A Hackathon titled “Strengthening Dialogue and Cooperation between South Asia and the European Union on LGBTQIA+ Rights” was held by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) in Colombo from June 5th-8th.
The event is part of FNF’s Born with Pride series and is aimed at bringing together individuals from both Europe and South Asia to collaborate and develop ideas and solutions to further the rights of LGBTQIA+ persons.
Speaking in the inauguration session, Dr. Carsten Klein, Head of the FNF Regional Office South Asia states, “The hackathon is timely and relevant as LGBTQIA+ rights have become integral to the South Asian conversation on human rights in recent times.”
Yannick Shetty from the Austrian Parliament acknowledges the progress made in South Asia in realizing the rights of the LGBTQIA+ communities and argues that South Asia and Europe can learn from each other in furthering the rights and dignity of the community.
Premnath C. Dolawatte, a member of the Sri Lankan Parliament highlighted that the Panel Code Amendment Act is under discussion in the parliament after the Supreme Court’s green light on the matter and the country is in the process of decriminalizing homosexuality.
Similarly, Lars Bredal, the Deputy Ambassador of the EU Delegation in Sri Lanka, highlights the EU’s effort to incorporate the principle of equality and non-discrimination into the internal and external policies of the EU countries making valid the principle that all humans are free and equal globally.
Going forward, four teams will showcase innovative ideas and solutions pertaining to LGBTQIA+ rights and pitch them to the audience as well as to a five-member international jury comprising Yannick Shetty, a Member of the National Council of Austria; Milosz Hodun, a Member of the Board of Directors of the European Liberal Forum; Parakram Rana, Digital Content Creator from Nepal; Dan Grinevics, Political Officer at the EU Delegation to Sri Lanka and the Maldives; and Bhoomi Harendran, Sri Lanka’s First Trans-Identified Actress and Activist.
The winning team of the hackathon will receive an invitation to attend the FNF International Hackathon Competition in Germany.
In addition to the Hackathon in Colombo, the event also includes a workshop on Mental Health and Online Safety, with a particular focus on the LGBTQIA+ community. (NewsWire)