SET NAMES 'utf8'

Module start 'content'

<p>ILGA-Europe has organised several study sessions to the European institutions for the partner organisations in the <a href="http://www.ilga-europe.org/home/how_we_work/developing/projects/precis" target="_self">PRECIS project</a>.</p><p>See pictures and read about the study sessions here.</p>

<p>The organisational structure of the <a href="http://www.ilga-europe.org/home/guide/council_of_europe" target="_self">Council of Europe</a>, <a href="http://www.ilga-europe.org/home/guide/eu" target="_self">European Union</a> and <a href="http://www.ilga-europe.org/home/guide/organization_for_security_and_cooperation_in_europe" target="_self">OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe)</a> can often be very confusing for outsiders and it is sometimes difficult to know the right entry points. However understanding how such institutions can influence governments as well as their limitations is an important part of advocating for LGBTI people’s rights particularly where there is a lack of political will domestically.</p><p>The idea of a study visit is therefore to give the partners direct exposure to regional/international institutions which may influence the policy of their government. There are three components to a study visit:</p>
<ol>

<li>Input from the organisers and/ or experts explaining how an institution works and which are the committees and mechanisms which they can use to advocate for the interests of their communities;</li>

<li>the opportunity to meet with people working in the institution who are responsible for monitoring and discussing the human rights obligations of a given country and to provide them with up to date information;</li>

<li>the opportunity to train lobbying and argumentation skills – how to speak with a policy maker, how to structure a speech; which information should be provided. </li>

</ol>
<p>
***<br />During the PRECIS project ILGA-Europe has conducted the following study visits:</p>
<ul>

<li><a href="http://www.ilga-europe.org/home/how_we_work/developing/projects/precis/study_visits/eu" target="_self">Study visit to European Union for partners from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, September 2009</a></li>

<li><a href="http://www.ilga-europe.org/home/how_we_work/developing/projects/precis/study_visits/coe" target="_self">Study Visit to Council of Europe: supporting the PACE resolution on sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination, January 2010</a></li>

<li><a href="http://www.ilga-europe.org/home/how_we_work/developing/projects/precis/study_visits/osce" target="_self">Raising the visibility at the OSCE of hate crime and discrimination against LGBTI, June 2010 </a></li>

<li><a href="http://www.ilga-europe.org/home/how_we_work/developing/projects/precis/study_visits/december_2010" target="_self">Kazakh and Kyrgyz LGBTI Human Rights Defenders visit Brussels, December 2010</a></li>

</ul>

<p>From 28th to 30th September 2009, Beth Fernandez from ILGA-Europe organised a study visit to EU institutions for 11 activists from national partner organisations from the EU neighbourhood countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine). </p>

<p>From 25th until 29th January 2010, ILGA-Europe organised a study visit to the Council of Europe (CoE) for 9 activists from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Russia, and Ukraine who are partners in the <a href="http://www.ilga-europe.org/home/how_we_work/developing/projects/precis" target="_self">PRECIS project</a> and in <a href="http://www.ilga-europe.org/home/how_we_work/developing/projects/russian_project" target="_self">the Russian project</a>.</p>

<p>On 29 and 30 June 2010, ILGA-Europe and its partners participated to the first OSCE high-level conference on tolerance and non-discrimination in three years held in Astana, Kazakhstan.</p>

<p>On 7th and 8th December 2010, Beth Fernandez from ILGA-Europe organised a study visit to Brussels for activists from Amulet (Kazakhstan) and Labrys (Kyrgyzstan).</p>

Module end 'content'

End