ensure that sexual orientation and gender identity are included in the draft
anti-discrimination law, they realized just how important it is to work with
coalition partners.
3.6 Working with international
NGOs
Although much of your work will be limited to the local or national settings, building and maintaining strong ties with international organizations is an important part of any advocacy strategy. LGBT organizations such as ILGA-Europe, COC-Netherlands, ARC International, RSFL- Sweden and others can offer access to sources of information, funding and to policymakers. They also know a lot about how other organizations in other countries have managed their campaigns and can advise on ways to approach issues and targets within advocacy strategies. In addition a number of international human rights NGOs (Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, FIDH, ICJ)8include the human rights of LGBT people within the scope of their
work. This reflects the legitimacy of the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity in human rights discourse to an ever-widening global audience.
Major national and international NGOs, together with local, regional and international LGBT groups and independent activists, have now built a network that links the many sections of the human rights community. It was this coordinated effort that managed (intensive lobbying for the weeks prior to the vote on December 18, 2008) to get the first ever UN General Assembly Statement and Resolution on sexual orientation and gender identity through. In the European context, progress on shaping the Goods and Services Directive (2008)9can be attributed to
strong coalitions being built and excellent communication being maintained between national LGBT organizations and ILGA-Europe.
There are complex political implications that the CoE, the OSCE and the EU consider around ‘difficult’ social issues such as LGBT people’s human rights. Often you might wonder why it is so difficult to get a claim through these institutions and committees – and it is important to have allies who do understand, can interpret and operate within these environments of political balancing and juggling.10 LGBT international NGOs also know a lot about the processes
involved in getting particular information through, in a timely manner, to the appropriate person or desk to do with your country.
An invaluable aspect of dealing with INGOs is their great experience and knowledge of how to pull the right political ‘levers’ to convince governments to change their laws. The following four bullet points describe core elements of that work:
ILGA-Europe, working with lawyers and legal experts, has analysed European legislation that enables it to speak authoritatively on the exact obligations of the seven countries in
8For example, Amnesty International 2008 Human rights reports www.amnesty.org/en/library/ asset/POL10/001/2008/en/d7c 5dcf0-aadd-4eba-9080- 10c216523e3a/pol100012008 eng.pdf,and International Commission of Jurists: Practitioners Guide No. 4 – Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and International Human Rights Law www.icj.org/dwn/database/Pr actitionersGuideonSOGI.pdf
9Destination Equality on the new EU Goods and Services Directive www.ilga- europe.org/europe/publicatio ns/magazine_destination_equ ality/2008/eu_debates_new_a nti_discrimination_directive_a utumn_2008 10Contribution of the Commissioner for Human Rights to the work of the DH- LGBT. Current lobbying work with CoE with collection of quotes from High Commissioner. www.coe.int/t/e/legal_affairs/l egal_co- operation/steering_committe es/cdcj/Documents/2009/Co mm%20DH%20%20_2009_% 207%20E.pdf
relation to human rights.
By having knowledge of the existing human rights and accession monitoring processes of the EU, CoE, OSCE and UN, informed lobbying campaigns can be undertaken.
By maintaining good links with supportive MEPs, ILGA-Europe has been able to get resolutions tabled highlighting those countries with discriminatory laws.
By understanding the ways that the institutions monitor human rights, and persuading them to include references to discriminatory laws and attitudes in their annual monitoring reports, LGBT claims are legitimized outside of national opinion and set within international standards.11
11The following link provides some information on the recently adopted anti- discrimination law in Serbia, and the timely actions taken by ILGA- Europe in that process. www.ilga-
europe.org/europe/gui de/country_by_country /serbia/the_serbian_an ti_discrimination_law_i s_adopted The letter sent to Serbian Parliamentarians about the interventions by the Orthodox church can be found at: www.ilga- europe.org/europe/gui de/country_by_country /serbia/joint_iglhrc_an d_ie_letter_to_the_gov ernment_of_serbia
Evaluation Tool 3
Stakeholder mapping1. Do you understand the difference between target and stakeholder? 2. Can you see the relative relevance of the stakeholders on your issue? 3. Are you clear about their position in reference to your issue?
4. Is their influence on resolving it clear to you (their power)? 5. What access to primary targets have you got?
6. What use of secondary targets can you make?
7. Are you clear about their position in reference to your issue? 8. You have studied a list of potential allies and their associations 9. You have looked at the benefits and risks associated with alliance 10. You have identified your opponents and what they lose if your advocacy objective is successful
11. You have studied your opponents’ tactics and considered ways of dealing with their tactics