10th ILGA-Europe annual conference: birthday cake in family circle

The conference theme was “We are family: our families in Europe and the European family.” ILGA-Europe re-affirmed its determination to work towards full legal equality and social acceptance of all forms of families across Europe. During the conference a draft ILGA-Europe’s key demands on diversity of families was circulated and soon its final version will be available. One of the panel sessions and various workshops discussed and explored the diversity of families and the ways of ensuring their recognition and acceptance.

During more than 30 workshops and caucuses the delegates discussed a whole range of issues affecting LGBT people in Europe. This year’s conference was innovative in a way that during each conference day the delegates were offered in-depth capacity building workshops – on using video as a human rights advocacy tool, understanding and working with the media and making our organisations more diverse and inclusive.

This was also a celebratory conference as ILGA-Europe marked 10 years of existence and paid tribute to all ILGA-Europe’s mothers and fathers. The delegates reflected on and celebrated achievements of the last decade and sketched out priorities and challenges for the next decade.

The conference has also elected a new ILGA-Europe Board:

Ruth Baldacchino (Malta Gay Rights Movement, Malta)
Martin Christensen (LBL, Denmark)
Linda Freimane (Mozaīka, Latvia)
Riccardo Gottardi (Arcigay, Italy)
Lisette Kampus (Diversity, Estonia & KPH, Poland)
Deborah Lambillotte (Holebifederatie, Belgium)
Christine Le Doaré (Centre LGBT de Paris, France)
Miha Lobnik (Legebitra, Slovenia)
Pierre Serne (Commission LGBT des Verts, France),
Tomasz Szypuła, (KPH, Poland)

Reserve Board members elected are Jackie Lewis (UNISON, UK) and Vera Cîmpeanu (ACCEPT, Romania).

The conference also confirmed Ruth Baldacchino (Malta Gay Rights Movement, Malta) and Janfrans Van Der Eerden (COC Nedeland, Netherlands) as representatives of ILGA-Europe on the Executive Board of ILGA. Reserve representatives of ILGA-Europe on the Executive Board of ILGA are Jackie Lewis (UNISON, UK) and Søren Andersson (RFSL, Sweden).

For more information please contact
Juris Lavrikovs at + 32 2 609 54 16 / + 32 496 708 375

Notes for editors:

(1) ILGA-Europe is the European Region of the International Lesbian and Gay Association and works for equality and human rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Europe.

(2) Full conference report and images from the Sofia conference will be available at our website: www.ilga-europe.org

(3) The next ILGA-Europe conference in 2007 will take place in Vilnius, Lithuania and the conference voted to have 2008 conference in Vienna, Austria.