2014 has been an eventful year for ILGA-Europe and the European LGBTI movement. Despite the challenges we all face, we have made great progress and, together, we are more than ever leading change for LGBTI people in Europe.

Human rights matter everyday. In the week around the 10 December, Human Rights Day, ILGA-Europe posted a Vine video explaining why human rights matter 365 days of the year. We focused on five different issues: discrimination in education, violations against trans people, violence against LGBTI people, discrimination at workplace and the legal struggle for LGBTI families.

On 1-3 December 2014, ILGA-Europe organised a EU study visit for LGBTI activists from Western Balkans and Turkey.

On 28-29 November, ILGA-Europe organised a two-day training on strategic litigation in London. The focus was on freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, hate crimes and hate speech. The training aimed to enhance our members capacity to use litigation in this field of basic human rights, and gave the participants lots of opportunities to share information and best practices.

A ruling from the Court of Justice of the European Union which insists on respect for the dignity and private lives of asylum seekers is a welcome development according to ILGA-Europe.

On 18 December, during an interview to the conservative newspaper “Neatkarīgā” (“Independent”) answering a question regarding to the upcoming EuroPride 2015 in Riga Latvian president Andris Bērziņš stated that homosexuality should not be “imposed and advertised,” and called it a “road to nowhere.”

On 10 December 2014, over 50 representatives from LGBTI organisations from across the EU, national governments, European institutions, civil society and the academic world gathered in Brussels to discuss how to step up the fight against hate crimes.

On 28-30 November 2014, ILGA-Europe organised a training on human rights violations and hate crimes documentation in Vilnius for LGBTI activists from Belarussian LGBTI human rights organisations.

On 16 December, ILGA-Europe held an event at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on the role of the EU and the Council of Europe in tackling bullying and discrimination in schools.

As a result of the latest selection process within the ILGA-Europe Documentation & Advocacy Fund (under the call XIII - data-collection of LGBTI discrimination in education), the Advisory Board decided to award 8 grants to the following organisations: Bilitis (Bulgaria), PROUD (Czech Republic), TENI (Ireland), COGAM (Spain), Trans-Fuzja (Poland), House of Diversity and Education (Lithuania), MGRM (Malta), TransFuzia (Slovakia). All projects selected for funding are to be implemented in 2015. The projects focus specifically on data-collection of discriminatory practices, including bullying, faced by young LGBTI people in the area of education and ways to overcome them in respective countries.

As EU Member States’ representatives prepare for 11 December’s EPSCO Council, organisations representing millions of EU citizens at risk of discrimination, including women, persons with disabilities, younger and older people, LGBTI persons, members of ethnic, religion and belief communities as well as persons with a migration background, call on them to show clear commitment on the proposed Horizontal Directive on equal treatment.

On 18 December, the Court of the European Union delivered an Opinion which came out negatively on the draft agreement on the accession of the European Union to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. ILGA-Europe finds it as a regrettable signal for human rights protection in European Union.

On 16 December, the Council of Europe Commissioner for human rights, Nils Muižnieks, published his report on Hungary, which includes references to LGBTI rights. The Commissioner states that he is concerned at the deterioration of the situation as regards racism and intolerance, in particular targeting Roma, Jews, LGBTI persons, asylum seekers and refugees, as well as the poor and homeless persons.

A recent poll shows that more than 80 per cent, after undecided excluded, would vote in favour of marriage equality in the upcoming Irish referendum. The referendum is planned to take place in the spring of 2015.
Read more about the poll here

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ILGA-Europe is very dismayed to learn that one of its member organisations has become the first LGBTI group to be listed as a so-called ‘foreign agent’ under Russia’s notorious legislation. Rakurs, an Archangelsk-based organisation dedicated to LGBTI rights, was recognised as a ‘foreign agent’ by the Russian Ministry of Justice on Monday (15 December 2014).

ILGA-Europe marked the World Aids Day 2014 by underlining that HIV/AIDS prevention and care is the responsibility of all: LGBTI people, activists and their allies.

On 28 November 2014, ILGA-Europe organised the first Roundtable on LGBTI Health in Europe. The French Ministry of Social Affairs, Health and Women’s Rights accepted to host the event.

On 19 December, the Irish government published the Gender Recognition Bill 2014. The Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI) reacted by saying that they "are very disappointed that this Bill does not go further in protecting the rights of trans people in this country."  The proposal will be debarted in the Houses of the Oireachtas (the National Parliament of Ireland).The government has indicated its 'firm intention' to introduce the bill into the Houses of the Oireachtas early in 2015.

ILGA World is looking for a UN Programme Officer (full-time position) for its secretariat based in Geneva. In consultation with the UN Programme and Advocacy Manager, the post holder will be responsible for ILGA World’s work on the UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies. Deadline for applications: 5 January 2015.

The Kaleidoscope Trust, based in London, is looking for an Executive Director who will drive and lead their work and grow the organisation in the next phase of its development. Deadline 5 January 2015.