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Together we have changed how LGBTI+ rights are recognised and protected across the Commonwealth, ensuring that the voices and expertise of our members are heard, respected, and increasingly acted upon by Commonwealth leaders, governments, and institutions.
We bring our members together to learn from one another, share expertise and strategy, and strengthen their collective impact. Through advocacy, research, and strategic engagement with governments and institutions, our members influence policy, participate in high-level meetings, produce shadow reports, and convene regional and global forums. By exchanging knowledge and developing strategies together, we build the skills and confidence needed to protect rights, advance visibility, and drive meaningful, lasting change.
The Commonwealth Equality Network matters because it connects LGBTI+ activists and communities across the Commonwealth in a spirit of solidarity. When we come together to share our stories and strategies, we build the collective power needed to confront colonial legacies and secure dignity, freedom, and equality for LGBTI+ people everywhere.
Steve Letsike Former Chair of the Management Committee
The Commonwealth Equality Network was founded, bringing together 30 organisations across 25 Commonwealth countries to advance LGBTI+ rights and build a transnational movement.
The Network hosts its first major conference, LGBTI Human Rights in the Commonwealth, alongside the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, bringing activists, policymakers and civil society to shine a spotlight on the rights of our communities in the Commonwealth.
The Network sends a nine-member delegation to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta, marking the first sustained advocacy on LGBTI+ rights at CHOGM. For the first time, LGBTI+ issues are raised in the Foreign Ministers’ Roundtable, in the formal agendas of the Peoples’ and the Women’s Forums, and inclusive language informed by Network advocacy appears in the Malta Declaration [link] and the Leaders’ Communiqué.
The Network publishes A Commonwealth Toolkit for Policy Progress on LGBT+ Rights, documenting reform efforts across the Commonwealth, and becomes the first and only LGBTI+ organisation accredited to the Commonwealth. First regional meetings are held in Malta and Johannesburg, strengthening regional coordination.
The Network expands regional engagement through convenings and high-level meetings, including with then Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and former South African President Kgalema Motlanthe.
At the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in London, the Network achieves multiple firsts, including its first meeting with Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland, the first LGBTI+ presentation to all member states at the Committee of the Whole, and the first keynote by an out LGBTI+ person at the Women’s Forum. Our advocacy contributes to UK Prime Minister Theresa May expressing regret for the impact of colonial-era laws on LGBTI+ people and committing £5.6 million to inclusive reform. Network members also met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and engaged with the UN Independent Expert on sexual orientation and gender identity, Victor Madrigal-Borloz.
The Network hosts its first Global Conference in Mauritius, bringing together members from across the Commonwealth to develop its most ambitious strategy to date. Engagement expands through participation in the Commonwealth Law Ministers Meeting, strengthened policy advocacy with governments, and international recognition with the International Community Trailblazer award at the Gay Times Honours.
The Network supports the first ever Commonwealth Secretariat event marking IDAHOBIT, publishes a landmark report on the impact of COVID-19 on LGBTI+ communities across the Commonwealth, and convenes members globally to sustain collaboration and solidarity during the pandemic.
The Network publishes its first Commonwealth-wide shadow report on the legal, social and political state of LGBTI+ rights, centring member evidence in engagement with Commonwealth institutions.
The Network sends a 13-person member delegation to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Rwanda, where members strategically engaged with policymakers from 54 nations to advocate for LGBTI+ rights and strengthen long-term Commonwealth connections.
The Network hosts its first Pacific regional convening in Tonga, bringing members together to learn from one another and strategise together. Throughout the year the Network supports members to advocate for the rights of LGBTI+ people at key Commonwealth meetings, including Commonwealth Parliamentary, Women’s and Youth ministerial meetings.
The Network hosts its Global Convening in London for members to learn from one another, create the building blocks for its new strategy, and advocate for the rights of LGBTI+ people with government and Commonwealth officials. The second Commonwealth shadow report is published.
The Network sends a 15-strong member delegation to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa, to advocate for LGBTI+ rights and engage directly with policymakers from 56 nations. Members presented at all key forums, including the Business, People’s, Women’s and Youth Forums, and our Chair made history as the first trans woman to address the Women’s Forum on the rights of LGBTI+ people. Together members secured policy and funding commitments from two Commonwealth governments and secured progressive language in the Commonwealth Leaders’ Communique.
The Network hosts its first ever Asia Regional Convening in Singapore, reinforcing regional collaboration and supporting implementation of the Network’s new Global Strategy.
The Network held its Africa Regional Convening in South Africa, alongside a satellite meeting in Rwanda. Members from 16 countries shared strategies, strengthened skills, and met with government ministers, officials and diplomats. The conference adopted the African Call to Action to advance equality and justice for LGBTI+ communities across the continent.