LGBTQI Rights Are Front And Centre At The APCOM Community Summit 2020

Eamonn Murphy, regional director of UNAIDS Asia-Pacific, APCOM executive director Midnight Poonkasetwattan and Hugh Robilliard, representing the Australian Embassy, at the press conference for the APCOM Community Summit 2020 (Photo: Courtesy of Sorakrit Benjamongkolchai)

Later this month in Bangkok, an important community summit is taking place to bring together businesses and individuals who stand for gender equality and want to make a real difference. The APCOM Community Summit 2020 is hosted by APCOM, a Bangkok-based non-profit organisation representing a network of LGBTQI advocates across 35 countries in Asia-Pacific. The five-day summit, which begins on Monday, November 23, comprises three parts and highlights a range of topics including HIV-AIDs, workplace equality and also recognition. Here’s the gist of what’s in store, so you can decide now to sign up for a good cause. 

Photo: Courtesy of APCOM

The Community Summit begins with an online event on November 23, wherein participants will be connected with the International AIDS Society and Global Philanthropy Project for community training pertaining to HIV-AIDs issues. On the following days, November 24-25, the RRRAP Con, which stands for “Rights, Resources and Resilience Asia-Pacific”, will officially commence at the Pullman Bangkok King Power Hotel, opening doors to discussions on topics such as the response to HIV, health and rights of vulnerable communities and investment into the community. 

For a more detailed breakdown of the RRRAP Con programme, click here. 

Photo: Courtesy of Sorakrit Benjamongkolchai

On Thursday and Friday of the APCOM Community Summit 2020, APCOM invites business enterprises, chambers of commerce and other interested LGBTQI organisations in Thailand to a part of a regional diversity and inclusion meeting that will take the mixed form of panel discussions and open space format. These sessions aim to identify challenges, entry points and strategies for increased LGBTQI inclusion in the private sector specifically. They will also discuss how COVID-19 has affected LGBTQI employment, highlighting the importance of implementing fair and transparent practices in the workplace now.  

For more details on the Thailand LGBTQI+ Biz Forum, click here.

We’re expecting with this Summit that we are able to encourage those to talk openly about their lived experiences, to also become leaders and inspire people to come out and talk about their stories.

— Midnight Poonkasetwattana, executive director of APCOM

Photo: Courtesy of APCOM

The APCOM Community Summit 2020 wraps up on the evening on Friday, November 27 with a special fundraising gala called the Hero Awards. A highly anticipated annual event amongst the LGBTQI business network, the Hero Awards honours community heroes within Asia-Pacific for their response, passion and dedication within the HIV-AIDs field. The event is supported by Love Spirit, Blued, the Open Society Foundation, the Equity Initiative, the Australian Embassy and many community networks. 

Sign up and learn more about the Hero Awards here. 

For more information about APCOM or the upcoming summit, visit apcom.org or call 02-399-1145.