The UNESCO and UNDP Asia-Pacific regional offices are hosting 15-17 June 2015 in Bangkok the Asia-Pacific Consultation on School Bullying on the Basis of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity/Expression.
The consultation will bring together nearly 15 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including and more than one hundred participants from education and other ministries, NGOs, research institutions and development partners.
Over three days, participants will reflect on what is known about school bullying and violence for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex learners, and what needs to be done to prevent exclusion, violence and discrimination and create positive social norms around acceptance, and respect for sexual and gender diversity.
The meeting draws on a draft regional analysis of the situation and response in the region, which will be released with feedback from consultation participations later this year. It is part of the UNESCO three-year project “Education and Respect for All: Preventing and Addressing Homophobic and Transphobic Bullying in Educational Institutions” funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of the Netherlands. This project includes global-, regional- and country-level activities, including in Asia and the Pacific, and will culminate with the organization of a meeting of Ministers of Education on this topic in Paris in 2016.
It is also linked to the UNESCO partnership with UNDP on the second phase of Being LGBT in Asia, and a direct outcome of the recent Regional Dialogue on LGBTI Human Rights and Health in Asia-Pacific held on 25-27 February 2015 in Bangkok, Thailand.
The consultation expects to be a rich platform for discussion on human rights, gender and sexuality, and the rights of all learners to an education.
For more information, please contact: Justine Sass (j.sass@unesco.org)