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Lessons

LESSON

Lesson Learned: Safeguarding the Rights of Transgender & Intersex Communities in Pakistan

Connected, aware and empowered CSOs and Human Rights Defenders can become a strong catalyst for change at the grassroots level in order to promote local action aimed at promoting transgender persons’ rights. In this case, the engagement provided them a chance to liaise and establish a link with government officials and departments which continued beyond the project.

Project Name
Safeguarding the Rights of Transgender & Intersex Communities in Pakistan
Project Partner
Formation Awareness & Community Empowerment Society
Project Description
The project objective is to work for the protection and promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms of LGBTI persons, particularly transgender and intersex, in Lahore and Faisalabad districts. Expected outcomes include support for 5000 LGTQI/transgender persons; enhanced capacity of 50 civil society and human rights organizations; increased public awareness of LGBTI rights; registration of transgender and intersex persons for computerized national identity cards; improved policy framework and legal provision on the rights of transgender and intersex person.
Report
UDF-19-860_PAK_final.pdf
Evaluation Date
March 2024
Theme
Rule of law
Country
Pakistan
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Safeguarding the Rights of Transgender & Intersex Communities in Pakistan

Effective institutionalization of a technology driven initiative in government departments requires an assessment of their capacity and readiness. Technical and capacity support may be provided to ensure smooth transfer and successful adoption of technology. In the present project, an App developed to report human rights incidents and violations was handed off without prior assessment to a public office unprepared for ensuring its maintenance and use.

Project Name
Safeguarding the Rights of Transgender & Intersex Communities in Pakistan
Project Partner
Formation Awareness & Community Empowerment Society
Project Description
The project objective is to work for the protection and promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms of LGBTI persons, particularly transgender and intersex, in Lahore and Faisalabad districts. Expected outcomes include support for 5000 LGTQI/transgender persons; enhanced capacity of 50 civil society and human rights organizations; increased public awareness of LGBTI rights; registration of transgender and intersex persons for computerized national identity cards; improved policy framework and legal provision on the rights of transgender and intersex person.
Report
UDF-19-860_PAK_final.pdf
Evaluation Date
March 2024
Theme
Rule of law
Country
Pakistan
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Safeguarding the Rights of Transgender & Intersex Communities in Pakistan

Meaningful and transformative change to safeguard rights of transgender community is possible through legislative action. Creating adequate legal frameworks and making justice work for transgender community requires rigorous policy advocacy and extensive engagement with policy and law makers. In this case, while the grantee took a number of initiatives including legal and policy review as well as development of a draft law on Transgender Rights, it met with limited success to generate ownership to steer the legal reform process due to limited engagement with parliamentarians and policy makers.

Project Name
Safeguarding the Rights of Transgender & Intersex Communities in Pakistan
Project Partner
Formation Awareness & Community Empowerment Society
Project Description
The project objective is to work for the protection and promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms of LGBTI persons, particularly transgender and intersex, in Lahore and Faisalabad districts. Expected outcomes include support for 5000 LGTQI/transgender persons; enhanced capacity of 50 civil society and human rights organizations; increased public awareness of LGBTI rights; registration of transgender and intersex persons for computerized national identity cards; improved policy framework and legal provision on the rights of transgender and intersex person.
Report
UDF-19-860_PAK_final.pdf
Evaluation Date
March 2024
Theme
Rule of law
Country
Pakistan
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Safeguarding the Rights of Transgender & Intersex Communities in Pakistan

While working on promoting rights of the transgender community, it is important to focus equally on demand creation through activities enhancing the rights awareness of the community focused on by the project, along with strengthening institutional capacity of public sector institutions for inclusive service delivery.
Project Name
Safeguarding the Rights of Transgender & Intersex Communities in Pakistan
Project Partner
Formation Awareness & Community Empowerment Society
Project Description
The project objective is to work for the protection and promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms of LGBTI persons, particularly transgender and intersex, in Lahore and Faisalabad districts. Expected outcomes include support for 5000 LGTQI/transgender persons; enhanced capacity of 50 civil society and human rights organizations; increased public awareness of LGBTI rights; registration of transgender and intersex persons for computerized national identity cards; improved policy framework and legal provision on the rights of transgender and intersex person.
Report
UDF-19-860_PAK_final.pdf
Evaluation Date
March 2024
Theme
Rule of law
Country
Pakistan
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Safeguarding the Rights of Transgender & Intersex Communities in Pakistan

In order to be effective, public awareness raising campaigns need to be more targeted and focused. The content should be developed in local language, keeping in view the general literacy level. It should also be evaluated to assess efficacy and impact. In this case the grantee developed them in English and published them without translation which limited their efficacy and outreach.

Project Name
Safeguarding the Rights of Transgender & Intersex Communities in Pakistan
Project Partner
Formation Awareness & Community Empowerment Society
Project Description
The project objective is to work for the protection and promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms of LGBTI persons, particularly transgender and intersex, in Lahore and Faisalabad districts. Expected outcomes include support for 5000 LGTQI/transgender persons; enhanced capacity of 50 civil society and human rights organizations; increased public awareness of LGBTI rights; registration of transgender and intersex persons for computerized national identity cards; improved policy framework and legal provision on the rights of transgender and intersex person.
Report
UDF-19-860_PAK_final.pdf
Evaluation Date
March 2024
Theme
Rule of law
Country
Pakistan
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Safeguarding the Rights of Transgender & Intersex Communities in Pakistan

The project experience clearly indicates that project interventions when anchored in or leveraging existing government initiatives have greater stakeholder endorsement and higher chance to sustain. In this case, the grantee successfully tapped in and leveraged existing government initiatives that support, for example, the issuance of identity documentation as well as literacy and nonformal education.

Project Name
Safeguarding the Rights of Transgender & Intersex Communities in Pakistan
Project Partner
Formation Awareness & Community Empowerment Society
Project Description
The project objective is to work for the protection and promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms of LGBTI persons, particularly transgender and intersex, in Lahore and Faisalabad districts. Expected outcomes include support for 5000 LGTQI/transgender persons; enhanced capacity of 50 civil society and human rights organizations; increased public awareness of LGBTI rights; registration of transgender and intersex persons for computerized national identity cards; improved policy framework and legal provision on the rights of transgender and intersex person.
Report
UDF-19-860_PAK_final.pdf
Evaluation Date
March 2024
Theme
Rule of law
Country
Pakistan
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Monitoring Implementation of UN Treaty Bodies’ Recommendations in Morocco

Inclusive project designs that rely on human rights actors from diverse professions and backgrounds have a high potential for reaching project objectives and mitigation strategies. In this case, the inclusion of established and new generation human rights activists from different regions, research-based professions (such as academics and journalists), legislators and policy professionals assured project impact and smooth overcoming of delays due to contextual challenges.

Project Name
Monitoring Implementation of UN Treaty Bodies’ Recommendations in Morocco
Project Partner
Médiateur pour la Démocratie et les Droits de l’Homme
Project Description

The project’s objective is to support in an inclusive way the monitoring of governmental efforts to implement UN treaty body recommendations, by bringing together civil society organizations and parliamentary actors to develop a monitoring mechanism; conducting a capacity development programme on international human rights law, monitoring, and advocacy in four regions; and mobilizing legislators to effectively exercise their roles and responsibilities in holding the government accountable for its commitments to implement UN treaty body recommendations.

Report
udf-18-806-mor_final.pdf
Evaluation Date
February 2024
Theme
Interaction with government
Country
Morocco
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Monitoring Implementation of UN Treaty Bodies’ Recommendations in Morocco

When projects fall on electoral calendars or are directly linked to elected officials which can shift, clear mitigation strategies must be developed to avoid significant project interruptions. In this case, the Implementing Partner was able to effectively use its advocacy skills to garner the attention of newly elected legislators and legislative staff, ensuring project continuity while shifting a potential barrier to a critical opportunity by working with a different set of decision-makers.

Project Name
Monitoring Implementation of UN Treaty Bodies’ Recommendations in Morocco
Project Partner
Médiateur pour la Démocratie et les Droits de l’Homme
Project Description

The project’s objective is to support in an inclusive way the monitoring of governmental efforts to implement UN treaty body recommendations, by bringing together civil society organizations and parliamentary actors to develop a monitoring mechanism; conducting a capacity development programme on international human rights law, monitoring, and advocacy in four regions; and mobilizing legislators to effectively exercise their roles and responsibilities in holding the government accountable for its commitments to implement UN treaty body recommendations.

Report
udf-18-806-mor_final.pdf
Evaluation Date
February 2024
Theme
Interaction with government
Country
Morocco
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Monitoring Implementation of UN Treaty Bodies’ Recommendations in Morocco

For sensitive topics such as monitoring government’s performance on human rights, organizations that have strong expertise, hold inter-generational membership, and work effectively on both the grassroots and national level, are best placed to carry-out multi-scalar projects and gain support and trust by high-level decision-makers. 

Project Name
Monitoring Implementation of UN Treaty Bodies’ Recommendations in Morocco
Project Partner
Médiateur pour la Démocratie et les Droits de l’Homme
Project Description

The project’s objective is to support in an inclusive way the monitoring of governmental efforts to implement UN treaty body recommendations, by bringing together civil society organizations and parliamentary actors to develop a monitoring mechanism; conducting a capacity development programme on international human rights law, monitoring, and advocacy in four regions; and mobilizing legislators to effectively exercise their roles and responsibilities in holding the government accountable for its commitments to implement UN treaty body recommendations.

Report
udf-18-806-mor_final.pdf
Evaluation Date
February 2024
Theme
Interaction with government
Country
Morocco
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Monitoring Implementation of UN Treaty Bodies’ Recommendations in Morocco

Activities that are based on discussions around complex themes and issues, and are organized in remote or marginal areas, are most impactful when held in person, rather than virtually. In this project, moving to virtual spaces proved difficult, both substantially and technologically, as in these areas regular online attendance was difficult to organize remotely, and was further compounded by technological impediments, potentially weakening effectiveness. 

Project Name
Monitoring Implementation of UN Treaty Bodies’ Recommendations in Morocco
Project Partner
Médiateur pour la Démocratie et les Droits de l’Homme
Project Description

The project’s objective is to support in an inclusive way the monitoring of governmental efforts to implement UN treaty body recommendations, by bringing together civil society organizations and parliamentary actors to develop a monitoring mechanism; conducting a capacity development programme on international human rights law, monitoring, and advocacy in four regions; and mobilizing legislators to effectively exercise their roles and responsibilities in holding the government accountable for its commitments to implement UN treaty body recommendations.

Report
udf-18-806-mor_final.pdf
Evaluation Date
February 2024
Theme
Interaction with government
Country
Morocco