Important achievements/events

ILGA-Europe organises a “Human Rights Monitoring” and a “Fundraising” seminar in Kraków in April.

The EU National Co-ordination Network meeting gathers again in Brussels in April – more than 30 participants attend.

ILGA-Europe takes part in the OSCE conference on anti-Semitism and related intolerance in Córdoba and hosts a side event on homophobia.

The new “Scholarship Angels” scheme to raise money for annual conference scholarships is launched.

ILGA-Europe is “face-lifting” its visual identity and presentation (new logo) and re-launches its website.

Co-operation with IGLYO on social inclusion of the LGBT youth starts.

Small pilot “Human Rights Violations Documentation Fund” projects for 2005-2006, supported by the Sigrid Rausing Trust, are launched.

Publications: Again, four issues of the ILGA-Europe Newsletter are published. As of September, ILGA-Europe takes over from Danish member LBL the task of publishing the Euro-Letter. For more than a decade, LBL had been responsible for publishing the Euro-Letter on behalf of ILGA and later ILGA-Europe.

Among the non-periodical publications of 2005 are two reports – “Rights, not Crimes: The EU’s role in ending criminalisation of same-sex acts in third countries” (written by Christine Loudes) and “Going beyond the Law: promoting equality in employment” (written by Sheila Quinn and Birgit Hardt), and the “Guidelines on the Refugee Status Directive” and the “Guidelines on the Free Movement Directive” (both written by Mark Bell).

Staff news: In September, Maxim Anmeghichean starts as East Europe, Council of Europe and transgender programmes director, replacing Don Bisson who leaves in May, as does Birgit Hardt. In September, ILGA-Europe says good-bye to Miha Lobnik as assistant to the programmes director. In October, Evelyne Paradis takes on the post of policy officer (networks).

Annual Conference in Paris, France

The conference (theme: “United in Diversity”, 26-30 October) is hosted by ILGA-Europe Paris 2005, an organisation set up by various French LGBT groups especially for this purpose. Around 220 participants from almost all European countries attend.

The delegates are received by the City of Paris in the splendid Hôtel de Ville, unfortunately Paris’s openly gay mayor Bertrand Delanoë is not in town to receive the delegates personally. The participants also join a demonstration in front of the Polish embassy to protest homophobic incidents in Poland. And Nigel Warner is, as he leaves the board, honoured in a little “good-bye” ceremony for the great work he has been doing for ILGA-Europe.

A new board, for the first time consisting of ten people, is elected:

Philipp Braun (Germany), Vera Cîmpeanu (Romania), Riccardo Gottardi (Italy), Vanja Hamzić (Bosnia-Herzegovina), Kurt Krickler (Austria), Deborah Lambillotte (Belgium), Jackie Lewis(United Kingdom), Miha Lobnik (Slovenia), Pierre Serne (France) and Maya Salvadó Ferrer (France).

Deborah is elected co-chair, Jackie secretary, Pierre treasurer.

Reserves:

Elisabet Qvarford (Sweden) and Inge-Lise Paulsen (Denmark).