About us - The Commonwealth Equality Network

Our story

The Commonwealth Equality Network is a coalition of more than 80 organisations representing almost 50 countries from all regions of the Commonwealth, working together to create a Commonwealth where all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer and gender-diverse people are free and equal. Together we are building a robust, well-resourced, skilled, and influential movement of organisations working in solidarity to remove legal, political, social, economic and cultural barriers to LGBTI+ equality within the Commonwealth.

Our effectiveness lies in the collective power, knowledge, and strength of our members. To defend the rights of LGBTI+ people across the Commonwealth, the Network invests in strengthening the capacity of our members as learners, leaders, and experts in their own right, fostering solidarity, safety, security, and wellbeing within and across communities. We provide a platform for our members to come together to learn from one another, exchange and co-create good practice, and share expertise.

The Network is a vital mechanism through which members can make collective demands of Commonwealth governments and Commonwealth institutions. Since its inception in 2013, we have played a central role in ensuring that LGBTI+ voices are heard, and that the issues facing LGBTI+ people are addressed, in Commonwealth spaces and by Commonwealth governments. The Network acts as a platform for members to influence Commonwealth institutions and member states, ensuring that LGBTI+ issues are visible, prioritised, and meaningfully addressed in regional and global policy agendas.

Our impact

Since our founding in 2013, The Commonwealth Equality Network has advanced the rights, visibility, and wellbeing of LGBTI+ people across the Commonwealth through advocacy, research, capacity-building, and high-level engagement, amplifying their voices and shaping lasting change.

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Our vision

1
Our Vision: A Commonwealth of Nations where all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer and gender-diverse (LGBTI+) persons are free from discrimination and violence, including criminalisation on the basis of sexual orientation and or gender identity/expression and sex characteristics.
2
Our Mission: To build an inclusive, robust, well resourced, skilled and well networked movement of Commonwealth LGBTI+ organisations, to work in solidarity through collective advocacy, research, resource mobilisation and capacity strengthening, to remove legal, political, social, economic and cultural barriers to equality within the Commonwealth.
3
Our Values: Collaboration, solidarity, equality, non-discrimination, democracy, accountability, and transparency.

Our strategic goals

We will build a strong, well-networked movement of Commonwealth LGBTI+ organisations, empowering members with the skills, resources, and opportunities to lead change, share knowledge, and strengthen collective impact, while prioritising their safety and wellbeing.
We will enhance the Network’s role as a trusted platform for collective advocacy, enabling members to shape policy, influence Commonwealth governments and institutions, and secure concrete commitments to advance LGBTI+ rights across the Commonwealth and in key regional and global spaces.
We will ensure the Network is robust, accountable, and sustainable by strengthening governance, systems, and the Secretariat, while securing diversified resources to support members, retain staff, and deliver our collective ambitions effectively.

Our Management Committee

Major decisions about the Network are agreed by the membership on a consensus basis, while an elected Management Committee sees to the Network’s day-to-day governance.

Chair Joleen Mataele
Tonga Leitis Association, Tonga
Vice-chair Yvee Oduor
galck+, Kenya
Secretary Dane Lewis
Caribbean Forum for Liberation and Acceptance of Genders and Sexualities, Jamaica
Treasurer Linda Baumann
Namibian Diverse Women Association, Namibia
Regional Representative Africa Skipper Mogapi
Rainbow Identity Association, Botswana
Regional Representative Americas Glenroy Murray
Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays, Jamaica
Regional Representative Europe Sneh Aurora
Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, United Kingdom
Regional Representative Pacific Phylesha Brown-Acton
FINE Pasifika, New Zealand
Representative of host organisation Alex Farrow
Kaleidoscope Trust, United Kingdom

Our members

Our network is a mosaic of organisations working together for a Commonwealth free from violence and discrimination against LGBTI+ people.

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