Kyiv / New York: Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA), in collaboration with Ukrainian LGBT Association LIGA, held a Parliamentary Roundtable on “Best Practices and Lessons Learned to Advance Equality and Non-Discrimination based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) in Ukraine” in Kyiv, Ukraine on November 19, 2018.

This activity was part of PGA’s Global Parliamentary Campaign against Discrimination based on SOGI (SOGI Campaign), the goal of which is to mobilize parliamentarians as human rights champions, taking action to guarantee that every individual has equal value, lives with dignity and is able to achieve their highest potential free from all forms of violence and discrimination, including on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression and sex characteristics.

On November 18, 2018, many of the participating LGBTI activists had gathered at a civil society preparatory meeting in which they had discussed their main priorities and strategized how to approach the Parliamentary Roundtable the next day. PGA Board member Dr. Hryhoriy Nemyria, MP, Chair of the Human Rights Committee in the Ukrainian Parliament, greeted the attendees and invited them to present the report of the PGA Roundtable to the Human Rights Committee.

On November 19, parliamentarians from Austria, Belize, the European Parliament, Mozambique, Pakistan, Sweden, Ukraine and United Kingdom participated in the PGA Roundtable, together with a wide representation of activists from Ukrainian lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI) civil society groups and representatives from the Secretariat of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, the European Union Advisory Mission in Ukraine, UNDP, national and international foundations and the diplomatic community in Ukraine.

The main objectives of the meeting were to connect Ukrainian parliamentarians with MP peers from other countries, Ukrainian LGBTI activists and other key stakeholders to: i) share best practices and legislative measures to prevent and eliminate discrimination based on SOGI and ii) foster and strengthen collaboration among stakeholders on this topic.

Welcoming remarks were offered by PGA President Ms. Margareta Cederfelt, MP from Sweden, who explained the work and objectives of PGA’s SOGI Campaign, and by PGA member Hon. Naveed Qamar, MP from Pakistan, who described his successful efforts in championing the Transgender Persons Protection of Rights Bill 2018 in his country and offered his solidarity with the LGBTI community in Ukraine. 

PGA Treasurer Ms. Petra Bayr, MP from Austria, introduced the main contents of UNDP/PGA’s Handbook for Parliamentarians, a key tool to help MPs advance the rights and inclusion of LGBTI people, and Ukrainian activists Ms. Olena Semenova, from LGBT Association LIGA, and Mr. Andrii Kravchuk, from LGBT Human Rights NASH MIR Center, presented the Ukrainian context in terms of the situation of LGBTI people in the country.

The central section of the meeting was a roundtable discussion on “Parliamentary best practices and lessons learned to advance LGBTI inclusion in Ukraine.” PGA member Ms. Svitlana Zalishchuk, MP from Ukraine, stressed the importance of not only having the right legislation, but also the right implementation, in order to secure the rights, freedom and security of LGBTI people in Ukraine. Next, PGA member Ms. Julie Ward, MEP from the United Kingdom, shared some best practices and lessons learned from her work in the context of the European Parliament Intergroup on LGBTI Rights.

Ms. Zalishchuk moderated an open discussion in which all attendees were encouraged to participate. Representatives from Ukrainian LGBTI civil society groups such as Insight, Trans Coalition and National MSM Consortium shared positive developments for the LGBTI community in the country, as well as their main concerns, needs and priorities. Among the areas for improvement that were identified by Ukrainian activists were the training and sensitization of judges and law enforcement officers on LGBTI-related issues and the need for legislation to protect LGBTI people against violence and discrimination. Ms. Zalishchuk offered her assistance and support to the LGBTI community in Ukraine to advance their rights and inclusion.

Other participants who shared their best practices, lessons learned and recommendations included representatives from the Secretariat of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, UNDP in Ukraine and the European Union Advisory Mission in Ukraine, as well as PGA member Hon. António Niquice, MP from Mozambique and PGA Secretary-General Dr. David Donat Cattin.

Towards the end of the meeting, participants discussed follow-up activities and the adoption of a Plan of Action. PGA Board member Senator Valerie Woods from Belize highlighted the critical importance of civil society organizations to inform and sensitize MPs so MPs can fulfill their foremost responsibility of upholding the rule of law for all. Ms. Semenova summarized some of the key points of the discussion (including the supremacy of human rights and the rule of law and the importance for the Ukrainian LGBTI community of getting involved in politics) and facilitated a discussion about next steps in which a number of activists provided input about how to advance potential legislation on hate crimes, same-sex marriage and civil partnerships. In the context of the national elections in 2019, the possibility of working on a new human rights strategy was also discussed.

In closing the Parliamentary Roundtable, Ms. Semenova, on behalf of the co-organizer LGBT Association LIGA, thanked PGA for the opportunity of engaging with MPs and other key stakeholders and PGA President Ms. Cederfelt expressed PGA’s support to the important work of all participants.

After the Roundtable, the different LGBTI civil society participants agreed to a common Plan of Action with specific proposals in key areas that will be shared with Dr. Nemyria and the Human Rights Committee of the Ukrainian Parliament, Ms. Zalishchuk and other PGA members in Ukraine.

This activity was made possible thanks to the generous support of Ukraine’s International Renaissance Foundation, part of the Open Society Foundations network, and other supporters of PGA’s SOGI Campaign.