ASILE Civil Society Group
ILGA – Europe
Description of organisation
ILGA-Europe is an independent, international non-governmental umbrella organisation bringing together nearly 600 organisations from 54 countries in Europe and Central Asia that advocate for rights of the LGBTQIA people. We are part of the wider international ILGA organisation, but ILGA-Europe were established as a separate region of ILGA and an independent legal entity in 1996. ILGA itself was created in 1978.
ILGA-Europe believes that LGBTI asylum seekers should be treated fairly and in a dignified manner. ILGA-Europe is working towards full implementation of European and international standards relating to asylum. In addition, we focus on strengthening these standards in relation to sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression where necessary.
In October 2015, at Annual Conference in Athens, ILGA-Europe issued a declaration of solidarity with refugees and asylum seekers. It stresses the unique vulnerabilities faced by LGBTI refugees and asylum seekers and details the steps that European and national authorities should take to protect them.
At national level, ILGA-Europe aims to equip our members with the skills and information needed to work on the implementation of EU instruments. We therefore identify and disseminate good practices across the 28 Member States. Finally, ILGA-Europe supports litigation before European courts, by facilitating training on this issue to member organisations and by submitting third party interventions with partner organisations.
Staff Profile
Juliana Teoh
Advocacy Officer at ILGA-Europe
Juliana Teoh at ILGA-Europe is focusing on issues of hate crimes, asylum, family and rule of law. She works to develop and implement advocacy strategies and policy initiatives for bringing legal, political and social change for LGBTI people across Europe. Her responsibilities include advocacy with European institutions, national governments and other stakeholders; strengthening the capacities of policymakers, civil society and practitioners to transform political commitments into concrete action; and building relationships with relevant stakeholders.
Juliana holds a Master in International Development Studies from the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, as well as a BA (Hons) in Business Economics and Finance from the University of Nottingham in Malaysia and China. Prior to joining ILGA-Europe, she gained extensive experience as a writer and editor, and engaged with human rights issues in a variety of capacities. These include refugee relief activities in Greece, projects in support of indigenous communities in India and Malaysia, and programmatic work at the Coalition for the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands. Passionate about languages, Juliana is fluent in English, Swiss German and Malay, conversational in High German, Mandarin Chinese and Indonesian, and a developing speaker of French and Dutch.
