Dr Daniel Conway, Reader in Politics and International Relations at the University of Westminster, launched an LGBTQ+ Rights Foreign Policy and Diplomacy Toolkit with two diplomatic events in Pretoria. These events were hosted by the UK High Commission to South Africa and the Spanish and Colombian Embassies, who are the Co-Chairs of the Equal Rights Coalition.
The toolkit was developed at a workshop held by Dr Conway at the University of Pretoria’s Centre for Human Rights. Participants included 20 diplomats from Europe, North and South America and the United Nations (UN), including Dr Graeme Reid, the UN Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
The workshop generated case studies of good practice, recommendations on priorities and practical suggestions to help increase collaboration and information sharing. This was fed into the subsequent report and toolkit, which provides an overview of current research and debates about diplomatic support and advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights.
Workshop
The toolkit contains a set of evidence-based conclusions, practical policy recommendations and everyday guidance to help diplomats support LGBTQ+ communities. It covers key areas such as making advocacy more inclusive and less shaped by colonial perspectives, sharing examples of best practice, using research to guide decisions, building sustainable networks and intra-diplomatic collaboration to encourage consistency, and learning from past mistakes.
The findings also emphasise the importance of not presenting LGBTQ+ rights as something imposed by the West. They suggest providing meaningful support in the face of limited budgets and highlight the valuable role of cultural exchange and activities in opening spaces for LGBTQ+ communities.
A first launch event took place at the UK High Commission, followed by another event hosted jointly by the Colombian and Spanish embassies in South Africa. Dr Conway has been working with the UK High Commission in South Africa to help connect diplomats with grassroots LGBTQ+ activists since 2022.
Dr Conway with the Spanish and Colombian Ambassadors to South Africa
Further events to share the findings of the toolkit will be held by the Dignity Network Canada in Ottawa and at an online panel held by the Gendering International Relations Working Group of the British International Studies Association.
The project builds upon Dr Conway’s research on grassroots LGBTQ+ activists in South Africa and elsewhere, which he wrote about in his 2025 book The Queer Politics of Pride: Global LGBTQ+ Activism and Homocapitalism. It is also linked to his research with Dr Emil Edenborg from Stockholm University on Rainbow Diplomacy: LGBTQ+ Rights and Everyday Diplomatic Practice at Pride.
Dr Conway’s work was funded by the University of Westminster’s Research Innovation and Impact Fund and the Centre for Social Justice Research, reflecting Westminster’s institutional commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. The University strives to encourage students and colleagues to contribute to their communities through their innovation, enterprise and problem-solving, seeking to make the world a more sustainable, healthier and better place.
About the toolkit Dr Conway said: "My research with diplomats found that there is inconsistent national leadership on LGBTQ+ rights and the frequent rotation of diplomats makes on-the-ground diplomatic support for LGBTQ+ rights and activists vulnerable. Toolkits like this are important to help guide best practice for diplomats, particularly when budgets and policy commitments are being reduced. South Africa is a particularly revealing context for this toolkit because it combines legal LGBTQ+ protections, but a gap in the lived reality of these rights for LGBTQ+ communities and the country has a chequered record of foreign policy support for LGBTQ+ rights."
This event directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 10: Reduced Inequalities, 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions and 17: Partnerships for the Goals. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
Find out more about studying Politics and International Relations courses at the University of Westminster.
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