In the Western Balkans, the human rights of LGBTI persons are violated on a daily basis. One reason for this situation is the fact that the authorities have not opted for the creation and / or enhancement of institutional and legal elements which would protect LGBTI rights. What is missing is a structural incentive for, on one hand, leaving the homophobic practices, and the pressure for the adoption and implementation of laws that protect LGBTI people on the other hand. For these reasons, the Sarajevo Open Centre (Sarajevski otvoreni centar), in partnership with Subversive Front (Macedonia), Labris Beograd (Serbia), Cel Kosovo (Kosovo), Fondacija Cure / CURE Foundation (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and ILGA-Europe (Belgium) started implementation of the project “Utilization of EU integration processes to improve LGBT rights in the Western Balkans”.
The overall project objective is to promote respect for and recognition of the human rights of LGBTI persons in the Western Balkans, using the EU accession process as a focal point for targeted, evidence-based advocacy. Through
- Strengthening the capacities of LGBTI rights organizations;
- Increasing the use of evidence-based advocacy in organizations’ work; and
- Advocating for LGBTI rights on European and national levels,
this project aims to efficiently utilize the process of EU accession to improve LGBTI human rights in the Western Balkans.
The project is financially supported by the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor with a budget of 332,000.00 USD.