Recriminalisation of same-sex relations, funding cuts undermine gender equality: Global experts

By A Representative 

Leading gender rights activists, public health experts, and civil society organisations have raised alarm over mounting threats to gender equality, human rights, and health systems worldwide, warning that these setbacks pose serious challenges to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

At the SHE & Rights (Sexual Health with Equity and Rights) session, co-hosted by international organisations including the Global Center for Health Diplomacy and Inclusion (CeHDI), ARROW, IPPF, APCAT Media and CNS, speakers condemned the rising influence of anti-rights and anti-gender movements, regressive court rulings, and shrinking global funding for health and equality initiatives.

Dr Angelique Nixon, Director of CAISO: Sex & Gender Justice, Trinidad & Tobago, denounced global conservative pushes that have reframed gender justice and rights as threats to societal order. “The global order, rooted in white supremacy, capitalism, and patriarchy, sustains itself through fear and division. Anti-gender movements—particularly those supported by Global North entities like ‘Agenda Europe’ and the ‘World Congress of Families’—are actively obstructing progress on issues such as comprehensive sexuality education and LGBTQIA+ rights,” said Dr Nixon.

Referring to the recent overturning of a 2018 High Court ruling in Trinidad and Tobago that had decriminalised consensual same-sex relationships, Dr Nixon called the move a “devastating blow to human rights” with serious repercussions for marginalised communities.

Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD) added that both the Fourth Financing for Development (FfD4) conference and the 2025 UN High Level Political Forum failed to advance human rights or gender equality. "With only five years left to achieve the SDGs, progress is not only off track but receding in many areas. The call is clear: Development Justice Now,” said the APWLD statement.

Abhina Aher, noted transgender activist and Managing Director of India’s TWEET Foundation, highlighted how transgender communities remain sidelined in the SDG discourse. “Transgender individuals are often invisible within broader LGBTQIA+ frameworks. We must ensure they have their own space to advocate for their rights,” she said, adding that the intersectional stigma transgender people face—due to gender, HIV status, socio-economic position, or marital history—exacerbates their marginalisation.

The Global AIDS Update 2025 revealed grim prospects if current funding gaps continue. Eamonn Murphy, UNAIDS Regional Director for Asia Pacific and Central Asia, warned, “Recent global funding cuts could set us back to HIV infection and AIDS-related death levels not seen since the early 2000s.” Nine Asia Pacific countries saw rising HIV infections from 2010 to 2024, including an alarming 3091% surge in Fiji. Treatment coverage in several nations remains below 50%, with Afghanistan at just 11%.

“Compared to a global 40% decline in new HIV diagnoses between 2010 and 2024, Asia Pacific has seen only a 17% decline,” Murphy added. He emphasised that HIV prevention has plateaued, especially among key populations including men who have sex with men, sex workers, and transgender people, with criminalisation and stigma preventing access to essential services.

Letlhogonolo Mokgoroane of OurEquity, South Africa, noted that despite progress in sub-Saharan Africa, women and girls remain disproportionately affected, comprising 63% of new infections in 2024. “HIV is not only a medical issue. It is deeply tied to legal, economic, and social inequalities,” Mokgoroane said, citing legal discrimination against LGBTQIA+ people and sex workers as key factors fuelling the epidemic.

Pam Ntshekula of the Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Taskforce (SWEAT), South Africa, urged full decriminalisation of sex work. “Criminalisation puts sex workers at risk of abuse, health neglect, and injustice. It is not just a legal issue—it is about dignity, safety, and health,” she said.

Shobha Shukla, Lead Discussant for SDG-3 at the UN High Level Political Forum, reinforced the need for integrated action. “The right to health cannot be separated from gender equality and human rights. Essential services must include access to safe abortion, menstrual hygiene, mental health, and support for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence,” she said.

“Evidence shows that SDG-3 goals on health cannot be achieved without meeting SDG-5 on gender equality. Gender disparities dramatically shape health outcomes. Legal reforms that promote equality—like property rights for women—lead to better health,” added Letlhogonolo Mokgoroane.

With less than five years to realise the 2030 Agenda, the SHE & Rights coalition called on governments to urgently prioritise gender-transformative, rights-based, and people-centred approaches to health and development. "We cannot leave anyone behind," was the resounding message.