We welcome Shivana Singh as the new Executive Director of ILGA Oceania
Summary:
ILGA World is proud to announce that ILGA Oceania has appointed Shivana Singh as the region’s next Executive Director, effective 1 November 2025, and to welcome her to the role.
Based in Suva, Fiji, Shivana is a feminist educator and human rights advocate bringing more than two decades of experience and vision to this vital role. We look forward to working together, and continuing to advocate the rights of LGBTI people across the Pacific and beyond.
Read the announcement of the ILGA Oceania Board below.
Announcement: ILGA Oceania appoints Shivana Singh as Executive Director
On behalf of the ILGA Oceania Board, the Co-Chairs Ratu Eroni Ledua Dina and Margherita Coppolino are pleased to announce Shivana Singh’s appointment as the ILGA Oceania Executive Director. Shivana will assume the position on 1 November 2025 and be based in Suva, Fiji.
About Shivana Singh
Shivana is a feminist educator and human rights advocate with more than two decades of experience spanning grassroots activism, legislative reform, and regional movement-building across the Pacific.
As Executive Director of ILGA Oceania, she is committed to intersectional feminism, anti-racism, and solidarity-led leadership. Her work has advanced LGBTQI+ rights and gender justice across Fiji, Nauru, and the Solomon Islands through grassroots mobilisation, transformative education, and policy advocacy.
She has built cross-border coalitions, amplified Pacific voices in global human rights spaces, and embedded CEDAW principles into sustainable training models and SEAH-integrated WHS/OHS frameworks. Her efforts are rooted in the lived realities of gender and sexually diverse communities, and she is known for inclusive, capacity-building initiatives that strengthen regional movements.
In 2025, Shivana was honoured with the Pasifika Queer Trailblazer Award for visionary contributions to the SOGIESC movement and her unwavering dedication to justice and equity across Oceania.
“At ILGA Oceania, we are committed to strengthening the systems that sustain our movement. Through tailored capacity assessments and development plans, each member country will be supported to grow in the areas that matter most to them. We will prioritise strong financial management and governance policies to ensure transparency and accountability-not just to donors, but to our communities and ourselves.”
Shivana Singh, incoming ILGA Oceania Executive Director
Strategic intent and leadership vision
Shivana will lead ILGA Oceania in advancing regional advocacy, strengthening community-led initiatives, and elevating Pacific voices on the global stage. Her leadership aligns with ILGA World’s emphasis on accountability, knowledge production, and movement strengthening.
She champions an intersectional, anti-racist, solidarity-led leadership approach. She will work to translate global standards into locally relevant laws, policies, and practices, ensuring Pacific voices are heard at multilateral bodies and UN mechanisms.
Context and alignment with ILGA World strategy
The ILGA World Strategy 2025-2029 emphasises movement strengthening, advocacy in multilateral spaces, knowledge production, and internal capacity.
Shivana’s track record across Fiji, Nauru, and the Solomon Islands, and her 2025 Pasifika Queer Trailblazer Award, position her to drive these objectives in the Oceania region.
“ILGA Oceania will continue to build a dynamic two-way bridge between grassroots realities in the Pacific and global human rights mechanisms, from the Universal Periodic Review to Treaty Bodies and Special Rapporteurs. We will ensure Pacific voices are heard at the highest levels while translating global standards into locally relevant laws, policies, and practices.”
Shivana Singh, incoming ILGA Oceania Executive Director
Call to action
We invite ILGA Oceania members, partners, and allies to welcome Shivana Singh to this pivotal role and to collaborate in advancing inclusive, just, and resilient communities across Oceania.
Ratu Eroni Ledua Dina and Margherita Coppolino
Co-Chairs, ILGA Oceania
