International Day of Persons with Disabilities, 3 December

Established in 1992, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilise support for the dignity, rights and well-being of people with disabilities. It also tries to raise awareness of the benefits which would result from the integration of people with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life. Every year has a different theme, around which activities are organised, and the 2008 Day is dedicated to dignity and justice for all.

To mark European Day of People with Disabilities in 2008, the European Commission is organising, in close cooperation with the European Disability Forum (EDF), a conference will take place 1-2 December in Brussels. Entitled Acting locally for a society for all., the Conference will reflect on the substantial progress made in supporting people with disabilities during 2008, namely the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled Persons, and focus on how these developments are experienced at local level. Further information is available on the European Commission’s website

Journalist Award 2008 – Next Steps

The ‘For Diversity. Against Discrimination.’ Journalist Award has now closed.

In the coming weeks juries made up of media professionals and anti-discrimination experts will meet in each of the 27 EU Member States to choose that country’s national winner and special award winner. The winners will be announced in early December.

The national winners will then go forward to the European competition, the winners of which will be announced in early 2009.

ILGA-Europe conference “Think Globally, Act Locally”, 30 Oct-2 Nov 2008

ILGA-Europe, the European region of the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA), is organising its annual conference in Vienna, Austria this year. The event is entitled “Think Globally, Act Locally”, reflecting the work of ILGA-Europe and its members who advocate for international human rights standards and practices and their implementation at local level.

Speakers at this two day conference will include Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights at the Council of Europe. Panel discussions will examine international human rights standards and how to successfully mainstream these rights during the next decade, as well as why these standards are not always effective in practice and how such difficulties can be overcome, again to cover a ten year period. Further information is available on the ILGA-Europe website.

ILGA-Europe Annual Conference 2008

Summit to explore problems facing the Roma in Europe

Organised by the European Commission, a one-day conference will take place on 16 September in Brussels to examine the difficulties confronting Europe’s Roma and develop measures to improve their situation.

European Commission President José Manuel Barroso is due to open the conference and conclusions on the day’s discussions will be provided by Vladimír Špidla, Commissioner for Employment, Social affairs and Equal opportunities. Key note speakers are expected to include Bernard Kouchner, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs in France, representing the French EU Presidency, and George Soros, Chairman of the Open Society Institute and Soros Foundations network.

Panel discussions will feature members of the European Parliament, as well as representatives of national ministries and governments, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Council of Europe. Civil society actors representing the Roma, such as the European Roma Information Office (ERIO), the European Roma and Travellers Forum and the European Roma Grassroots Organisation, will also play an important role in the conference debates.

Attendance to the conference is by invitation only.

Programme for European Roma Summit

Bringing to life stories of discrimination across the EU

The “Diversity Crew” is a unique project funded by the European Commission which brings together citizens from 14 EU countries who act as a collective ‘living’ resource of testimonies of discrimination. Members of the collective, which is open to everyone who has a story to tell of his or her struggle against discrimination, take part in training sessions, seminars and conferences as well as youth and cultural events to talk about their experiences with others. These testimonies have now also been collected online in the form of video clips and a blog and in DVDs so that they can reach a wider audience. The group was formed following the participation of a group of young people in the first European Equality Summit which opened the 2007 European Year of Equal Opportunities for All. These young people shared their experiences of discrimination and hopes for the future with the audience and the impact of their presentations led to members of the group also speaking at the closing event of the Year and in front of MEPs at the European Parliament.

Diversity Crew website

2007 – A European Year against discrimination and for equality

The European Year of Equal Opportunities for All has come to a close and now it’s time to draw conclusions and evaluate the Year’s achievements and legacy.

A European Year against discrimination and for equality

European Commissioner to launch ‘For Diversity. Against Discrimination’ Truck Tour 2008

This year’s ‘For Diversity. Against Discrimination’ Truck Tour will be launched by European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Vladimír Špidla in Prague on 21 June.

Between June and October, the tour will visit ten EU Member States: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia. Stopping in two cities per country, the truck will visit music, youth and film festivals, sporting events, universities and employment fairs, and bring together business, NGOs, musicians, artists and the general public to explore discrimination and diversity issues. More information will be available in the coming weeks - or you can sign up to the ‘For Diversity. Against Discrimination’ newsletter for regular updates.

The launch will take place at the United Islands of Prague Festival, an established international music festival which takes place in the centre of Prague and attracts up to 20,000 visitors each year.

United Islands of Prague Festival (information in Czech only)

Post your event in the Stop Discrimination calendar

If you are organising a discrimination or diversity related event you are welcome to include it in the events calendar.

To include your event go to the calendar page and enter the details, such as the organiser, the type of event and a description of activities. Your event will then appear on the multi-lingual campaign website visited by people from across Europe.

To view events in the calendar you can either search by country, using the drop-down menu, or for a complete list of events taking place throughout the EU select ‘all countries’.

Events Calendar