Human rights conference to be hosted at Oslos City Hall during EuroPride 2014

“It is important to me that Oslo is an inclusive city. We will show this during EuroPride, and all year-round,” says the Mayor of Oslo Fabian Stang.

He and Deputy Mayor Libe Rieber-Mohn are on behalf of the municipality host and organizer of the human rights conference during EuroPride 2014 this summer. The conference is organized in cooperation with LLH Oslo and Akershus, the local department of LLH – The Norwegian Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Organization. Co-organizers are also Amnesty International Norway and The United Nations Association of Norway.

“It is important in settings where discrimination occurs that we raise the rainbow flag and show that we stand together. No one should have to put up with being treated badly, all people are of equal worth”, says Mayor Stang.

“We know that hate crime and discrimination against LGBT people sometimes occurs in the city. This is not acceptable”, says Deputy Mayor Rieber-Mohn.

The Town Hall Square and the City Hall in use simultaneously during EuroPride

The human rights conference will be held in the Oslo City Hall, at the same time as The City Hall Square in front of it is transformed into Pride Park, which is the main gathering place (with about 40,000 visits each year ) during the festival Oslo Pride.

Hans Heen Sikkeland, chairperson of LLH OA, emphasizes the importance of using both the Town Hall Square and the City Hall simultaneously during EuroPride.

“At the conference we will work to strengthen human rights for LGBT in Oslo and many other European cites. This is important in order to make our cities accessible for everyone, where everyone can live their life without worries, as people do at the City Hall Square in Pride Park during our festival”, says Sikkeland.

The City of Oslo has invited its friendship cities and NGOs throughout Europe to the conference.

“It is an important message from Oslo, who among others has applied for the Winter Olympics in 2022, that we organizing such a conference during EuroPride. We are very proud to have EuroPride in Oslo, says Hallstein Bjercke, Minister for Cultural Affairs and Business in the city government.

Strengthened cooperation between public authorities and civil society

At the conference representatives from cities across Europe meet up together with people from civil society, sports and NGOs working for human rights. Cities like London, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Barcelona have expressed interest, and submissions from civil society organizations worldwide are currently being receiving.

Organizations and others that are interested in attending the humans rights conferance in Oslo during EuroPride can enter the conferance here!

Photo by Europride – 2014 – Oslo