Using the Human Rights Conference to affect change within Asia Pacific

WorldPride’s first Human Rights Conference in the Southern Hemisphere signified Australia’s position as a safe gathering place with a genuine commitment to supporting the rights of LGBTQIA+ communities across Asia Pacific.

The Conference’s 3,200 attendees, both in person and online, representing over 60 countries, included international human rights defenders, legal experts, sportspeople, celebrities, academics, grassroots advocates, corporates, Special Envoys and UN representatives.

“This has the potential to not only be the most consequential of our Sydney WorldPride events, but perhaps the most consequential event for the LGBTQIA+ community in the Asia Pacific region.”

– Kate Wickett CEO, Sydney WorldPride

The Conference was an important point of connection for community members, governments, and change makers.

The program was a collaborative effort built by the International Advisory Board. The event built international connections between policymakers and community members.

Pre-Conference caucuses, receptions and multi-lateral meetings connected law- and policy-makers with the leaders of the movement, building momentum for change across the globe.

“When you leave this place and go back to your homes – whether that be across the bridge, across the country or across the seas – we want you to feel part of an unstoppable movement for change.”

– Anna Brown OAM, CEO of Equality Australia, lead community partner for the HRC

The Conference was informed through a consultation process undertaken by Equality Australia, including an online community survey with 1,334 responses from 55 countries and 23 stakeholder workshops, the findings from which were published in the What We Heard Report.1

Respondents from the consultation process requested a variety of considerations be made in terms of accessibility, diversity and visibility. These requests included online access, providing wellbeing services, ensuring diversity among speakers, amplifying the voices of marginalised communities, sharing information to grow the movement and networking events to grow the community.

These requests helped build the 6 core themes of the Conference program:

• Community and Culture

• Health and Wellbeing

• Visibility and Inclusion

• Justice and Freedom

• Development, Education and Digital

• Workshops and Networking.

“The spotlight is so important. Whoever controls the spotlight mobilises what’s on the ground. All we want is the same rights that everyone else has. These are not new rights we’re fighting for.”

– Ymania Brown (She/Her), Strategic Adviser for the Human Rights Conference, Equality Australia