Everyone should be free to be themselves and love who they want to love without fear. 
Yet lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer people still face discrimination in many parts of the world, including Europe. 
The EU is strongly committed to fighting against discrimination. Listen to find out more about how the EU is trying to build a more inclusive society where everyone can feel safe.

Fighting discrimination against LGBTIQ people

In response to growing threats to media freedom and the financial viability of media outlets, Parliament adopted a common framework for media services, known as the European Media Freedom Act. It is a true milestone, as the act protects journalists and media workers, encourages transparency in media ownership and promotes international cooperation to ensure a diverse and independent media landscape.

The EU’s Media Freedom Act

The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10 December 1948 in Paris. The Declaration is a milestone document in the history of human rights because, for the first time, it set out fundamental human rights to be universally protected. The document is composed of a preamble followed by thirty articles. The EU has fully embraced the Declaration's significance, using it to set standards in its legislation and international agreements, and to guide its external policy.

The Universal declaration of Human Rights - English

DROI Committee meeting

EP Plenary session - Debates on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law

EP Plenary session - Debates on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law (Rule 144) Latest attacks against women, women's rights defenders in Iran, and its arbitrary detention of EU nationals

EP Plenary session - The EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders

EP Plenary session - Women activism – human rights defenders related to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR)

EP Plenary session - Human rights and democracy in the world and the European Union’s policy on the matter - annual report 2022

EP Plenary session- Debates on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law - The arrest of Cardinal Zen and the trustees of the 612 relief fund in Hong Kong

Conference - The Future of Human Rights

EP Plenary Session - Debates on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law - Links related to this program Forced labour in the Linglong factory and environmental protests in Serbia

EP Plenary Session - Debates on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law - Continuous crackdown on civil society and human rights defenders in Russia: the case of human rights organisation Memorial

EP Plenary Session - Debates on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law - Human rights violations by private military and security companies, particularly the Wagner Group

EP Plenary Session - Debates on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law - Situation in Somalia

EP Plenary Session - Debates on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law - The human rights situation in Cameroon

FEMM Committee - Public Hearing - Afghan Women as Peace Builders and Community Leaders Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality

EP Plenary session - Debates on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law - The state law relating to abortion in Texas, USA

Pakistani girls' rights activist Malala Yousafzai addressed the European Parliament about the importance of education in low-income countries. She made the speech accepting the 2013 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.

* Watch the full speech on the European Parliament's Multimedia Centre: http://epyoutube.eu/q5wV

Malala Yousafzai speech on education | European Parliament

Czech President Václav Havel on feeling European four years before his country joined the EU.

Václav Havel was both the last president of Czechoslovakia and the first democratically-elected president in the country after the fall of communism, as well as the first of the Czech Republic after it was founded.

In 2000, four years before his country joined the EU, he addressed the European Parliament, speaking about the feeling of Europeanness and European unity.  

* Watch the full speech on the European Parliament's Multimedia Centre http://epyoutube.eu/speechhavel

Speech by Václav Havel on European identity | European Parliament

Pope John-Paul II said the Vatican strongly supported the ongoing European construction, a peaceful process bringing people together and providing a beacon to the world.
 
He urged tolerance among peoples and faiths and the protection of the environment. The pope spoke of the importance of Christianity in Europe’s past and future.
 
The first pope to visit the European Parliament addressed the plenary in Strasbourg in October 1988.
 
* Watch the full speech on the European Parliament's Multimedia Centre: http://epyoutube.eu/SpeechPopeJohnPaulII

Pope John-Paul II speech on the European construction ⎢European Parliament

Liberian leader Ellen Johnson Sirleaf called for international help to prevent a return to violence after 14 years of civil war in her country.
 
The first woman elected president of an African nation addressed the European Parliament in September 2006, just eight months after taking office.
 
She said Liberians were committed to putting the conflict  - which ended in 2003 - behind them. She talked about the devastation left by war, the challenges of rebuilding and reconciliation, and the need for international help for sustainable development.
 
* Watch the full speech on the European Parliament's Multimedia Centre: http://epyoutube.eu/SpeechEllenJohnson

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf speech on Liberia | European Parliament

Peace Nobel Prize winner Denis Mukwege speaks out against the use of rape and violence towards women as a weapon of war.
He is the founder of the Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo. As a gynaecologist, he helped thousands of women victims of sexual and gender-based violence in his country.
In 2014, the European Parliament awarded him the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought for his work. Four years later, he won the Nobel Peace Prize. He continues to raise public awareness on the issue of sexual violence against women during armed conflicts.

* Watch the full speech on the European Parliament's Multimedia Centre: http://epyoutube.eu/SpeechMukwege

Dr Denis Mukwege speech on sexual violence in Congo | European Parliament

Five days after Russian forces invaded Ukraine, the country's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke to the European Parliament by video link from Kyiv, a city under siege.
 
In a defiant speech, he praised the bravery of his fellow Ukrainians, denounced the senseless killing and called on the European Parliament to back Ukraine's application to join the EU.
 
* Watch the full recording of the 1 March 2022 speech on the European Parliament's Multimedia Centre: http://epyoutube.eu/speechZelenskyy

Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s speech on war in Ukraine | European Parliament

For Simone Veil, a Holocaust survivor, the creation of the European Union is the most important event in the last 50 years.
 
In 1995, on the 50th anniversary of the Holocaust, Veil explained to the European Parliament how the tragedies of her past forged her faith in the European project.
 
She said it was important to remind the younger generation of the European Union’s key role in fostering peace and unity, especially whilst the EU was being criticised.
 
Born in France in 1927, Veil survived the Nazi concentration camps and went on to play a pivotal role in European feminism and politics. In 1979, she became the first President of the directly-elected European Parliament and was the first woman to preside over the assembly.
 
 
* Watch the full speech (12 minutes) on the European Parliament's Multimedia Centre: http://epyoutube.eu/SpeechVeil

Simone Veil speech on lessons from the Holocaust | European Parliament

South African leader Nelson Mandela called for a swift end to the apartheid system and preached reconciliation.
 
It was July 1990. Just four months earlier he had been released, after 27 years in prison.
 
At the time, South Africa was still ruled by a white minority government. Four years after this speech, Mandela would become the first president of a democratic South Africa.

* Watch the full speech on the European Parliament's Multimedia Centre:
http://epyoutube.eu/SpeechMandela

Nelson Mandela speech on apartheid | European Parliament

In 1992, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II addressed the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Her speech followed the signing of the Maastricht Treaty - the foundation of today's European Union. Drawing on the words of Winston Churchill, she paid tribute to those who rebuilt Europe in the wake of conflict and praised the Parliament as a leading democratic forum. 

* Watch the full speech on the European Parliament's Multimedia Centre: http://epfacebook.eu/q5z8

Queen Elizabeth II speech on EU unity | European Parliament

West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl spoke about his hopes for a reunited Germany and Europe in front of the European Parliament two weeks after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
 
The Berlin Wall was torn down on 9 November 1989, after dividing a city, a nation and a continent for nearly three decades. Next came protests in Prague and the eventual collapse of the Soviet bloc. It is a historical moment and a key step towards the end of the Cold War, the German reunification and a united Europe.

This speech was made on 22 November 1989 in Strasbourg.

* Watch the full recording on the European Parliament's Multimedia Centre: http://epyoutube.eu/SpeechKohl

Helmut Kohl speech on fall of Berlin Wall | European Parliament

In January 1995, François Mitterrand addressed the European Parliament in Strasbourg. It was one of his last major appearances as French president. Speaking out against the nationalism which led to war in the past, he urged Europeans to face the future together in order to have a brighter and peaceful future. 

* Watch the full speech on the European Parliament's Multimedia Centre: http://epyoutube.eu/SpeechMitterrand

François Mitterrand speech on nationalism | European Parliament

In 2015, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande urged European countries to share the responsibility of hosting asylum seekers.
 
The EU was dealing with an unprecedented migration wave that year, with hundreds of thousands of people entering the EU through irregular channels, many fleeing war in Syria. Most of them headed to Germany and a handful of other countries.
 
During a historic joint address to the European Parliament, Merkel and Hollande called for joint action to tackle the root causes of the crisis.

*Watch the full speech on the European Parliament’s Multimedia channel: http://epfacebook.eu/SpeechMerkelHollande

Merkel and Hollande speeches on the migration crisis | European Parliament

Human rights campaigner Nadia Murad told the European Parliament in 2016 that the fights against terrorism and racism go hand in hand.
   
Her speech came as she was awarded the 2016 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought alongside Lamiya Aji Bashar.
 
The pair, from Iraq’s Yazidi community, were soldinto sexual slavery by the Islamic State terror group in 2014. Murad managed to escape and went on to advocate for victims of sexual violence and human trafficking. In 2018 she won the Nobel Peace Prize.     
   
*Watch the full speech on the European Parliament's multimedia channel.  
 
*Watch more videos from past Sakharov prizes: http://epyoutube.eu/Sakharov_Prize_playlist

Nadia Murad’s speech on fighting extremism | European Parliament

Reaching gender equality, protecting victims of gender-based violence and fighting for a fairer society… Across the EU, organisations are working to defend and promote women’s rights.
     
Stella at Women on Top, in Athens, proposes workshops for female entrepreneurs to feel empowered at work and in life. She and her team ensure women are properly skilled, independent and confident.
 
Linda at MARTA Centre, in Riga, is working towards the eradication of gender-based violence and human trafficking. They offer psychological and legal consultations for victims.
    
The European Parliament is acting to defend women’s rights, from ending unequal pay to eliminating gender-based discrimination. EU funds, like Erasmus+, the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund and European Women on Boards support projects that empower women across the EU.

Advancing women’s rights in the EU: meet Stella and Linda

Advancing women’s rights in the EU: meet Stella and Linda - 9:16

Connecting with the European Parliament is easy!    
 
Not only can you contact your MEPs or visit Parliament’s buildings in Strasbourg or Brussels, Parliament's offices in the EU and beyond hold events and debates, support citizens’ networks and provide information keeping you up to date on how the EU works and how you can help shape its future! 

Find out more in our short explainer.

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