On 29 April 2021, the Sexual Orientation and Gender identity Unit (SOGI) of the Council of Europe organised the last meeting of the ENDSOGIDISC project. During the event, the work of the SOGI Unit, the Romanian organisation ACCEPT, the Italian network of civil society organizations CILD and the Lithuanian Office of Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson was presented. All partners shared the achievements and learning outcomes gained during the implementation of the project and addressed future challenges to tackle SOGIESC-based discrimination, hate and other forms of violence, which will be published in the coming weeks in National reports for each country (Italy, Lithuania and Romania).

ENDSOGIDISC Project

The main aim of the European Union and Council of Europe ENDSOGIDISC joint project was to combat discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity in Italy, Lithuania and Romania by improving the legal framework in line with Council of Europe and European Union standards, strengthening capacity to implement European and national standards and raising awareness on the negative impact of rights violations experienced by LGBTI persons. The project consisted of national consultations between the Authorities and Civil Society Organizations, as well as national multi-stakeholder working groups which identified legislative gaps faced by LGBTI persons when faced by SOGIESC based violence and discrimination. All partners highlighted the series of online capacity building training on "Policing Hate Crime against LGBTI Persons: training for a professional police response", which aimed to strengthen the legal protection and access to remedy of LGBTI persons victims of hate crime. Through the training, more than three groups of law enforcement officers gained significant knowledge on the topic to act as multipliers on a national level.