Recap| July 2024

The 9th Rainbow Forum was held

With over 150 participants, numerous parallel discussions and workshops, and four panel discussions featuring 20 keynote speakers, we experienced impactful days at the 9th Armenian Rainbow Forum. Each year, the increasing number of participants highlights the growing importance of this event and excites us even more. The active involvement of participants facilitated multi-faceted discussions on key issues.

The forum’s purpose is to discuss LGBT+ issues and to advance the LGBT+ movement. This year’s theme, “Community and Society: From Exclusion to Inclusion,” framed discussions on both LGBT+ activism and intra-community topics, including LGBT+ involvement in educational, cultural, socio-economic, health, and legal spheres. Important and urgent issues for LGBT+ individuals were also addressed, such as the need for sensitive professionals, community visibility on social media, the impact of the security situation, migration, and family relations.

Pink’s representative attended the High-Level Political Forum

On July 8-18 the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) 2024 on Sustainable development took place in New York, USA, which is the central United Nations platform for the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the global level.  

A representative from Pink and the Eastern European Coalition for LGBT+ Equality attended the HLPF aiming to engage with delegations and other stakeholders raising the issues within Armenia and the region, to deliver VNR statement during the Armenia’s Voluntary National Review (VNR) and to attend various side events on the progress and challenges of achieving SDGs with the promise not to leave anyone behind, including LGBT+ people.  

During the HLPF 2024 Armenia has submitted its 3^rd Voluntary National Review Report 2024 on the progress of achieving agenda on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The report was presented for review on July 15, 2024. Besides preparing a spotlight report prior to the review, Pink’s representative, presented through LGBTI stakeholder group, managed to deliver a statement during the Voluntary National Review session.

The 25th International AIDS Conference

The 25th International AIDS Conference is taking place in Munich, Germany, this week. Pink’s lawyer, Vaghinak Ter-Hovhannisyan, is attending this important event where researchers, doctors, activists, politicians, and other stakeholders from all over the world come together to address the issues and create more effective responses to the challenges of HIV and AIDS.