LGBTI human rights defenders and activists from the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership regions, including the Belarusian community in exile, met in Pristina to join their efforts in support of gender equality, fight against targeted violence and hate crime, and explore new opportunities for long-lasting progress. The conference built on earlier events in Pristina and Sarajevo, and offered space to review achievements, discuss challenges and exchange practical examples from work on the ground.
Organised in co-operation with “ERA – LGBTI Equal Rights Association for Western Balkans and Türkiye” and “Centre for Equality and Liberty of the LGBT community in Kosova”, the conference highlighted that civil society organisations are facing increasing backlash and assessed the tools available through international mechanisms. Participants considered effective models of co-operation within the LGBTI movement and other movements under attack, including women’s rights, Roma and other minorities, disability.
A key part of the discussion focused on positioning LGBTI movement within the current European institutional context. Participants stressed that EU enlargement offers a crucial opportunity to advance anti-discrimination legislation and ensure real protection of LGBTI people. They also underlined the need for greater financial independence, stronger grassroots mobilisation, and broader political participation to ensure community voices are represented within key institutions.
The programme provided participants with the opportunity to design actionable roadmaps based on the insights from the panel discussions, parallel sessions and breakout groups. In consequence, the conference concludes with a unified and forward-looking vision for the regional actions.
The Council of Europe reaffirmed its commitment to supporting CSOs and strengthening institutions to assist member states in implementing European standards and safeguarding fundamental rights as an inseparable component of democracy and rule of law.
The participation to this event was supported by the Council of Europe projects “Enhancing Equality and Non-Discrimination in Georgia” and "Support for implementing European standards relating to anti-discrimination and rights of national minorities in Ukraine". in co-operation with the Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression, and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC) Unit of the Council of Europe.
This event was organised within the action “Promoting equality and combating racism and intolerance in the Western Balkans” part of the European Union and Council of Europe joint programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” and the projects “Promoting equality and non-discrimination: towards more resilient and inclusive societies”, “PGG Activity on co-operation with Belarusian democratic forces and civil society in the field of anti-discrimination - phase II”, which are part of the European Union and Council of Europe joint programme “Partnership for Good Governance”.
*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.
