There is clear evidence that people with diverse Sexual Orientations, Gender Identities and Expressions, and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC – aka LGBTIQ+ people) have specific and serious needs in conflict and disasters. So why are these needs, and the rights and strengths of people with diverse SOGIESC, so rarely addressed by the humanitarian and disaster risk reduction (DRR) systems?
The do no harm imperative and challenges in local contexts sometimes justifies a more conservative approach. However, at other times, the lack of diverse SOGIESC tailored tools, the lack of training, and the lack of partnerships – among other issues – compound those challenges, and lead organizations to step back from diverse SOGIESC inclusion when they could step up.
Edge Effect’s report “The Only Way is Up: Monitoring and Encouraging Diverse SOGIESC Inclusion in the Humanitarian and DRR Sectors” provides analysis of:
- Diverse SOGIESC exclusion in the Cox’s Bazar refugee camps, conflict displacement and earthquake responses in Mindanao and the Tropical Cyclone Harold response in Vanuatu.
- Gaps in key inclusion frameworks within the global humanitarian and DRR systems which provide little impetus or guidance for diverse SOGIESC inclusion.
- Why the problem of diverse SOGIESC exclusion seems ‘stuck in place’ within the work humanitarian and DRR organisations.
Alongside the report, is a new toolkit for evaluating diverse SOGIESC inclusion in humanitarian programs. The report and toolkit centres diverse SOGIESC CSOs and community members in advising, implementing and evaluating the work of humanitarian and DRR actors.
