The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has adopted the Organisation’s first Strategy for Equal Rights for LGBTI People. Covering the period 2027–2032, it sets a common direction for ensuring that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people can fully and equally enjoy their human rights.
The Strategy comes 45 years after the European Court of Human Rights delivered its first judgment concerning the rights of LGBTI people in 1981. Since then, the Court’s case law, Committee of Ministers recommendations, standards of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance and the work of Council of Europe monitoring bodies have established a substantial framework for protecting LGBTI people. The new Strategy brings this acquis together and focuses on its effective and consistent implementation.
Although important progress has been made in member States, it remains uneven. Discrimination, hate speech, hate crime and violence persist, while polarising narratives and disinformation increasingly target LGBTI people and undermine democratic values. Digital technologies and artificial intelligence can compound these risks by reproducing bias, enabling intrusive surveillance, facilitating technology-facilitated violence and accelerating the spread of harmful content.
The Strategy’s overall objective is to uphold the dignity and equality of LGBTI people and to promote and protect their human rights by fostering a safe and inclusive society free from discrimination, harm and violence.
Four priorities for action
- Fostering recognition of the equal rights and dignity of LGBTI people and promoting a culture of respect and inclusion to counter stigmatisation and intolerance
- Countering disinformation and manipulation of information concerning LGBTI people in order to uphold democracy, human rights and the rule of law
- Preventing and combating violence and hatred against LGBTI people
- Establishing, safeguarding and strengthening protection through effective legal, institutional and regulatory frameworks.
These priorities will guide action across areas including private and family life, protection from hate speech and hate crime, education, employment, healthcare, public services, support for victims, civil society participation, and the responsible use of digital technologies and artificial intelligence.
The Strategy applies a human rights-based, cross-sectoral and intersectional approach, recognising that discrimination related to sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics may intersect with racism, sexism, ableism, and other forms of inequality.
Member States have a central role in implementing the Strategy nationally. The Council of Europe will support them through its established combination of standard-setting, monitoring and cooperation, including legal and policy expertise, technical assistance, capacity-building and peer exchange. Implementation will be coordinated by the Committee of Experts on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression, and Sex Characteristics (ADI-SOGIESC), under the Steering Committee on Anti-Discrimination, Diversity and Inclusion (CDADI), together with the Council of Europe’s SOGIESC Unit and other relevant bodies.
The Strategy will be officially launched on 26 January 2027 at an event organised under the Montenegrin Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
Council of Europe Strategy for equal rights for LGBTI People
