In the run-up to Christmas, the International Office worked with liberal sister-parties in Serbia and Bosnia to promote LGBT and women’s rights across the Balkan region.

In early December, I travelled to Belgrade with Ed Fordham, a leading Lib Dem LGBT campaigner, to meet with our sister-party, the Liberal Democrat Party (LDP). With our support, the LDP has set up a Human Rights Council modelled on the Lib Dem LGBT+ Group, as a champion of the LGBT community in Serbia.

Ed and I held a workshop with representatives of the Human Rights Council to hear about their work, building on their role in Belgrade’s first ever gay pride march to proceed without harassment. Together with the Human Rights Council  and LDP trainers, we developed an LGBT curriculum which will be used to equip party members across Serbia with the necessary knowledge and skills to become advocates for LGBT rights.

Reflecting on the progress made during the project, Ed Fordham said:

“This is a unique opportunity to put the rights of the LGBT community at centre-stage on the political agenda. This is one of the first projects of its type in the region and makes an important start to tackling issues surrounding homophobia.”

This project builds on many years of work with the LDP, promoting female representation and youth participation in politics across Serbia. In the coming months, we will be supporting them in rolling out the LGBT curriculum and the continued work of the Human Rights Council.

Meanwhile in Bosnia, the Liberal Democrats took part in a cross-party initiative to increase female representation in politics. Shortly before Christmas, my colleague Nick Thorne, the International Office’s Research Officer, went to Bosnia with Arfan Bhatti, Candidate Liaison & Diversity Officer at HQ, to deliver trainings in communications and blogging to female candidates from our sister-party, Nasa Stranka.

Founded in 2008, Nasa Stranka already has 50% women on its party lists, ahead of the 40% government quota, earning the party its nickname as the ‘women’s party’. It is also one of the only parties in Bosnia to identify itself according to its ideological principles rather than along ethnic or religious lines.

In a meeting at the party HQ, Secretary General Albin Zuhrić said:

“Nasa Stranka has established itself as the leading liberal and socially progressive voice in Bosnia. With continued support from our international partners such as the Liberal Democrats, we will give women an equal voice in Bosnian politics.”

In February, the International Office will return to Bosnia to train female candidates in campaign strategy, helping prepare them for the 2016 Bosnian local elections. We will be looking for a female councillor to take part in a university seminar at Sarajevo university, where they will act as a role model and champion for women in politics. In March, we are bringing a delegation of top female candidates to London, to meet leading Lib Dem women and gain a deeper insight into the Lib Dem campaign for the upcoming general election. The project will also include a training on gender mainstreaming, bringing together political parties and women’s groups from across Europe, to discuss practical steps to incorporate gender issues into the parties’ policies and internal organisation.

If you’re interested in applying to be one our leading trainers in Bosnia, please contact the International Office on [email protected].

Through long-term projects such as these, working with trusted local partners, the Liberal Democrats strive to help under-represented groups become more involved in the political process.

* Harriet Shone is Head of the Liberal Democrats’ International Office.