Babaylanes attends (IM)PART Partners Meeting and DEI Conference in Thailand
From November 21 to 22, Babaylanes took part in the (IM)PART Partners Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand. During the event, Babaylanes talked about the LGBTQI situation in the Philippines and provided updates on the organization, as well as the DEI project that was implemented from November 2021 to October 2022 wherein Babaylanes engaged private companies in DEI conversations through module-based workshops.
This was followed by a discussion on the challenges and opportunities encountered during the project and this partners meeting ultimately provided an opportunity for all country partners of APCOM to discuss how they can move forward. One of the action points worth highlighting is Babaylanes’ dissemination of the recently developed module on DEI rooted on different bases of diversity and not just the SOGIESC. This was said to have potential in navigating the different country contexts across the South East Asian region when it comes to LGBTQI acceptance.
The (IM)PART Partners Meeting was followed by “Connect: Regional Discussions on Diversity and Inclusion in the Private Sector” which was held the following day, 23 November 2022, at the Netherlands Embassy in Thailand.
The conference intended to be a platform for people working on DEI to convene with one another. Country partner organizations from Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, and the Philippines had a series of discussions with the private sector in Thailand on experiences, practices, and strategies on how to engage the business sector for LGBTQI inclusion. The event concluded with the presentation of the HERO Award to Foodpanda Thailand as the Business Ally 2022 Awardee.
Overall, Babaylanes is thankful that there is once again a chance to convene physically after the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only has this easily addressed many risks and issues in the project implementation, but it has also strengthened the partnerships and relationships that the community strives to establish with IMPART.
