In December 2011 UNESCO convened an international consultation to address school bullying on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity/expression with ministries and departments of education and academia from more than 25 countries, UN agencies, and non-government organizations (NGOs). The findings of the consultation were combined into a publication entitled Education Sector Responses to Homophobic Bullying. UNESCO’s three-year project “Education and Respect for All: Preventing and Addressing Homophobic and Transphobic Bullying in Educational Institutions” with financial support from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of the Netherlands has strengthened evidence generation and advocacy in Asia and other regions. UNDP’s ’Being LGBT in Asia’ initiative, funded by USAID and the Embassy of Sweden in Thailand, has also generated attention to these forms of exclusion and violence as human rights violations. Through these initiatives and partnerships, the Asia-Pacific regional offices of UNESCO and UNDP hosted the first ever Asia-Pacific Consultation on School Bullying on the Basis of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity/Expression (SOGI/E), on 15-17 June 2015, in Bangkok, Thailand. The objectives of the Consultation were to: Broaden awareness and understanding of bullying based on SOGI/E in Asia-Pacific educational institutions, and other issues contributing to LGBTI discrimination and exclusion in education; Identify and share examples of good practice to prevent and address bullying on the basis of SOGI/E including in: data and research; policy/legal and regulatory frameworks; curriculum and learning materials; teacher training and support; and other aspects of support for learners; Facilitate action in select countries to prevent and address school-related bullying on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity/expression through the identification and discussion of effective responses and the development of collaborative relationships between civil society and government ministries.
Centro de Recursos de Salud y Educación