Current best practices

• Author: Sabatauskait?, Birut?
• Pages: 122-122

122

10CURRENT BEST PRACTICES

Thefollowingmeasures could be identified as good practices in 2019:

•In the autumn of 2019, the Diversity Development Group, an NGO,organised the

first conference of theLithuanian Diversity Charter.As was notedina previous

report, thecountry’s businessessigneda ‘Diversity Charter’in 2018, with apublic

commitment to fostering a culture of equality.

•For thepurpose of monitoring theCRPD, theCommission of People withDisabilities

was established alongsidethe Office of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson,

following amendments tothe Law on Equal Treatment. However, no additional

funding was provided forthe Commission’s work.

•The Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson continuedtosupporta website on equality

plansfor employers (http://www.lygybesplanai.lt/) and carried out a number of

activities to promote equal opportunities in the labour market.

•Two strategic cases were brought to the ECtHR in 2019in the field of non-

discriminationwith theexpectationof advancingequal opportunities, even though

justicewas not achieved at a national level: one case was initiatedby the neopagan

community Romuva regarding theParliament’s refusal to recognise it as a state

religion. Another case regarding discrimination and free speechconcerned the fairy-

tale book ‘Amber Heart’, the distributionof which was terminatedin 2014. It later

returned to the shelves with a notethat its contentsmight be detrimental to

minors,because two of the fairy tales included narratives involving same-sex

couples. Thelatter case exhausted all the nationalremedies available, reaching the

Supreme Courttwice.

•The National Equalityand Diversity Awards, anawareness-raising initiative

implemented jointly by the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson and a groupof

NGOs working with vulnerable groups, which has been taking place annually since

2014, was continued. In March2019, the winners from among various nominees

were presented withawardsfor their achievementsin the fieldof promoting

equality or protecting people fromdiscrimination. The award ceremony was

broadcastedlive on nationaltelevision and receivedsubstantial media attentionand

social media coverage. Anumber of organisations, companiesandinstitutions

participated in the selection ofnominees, in voting and in organising and presenting

theawards.Organisers are planning to continue the initiative in future years, as the

awards function as atoolto raise awareness andcarry out promotional activities.

The awards were mainly financedby theOffice of the EqualOpportunities

Ombudsperson.

•Therehas been significant progressin recent years, with more and more people

openlysupporting the rights of LGBT people. In 2019, the fourth Baltic Prideevent

wasorganised by the national LGBTorganisation, LGKL. Sincethe first Pride event

took placein2010 in the face of hugeopposition, subsequent eventsin 2013, 2016

and 2019were heldinthe mainavenue of the capital, the latestone beingthe

most successful, with around10000 participants. This has not yetresulted in

major legalchanges, although courtpractice has been leading towards more equal

treatment of LGBT persons.

•A Human RightsForumwas held on 10 December 2019, organisedby Vytautas

Magnus University, a number of civil societyorganisations (including the Coalition

of Human Rights Organisationsand theLithuanian Disability Forum) and state

institutions (the Ministryof Foreign Affairs, the Equal OpportunitiesOmbudsperson

and theSeimasOmbudsmen’s Office), andmany different stakeholderswere

invited. Many activities covered non-discrimination issues.