Research, policy briefs and toolkits from our work since 2015.
Written with the organisations and movements we work alongside, and free to download in full.
This research, led by CTDC in collaboration with the Lebanese partners of the FemPawer regional programme, examines how localisation is understood and practiced across development, human rights, and humanitarian fields in Lebanon.
PDF, 7.6 MB
This research, produced by CTDC in partnership with Release Me and ARI, captures the voices of 196 Syrian women across various regions to explore their roles in peacebuilding and political participation. Using an intersectional feminist lens, the study foregrounds grassroots activism and alternative forms of political engagement beyond formal negotiations.
PDF, 730 KB
This report presents the findings of a gender-sensitivity assessment of Syrian civil society organisations (CSOs) conducted across Syria, Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan.
PDF, 407 KB
This report challenges the application of rigid LGBTQI identity frameworks in humanitarian, advocacy, and development contexts across the MENA region.
PDF, 1.4 MB
This report presents a qualitative gender analysis of the conditions faced by Syrian refugees in Turkey, with a specific focus on women, girls, and LGBTQ individuals.
PDF, 603 KB
This policy brief provides a framework for inclusive and context-sensitive approaches to LGBTQ rights in the MENA region. It critiques the limitations of Western-imposed identity categories and proposes an alternative, locally grounded methodology: Sexual Practices and Gender Performance (SPGP). The brief is based on years of research, grassroots engagement, and training across Arabic-speaking cou
PDF, 615 KB
This policy brief examines the legal, political, and social landscape shaping LGBTQI rights in Tunisia, and outlines how civil society organisations can play a central role in advocating for gender and sexual freedoms.
PDF, 244 KB
This policy brief examines the gaps in legal, psychosocial, and community-based support for non-normative refugees and asylum seekers in the UK, particularly those from Arabic-speaking countries.
PDF, 326 KB
Following the public display of a rainbow flag during a Mashrou’ Leila concert in Cairo on 22 September 2017, Egypt launched an aggressive crackdown against individuals suspected of being LGBT. Over 60 people were arrested, many subjected to arbitrary detention, torture, and forced anal examinations.
PDF, 260 KB
This policy brief examines the deeply entrenched practice of honour killings across the MENA region, highlighting the structural, legal, and cultural factors that enable these crimes. The authors argue that honour killings are a form of gender-based violence rooted in patriarchal control over women’s bodies and sexualities.
PDF, 218 KB
This policy brief builds on CTDC’s earlier report Conceptualising Sexualities in the MENA Region, proposing a practical shift in advocacy strategies from identity-based frameworks like SOGI (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity) to a more context-sensitive framework: SPGP (Sexual Practices and Gender Performance).
PDF, 248 KB
This policy brief addresses the urgent rise of HIV/AIDS cases in the MENA region, especially among marginalised groups such as men who have sex with men (MSM), LGBTQ individuals, women, and refugees. It identifies the systemic stigma, criminalisation, and gendered taboos that block access to prevention and care,
PDF, 258 KB
This policy brief calls for a gendered, intersectional, and long-term approach to the refugee response in Turkey, particularly concerning Syrian refugees. Drawing on CTDC’s research, it highlights the systemic neglect of women, girls, and LGBTQI refugees, and the limitations of current humanitarian and state responses
PDF, 245 KB
Developed by the Centre for Transnational Development and Collaboration (CTDC) in partnership with the FemPawer Consortium, this toolkit offers an intersectional feminist guide for navigating and resisting shrinking civic space in Arabic-speaking countries.
PDF, 2.1 MB
The CTDC Toolkit, titled “Organisational Safeguarding Best Practices and Procedures: A Toolkit Towards Transnational Intersectional Feminist Accountability Frameworks to Respond to Exploitation, Assault, Abuse, Harassment and Bullying”, is a comprehensive resource developed by the Centre for Transnational Development and Collaboration (CTDC)
PDF, 1.4 MB
The CTDC Political Participation Toolkit, titled “Political Participation through an Intersectional Feminist Lens: Practical Tools for Building Transnational Feminist Movements”, is a comprehensive resource developed by the Centre for Transnational Development and Collaboration (CTDC) in partnership with the Dawlaty Foundation. Published in 2020, the toolkit seeks to reimagine political participat
PDF, 1.4 MB
The CTDC Toolkit for Trainers in Arabic-Speaking Countries, titled “Trainings on Gender, Sexuality, and the Body”, is a comprehensive resource developed by the Centre for Transnational Development and Collaboration (CTDC). Published in 2018, this toolkit aims to provide educators and trainers with guidance on conducting gender and sexuality trainings within Arabic-speaking contexts.
PDF, 678 KB
The Ma3azef Accountability and Safeguarding Assessment was conducted by the Centre for Transnational Development and Collaboration (CTDC) in response to a public call for an independent process following allegations of sexual exploitation and harm at a 2019/2020 New Year’s Eve party co-organised by Ma3azef.
PDF, 479 KB
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