National Assembly Deputy Speaker MA Igor Becic addressed the gathering saying that the National Assembly had set up the legislative framework and established the independent bodies necessary to guarantee the protection of human rights and the rights of the most vulnerable population categories.

Minister without portfolio responsible for European integration Jadranka Joksimovic said that differences, including those of sexual orientation and gender, cannot be grounds for discrimination, adding that the issue affects everybody, not only the minority community in question.

Minister of Interior Dr Nebojsa Stefanovic said that the police would not allow the violation of human rights and freedoms of any minority social group and that Serbia cannot be fertile ground for the spreading of hate toward people of alternative sexual orientation. Stefanovic also added that the Ministry had ensured the unimpeded organisation of 2014 Belgrade Pride.

The Chairman of the Committee on Human and Minority Rights and Gender Equality Meho Omerovic highlighted the importance of inter-sector cooperation and raising awareness on the status and rights of the LGBT community in Serbia. There has been palpable progress in the fight against discrimination, said Omerovic but the society still needs to invest additional efforts into combating hate speech and encourage the victims of violence to approach the authorities when in need of protection.

The assembly was also addressed by UK Ambassador to Serbia H.E. Denis Keefe and the Head of the Political Section of the EU Delegation in Serbia Luca Bianconi who said that the discrimination against LGBT people exists in the EU countries too, but the states need to sanction all types of violence against the members of the most vulnerable minority groups. They commended the Serbian Government’s reform policies, saying they were sure the promotion of LGBT population’s status would continue to be the focus of efforts.

The most important conclusions of the Report were presented by GSA President Lazar Pavlovic, GSA Executive Director Mirjana Bogdanovic and GSA lawyer Aleksandar Olenik.

The Report, among other things, states that there progress has been made in the protection of human rights of LGBT people, listing as example the successful Belgrade Pride, and also notes the progress in the attitude of the political factors and state institutions toward the LGBT community.

Even though there has been no increase of violence or discrimination against LGBT people in 2014 compared to 2013, the instances of domestic violence in same sex relationships have risen.

The Report goes on to note that the education system which should play a crucial role in raising tolerance and accepting differences remains inert, but the media image of the LGBT population has visibly improved compared to previous years.

According to the Commissioner for Protection of Equality, the LGBT population is a group the majority of the population keeps the biggest social distance from, says the Report.

The presentation of the Report was attended by representatives of the National Assembly, the executive, international organisations, civil society and the media.