News & Updates

August 19 is the designated observance of World Humanitarian Day, this year, marking the 20th anniversary of the attack on the United Nations headquarters in Iraq, and per the UN, "to show our unwavering commitment to deliver for the communities we serve, no matter who, no matter where and #NoMatterWhat." Read from the UN website: World Humanitarian Day 2023.

On the occasion of World Humanitarian Day, on its Facebook page, APCOM called on the need for SOGIESC inclusion in the humanitarian system that addresses the distressed communities in Myanmar, our troubled ASEAN neighbor since the military coup that took place in 2021. See the APCOM's Facebook post. Context of the situation in Myanmar is provided in this contributed article in the APCOM website:

When sexual violence is used as a weapon of war, LGTBQI+ individuals are among the victims of violence, particularly in the social setting where homophobic and transphobic mentalities prevail. In the wake of wartime authority in Myanmar following the Military coup in February 2021, some glimmers of justice that sparked a few years for LGBTQI+ people in Myanmar hastily dissolved. The coup has further pushed LGBTQI+ activism, which gained traction within the period of democratic transition, back into covert modes of operation. In the current environment, LGBTQI+ advocates and CSOs continue to provide critical support to their communities whilst simultaneously evading the de facto authorities. While being largely displaced and detained amid the conflicts, violence and abuse around LGBTQI+ individuals amplify the urgent need for SOGIESC inclusion in humanitarian settings and elsewhere. 

Read the article on the APCOM website: The call for SOGIESC inclusion in the humanitarian system to upraise weary hope of Burmese butterflies. (Download a PDF copy of the article.)