Our Annual Conference 2022: Photo Essay

From October 20 to 22, after a two year wait, we were able to gather for the ILGA-Europe Annual Conference in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia at last. Our photo essay, taken by Ukrainian photographer Marina Bandelyuk, aims to give you a sense of the enthusiastic atmosphere, the vital networking, and the joy of being together as queer activists from across Europe and Central Asia in person once more.

Our Annual Conference was hosted in Sofia by the Bulgarian LGBTI organisations, Bilitis Foundation, Deystvie and Glas Foundation. We would like to thank them for hosting us, and over 350 activists from across the regions ILGA-Europe works with, and a big thank-you also to all the volunteers who helped us keep the conference running so smoothly.

Bringing so many people together for deep and nuanced panels, vital conversations, practical workshops, much-needed networking, meals, entertainment, karaoke and more is no small organisational feat. All of the staff of ILGA-Europe had their roles to play in bringing this all together, but a very special thank-you to Alejandro Hernandez Pulido, Beryl Abols, Anna Shepherd, Nadz, Anastasia Smirnova, and Mehmet Akin for their huge work behind the scenes in the months leading up to the conference, and during our time in Sofia. We, and so many activists, wouldn’t have made it there without you!

Our 2023 conference will take place next October in the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana, and work has already begun to make it another great gathering of brilliant and committed LGBTI activists and their allies. We look forward to meeting you there next October. In the meantime, we hope our photo essay gives a good picture of the time we had together in Sofia this year.

See also

Blog

The ILGA-Europe Annual Conference 2023 in Pictures

In October we gathered together with 450 activists from across Central in the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana for the ILGA-Europe for the ILGA-Europe Annual Conference. […]
read more
Blog

Creating our Annual Conference logo

As we get ready for our Annual Conference in October, we’re excited to share the collaborative design process for our Ljubljana 2023 visual identity.
read more
Blog

#IESofia2022: Daily Report, Saturday October 22

As our Annual Conference sadly wound to an end, over 300 participants enjoyed one last day of workshops and celebrated the election of the new ILGA-Europe board, before the Gala Dinner and one last dance together. Here’s a round-up of the final day!
read more
Blog

#IESofia2022: Daily Report, Friday October 21

We began the day imagining the future of collective resilience, as part of the work of ‘shaping the world to come’, which is the theme […]
read more
Blog

#IESofia2022: Daily Report, Thursday Oct 20

Our Annual Conference has well and truly kicked off in Sofia where hundreds of dedicated LGBTI activists from all over Europe and Central Asia are […]
read more
News

Annual Conference 2023: Location Announcement

As we get ready to travel to Bulgaria for the ILGA-Europe annual conference in Sofia next week, we’re delighted to announce that the city for next year’s conference has been chosen.
read more
Blog

Meet Simeon from the Bulgarian organisation, GLAS Foundation, co-host of our Annual Conference

Simeon Vasilev, Chairman and Co-Founder of GLAS Foundation, one of the three Bulgarian LGBTI organisations co-hosting the ILGA-Europe Annual Conference in Sofia this month. Here Simeon talks about the recent elections in Bulgaria and what the possible outcome will mean for LGBTI people in the country. 
read more
Blog

Meet Denitsa from the Bulgarian organisation Deystvie, co-host of our Annual Conference

Denitsa Lyubenova is co-founder of Deystvie, one of the three Bulgarian LGBTI organisations co-hosting the ILGA-Europe Annual Conference in Sofia this month. Here Denitsa talks about the recent elections in Bulgaria and what the possible outcome will mean for LGBTI people in the country.
read more
Blog

Meet Lilly from Bilitis in Sofia, co-host of ILGA-Europe’s Annual Conference

Lilly Dragoeva is the Executive Director of Bilitis, one of the three Bulgarian LGBTI organisations co-hosting the ILGA-Europe Annual Conference in Sofia this month. Here Lilly talks about what it means to have the largest European LGBTI activism conference in her country. 
read more
News

Theme for the ILGA-Europe 2022 Conference Announced.

As ILGA-Europe gears up in the organisation of our Annual Conference, which takes place in Sofia this October, the theme ‘Shaping the World to Come’ […]
read more
Blog

What We Learned at Europe’s Largest Online LGBTI Conference

Evelyne Paradis, Executive Director of ILGA-Europe reflects on the annual Gathering, the online version of Europe and Central Asia’s LGBTI conference, and what it affirmed for the movement at this time of momentous change.
read more
Blog

An evolving movement: What we learned from Europe’s largest LGBTI Gathering

The virtual replacement for ILGA-Europe’s annual conference, The Gathering Online 2020, was the largest coming together of LGBTI activists from across Europe and Central Asia since Covid-19 began, and a new collective agenda became fully apparent. ILGA-Europe’s Executive Director, Evelyne Paradis, reflects on a ground-breaking experience.
read more
News

Announcing the Cancellation of ILGA-Europe’s 2020 Annual Conference

After thoughtful consideration, it is with a heavy heart that we are announcing the cancellation of ILGA-Europe’s 2020 Annual Conference.
read more
Blog

Voices of ILGA-Europe: On the frontlines for equal marriage in the Czech Republic

From the high-powered offices of government, to the vanguard of the Czech Republic’s LGBTI movement, Czeslaw Walek tells his story of activism in action.
read more
Blog

The inspirational voices of LGBTI activism

Watch our video interview with passionate intersex activist, Audrey Aegerter of InterAction Suisse, the first of our ILGA-Europe members from across Europe and Central Asia who talked to us about the great work they’re doing.
read more
Blog

6 things you should know when LGBTI community organising

Are you an LGBTI activist who will be empowering your community as an organiser in 2020? Here are some key ways to make sure you get it right!
read more
Blog

Stronger together as LGBTI activists: What I learned from the ILGA-Europe Conference, Prague 2019

Stronger Together… what did this year’s ILGA-Europe conference theme mean to the 600 LGBTI activist participants who came to Prague in October? And if it is true that we are stronger together, how can we make it happen even more? Our conference reporter and former Executive Director of ILGA-Europe, Patricia Prendiville shares her thoughts, while alongside we share some of the wonderful images documenting this year’s gathering.
read more

Our Governance

Who are ILGA-Europe’s members and what is their role? ILGA-Europe is a membership-based organisation. Our members are 600-plus not-for-profit LGBTI organisations – national organisations, local […]
read more
News

ILGA-Europe Annual Conference brings call for LGBTI equality and political change to Brussels

At one of the largest ever ILGA-Europe Annual Conferences, hundreds of equality and diversity organisations have come together to issue a strong call for change […]
read more
Policy Paper

ilga-europe code of conduct

We are delighted that ILGA-Europe’s events draw such a wide variety ofparticipants and we are committed to the fullest possible participation and want to make […]
read more