The purpose of this Insight Session is to facilitate dialogue between municipalities, civil society organizations (CSOs), and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) focusing on the crucial role of municipalities in supporting sexual minorities. Our objective is to identify the fundamental needs that local governments must address to ensure the well-being of sexual minorities and explore effective measures to safeguard their basic human rights.
During this session, we will showcase three municipalities from the SEE region: the City of Podgorica and the Municipality of Kotor from Montenegro, and the City of Ljubljana in Slovenia. We are also pleased to welcome the city of Cologne from Germany.
Key topics to be discussed in this session include:
- The role of municipalities in supporting sexual minorities and implementing relevant measures.
- Counseling strategies for LGBTQIA+ individuals: exploring the proactive role of cities.
- Establishing safe spaces in urban environments: the importance and advantages.
We strongly encourage the participation of municipal representatives, CSOs, NGOs, and/or any interested urban practitioner to join our online session. This is an opportunity to learn from the good practices and to share your own experiences, as well as the challenges faced by sexual minorities within your respective municipalities.
Speakers:
- Marica Vlahović, Head of the Office for LGBTIQ persons, Secretariat for Social Welfare, City of Podgorica, Montenegro
- Simona Topolinjak, Department of Health and Social Care, City of Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Milica Tomović, Department for culture, sport and social services, Municipality of Kotor, Montenegro
- Andreas Wolter, Deputy Mayor, City of Cologne, Germany
