Noboprobhaat Foundation prepared this submission in response to the Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity’s call for inputs for the 2026 thematic report to the 81st session of the General Assembly on violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in humanitarian contexts.

Drawing from published research, policy documents, national and international reports, and community-based observations, this submission focuses on Bangladesh and examines how humanitarian crises amplify the risks faced by persons and communities affected by violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. It addresses three overlapping humanitarian contexts: the July–August 2024 political crisis, recurrent natural disasters including floods and cyclones, and the Rohingya refugee crisis in Cox’s Bazar.

The submission highlights how criminalization, stigma, organized fundamentalist mobilization, exclusion from shelters and relief systems, lack of SOGIESC-sensitive services, and gaps in humanitarian data and coordination create serious protection barriers during crisis situations.

Noboprobhaat Foundation offers practical recommendations to the Independent Expert and UN bodies, the Government of Bangladesh, and international humanitarian organizations and donors to strengthen SOGIESC inclusion, ensure confidential and non-punitive reporting channels, integrate SOGIESC considerations into disaster risk reduction and camp management systems, and support local sexual and gender-diverse civil society actors as part of humanitarian response.

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