Interview with Micah Grzywnowicz and Suki Beavers

Micah: Suki - tell me about the UNDP led LGBTI Inclusion Index - what is it and why did UNDP begin work on it?
Let me start with what led to the development of the LGBTI Inclusion Index. UNDP leads the UN Development Group (UNDG), and as the UN's global development network, is on the ground in approximately 170 countries and territories. As the title of our flagship publication, the Human Development Report suggests, we put people and their capabilities at the centre of our efforts to help achieve sustainable development, including through the eradication of poverty, and the reduction of inequalities and exclusion. A longstanding aspect of UNDP’s work has been to support national actors to collect and analyze the necessary data and evidence base that is required to inform national development plans, policies and programmes. Following the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, UNDP is now focused on providing this support to assist with the implementation of the SDGs, and the commitment that 193 world leaders made that no one would be left behind, and reach first, those people that are the farthest behind.
Unfortunately many LGBTI people are among those that have been excluded. As you know all too well, despite the important advances that have been made using human rights mechanisms, experiences of stigma, discrimination and violence still mark the lives of millions of LGBTI individuals, and economic, political and social exclusion remain pervasive. The fear and exclusion that characterize the lives of many LGBTI individuals also contribute to invisibility - forced to conceal their sexual orientation, gender identities, and sex characteristics, the very existence of LGBTI people is often dismissed by governments and societies. There is still much less understanding of the impacts that the exclusion of LGBTI people have on sustainable development, and very few concrete actions have been taken to advance the rights and inclusion of LGBTI people in development processes and outcomes. We know that good data increases knowledge and awareness, challenges denial, fosters more informed decisions, actions and policy dialogue, ultimately with the objective of achieving positive changes in people’s lives, particularly of the most marginalized, excluded and vulnerable. This makes it all the more important that gaps that exists in the global data collection efforts that will drive implementation of the SDGs be identified and filled.
One critical gap is the lack of data on the inclusion (or exclusion) of LGBTI people. The specific data on LGBTI populations is sparse and where it does exist, it is rarely collected systematically, making it hard to track trends and develop analysis that can be applied to legal, policy and program reforms. The gaps in data on LGBTI inclusion will inhibit countries in achieving the SDGs. This lack of data and the related absence of measurement of inclusion of LGBTI people in the context of the SDGs, led UNDP to begin working on the development of an LGBTI Inclusion Index, which is designed to inform evidence-based development strategies that help advance inclusion of LGBTI people, achieve the SDGs, and truly leave no one behind. The conceptualization process began when UNDP and OHCHR convened a multi-sectoral expert meeting that brought together representatives of multilateral organizations, LGBTI rights advocates, data collection experts, and some key private sector leaders in data collection and analysis. Together these experts developed a working definition of LGBTI inclusion that includes both “Access to opportunities and achievement of outcomes for LGBTI people.” The experts also proposed four priority areas that should be the starting point for tracking progress on the inclusion of LGBTI people in development all around the world. Following this meeting, ILGA and OutRight Action International facilitated additional consultations with LGBTI organizations from around the world to validate the working definition of, and the dimensions that should be prioritized to measure LGBTI inclusion.
A global survey gathered responses from LGBTI organizations, individuals and allies on the definition of, and the priority dimensions required to measure LGBTI inclusion. This online consultation was followed by an in person validation meeting of LGBTI organizations and activists who emphasized that, given the diversity within and between LGBTI people, the priority dimensions chosen and the indicators used for measurement should, to the degree possible, reflect both the inclusion of LGBTI people generally, as well as key elements of inclusion most relevant to: lesbians, gay men, bisexual, transgender, and intersex people.
The expanded dimensions of LGBTI inclusion that were prioritized by civil society and are now the five dimensions of the proposed LGBTI Inclusion Index, are:
- Economic Well-being;
- Civic and Political Participation (broadly defined to also include anti-discrimination frameworks and legal recognition);
- Personal Safety and Violence;
- Health, and
- Education.
Many areas where indicators needed to be identified, refined or developed to measure inclusion in these priority dimensions were also identified.
Suki: Micah you have been working on the development of the Index since the first multi-sectoral expert meeting held in September 2015 – why did you invest your time in this process? What value does civil society see in this initiative, and in particular in participating in the process of the conceptualization and development the LGBTI Inclusion Index?
As you know I've been very engaged in the development and adoption of the SDGs throughout 2015 and I had a strong conviction that it was critical that LGBTI people actively participate in all elements of Agenda 2030 - implementation, follow up and review. In this context, I was extremely excited about and interested in the Index because it presented novel ideas of a concrete way of highlighting the importance of ensuring LGBTI rights and inclusion are there and understood to be there as part of the Agenda 2030. The LGBTI Inclusion Index is a tool to provide us all with good quality data that is severely lacking right now! States need reliable data in order to deliver on the promise of "leaving no one behind" which the Agenda 2030 aspires to, and I think the Index can help in achieving that. At the same time, we cannot underestimate the value of visibility and I think that by ensuring existence of good data we increase visibility of issues experienced specifically by each group within the 'LGBTI' umbrella. This in turn can be taken into account in legal, policy, program and budgetary decisions at all levels, which is what will eventually create the change. We know very well that 'who is counted is who counts' and the Index can be a great way to get us explicitly on the map of the SDGs implementation and reporting. Being involved in the Index work from the beginning presented an important opportunity for RFSL and LGBTI civil society actors generally to start building a partnership with UNDP, the UN broadly and the range of interested and involved stakeholders who can work together to advance the rights and inclusion of LGBTI people as part of the efforts to implement Agenda 2030. In addition, participation from the beginning ensured that the expertise and experiences of LGBTI people was made available to inform the design and conceptualization of the LGBTI Inclusion Index so that it would be designed with us and not just for us.
Micah: Can you tell us about the next steps in the process to develop the Index. What partnerships are involved
UNDP has continued to work on developing an LGBTI Inclusion Index which will have two primary components: the collection and analysis of existing data in every country where it already exists, and the generation of new data specifically on LGBTI inclusion, initially in a smaller group of countries, working with governments, academia, civil society and others. Both of these streams of data collection and analysis will increase the evidence base related to the inclusion of LGBTI people, and thus inform policy, programmes and advocacy.Building on the consultative processes that have informed the development of the LGBTI Inclusion Index to date (including the multi-sectoral expert meeting and civil society validation processes), the phase we are now working on is technical, designed to refine the previous work, and result in an agreed core set of measurable indicators, for all five of the priority areas of the LGBTI Inclusion Index. UNDP and the World Bank are working together to support additional consultations to inform this work. To facilitate this process, a draft set of indicators (which will be accompanied by an explanatory background paper), will be proposed to operationalize the LGBTI Inclusion Index, and will form the basis to two rounds of virtual consultations, followed by an in-person meeting. In order to ensure the inputs of civil society as early in the process as possible, the first round of virtual consultations will be with civil society, and will led by three of the leading LGBTI organizations with ECOSOC status that have been involved in the development of the Index to date; ILGA, OutRight Action International, and RFSL. The results of these consultations will then be available to inform the second round of virtual consultations, which will be held with a small group of multi-sectoral data experts who will also review and provide technical inputs to the draft set of indicators for the respective priority dimensions. We hope that the small technical groups focused on each of the five priority dimensions will be co-chaired by relevant UN agencies and other multilaterals, and will include representatives from; government, academia, civil society, multilaterals, and the private sector. Finally, a small in-person consultation will be held to provide a final round of technical review and recommendations on the agreed set of core indicators. We hope to have the draft set of core indicators for the LGBTI Inclusion Index developed by the end of this year, and will then focus on developing and piloting data collection methodologies. At the same time, as additional resources will be required to operationalize the LGBTI Inclusion Index, we will continue resource mobilization discussions with a range of potential partners. And, we are actively seeking the participation of experts from governments, academia, civil society, private sector, multilaterals and other stakeholders as we move toward operationalization.
Suki: Micah, now that the Index is moving to these next steps – how do you think civil society will want to engage with and use the Index when it is operationalized?
There are a few ways that civil society will be able to engage with the next steps of the process to further shape the Index. For instance, LGBTI communities will be part of the consultations to develop and prioritize the core set of indicators. It will be a very direct way in which we can help design the Index and its focus. The Index was always about responding to the needs of communities and developing the indicators is another way of doing that. Support for the strengthening of capacities of national actors to undertake the collection and analysis of data on the inclusion of LGBTI people, is another important aspect of the LGBTI Inclusion Index. This presents a great opportunity to highlight and engage the research and data collection expertise that some LGBTI groups and academics already have. We hope that the process of implementing the Index will provide opportunities to build those capacities in many countries, so that LGBTI people can be part of the research and data collection efforts in their countries, alongside other stakeholders. Moreover, as soon as the Index starts producing data, LGBTI communities and civil society will be able to use it and highlight areas where LGBTI people experience exclusion in order to advocate for legal, policy and programmatic changes. I think it will be very useful especially in the context of the Agenda 2030 and the SDGs, which give us such wealth of issues covered - we will be able to refer specific data to specific goals and provide specific recommendations. Also, we could use the collected data when our governments create national action plans for the implementation of the SDGs in order to show challenges for our communities so they can be addressed within the Agenda 2030 framework on the national level. What is interesting about data is what it tells us but also what it doesn't tell us. As LGBTI groups we could use the data that is already available to help identify what else is not yet available to drive new research so that there is continuation of building new evidence base. In that way we will also contribute to the data revolution that the Agenda 2030 calls for!
Micah: What's your main hope for the Index?
I hope everything you just said becomes a reality. And, as we operationalize the Index, I hope the number of countries that commit to and build capacities to collect and analyze data on the inclusion of LGBTI people will continue to grow until it systematically becomes part of SDG implementation. The process of establishing the LGBTI Inclusion Index is important in its own right, so we hope and are working towards ensuring that that national capacities are built, alliances and partnerships forged, data is produced, analyzed and applied, and evidence based advocacy efforts are successful in driving legal, policy, budgetary and social change. If all this happens, as I really hope it will, the LGBTI Inclusion Index will make a meaningful contribution to achieving the full inclusion of all LGBTI people.
Suki: What is your favorite part of the Index process?
It was definitely building new partnerships and alliances, with colleagues from the academia, data experts or development field. It is one of the processes where I can not only contribute but also learn a lot, which is absolutely fantastic! Last but not least, my favorite part about the Index is that it is such a nerdy and creative process! ###
Micah Grzywnowicz is the International Advocacy Advisor at RFSL, the Swedish Federation for LGBTQ Rights and a member of the UNDP Civil Society Advisory Committee. In 2011 Micah worked at the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe and assisted in preparing the groundbreaking report ‘Discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity in Europe’. In 2012 Micah was a Sauvé Fellow in Montreal doing research on the forced sterilization of trans people worldwide and participated in the consultation process on the thematic report on torture and healthcare of the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture. Micah has a Master’s degree in Human Rights from the Central European University in Budapest.
Suki Beavers is UNDP’s Global Advisor, Policy and Programmes, Health Governance and Inclusive Political Processes. She focuses on inclusion, with particular emphasis on; the rights and inclusion of LGBTI people, advancing gender equality and the rights and empowerment of women, preventing and responding to GBV, and supporting civic engagement. She has previously served as: UNDP’s first global Policy Advisor on Inclusive Political Processes (2014-15), as the Policy Advisor and Cluster Leader, Democratic Governance, Crisis Prevention and Recovery and Gender Based Violence with the UNDP Gender Team (2010-2014), and as the Human Rights Advisor with the Asia Pacific Regional Bureau (2005-2009). Suki has worked across a spectrum of development contexts, including; stable, crisis, post-crisis and transitional settings. She has written and contributed to the development of numerous publications, policies, and programmes to support legal, policy, and advocacy approaches to a range of issues, including; access to justice, anti-corruption, CEDAW, civic engagement, HIV/AIDS, inclusive political processes, sexual and reproductive health and rights, the rights and inclusion of LGBTI people, VAW/GBV, women’s participation and decision-making, and worker’s rights. Prior to joining UNDP, Suki led and supported NGOs, worked in academia, was a legislative lobbyist, and practiced law.
Published on July 25, 2017 | OutRight Action International an LGBT human rights organization
