Why this study matters
In August 2024, the first LGBTIQ Communities Technical Working Group was recognized under the National Protection Cluster. It is chaired by Outright and co-chaired by UNHCR, meets monthly, and includes international NGOs, national NGOs, and LGBTIQ civil society groups.
Ukraine’s 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan includes a dedicated paragraph on LGBTIQ needs and 13 cross-references in sector plans such as Protection, Health, and Food Security and Livelihoods. This helps guide priorities and funding.
UN agencies and INGOs began naming LGBTIQ people as a priority group in strategies and guidance, and inclusion is being integrated alongside gender, age, and disability.
A voice from the field
“While many international organizations have channeled their humanitarian assistance to alleviate the struggles of Ukrainian IDPs [Internally Displaced Persons], they have paid much less attention to addressing the specific needs of displaced LGBTQ+ people.”
What you will learn in the case study
How Outright and partners bridged two systems by placing in-country staff with humanitarian expertise and by consistently engaging with UN clusters and local organizations.
How convenings and training, including a national forum in Kyiv, opened sustained dialogue between humanitarians, donors, and LGBTIQ leaders and produced a written strategy for inclusion.
How a simple request, planning, and response tool now helps match community-identified needs with humanitarian partners.
The stakes?
Progress is real, but fragile. The uncertain trajectory of the war and abrupt shifts in global funding threaten localized support for LGBTIQ organizations, while backlash against inclusion efforts is creating chilling effects inside agencies.
Download “Advocating for LGBTIQ Inclusion in Ukraine’s Humanitarian Response” and get the concrete lessons, tools, and recommendations our team and partners are using on the ground.
