OUT LGBT Well-being participated in the Regional Convening on Protection and Emergency Response for LGBTI Human Rights Defenders in Southern Africa held on 8 and 9 June 2026 in Johannesburg.
The convening was hosted by the Other Foundation in partnership with the the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria Faculty of Law, South Africa.
OUT was represented by Sibonelo Ncanana-Trower in his capacity as Human Rights Officer. He also attended on behalf of the National LGBTI Task Team on SOGIESC Matters.
The convening forms part of an ongoing regional process that began in 2022 and seeks to strengthen coordinated, accessible, and responsive protection and emergency mechanisms for LGBTI human rights defenders across Southern Africa. Participants engaged with a draft research report commissioned by the Other Foundation and contributed to shaping a practical, regionally grounded emergency response protocol informed by the lived realities of defenders.
Speaking during the convening, Ncanana-Trower emphasised the urgency of collective accountability and shared systems of care:
“For LGBTI human rights defenders, safety cannot depend on who you know or where you are based. We need a strong and shared protocol that is trusted across the region, rooted in lived realities, and capable of responding quickly when lives are at risk. Solidarity must move beyond statements into coordinated action that saves lives.”
OUT LGBT Wellbeing welcomes this important step towards a regionally supported emergency response framework and reaffirms its commitment to working with partners, movements, and institutions to ensure that LGBTI human rights defenders are protected, supported, and able to continue their vital work without fear.