Human rights cities for all: LGBTIQ+ inclusive cities

On Thursday 16 October, join UN-Habitat, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, ILGA World, The Geneva Human Rights Platform, United Cities and Local Governments, and the Rainbow Cities Network for a half-day online session.

Together, we will explore approaches, policies, and practices at every level of governance—from grassroots activism to local and national measures—to create human rights cities where the lives of LGBTIQ+ people are respected and protected.

Date: Thursday 16 October 2025
Time: 13:00 – 15:00 Central European Summer Time (find your time zone)
How to join: register here

IMPORTANT: if you are working with local authorities in your cities, you can request to join the private expert group meeting that will take place after the public one. Registration is subject to availability under a first-come-first-served basis, and ILGA World is not responsible for admissions.

If you are interested, please contact us at programmes (a) ilga (dot) org for more information.

As of 2025, over 4.4 billion people live in cities. This is more than half of the world’s population, and the figure is expected to rise to 68% by 2050.

It is crucial that local authorities create policies, laws, and decisions that build inclusive communities and societies. Despite the progress made, however, many cities worldwide are still not universally safe or inclusive.

Through these meetings, urban actors will strengthen their networks, assess the state of inclusion of LGBTIQ+ persons in cities, and  align efforts with human rights norms, the New Urban Agenda, and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Together, we will develop an LGBTIQ+-inclusive Urban Agenda that identifies priority concerns, sets shared goals, and ensures the equal rights of LGBTIQ+ persons are reflected in upcoming United Nations events — including the upcoming World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, Azerbaijan and the mid-term review of the New Urban Agenda in 2026.