Human Rights After Davos

We are only a week after the World Economic Summit in Davos, but there is increasing realisation that the tectonic shifts we are witnessing across the global world order are not temporary but part of a longer-term shift through which human rights defenders must adapt and reposition themselves to become strong and relevant in today’s landscape.

“You cannot live within the lie of mutual benefit through integration, when integration becomes the source of your subordination.” This moment of honesty was delivered by Mark Carney, the Canadian Prime Minister, during his speech in Davos. The words are clear, unflinching, and signal the end of a historic era in which integration and globalisation was the hegemonic idea, synonymous not only with new markets, but also with a joint framework for human rights worldwide.

While it is reassuring to hear world leaders rhetorically maintain human rights remain a top priority despite the chaos and uncertainty. But, for the most marginalised communities words are not enough and they face very real challenges and existential threats.

One of the first things President Trump did upon taking office last year was to target the global institutional framework across all levels: public health, international aid, climate, and trade. A year on, and the US administration has spent recent months testing the waters and stretching the limits of multilateralism for short-term gains. 

The US’ open shift from being a keeper of stability to becoming a disruptive force within intergovernmental institutions, has truly tested how both allies and opponents would respond to this new reality. These are not theoretical questions, this has had drastic real world impact. 

As revealed in our latest research paper on Global Institutions, this marks a fundamental transformation in the landscape of global LGBTI+ advocacy, and it requires acknowledging uncomfortable truths about the nature of institutional progress and the political foundations upon which it rests.

“What we are witnessing now is not an aberration or temporary setback, but a simple unravelling of a specific political configuration that can no longer be sustained at the current time. The 2024 electoral shifts represent more than policy changes within existing frameworks, they signal the emergence of a new political reality where the foundations of post-war multilateralism face fundamental contestation.”

A Brave New World is Rising: A Review of LGBTI+ Advocacy through Global Institutions, Kaleidoscope Trust, 2026

The sudden withdrawal of 30–40% of global LGBTI+ funding has created unprecedented backlash in a world already in chaos. This possibly explains why, even at Davos, there is little understanding of the thread connecting human rights of people of sexual orientation and gender identity to democracy, security, and patterns of disinformation around the world. 

If we don’t fully take into account gender equality as a core component of global security, we can be prepared to deprioritise it. LGBTI+ people have long been aware that their community is the canary in a coal mine when it comes to the fight for human rights and equality. Which is precisely why, at a time of heightened geopolitical instability, democratic backsliding, and authoritarianism, human rights should not be seen as a luxury but rather as the backbone underpinning democratic engagement, economic stability, and the international rule of law. Without this, we risk enabling a descent into a world where everyone will eventually be constantly under threat.

As our latest report clearly shows, our movement faces asymmetric opposition. On the one hand, anti-rights actors are better-resourced, better coordinated, and developing sophisticated methods to exploit institutional mechanisms. They have successfully weaponised cultural concerns, religious frameworks, and economic questions to achieve their goals and break up our democracies. 

On the other hand, we risk seeing a world where LGBTI+ rights go back to being a marginal issue which, not worth spending political capital or investment on. 

We cannot let this happen. 

Which is why we are making every effort possible to catalyse this change and help create a new ecosystem of power in which new ideas, arguments, and alliances can take flight.