The Fundamentals of LGBTQI+ Movement Building In-Person Training
Creating Sustainable Change in LGBTQI+ Activism: Catalyzing Leadership Development and Strategic Movement Building in Asia
ILGA Asia and the Global LGBTQI+ Human Rights Program at Harvard’s Carr-Ryan Center are excited to launch the application for The Fundamentals of LGBTQI+ Movement Building In-Person Training in Asia, taking place from 6 - 8 November 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand!
Trainings
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ILGA Asia
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Global LGBTQI+ Human Rights Program
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Trainings ● ILGA Asia ● Global LGBTQI+ Human Rights Program ●
Summary
What
ILGA Asia and Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights | Harvard Kennedy School In-Person Training: The Fundamentals of LGBTQI+ Movement Building
For who
Asian LGBTIQ activists, advocates, academics and researchers, artists and creatives, private sector representatives, and policy makers
Where
Bangkok, Thailand
When
6 - 8 November 2026
Background and Rationale:
LGBTQI+ activism in Asia has a long and diverse history, shaped by widely different political, legal, and socioeconomic contexts across the region. While some countries have made meaningful gains in legal recognition, healthcare access, and social visibility, many LGBTQI+ leaders continue to organize in environments marked by shrinking civic space, intensifying backlash, digital surveillance, and severe funding constraints—pressures that have deepened since the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the same time, many leadership development opportunities available to LGBTQI+ activists emphasize international advocacy exposure or organizational management skills (e.g., fundraising, project administration) and often focus primarily on frontline organizers. These offerings are important, but they frequently do not equip leaders with the deeper movement- building capacities needed in restrictive and fast-changing contexts: anticipating and navigating backlash, building resilient coalitions, working strategically across sectors, and refining strategy when faced with uncertainty.
Building on a decade of leadership development experience at Harvard Kennedy School, the Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights has developed a foundational training approach for LGBTQI+ leaders globally, training 100+ leaders selected from more than 1,800 applicants, with priority given to those working in high-need contexts. This concept note proposes an Asia- adapted, in-person workshop that complements ILGA Asia’s capacity-building ecosystem by centering movement leaders while introducing a small number of cross-sector participants (e.g., researchers and policy actors) to strengthen activists’ leverage. Grounded in Asian cases, the workshop will focus on movement strategy, systems analysis, backlash navigation, and “model of change” design to support more resilient, coordinated, and sustained LGBTQI+ progress across the region.
Objectives
Strengthen the strategic leadership capacity of LGBTQI+ movement leaders in Asia to develop context-responsive strategies, resilient coalitions, and actionable models of change that advance equality and safety.
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LGBTIQ+ applicants who are from, based and work in, and/or who work on issues in the following countries are invited to apply: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei-Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Democratic People' s Republic of Korea, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Lao PDR, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, Palestine, Philippines, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, SouthKorea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, United Arab Emirates, Viet Nam, and Yemen.
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A cohort of experienced LGBTQI+ leaders from across Asia representing diverse identities and sectors. Selection will prioritize the candidates’ influence and commitments to LGBTQI+ Activism, not job title alone. Due to level of commitment expected by applicants, there are minimum eligibility requirements that should be taken into account when applying, including:
7 years of committed engagement to LGBTQI+ activism, including advocacy, research, policy practice, and/or community services.
Evidence of leadership (movement leadership, organisational leadership, research experiences, policy influence, coalition coordination, or community mobilization).
Commitment to develop and apply a strategic plan within 12 months.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:
Impact:
By convening and leveraging the cohort's new-found connections and referrals, more strategic and resilient LGBTQI+ advocacy initiatives across participating contexts will be sustained. The cohort and partners will supplement and expand Asia-based knowledge exchange and movement learning so that Asian LGBTIQ+ civil society can be strengthened to achieve positive social and legal shifts across the continent and be connected to future advanced leadership opportunities.
Risk Assessment:
In-person training and capacity building workshops for LGBTIQ+ communities and individuals across Asia typically bear some risks associated with convening. ILGA Asia will take every measure to mitigate all risks, and a security assessment will be incorporated in the participant application form. The following risks and mitigation efforts have been identified:
Interrogations or questioning when traveling to Thailand from the home country, particularly regarding the purpose of visit.
Mitigation: ILGA Asia will provide participants with invitation letters that can be presented to authorities at various immigration checkpoints. ILGA Asia will liaise directly with participants from countries where invitation letters cannot be used or would pose more risk.
Traveling as a non-binary or gender diverse person may present additional scrutiny by airport or other officials.
Mitigation: While there is sadly no mitigation effort that could completely address this risk, ILGA Asia can provide invitation letters that may reduce scrutiny when going through immigration and customs.
Risk of surveillance or reprisals from home country national authorities for engagement of human rights training, or if information about their attendance is leaked or shared.
Mitigation: All measures will be taken to ensure safe and private meeting rooms at the venue for training participants and facilitators to openly speak and express themselves.
Photography notice: There will be a voluntary group photo at the end of training, and ILGA Asia will only include you in any photography or media with your explicit consent. Participants are requested to ask for permission to take photos of or with other participants. We will provide participants who do not wish for their photos to be taken with a mark they can use to indicate so.
Social media support: ILGA Asia may provide social media support for some interested participants. This will entail a separate consent process with each individual participant.
Participants are encouraged to practice standard COVID-19 prevention protocols, including maintaining social distance and wearing masks.
