On 5 June 2024, in Kyiv, a pivotal meeting took place between representatives of NGOs, the Council of Europe, and the Ombudsperson Office. The meeting was facilitated by the joint EU/CoE project in the field of anti-discrimination with the aim to foster stronger communication and trust in protecting the rights of the LGBTIQ+ community in Ukraine.
The meeting was attended by Hallvard Gorseth, Head of the Anti-Discrimination Department, Directorate General of Democracy and Human Dignity of the Council of Europe, Mykhailo Spasov, the Representative of the Commissioner for Equal Rights and Freedoms, Rights of National Minorities, Political and Religious Beliefs, and representatives from more than 15 NGOs, including NGOs like "LGBTIQ Military", "Spectrum Kharkiv", "Gender Stream", "National LGBTI Consortium", "Resistance", " KYIV PRIDE", "Insight", "Fulcrum UA", "LGBT Human Rights Center "Nash Svit", "LGBT Association "LIGA", "Charitable Organization "Insha", "ALLIANCE.GLOBAL" and others.
The discussions covered ongoing activities and plans for future cooperation between the LGBTI community, the Council of Europe, and the Ombudsperson Office. The meeting addressed advocacy efforts regarding legislative bills 9103 (civil partnership) and 5488 (criminalisation of hate crimes), including the need to ensure inclusion of European standards in the drafts, as well as the need for monitoring hate crimes/hate speech based on SOGIESC grounds.
The interactive dialogue format allowed participants of the meeting to gain deeper insights into the specific needs of the LGBTIQ+ community, fostering effective communication and collaboration with CSOs. Such dialogues are instrumental in strengthening understanding among partners and paving the way for future initiatives to safeguard the rights of the LGBTIQ+ community in Ukraine.
The joint project "Support for implementing European standards relating to anti-discrimination and rights of national minorities in Ukraine," in cooperation with the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, will continue to support civil society representatives in reinforcing mutual trust between citizens belonging to vulnerable groups and the Ombudsman office, both in Kyiv and across the regions.
The event is part of the European Union and the Council of Europe joint project "Supporting the Implementation of European Standards on Combating Discrimination and the Rights of National Minorities in Ukraine", which is co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe.
