Reflection Piece by
Naomi Fontanos
Gender Equality & Sustainable Development Officer
APCOM
The 2nd ADB Learning Week organized by APCOM with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in cooperation with ASEAN SOGIE Caucus (ASC), ILGA Asia, ILGA Oceania, Intersex Asia, Pacific Sexual and Gender Diversity Network (PSGDN) and supported by Canada happened on 21-23 October 2024 in Manila, Philippines. For the first two days we met at the ADB Headquarters and for the 3rd day we met at the Citadines Millennium Ortigas Manila Hotel in Ortigas, Manila.
We held learning sessions while #KristinePH, a tropical cyclone, devastated parts of the Philippines. In Manila, we also experienced severe rains on all days of the conference. On Day 1, we woke up early to make it to the ADB HQ at 7:30 am. When we got there, the system was down and their Visitor Registration was not working. We were just given Visitor passes to enter ADB. Some of our participants complained the system asked them for their legal names and not their lived or preferred names. This is something we can work on next time better.
We had panel discussions during the day. The first panel was a Foundational Session to unpack sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics. The session was entitled Beyond the Binary: Demystifying SOGIESC for Inclusive Development and the speakers from civil society organizations (CSOs) were John Pukali from Hetura Network Papua New Guinea Association, Papua New Guinea; Manisha Dhakal from Blue Diamond Society, Nepal; and Aeini Nasution from Perkumpulan Suara Kita, Indonesia. This was followed by Thematic Session 1 entitled Integrating Diverse SOGIESC Perspectives into Development Projects for Equitable Outcomes which focused on the ADB’s Poverty and Social Analysis (PSA). The CSO speakers were Jeff Cagandahan from Intersex Asia and Thissadee Sawangying from Health and Opportunity Network (HON).
The group then had a break for lunch. After lunch, we continued with Thematic Session 2 entitled Advancing Equality: Accelerating SOGIESC Inclusion in MDB Operations through Principles, Policy, and Strategy which focused on ADB’s Roadmap for Advancing the Inclusion of Sexual and Gender Minorities in ADB Operations, 2025-2030. The CSO speakers for this panel were Manase Vaoahi, Program Coordinator, Tonga Leitis Association Inc., Tonga, and Shale Ahmed, Executive Director, Bandhu Social Welfare Society, Bangladesh. This session was moderated by Midnight Poonkasetwattana, Executive Director, APCOM.
This was followed by Thematic Session 3 entitled Safeguarding Inclusivity: Managing SOGIESC Risks and Sensitivities in ADB Operations. The CSO speakers for this panel included me, the Gender Equality and Sustainable Development Officer, APCOM and Donna Nunez, Program Associate of the ASEAN SOGIE Caucus.
For this panel discussion I was asked two questions. The first question was: As a representative of APCOM, how do you see the intersection of sexual health concerns and broader SOGI safeguards in development projects? How can ADB better integrate these considerations? I said ABD’s Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) does not really mention sexual health explicitly. However, in the ESF’s vision statement, it talks about human rights and non-discrimination. The ESF states, and I quote: “ADB’s operations support the realization of human rights expressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”
It also further states and I quote: “ADB will promote nondiscrimination by working with its developing member countries (DMCs) to create enabling environments that provide equal access to services and benefits and permit meaningful participation of all people, including the disadvantaged or vulnerable, and others who are often excluded from the development process.”
When we talk about sexual health or sexual rights we mean them to be human rights related to sexuality. They are universal and indivisible and they are in accordance with the principle of non-discrimination. The International Planned Parenthood Federation states that these rights include: right to equality, right to participation, right to life, liberty, security of the person and bodily integrity, right to privacy, right to personal autonomy and recognition before the law, right to freedom of thought, opinion, expression, right to association, right to health, right to benefit of scientific progress, right to education and information, right to choose whether or not to marry to found a family, and right to accountability and redress.
Based on the ADB’s ESF Vision, I believe these rights are protected and promoted by the safeguards. How the ADB can integrate sexual rights with the safeguards is to have a SOGIESC specific safeguard. And I believe that is what many LGBTQIA+ organizations have been asking from the ADB since we started engaging with you. I do not know if it is still possible to push for a SOGIESC-specific safeguard at this point when the safeguards have already undergone various consultations and it is up for Board approval in November 2024. And Madhumita has already said that there is no SOGIESC-specific safe guard but that LGBTQIA+ people are included in the disadvantaged or vulnerable populations.
The second question to me was: In your experience, what are the most critical gaps in current safeguard practices when it comes to protecting and empowering SOGIESC individuals, particularly in the context of sexual health? And I said that beyond the safeguards, I believe an entry point we can explore is to look at ADB’s Gender and Development or GAD Policy. The GAD policy is implemented by the Office of Environment and Social Development (OESD) of ADB through its Programs and Projects Department. ADB developed a GAD policy in 1998 with the following objectives:
- Provide assistance to its developing member countries in the areas of policy support, capacity building, GAD awareness, and formulation and implementation of policies and programs directed at improving the status of women;
- Facilitate gender analysis of proposed projects, including program and sector loans, and ensure that gender issues are considered at all the appropriate stages of the project cycle, including identification, preparation, appraisal, implementation and evaluation;
- Promote increased GAD awareness within the Bank through training workshops and seminars, development of suitable approaches and staff guidelines to implement the policy on GAD;
- Assist its Developing Member Countries (DMCs) to implement commitments made at the Beijing World Conference on Women;
- Explore opportunities to directly address some of the new and emerging issues for women in the Asia Pacific region.
The operational approaches of ADB’s GAD policy will be in two areas: macroeconomic and sector work and loans and technical assistance.
Since this GAD policy was crafted in 1998, we have not heard if it has undergone any revisions. But I believe it is time to update it and include the issues, needs, and concerns of the LGBTQIA+ communities in the Developing Member Countries (DMCs) of ADB.
It is interesting that the ADB GAD policy states that it will assist DMCs “to implement commitments made at the Beijing World Conference on Women.” The Beijing Platform of Action has 12 areas of concerns including: poverty, education, health, violence, armed and other conflicts, economic participation, power sharing and decision making, national and international machineries, human rights, mass media, environment and development and the girl child. The Beijing Platform of Action was developed in 1995 and it will have its 30th year review this year. Many LGBTQIA+ organizations are clamoring for the Beijing Platform for Action to include the issues of lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex women based on the belief that LBTQI women are women. APCOM will be attending the Asia Pacific Ministerial Meeting on the Beijing +30 Review in Bangkok, Thailand on 19-21 November 2024 and we will push for the Beijing Platform of Action to include LBTQI women.
Similarly, we would like to request the ADB to update its GAD policy to include LGBTQIA+ people within the ambit of gender and not just focus on women and girls and women empowerment. We would like to see ADB’s GAD policy also emphasize LGBTQIA+ people’s empowerment within the development process. We hope the GAD policy would support measures that empower LGBTQIA+ people to contribute to setting development agenda, and to challenge socioeconomic systems that place LGBTQIA+ people at a relative disadvantage to women or men.
The ADB GAD policy for example wanted to create an externa forum on gender. The External Forum on Gender will have 10-15 key GAD experts from various fields (governments, NGOs, academia, civil society) and will be convened periodically to enable ADB to maintain dialogue with external groups on its GAD policy and activities. We are hoping that the External Forum on Gender can also have LGBQTIA+ civil society organizations (CSOs) and not just women’s groups.
As already mentioned, we would like to see a SOGIESC-specific safeguard although I am not sure if this is possible with the Safeguards up for approval in November 2024.
But just to close this, in the ADB GAD policy it states that in the past the view was that “Women need development” but this is being changed to say that in fact “Development needs women.”
In the same vein, we can say that LGBTQIA+ people need development. But instead, we can turn this around and say that development needs LGBTQIA+ people. LGBTQIA+ people need to be counted in when we talk about development and our civil, political, social, economic, and cultural rights need to be promoted and protected under the ADB safeguards.
In the end we affirm the view that “ADB is not a social and environmental agency and as such has little influence over project outcomes.” But it must consider social justice and gender equity and must continue believing that investments in the LGBTQIA+ community are vital to achieving economic efficiency and growth.
Then there was another panel discussion on Day 2 of the Learning Sessions for Thematic Session 4. It was entitled Integrating SOGIESC in Development. The CSO speakers for this session were Manisha Dhakal, Blue Diamond Society, Nepal; Tashi Tsheten, Queer Voices of Bhutan, Bhutan, and Shale Ahmed, Bandhu Social Welfare Society, Bangladesh. This was followed by a World Café were the participants rotated among three cafes to answer the following questions:
Café 1: How can we integrate diverse SOGIESC Perspectives into Development Projects?
Café 2: How Can we collaboratively accelerate SOGIESC Inclusion in MDB Operations through Principles, Policy, and Strategy?
Café 3: How can CSOs help in in better management of SOGIESC Risks and Sensitivities in ADB Operations?
After the World Café, we had reflections from CSO representatives. Kate Silapee from Pink Monkey Organization, Thailand and Vanna Chomsavanh from Don’t Stop Dream Team (DSDT), Laos gave the reflections. Then we closed the program. On Day 3, we stayed at the Citadines Millennium Ortigas Manila. We tackled ADB’s Roadmap for Advancing the Inclusion of Sexual and Gender Minorities in ADB Operations, 2025-2030. We also had a meeting with Madhumita Gupta, Principal Safeguards Specialist (Social), Policy and Technical Service of ADB on updates on the ESF. Then we had group sharing on what the CSOs can do to help ADB roll out the ESF and the Roadmap. Then we ended the meeting. This was followed by a reception in the evening where the participants let their hair down and enjoyed the evening in a relaxed atmosphere, singing and dancing to a band and eating a good dinner.
