Argentina’s LGBTQ+ Envoy joins African legislators for pioneering Global South dialogue

(L-R) Argentine LGBTQ+ Envoy Alba Rueda with UN Independent Expert on SOGI Graeme Reid and South African Deputy Minister of Justice John Jeffery MP.

Argentina’s LGBTQ+ Envoy and multiple diplomats from Latin America have joined leaders from African parliaments, civil society organisations and businesses for a groundbreaking conversation on equal rights in the Global South.

Alba Rueda, the Argentine Special Representative on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, attended the Global Equality Caucus’s convening event in Johannesburg, ‘African Legislators for Equality’, which welcomed over 60 delegates from across Africa and Latin America last week (30 November).

The forum was organised by GEC in partnership with the South Africa-based trust The Other Foundation.

20 parliamentarians from 11 African countries attended the forum, which highlighted efforts to push forward with inclusive policies in Africa to counteract rising anti-LGBT+ sentiment. Other attending dignitaries included Graeme Reid, the recently appointed UN Independent Expert on sexual orientation and gender identity, and John Jeffery, South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Justice.

A major feature on the programme was a South-South dialogue moderated by Reid alongside dignitaries from Latin America and Southern Africa, which focused on how inclusive change can and must be led from the Global South by local leaders.

The dialogue is valuable due to shared challenges and histories, according to Rueda:

“I am very grateful and happy to participate in the Global Equality Caucus convening in Johannesburg, especially because it proposes a dialogue from the perspectives of the Global South, related to LGBTQ+ rights. It is important to find a common agenda that aligns our commitments to these rights. Argentina has a long trajectory of LGBTQ+ rights to share, but we also have a lot to learn from other strategies and methods of approach. It is also important to highlight Indigenous stories and our shared journeys towards decolonisation – it is fundamental to follow this path with the valuable knowledge of our local realities.”

In addition to Rueda, other panellists included Hon. Nkhensani Kate Bilankulu, a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa; Hon Andy Labonte, a Member of the Seychelles National Assembly; Steve Letsike, the Executive Director of Access Chapter 2 and chair of The Commonwealth Equality Network; and Elía del Carmen Sosa Nishizaki, Deputy Head of Mission at the Mexican Embassy in South Africa.

GEC Regional Manager Ricki Kgositau with Alba Rueda

With ‘African Legislators for Equality’, GEC has formalised its network in Southern Africa with work now turning towards supporting legislators in advancing inclusive policies.

Conversations such as the South-South dialogue are vital to informing this work and we are grateful to all those who participated in the discussion.