The Council of Europe Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC) Unit is speaking today at the International Youth Conference on Counteracting the Anti-Gender Movement, taking place in Dublin, Ireland, from 21 to 23 July 2026, co-organised by IGLYO and BelongTo.
The conference gathers international organisations, government representatives, academia, civil society representatives and youth activists, to exchange experiences from different national contexts, and strengthen strategies to counter anti-rights movements.
The panel discussion on the International Institutional Responses to Anti-Gender Mobilisation sees our Senior Project Officer Giulia Bianchini exchanging with other international organisations and academia on what international institutions and research projects can realistically offer movements confronting anti-rights backlash.
She recalls that at the 4th Summit of the Council of Europe in 2023, European Heads of States and Governments sent a strong message affirming that youth is a central pillar of our democratic future. She also highlights that the Council of Europe’s role remains essential to ensure that rights are not only affirmed, but realised in practice, and that equality, dignity and participation continue to underpin the functioning of our democratic systems.
We look forward to collaborating with co-organisers and participants alike in countering the instrumentalisation of narratives, particularly through mis- and disinformation.
