We are part of the wider international ILGA organisation – created in 1978 – but were established as a separate region and an independent legal entity in 1996.

Our role is to enable the movement and be the connector. We unite activists with allies – and put institutional actors in touch with the issues we care about and the movement as a whole. With that in mind, we build strategic partnerships with LGBTI allies in society, like the private sector; but overall, we also nurture greater alliances between LGBTI and other equality and social justice movements.

Throughout our work, we focus on shaping narratives that welcome nuance over polarisation.

We speak to the realities of LGBTI people’s lives and activism and highlight forces for change – both negative and positive. In order to do that with credibility, we ensure we have an overview of what’s happening; in other words, an understanding of the positive and negative issues that affect LGBTI people.

Moreover, ILGA-Europe mobilises and moves resources, skills and knowledge across our network. We stay on top of what LGBTI activists and organisations in Europe and Central Asia need and prioritise – and use that knowledge to set standards for LGBTI equality and human rights at regional and international levels.

Ultimately, ILGA-Europe is here to amplify the voices and issues that are too often sidelined in our societies. 

Our values

At ILGA-Europe, we uphold specific values that guide how we work and what we stand for. We:

• Focus on equality, inclusivity, and accountability. We hold ourselves accountable to the movement.
• Are membership and movement based.
• Focus on people’s needs as our starting point.
• Believe in people’s power to create change.
• Believe in centering the voices of those most affected and amplifying the voices of those who are marginalised.
• Are engaged in the practice of building collective strength. Rather than placing ourselves at the centre of things, we spread our resources and knowledge as widely as possible.
• Act so that the movement as a whole can grow stronger – not just ILGA-Europe.