FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

We are glad you reached out for help! That is a brave and important thing to do.

We really wish we could help you — we really do — but, unfortunately, ILGA World is unable to provide direct support to individuals.

We suggest you contact a local LGBTI organisation in your country or region for up-to-date information on the direct support they can provide. You can find many local LGBTI organisations listed among our member organisations.

If you are a human rights defender facing imminent danger or threats, 24/7 urgent support is available at ProtectDefenders.eu.

We are glad you reached out for help! No matter the colour of our skin, our faith, or the place we come from, we all deserve to live in safety and dignity, thriving as our full selves.

Unfortunately, ILGA World has no capacity to directly support LGBTI people seeking asylum, but some of our member organisations may! We suggest you contact a local LGBTI organisation or refugee legal service — either in your country or region of origin, or in those of destination. You can find many of them listed among our member organisations.

For basic information on seeking asylum when you are fleeing persecution based on your sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, or sex characteristics, you may want to contact The Organisation for Refuge, Asylum and Migration (ORAM), Rainbow Railroad, or Rainbow Migration. Please note, however, that we have no information on the support they can provide for your specific case.

If you are a human rights defender facing imminent danger or threats, 24/7 urgent support is available at ProtectDefenders.eu.

ILGA World channels its funding directly into the advocacy, research, and movement-strengthening work we lead ourselves, and unfortunately all our resources are already dedicated to projects underway. We encourage you to explore alternative funding sources specifically designed to support participation in events or the launch of new projects.

We suggest keeping an eye on our channels for any regranting initiatives that we might open in the future, and encourage you to still let us know about your project: we love hearing about what our members and communities are building!

Thanks for reaching out! You can contact ILGA World’s media and communications department at media (a) ilga (dot) org, indicating the topic of your story, any deadlines to receive a reply, and any language requirements.

Depending on your request, we may put you in touch with ILGA World staff, board members, ILGA regions or member organisations, and human rights defenders on the ground.

For background information for your story, you may want to consult our resources and publications on our website. For data on the human rights situation of LGBTI people in every country and territory worldwide, please consult the ILGA World Database at https://database.ilga.org.

If you have enquiries on local or regional LGBTI issues, you can also contact the ILGA regions.

ILGA World maps are among the most widely shared visual representations of how LGBTI people are affected by laws and policies worldwide. On the ILGA World Database, our interactive and constantly updated maps cover more than 100 topics!

We encourage you to visit the platform and download the maps. PDF files available below are vectorised and fit for large prints. You can reproduce and print ILGA World maps for free and without permission, as long as you do not alter their content and properly credit ILGA World.

If you use our maps, we invite you to donate to keep the ILGA World Database alive: your gift strengthens knowledge you can trust.

It is great to hear that you want to focus on LGBTI people and lives for your school project!

As much as we would love to support you with it, however, we may not always have the capacity to do so. We encourage you to use the resources on this website and the data on the ILGA World Database, and to get in touch with us in case you need any clarification.

ILGA World is a membership-based organisation.

Its highest authority is the General Assembly, usually held during ILGA World conferences, whose procedures are set out in our Constitution and Standing Orders.

In between general assemblies, the Executive Board acts on behalf of ILGA World: it includes two representatives — at least one of whom identifies as a woman — from each region, two co-Secretaries General, the Executive Director, and the Chairs of the Steering Committees.

All board members must be from full member organisations.

ILGA World endorses no political party or movement. However, our work may have political implications as we work every day to ensure that people of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, and sex characteristics worldwide can exercise their human rights.

ILGA World membership is open to organisations across the world representing or providing services to people of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, and sex characteristics.

While more than 60 UN member States worldwide bar civil society organisations working on sexual, gender and bodily diversity issues from formally registering and operating, ILGA World membership is also open to organisations that aren’t officially recognised.

To become an ILGA World member, organisations must submit an application and agree to fully adhere to the Constitution, Code of Conduct, Standing Orders and values of ILGA World.

The Executive Board thoroughly reviews every application to ensure the applicant’s aims and values align with those of ILGA World. Organisations may expect to hear back about the result of the process within 60 days of applying for membership.

Applications to become an ILGA World member are only open to organisations, and not to individuals. Follow this link to find more information about our membership process.

Energy powers every movement, and every movement grows stronger through connections.

Join the ILGA World constellation, and your organisation will contribute its spark to a global force already spanning more than 170 countries. Together, we ensure LGBTI people can exercise their human rights and move liberation forward for everyone.

Membership turns solo effort into a shared energy. You vote. You shape ILGA World. You steer where global LGBTI movements go next. Your voice travels in rooms far beyond your own doors — the United Nations, international and regional human rights and policy spaces, and in world conferences where decisions gather momentum.

Your organisation is already a force for good. Imagine what you can do together with thousands of others who share your values and vision of a better world for everyone. ILGA World brings them all together. Join us!

We post all job, consultancy, and internship opportunities on our website. Check back periodically to see what new openings we have posted. While we always love to hear about your work, we kindly ask you not to send unsolicited CVs.

ILGA World works under a flexible workplace regime, including flexible working hours. Unless required otherwise, staff members can work remotely from any country in the world, provided that they have the legal authorisation to do so.

ILGA World remunerates under a three-tiered salary matrix structure, depending on location, and we include salary details in every job opening we publish.

ILGA World offers 32 leave days every year — scaled to each employee’s working hours — between public holidays in the country of work and annual leave, and some contributions to healthcare costs.

Yes: ILGA World is an equal opportunity employer.

ILGA World is committed to social justice regardless of any individual or group characteristics — including gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, sex characteristics, race, age, disability, ability, economic status, national origin, religion, ethnicity, and historical, cultural and geographic experiences. We recognise the unique challenges faced by individuals with each of these characteristics and by those with intersecting identities.

We offer fair treatment to all current and potential employees, interns, and contractors, and aim to ensure that all such individuals receive equal treatment — including access to employment, training, and opportunities for promotion, as relevant — regardless of any personal attribute.

ILGA World promotes gender and equality mainstreaming and actively promotes equality across all policies and actions. ILGA World treats all job applications with the strictest confidence.

We strongly encourage applications from individuals from, and living in, Global Majority countries, and particularly from candidates who identify as women or non-binary, and/or are lesbian, bisexual, intersex, or trans.

If more than one applicant is considered equally qualified for the position, we prioritise applicants from marginalised and/or underrepresented groups.