: gender recognition laws, policies and practices | National Laws & Policies TG | June 2026 |
| 2 | Identify blocks to implementing gender recognition laws, policies and practices in line with best practice and international human rights norms and standards and develop methods for overcoming these | Policies TG National Laws & | June 2026 |
| 3 | Urge ERC Member States to provide legal gender recognition through an accessible, quick, and transparent administrative process and without abusive requirements (including sterilization, divorce, treatment, or diagnostic) as a minimum standard | National Laws & Policies TG and ERC Co-Chairs | June 2026 |
iv. Ending the practice of conversion therapy
| Reference | Action | Lead | Delivery date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ERC Member States will work collaboratively in all multilateral fora to advance ending conversion therapy | ERC Member States and Diplomacy TG | June 2026 |
| 2 | ERC Member States will work together with civil society and multi-lateral organisations to identify countries in which to develop targeted interventions | ERC Member States and Diplomacy TG | June 2026 |
| 3 | Work with UN LGBTI Core Group in collaboration on a new joint initiative | Diplomacy TG and ERC Co-Chairs | June 2026 |
v. Outlawing harmful practices on trans persons
| Reference | Action | Lead | Delivery date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sharing of best practice between ERC MS on outlawing and ending harmful practices against trans persons | National Laws & Policies TG | June 2026 |
| 2 | Encourage ERC members and other States to adopt laws and policies to end non-consensual/forced sterilisation, conversion therapy, and other harmful practices on trans persons and ensure adequate remedy for victims | National Laws & Policies TG and ERC Co-Chairs | June 2026 |
vi. Outlawing harmful practices on intersex persons
| Reference | Action | Lead | Delivery date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sharing of best practice between ERC MS on outlawing and ending harmful practices against intersex persons | National Laws & Policies TG | June 2026 |
| 2 | Encourage ERC members and other States to adopt laws and policies to end non-consensual/forced surgeries and other harmful practices on intersex persons and ensure adequate remedy for victims | ERC Co-Chairs | June 2026 |
S03: Advance the implementation and monitoring of SDGs for LGBTI inclusion.
i. Progress non-discrimination and equality of access to education, healthcare, housinq, employment, and economic qrowth
| Reference | Action | Lead | Delivery date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Working within the framework of the SDGs and in collaboration with civil society, ERC member states will progress the inclusion of SOGIESC/LGBTI in the SDG agenda through national and multilateral processes including by working with the UN LGBTI Core Group on coordinating input for annual HLPF; by organizing side-events at appropriate SDG discussions forums; by working with the private sector where they are engaged in work on the SDGs SDGs TG | June 2026 | |
| 2 | ERC will promote accountability at both the national, regional and global level for transparent reporting on progress in non-discrimination and equality in delivery of the SDGs for LGBTI people working in collaboration with civil society and multi-lateral orqanisations | ERC Co-Chairs | June 2026 |
| 3 | ERC Member States include specific SOGIESC/LGBTI indicators in Voluntary National Review and share good examples of inclusion | ERC Member States | June 2026 |
ii. Progress peaceful and inclusive societies, justice, and accountable and inclusive institutions
| Reference | Action | Lead | Delivery date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Working within the framework of the SDGs and in collaboration with civil society and in particular with National Human Rights Institutions, ERC member states will advance LGBTI standards for peaceful and inclusive societies, justice, and accountable and inclusive institutions for all LGBTI people | ERC Member States | June 2026 |
| 2 | ERC will promote processes of accountability at both the national and global level for transparent reporting on progress in peaceful and inclusive societies, justice, and accountable and inclusive institutions for all LGBTI people working in collaboration with civil society | SDGs TG and ERC Co-Chairs | June 2026 |
S04: Enlarge and build the capacity of the ERC
i. Recruitment drive for members in Asia, Africa, the Pacific, and the Americas (especially the Caribbean)
| Reference | Action | Lead | Delivery date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ERC Co-chairs to seek new membership via official channels | ERC Co-Chairs | June 2026 |
| 2 | ERC Co-chairs to approach specific countries from the UN LGBTI Core Group membership | ERC Co-Chairs | June 2026 |
ii. Recruitment drive for civil society engagement across the Global South
| Reference | Action | Lead | Delivery date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ERC CSO support will support civil society to improve its governance structures in relation to the ERC and will provide support for it to deliver in a participatory and inclusive way | ERC CSO Support | June 2026 |
iii. Increased communication and participation with all ERC member states and civil society
| Reference | Action | Lead | Delivery date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Regular communication between ERC MS and communications to be driven across all government policymaking bodies | ERC Co-Chairs and CSO Support | June 2026 |
iv. Increased donor coordination capacity throuqh the ERC
| Reference | Action | Lead | Delivery date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Donor governments commit to regular dialogue and coordination, in partnership with civil society and philanthropy participation in the Donor Coordination TG | ERC Co-Chairs and Donor TG | June 2022 |
| 2 | Donor Coordination TG creates a community of practice to support ERC member states to scale up their LGBTI funding portfolio | Donor TG | June 2026 |
v. Establish an ERC secretariat/admin unit
| Reference | Action | Lead | Delivery date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ERC will support civil society to improve its ability to function in an inclusive and participatory way and, funding permitting, will support the development or a secretariat or administrative unit for civil society | ERC Co-Chairs and CSO Support | June 2026 |
Working methods
i. Research
| Reference | Action | Lead | Delivery date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Encourage and support ERC Member States to generate and analyse SOGIESC disaggregated data to evidence their proqress and to identify qaps | National Laws & Policies TG | June 2026 |
| 2 | Sharing data between Member States and facilitating coordinated research where there are qaps in countries and those forqotten communities | National Laws & Policies TG | June 2026 |
| 3 | Further focus on a broader approach to research methods including participatory research, qualitative data and lived experiences of SOGIESC communities | National Laws & Policies TG | June 2026 |
ii. Monitorinq and evaluation
| Reference | Action | Lead | Delivery date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Support capacity building of national entities and civil society for more inclusive and SOGIESC disaqqreqated implementation and monitorinq | ERC Co-Chairs | June 2026 |
| 2 | Regular reports on the progress of the Strategic Objectives. TG Leads and ERC Co-Chairs | June 2026 | |
| 3 | Utilise an intersectional approach to LGBTI development | ERC Member States | June 2026 |
iii. Strategic communication
| Reference | Action | Lead | Delivery date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Encourage and facilitate the sharing of best practice and legislative, policy and guidance frameworks between Member States (e.g., how to monitor violence against LGBTI individuals) | National Laws & Policies TG | June 2026 |
| 2 | Promote and broaden the dialogue between Member States and Civil Society. ERC Co-Chairs | June 2026 | |
| 3 | Promote advocacy in international and regional forums | ERC Co-Chairs | June 2026 |
iv. Resource mobilisation
| Reference | Action | Lead | Delivery date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Financial support for Civil Society to progress identified goals and based on a strategic approach ERC Member States | June 2026 | |
| 2 | Support for local organisations on national policy issues | ERC Member States | June 2026 |