Thursday, 30. 3. 2023

Closing conference of the Rainbow Cities in Actions project

On Thursday and Friday, 16 and 17 March 2023, the final conference of the Rainbow Cities in Actions – LGBTI Policy Guidelines project was held in Kotor. The main aim of the project is to prepare guidelines for LGBT+ policies in local self-governments and thereby encourage local communities that are not active in this area to launch activities.

The conference in Kotor was opened by the Mayor of Kotor, Vladimir Jokić, Minister of Human and Minority Rights, Fatmir Gjeka, and the Chair of the Management Board of the Rainbow Cities Network, Juliane Steeger. Montenegro has very well-regulated legislation in the field of LGBT+ (the Act on Prohibition of Discrimination, the Act on Same-Sex Civil Union, and the Act on Gender Confirmation currently under preparation). They also adopted the Strategy for Improving the Life of LGBT+ Persons in Montenegro for the period 2019-2023, within the framework of which a network of local communities working in the field of human rights has been established, and some cities also have an action plan. Kotor was the first city to be actively committed to LGBT+, and in 2020 it was the first Montenegrin city to become a member of the Rainbow Cities Network (Podgorica also joined in 2022).

The guidelines for LGBT+ policies will be publicly presented on 17 May 2023, on the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. The Rainbow Cities representatives have been preparing them for two years as they met in workshops in different cities. Four workshops were organized – the first via Zoom and then in Berlin, Aarhus and Cork. Representatives of non-governmental organisations from Slovenia, Legebitra, Pride Parade and TransAkcija, also participated in the first two workshops.

Ljubljana can be proud of the many activities we are carrying out in the field of LGBT+ (LGBT-Friendly Certificate, a youth centre for LGBT+, many co-financed programs, sponsorship of the pride parade, many events in the City Hall, the rainbow flag on the City Hall...), and some of them will also be included in the guidelines.