Report of the Conference SESSION 5: GROUP DISCUSSIONS – HOW CAN THE YOGYAKARTA PRINCIPLES BE STRENGTHENED AND SUPPLEMENTED FOR THE FUTURE? After a day of intense discussion on the historical background and the experiences of the past 10 years of the Yogyakarta Principles, the last session for the day was designed to consider how each sector can contribute to strengthening and supplementing the Yogyakarta Principles, including through building partnerships with the State, NHRIs, CSOs and the UN System. All participants of the conference engaged in one of the four groups: • Group 1: Engaging the State (government, parliament and judiciary) • Group 2: Engaging NHRIs • Group 3: Engaging CSOs • Group 4: Engaging UN agencies Moderated by Nicholas Booth, Human Rights Advisor, UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub, the key discussion points from all four groups which were reported back to the conference are presented below. Group 1: Engaging the State (government, parliament and judiciary) Rapporteur Anna Brown, Human Rights Law Centre • It is important for LGBTI advocates to know the State’s response to international human rights framework in general and to SOGIESC issues in specific • In order to achieve superior results through engagement with the State, it is better to form alliances with and target the foreign affairs ministry – because out of all government agencies, they are more likely to care about the international obligations of the state • SOGIESC advocates need to know their audiences very well and strategise the engagement according to their characteristics and needs • The Yogyakarta Principles need to be translated to the local language and used as an effective tool of advocacy with all state agencies • Involve the private sector in negotiation with the state, and use their leverage to convince the government agencies • Build political capital around LGBT issues and use it effectively • Forming unlikely alliances with other interest groups could also be effective • The idea of injecting some competitiveness among States in achieving the objectives of Yogyakarta Principles and the international human rights norms – for example the idea of introducing a Yogyakarta Principles compliance index • Creating potential levers through the World Bank and other agencies to convince the government of the economic and social benefits of compliance • Linking the SDGs and LGBTI inclusion • Drawing on our common humanity and convincing the governments that it is essential to recognise equal dignity and rights for everyone regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity • Convene a litigators’ meeting – identify litigation strategies and build cases around LGBTI rights 19