Western Balkans LGBTIQ+ Roundtable
On Friday 12th September, our Board co-ordinated a Western Balkans LGBTIQ+ Roundtable event kindly hosted by SDP BiH Centar Sarajevo.
We brought together participants of the recent Labour Party UK and Foundation Max van der Stoel (FMS) Western Balkans LGBTIQ+ programme to evaluate its achievements and to co-ordinate our efforts for the forthcoming year.
In the offices of the SDP BiH Centar branch of Sarajevo, we began by holding talks with these activists from Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia. We learned of the obstacles that currently exist in the parties and politics of the countries present, and committed to pursuing deeper relations with the PES sister parties, with the goal to have established relationships that help to open up the parties to developing LGBTIQ+ policies and the prospect of groupings to allow LGBTIQ+ members to come together.
Activists at work
We then were joined by representatives from FMS, Diandra Monheimus and Emiel Bongaerts, as well as by Lana Prlić (Member of SDP BiH Presidency and Forum of Left Initiative) and Ivana Krleta (Forum of Left Initiative). This discussion broadened out to discuss how the programme could continue, with some support from FMS to maintain it.
While FMS departed, we were joined by Rasim Ibrahimagić (Friedrich Ebert Stiftung BiH), Alen Tucaković (President of Youth Forum of SDP BiH Canton Sarajevo), and Arnes Jeleć (Vice President of Youth Forum of SDP BiH Canton Sarajevo). Both Alen and Arnes actively participated in the regional LGBTI programme in recent years. We focussed more on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, establishing the obstacles that are in the way of providing political education to members on why LGBTI rights are inextricably linked to human rights, and how this is a core social democratic value. We had a lively discussion that looked at opportunities that could be had, and we agreed that this meeting was a big step as it brought the different elements of social democracy in BiH together to establish a start point. We agreed to continue this relationship going forward, and Rainbow Rose offered its support in anyway that sees the party adopt progressive changes.
Igor Stojanović (Blue suit) President of SDP Centar Sarajevo and Vice President of Federation of BiH joined the team
We were very happy to be joined by Igor Stojanović (President of SDP Centar Sarajevo and Vice President of Federation of BiH) to welcome us to Sarajevo and to wish us well in our meetings.
The rest of the Board’s time in Sarajevo included holding our regular Board meetings, as well as meeting with members of the local LGBTIQ+ community and to hear of their campaigns.
