SOGIESC Newsroom
The Strategy for 2027–2032 provides a structured framework for implementing existing human rights commitments to advance equality and prevent discrimination and violence
Council of Europe adopts its first Strategy for equal rights for LGBTI people
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...
New report finds how hate speech targeting LGBTI people causes serious harm, restricts participation in public life and can contribute to democratic erosion. It calls on member states to close persistent gaps between legal commitments and effective protection
Council of Europe calls for stronger action against anti-LGBTI hate speech
The Council of Europe has issued a new report examining how member states prevent and combat hate speech based on sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics (SOGIESC). It identifies promising practices and remaining gaps, and makes 19 recommendations covering...
Strengthening the Implementation of the Court’s Judgments on SOGIESC: Thematic Civil Society Briefing
On 4 September 2026, the Council of Europe’s Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression, and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC) Unit, in partnership with the European Implementation Network (EIN), organised a thematic briefing dedicated to the implementation of key European Court of Human...
Strengthening democracies through inclusive workplaces: the SOGIESC Unit speaks today at the Workplace pride 2026 in Amsterdam
How can organisations continue to lead with inclusion in a complex regional landscape? Today’s Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) Townhall at Workplace Pride in Amsterdam seeks to reply exactly to this question. Yanna Parnin, Head of the SOGIESC Unit at the Council of Europe, together...
New communication toolkit launched at World Pride 2026 in Amsterdam
At World Pride, on 6 August 2026, the SOGIESC Unit of the Council of Europe, together with the European Forum of LGBTI+ Christian Groups, presents their new communication toolkit, “Countering Hate Speech and Strengthening Words of Inclusion: The Use of Language by Religious Actors and Communities...
World Pride 2026: Discussing Political Leadership at the Global Level
The Council of Europe Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC) Unit is speaking today at the World Pride 2026 Human Rights Conference, taking place in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, from 5 to 7 August 2026. This global event gathers international...
International Youth Conference in Dublin: Highlighting youth as a central pillar of our democratic future
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...
Ukrainian police officers strengthen their skills in combating hate crimes against LGBTI persons
On 8–9 July, thirty police officers from Kyiv and other regions of Ukraine participated in a two-day training session aiming at strengthening law enforcement’s responses to hate crimes targeting LGBTI persons. The training drew on the Council of Europe’s manual “Policing Hate Crime against LGBTI...
Countering Digital Hate Against Women and Girls and LGBTI Communities Addressed at No Hate Speech Week 2026
On 17 June 2026, as part of No Hate Speech Week 2026, the Council of Europe’s SOGIESC Unit and Gender Equality Division convened a panel discussion on “Countering Gender-Based and Anti-LGBTI Hate in the Digital Space”, drawing together experts, policymakers, civil society, and other stakeholders....
Study Visit on LGBTIQ Workplace Inclusion during the No Hate Speech Week 2026
The Intercultural Inclusion Unit and the SOGIESC Unit are pleased to welcome 20 participants from 14 countries as part of the three-day Study Visit on LGBTIQ Workplace Inclusion, organised in the framework of the No Hate Speech Week 2026. Representing public authorities at national level,...
