The 2021 IDAHOT+ Forum will be organised on 18 May. The Forum is the major annual event organised at European level by the European Network of LGBTI Governmental Focal Points (EFPN) that is coordinated by the Council of Europe, to mark the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia and to strengthen European cooperation on SOGIESC Equality policies. It will bring together European policymakers, activists, civil society organisations to take collective action to advance the rights of LGBT people across Europe. This year’s Forum is being organised online and co-hosted by the UK and Cyprus.
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić will make a short welcome speech alongside UK Minister for Women and Equalities, Liz Truss MP and Cypriot Minister of Justice and Public Order, Emily Yiolitis. Snežana Samardžić-Marković, Director General of Director General of Democracy, will give a keynote speech. ILGA-Europe will present this year’s Annual Rainbow Index, while Transgender Europe (TGEU) will present the Trans Rights Europe & Central Asia Index 2021, both with input from Organisation Intersex International (OII). A high-level ministerial panel will examine the results of both indices and analyse steps forward. The map presentations will bring to life the challenges the LGBT community has endured. The 2021 IDAHOT+ Forum wants to address these challenges and discuss solutions from across different sectors. The breakout sessions on offer are::
- Improving LGBTI Patient Experience in Primary Care
Cianán Russell, ILGA-Europe (moderator) - Dr Michael Brady, National Adviser for LGBT Health, NHS England - Michelle Cilia, Charge Nurse, Office of the Chief Medical Officer, Malta - Magdalena Rosińska, Polish National Institute for Health.
This session will focus on different ways in which LGBTI-inclusive primary care can be facilitated: through data collection, education and training, and service provision.
● The Power of Business in LGBTI Equality
Iain Anderson, Cicero/AMO (moderator) - Kathryn Dovey & George Perlov, Open for Business - Melinda Miklós, WeAreOpen Hungary - Emma Heathcote-James, Little Soap Company.
This session will explore how multinational enterprises (MNEs) and small-medium enterprises (SMEs) can work with Civil Society Organisations to advocate for LGBTI rights. Open for Business will present their latest report on the business case for LGBTI Equality in Central & Eastern Europe.
● Sharing Policy Best Practice on Supporting Individuals with Variations in Sex Characteristics (VSC)
Dan Christian Ghattas, OII-Europe (moderator) - Dr Fae Garland, University of Manchester & Dr Mitchell Travis, University of Leeds - Audrey Aegerter, InterAction Suisse - Liesbet Stevens, Belgian Institute for the Equality of Women and Men - Anne-Lise Savart, Interministerial Delegation against Racism, Antisemitism and Anti-LGBT Hatred (DILCRAH), France.
This session will explore how EFPN member states and Civil Society Organisations can support individuals with VSC; the key challenges and opportunities facing the intersex movement; and the progress made in Europe so far.
● Supporting LGBTI Human Rights Defenders
Bjorn Van Roozendaal, ILGA-Europe (moderator) - Activists from Accept Romania, SPoD Turkey and DesperTrans Spain - Dr Hannah Rau, German Federal Foreign Office.
This session will focus on the current climate for human rights defenders: contextual developments around the provision of direct services during the Covid-19 pandemic; the increase in state-led violence and the international response; and unique issues faced by transgender people.
The IDAHOT+ Forum will be followed by a roundtable on 19 May, which will serve as an opportunity to share good practices that can be replicated around Europe, in line with the two main aims of the Network that are notably to mainstream equality by exchanging experiences among policy experts/advisors from CoE Member States and competent regions and to interact with the European policy level to always be updated with the latest SOGIESC developments.
Attendance to the IDAHOT+ Forum is by invitation, please contact the organisers if you would like to attend.
