Regional forum

During the regional forum, participants shared milestones, reflections and lessons at the closure of the Out&Proud project. It also marked the official launch of the LGBTIQ+ social exclusion barometer in Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Malawi. The forum was an opportunity for the Centre to share best practices in engaging with UN human rights mechanisms, and to speak to human rights defenders from the whole region on reporting opportunities for their specific countries.

Preparation of a UPR midterm report in Malawi

From 7-9 November, the Centre’s representatives travelled to Lilongwe, Malawi, to meet with a range of stakeholders. These included the ambassador of the EU delegation, the US embassy, the British High Commissioner, the Malawi National Human Rights Commission, National Democratic Institute, the Malawi-Scotland partnership, Diversity Forum, FHI360, CEDEP and the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation.

The aim of those meetings was to evaluate the implementation of the UPR recommendations, that Malawi received in 2020. It received 226 recommendations in total, of which 15 mention LGBTIQ+ explicitly, but many others affect this group indirectly.

There was a round table discussion on the implementation of recommendations regarding the death penalty, freedom of association, freedom of expression, and others. Civil society was able to present updated information regarding two emblematic cases: one of a transwoman that is detained, and one that deals with the registration of Nyasa Rainbow Alliance, an LGBTIQ+ organization in Malawi.

The discussions that were held will form the basis of the UPR midterm report, that will be submitted before the end of the year. This document will help States as well as civil society to get an up-to-date view on the implementation of the recommendations, two years on.