As part of the German Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe 2020/2021, the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ) and the the Observatory for Sociopolitical Developments in Europe are organising an online event entitles "Towards the full recognition of LGBTI rights across Europe - Strategic policy measures to implement the 2010 SOGI Recommendation". The event will focus on the Council of Europe’s Recommendation CM/Rec(2010)5 on measures to combat discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity. The event will be opened by Franziska Giffey, German Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth and the Council of Europe will be represented by Marija Pejčinović Burić, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Michael Farrell, Vice Chair of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) and member of the ECRI LGBTI Task Force, Jeroen Schokkenbroek, Director of the Anti-Discrimination Directorate, and Eleni Tsetsekou, Head of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) Unit.
Despite universal human rights standards, acceptance and respect for the rights and needs of LGBTI persons vary considerably among the member states of the European Union and those of the Council of Europe. This event will shine a spotlight on the situation of LGBTI rights across Europe against the backdrop of political backsliding as well as look ahead on concrete steps and strategic policy measures towards the full implementation of the 2010 SOGI Recommendation. The event follows the international conference "Intersectionality and LGBTI policies in Europe: Lived Realities of Lesbian* Women and the Recognition of Rainbow families" that took place in November 2020 marking the start of the German Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
