Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA), in collaboration with its partners the Global Equality Caucus, the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute and the Council for Global Equality, supported the participation of legislators from 32 countries, from all regions, at WorldPride Amsterdam 2026. Board members from Seychelles, Zimbabwe and Belize shared insight on political leadership at the Human Rights Conference in Amsterdam then joined the full PGA Board for the Parliamentary Dialogue on Inclusion and Equality at the Senate of the Netherlands on 7 August.
Political leadership on the conference stage
PGA Board Member, Sen. Janelle Chanona (Belize), moderated the session, “Political Leadership in Parliament: legislative strategies to stop the global pushback against LGBTQIA+ rights, ” which explored the causes of the current political tide and actions leaders must take to protect LGBTQI+ people from further persecution. The panel brought together Lord Nick Herbert (UK House of Lords and Chair of the Global Equality Caucus), Deputy Minister Mmapaseka Steve Letsike (South Africa), Hon. Karen Makishima (House of Representatives, Japan), Rep. Mark Takano (House of Representatives, United States) and PGA Board member Hon. Bernard Georges, Leader of the Opposition in the Seychelles National Assembly. Steering a frank exchange on coalition-building, cross-party consensus and the most urgent priorities for safeguarding hard-won rights, Sen. Chanona drew out strategies from parliaments as different as Tokyo, Washington, Cape Town and Victoria, with Hon. Georges speaking directly to the realities of advancing inclusion in an African parliament.
PGA Board member Hon. Daniel Molokele (Zimbabwe) joined representatives of the Global Fund, UNDP and the European Commission’s development directorate to examine how scaled-back aid commitments are undermining LGBTQI+ programming in education and public health, and what sustainable financing must look like for communities that can least afford the shortfall. Together, these discussions highlighted the role of parliamentarians from the Global South in shaping locally grounded responses to the global backlash against LGBTQI+ rights.
Across the Human Rights Conference, PGA legislators heard a consistent message: that human rights are for everyone, everywhere, without exception, as Phyll Opoku-Gyimah emphasized – and that rights, once won, must also be defended. Speakers reminded participants that a lack of data leads to a lack of policy, a point underscored in multiple exchanges; and that SOGIESC issues must be reflected not only in equality legislation but in housing, health and every other realm of public policy. Legislators also took note of what institutions can deliver when political will exists. For example, the Council of Europe’s landmark Recommendation CM/Rec (2025)7 on Equal Rights for Intersex Persons, and the UN LGBTI Core Group’s model of states and civil society working together to advance visibility and rights through the UN system, as well as the impact of policies such as the US Global Gag Rule on organizations providing services to marginalized communities.
PGA’s Board engages with legislators from around the world in the Dutch Senate
PGA Board members participated in a Parliamentary Dialogue on Advancing the Rights of LGBTQI+ Persons, hosted at the Senate of the Netherlands by Senator Boris Dittrich, a longstanding PGA member and former member of its Executive Committee. More than 30 legislators from a wide range of political systems and starting points took part.
Senator Dittrich set the tone with a deliberate challenge: to move beyond statements of principle and be concrete. He asked every participant to name what they are trying to achieve at home, perhaps a bill, a repeal, a policy change, a shift in enforcement, to identify the support they need and from whom.
Hon. Christelle Vuanga, MP (Democratic Republic of the Congo), member of PGA’s Executive Committee, opened the substantive discussion with a personal account of how she came to this work. Confronted, soon after her election, with a wave of messages targeting her approach to concerns from LGBTQI+ people in her constituency, she asked herself two questions: What kind of elected representative would I be if I didn’t take my own constituents seriously? and Do I understand the facts about LGBTQI+ people in my constituency? Those questions led her to public broadcasts, sensitization and a clear-eyed reading of the DRC’s legal position (no explicit criminalization, but no marriage equality and no protection against discrimination) and to a commitment, as both parliamentarian and human rights defender, to strengthen health, justice and public services for those most exposed to violence and exclusion. Lord Collins of Highbury, the United Kingdom’s Special Envoy for LGBT+ Rights, and Senator Duncan Wilson (Canada) also shared remarks.
The interactive exchange that followed did exactly what Senator Dittrich asked. Legislators laid out where they stand and what they need to make progress:
- a Botswana MP, who chairs the SADC Parliamentary Forum’s work on sexual and reproductive health rights, emphasized the importance of appreciating, internalizing and partnering with civil society;
- a Polish MP described the situation in a country that remains near the bottom of ILGA-Europe’s Rainbow Map ranking, where parliament passed a civil partnership bill only to see it vetoed by the president, the legacy of so-called ‘LGBT-free zones’ persist and EU support remains constant;
- a Spanish MP chairing the Human Rights Committee emphasized the need to link human rights, constitutional affairs and public health;
- Canada’s first openly gay MP of Asian descent spoke on the principle of leaving no one behind, and on the compounded discrimination for immigrant communities;
- a UK MP serving as the Council of Europe’s General Rapporteur on LGBTI rights discussed the importance of banning conversion practices and answering the free-speech objection – arguing that abusive practices cannot be justified by consent; and
- a German legislator spoke on religious fundamentalism, court rulings and the reality that thousands of queer people lack housing.
Legislators put specific asks on the table – comparative legal analysis, technical drafting support, joint letters, public solidarity statements they can point to at home – and matched them with specific offers of help from colleagues who have fought, won, lost and learned from similar battles.
Why it matters
PGA’s participation in WorldPride moved from shared values to a shared agenda. The discussions produced a practical working map of legislative objectives, technical needs and timelines that PGA and its partners can now carry forward, so that parliamentarians facing difficult votes or legislative challenges can draw quickly and concretely on the experience and support of colleagues.
