ILGA Asia Strategic Plan and Theory of Change 2026 to 2030
Asia is home to more than 4.8 billion people across over 50 countries, and it contains within it the full extremity of what political life looks like for LGBTIQ communities. Same-sex couples can marry in Taiwan, Nepal and Thailand. In Iran and Afghanistan, they can be executed for who they are.That diversity is the central challenge that shapes ILGA Asia’s work. Across the region anti-gender narratives are gaining state legitimacy and democratic backsliding is enabling coordinated opposition in many parts of Asia. According to International IDEA's September 2023 explainer on advances in LGBTIQ rights across Asia and the Pacific, only 8.6% of countries in the Asia-Pacific region score high on equality in the distribution of political power based on sexual orientation.
It is inside this reality that ILGA Asia does its work. As the Asian region of ILGA World, it brings together 247 member organisations across 41 countries, comprising of organisations navigating military crackdowns, funding cuts, registration bans, and coordinated political opposition. Against this backdrop, ILGA Asia builds the infrastructure that holds the movement together when everything else is tearing it apart.
This Strategic Plan and Theory of Change for 2026 to 2030 was built from the ground up. Developed through a feminist, participatory, drawing on the voices and experiences of 59 organisations across 22 countries, alongside key informant interviews and co-creation sessions with board members, staff, and regional partners.
Members and partners wishing to access the full document are welcome to write to Pukar Bista, Senior Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Officer, at pukar@ilgaasia.org.
FOUR STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS
FOR 2026 TO 2030
Strategic Objective 1
Build cross-movement solidarity and collective power
A connected regional movement ecosystem capable of collective advocacy, mutual protection and coordinated action.
Strategic Objective 2
Strengthen sustainable movement infrastructure
A resilient, locally led SOGIESC movement infrastructure across Asia where organisations survive, lead and thrive.
Strategic Objective 3
Advance evidence, narrative power and advocacy influencer
The movement in Asia shapes public narratives and drives policy change on SOGIESC rights through movement-led knowledge.
Strategic Objective 4
Strengthen governance, power-sharing and institutional stewardship
A trusted, adaptive regional institution built on feminist governance, accountability and shared leadership.
WHAT THIS PLAN DOES DIFFERENTLY
Grassroots and trans-led organisations at the centre of regional power
Consistent, structured engagement that reaches the organisations furthest from power, closing the access gap the previous cycle left open.
01
Culturally responsive support that honours Asia's radical diversity
Asia is not a monolith. This plan commits to approaches shaped by context — political, legal, social — rather than imposed upon it.
02
A living strategy that bends before it breaks
Feedback and learning loops are built into the architecture of this plan so it adapts in real time to a landscape that does not stay still.
03
Activist care and safety treated as the infrastructure they are
Movements cannot sustain transformative change without rest, safety and solidarity built into the structure of the work itself. This plan measures success by the sustainability of people, not only outputs.
04
THEORY OF CHANGE
ILGA Asia strengthens connections among LGBTIQ organisations and activists, builds collective leadership and movement capacity, amplifies regional voices in global and national advocacy spaces, and supports safe, sustainable and resilient movements
If
LGBTIQ movements across Asia will be better equipped to resist backlash, influence policies and social norms, and advance inclusive legal, social and cultural change
Then
Stronger, more coordinated regional movements capable of securing and sustaining access to justice, equality and dignity for SOGIESC people across diverse Asian contexts
Leading to
