Ukraine moves closer to enacting a law against anti-LGBTI bias
Government officials meet with Ukraine’s LGBTI rights advocates.
As Ukraine edges closer to joining the European Union, the government met with representatives of the nation’s LGBTI groups to discuss a proposed anti-discrimination law, including criminalization of hate crimes.
The Council of Europe published the following news article about the meeting:
Joint dialogue on legislative initiatives for the protection of LGBTI rights in Kyiv
On 16 September 2025, another joint dialogue dedicated to discussing legislative initiatives in the field of LGBTI rights protection took place in Kyiv.
The aim of the event was to create a platform for dialogue between LGBTI organisations and key partners to advance legislative initiatives on combating hate crimes.
During the roundtable, representatives of civil society organizations CSOs [civil society organizations] discussed the criminalisation of hate crimes, further advocacy of relevant legislative changes, the development of cooperation between civil society and state institutions and identified the next steps in this area. …
Following the meeting, a dedicated platform will be established to bring together civil society organisations working with vulnerable groups, with the aim of developing a methodology and advancing effective advocacy for the draft law. Further consultations with international organisations and state institutions are also foreseen to reinforce dialogue and foster stronger cooperation.
The roundtable was supported by the joint EU/Council of Europe project “Support for implementing European standards relating to anti-discrimination and rights of national minorities in Ukraine”.
