Support for Bucharest Pride 2023: joint statement
British Embassy Bucharest and other diplomatic missions and international organisations signed a statement supporting Pride 2023 and the LGBTIQ+ community in Romania.
Pride rainbow flag in Bucharest
Joint statement signed by 31 countries and international organisations, Bucharest, 27 July 2023:
We, the undersigned diplomatic missions and international organisations in Bucharest, express our support for Bucharest Pride 2023. This is the 18th edition of this annual event celebrating the diversity and dignity of the LGBTIQ+ community in Romania.
Bucharest Pride, and all Pride events across Romania, are important occasions to stand up for LGBTIQ+ rights and inclusion. We commend the organisers, volunteers and participants for their work and commitment to achieve equality. We reaffirm our commitment to respecting, promoting and protecting the principles of equality, non-discrimination, and human rights for all individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity or sex characteristics.
We firmly support the LGBTIQ+ community in Romania in its pursuit of equal rights, in accordance with international human rights law and the principle of universal human rights. The European Court of Human Rights has established a strong framework for protecting the rights of LGBTIQ+ people. The Court has set out obligations to ensure equality under national laws, such as the establishment of effective hate crime response mechanisms, legal protection for same-sex families and a transparent, consistent, and accessible legal gender recognition procedure for transgender people.
In this context, we encourage the Romanian authorities to address any current legal gaps for the full realisation of LGBTIQ+ rights.
Equality, diversity, non-discrimination and respect for universal human rights are part of our core values, and we must act to defend these values, both at home and globally. We recognise that more needs to be done to achieve full equality for LGBTIQ+ persons.
We will continue to work with Romanian authorities and civil society to ensure that all individuals are treated with dignity and respect.
Signed by the following diplomatic missions and international organisations in Bucharest, listed in alphabetical order:
Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States of America, European Commission Representation in Romania, International Organization for Migration (IOM) Romania and UNHCR Representation in Romania