ORAM’s Stakeholder Consortium II: Insights, Impact, and the Road Ahead
- Aras Örgen
- May 29
- 3 min read
Updated: May 30
Across Europe and globally, far-right, anti-migration politics are reshaping the landscape for displaced LGBTIQ people. As public discourse grows more hostile, and governments double down on deterrence and detention, queer refugees and asylum seekers are being pushed further to the margins, targeted not just by oppressive systems, but by the compounding effects of xenophobia, queerphobia, colonial legacies, and institutional neglect.
According to ILGA-Europe's 2025 Rainbow Map, setbacks in legal protections and policy enforcement are outpacing progress across the continent. Countries such as Hungary and Poland remain among the lowest-scoring, while asylum reforms threaten access to safe and dignified protection, particularly for trans and gender-diverse applicants.
In response to this growing urgency, ORAM hosted a second Stakeholder Consortium in Berlin this May — a space for coordinated collaboration, solidarity, and concrete action.
Building on our Inclusion Program
ORAM's Stakeholder Consortium began in 2024 with a vision: to bring together diverse actors across civil society, LGBTIQ NGOs, refugee-led organizations, INGOs, donors, UN agencies, and researchers to co-develop sustainable solutions for LGBTIQ inclusion in displacement contexts. The event resulted in a collaborative roadmap outlining shared challenges and commitments. It also planted seeds for regional coordination and tools for adopting a SOGIESC-sensitive approach to refugee and humanitarian programming.
That first convening made one thing clear — there is an urgent need not only for technical knowledge, but for safe(r) and collaborative spaces where movement leaders can gather, reflect, and build shared purpose to advance these goals.
ORAM has trained 229 humanitarian professionals across Central & Eastern Europe and Kenya, reaching 124 organizations — including UN agencies, INGOs, LGBTIQ NGOs, refugee-led organizations, and government bodies. Through this work, 192 organizations working on displacement have been mapped and engaged. Post-training surveys show strong results: 98% of participants reported improved knowledge on LGBTIQ inclusion, and 95% said they experienced meaningful connection through our convenings.
ORAM undertook a participatory process to ensure the agenda would be shaped by those most directly impacted by the issues at hand, as well as to help shape themes, propose panels, and take on roles as moderators.
Inside the Convening
The event occurred over two days, from May 7-8 in Berlin. The second Stakeholder Consortium welcomed 52 participants from 41 organizations. Participants traveled from across Europe, including Moldova, Poland, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Germany, and France, representing grassroots initiatives, refugee-led organizations, LGBTIQ NGOs, international NGOs, academics, UN agencies, and independent advocates.
The two-day convening featured:
A panel on impactful partnerships, including GenderDoc-M's collaboration with UNHCR Moldova, NGO Nest Berlin's involvement in a transnational EU-funded SOGIESC project, and Queer Without Borders' work with UNHCR Poland to train border guards on SOGIESC inclusion.
A vibrant discussion on meaningful refugee participation, with speakers from ALO, WASSLA, Resilient Voices IW*S, and Martynka Foundation reflecting on power-sharing, tokenism, burnout, and refugee leadership development.
A session on feminist and intersectional research methods, with contributions from Synergies Migrations, Queer Without Borders, ORAM, and academic researchers engaged in research on queer displacement.
A Common European Asylum System (CEAS) focused presentation by TGEU, providing a clear-eyed analysis of the asylum policy reforms' effects on trans asylum seekers.
A keynote presentation from GIZ on funding, localization, and inclusion.
The program culminated in an interactive group activity evaluating ORAM’s Checklist for Safer Spaces. Based on lived experience and collective insight, participants proposed dozens of new reflection questions, which will inform the next iteration of ORAM’s self-assessment tool.
In feedback forms, participants described the space as affirming, motivating, and emotionally safe:
“Even though LGBTIQ+ people who are living through, or at risk of forced displacement face intensified challenges right now, it’s been so inspiring to witness our interconnected movements coming together with even stronger commitment, so many creative ideas, and a very powerful sense of queer joy and resilience!”
“Advocating for trans people... and the issue of representation of LGBTIQ+ refugees has been the most valuable takeaway for me — and a key motivation to work toward strengthening this area within my organization.”
Next Steps
In the months ahead, ORAM will:
Finalize and circulate the revised Safer Space Self-Assessment Tool.
Publish a full event report, including key themes, group work outcomes, and feedback analysis.
Expand the Inclusion Program through training, capacity strengthening, and advocacy.
The need for collective action, which is rooted in solidarity and led by those with lived experience, has never been greater. As one participant put it:
“Community, action, and working together show that we can achieve anything.”
ORAM remains committed to doing just that — with partners, with purpose, and with pride. A heartfelt thank you to all participants — your presence, insights, and solidarity made this convening what it was.
Aras (he/they) is a Capacity Strengthening Specialist at ORAM based in Berlin, Germany.
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