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| TOP NEWS | Sunday, 12 August 2007 European gays appoint Maltese activist as policy officer Malta Gay Rights Movement activist Silvan Agius – an “out gay man” who contested the 2003 general elections on behalf of the Greens – has been appointed as the Policy and Programmes Officer of the International Lesbian and Gay Association (Europe).
At ILGA-Europe, Silvan Agius will be responsible for providing policy, lobbying and capacity building services to support ILGA-Europe’s advocacy of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LBTG) rights at the European level. He will work with the member organisations to implement and influence European level policies in the areas of employment, social inclusion and equality. ILGA is the main non-governmental umbrella organisation which represents organisations of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons at the European level. Its represents 200 gay rights organisations in Europe. ILGA-Europe enjoys consultative status at Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC) and participative status at the Council of Europe. It also receives funding from the European Union. ILGA-Europe is the European branch of ILGA, a world-wide network of national and local groups dedicated to achieving equal rights for LGBT people everywhere. ILGA is to this day the only international non-profit and non-governmental community-based federation focused on presenting discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation as a global issue. Silvan Agius has been a social activist since he was 16, when he joined Moviment Graffitti. He was also actively involved in Greenpeace Mediterranean, Front Kontra l-Golf Kors, The Arts Collective and the Malta Gay Rights Movement. In 2003, he contested the Naxxar locality on behalf of the Greens and a month later he contested the general elections with Alternattiva Demokratika - The Green Party. But following his spate of activism in leftist circles, Agius decided to dedicate himself fully to the LGBT cause. “At one point I realised that unless LGBT people fight for their own rights and recognition as equal persons in society, nobody else would do it for them. Since then I changed my multifocus approach to social change and focused my attention on equality rights, particularly regarding sexual orientation, gender identity and expression.” During the past three years, he has served as the Principal at the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality, taking care of the development and implementation of various EU co-funded projects, and the area of policy and development. Silvan is a graduate in Anthropology and holds a Masters in Human Rights and Democratisation. Last year he also followed a Summer Course in Sexual Orientation Law at the University of Amsterdam, where he was awarded two CALI Excellence for the Future Awards. He describes himself as an avid believer in the promotion of international human rights and works hard for the attainment of substantive equality for all. Despite all odds imposed by a conservative society, Maltese gay rights activists are gaining a foothold in most important LGBT organisations which puts Malta and other European nation’s record on gay rights under scrutiny. Apart from Slivan Agius another MGRM activist Ruth Baldacchino is already a Board Member of ILGA (the International Lesbian and Gay Association) and ILGA-Europe (the European region of ILGA). Malta is now represented on both the Board through Baldacchino and in the administration of ILGA Europe through Silvan Agius. Few European countries have such a substantial representation. Studies show that Malta has one of the lower levels of protection of the rights of LGBT people in the EU-27, while discrimination against such people is found to be amongst the highest. Ruth and Silvan hope that their roles at ILGA-Europe will give them an extra edge to influence the Maltese political and policy arenas for the benefit of Maltese gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons. Any comments? If you wish your comments to be published in our Letters pages please click here |
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NEWS | Sunday, 12 August 2007 PN support in Gozo in free-fall Bortex fires Maltese, hires Chinese Forget the bedpans, let’s talk travel plans… ‘Our pharmacy licences are now safe and more valuable than ever’ AFM calls off search for missing migrants Musicians give hope to immigrants Mangion stands by Pender Place sale Mangion stands by Pender Place sale European gays appoint Maltese activist as policy officer Ostreopsis not an alien species Rockers, relax – cult programme will be back MMA official bluffed with junior to corrupt him Mistake paves way for Marsa hazardous waste incinerator PBS schedule ‘turned into auction’ UTV fracas: Former director to sue priest for libel To Gozo, and beyond Rector wants a ‘Gozitan Lourdes’ in Ta’ Pinu The road to Smart City – over 600m of tarmac through arable land |