Once a palace for Prussian royalty, Berlin’s Palais Populaire was converted into a 3,000-square-meter gallery and event space by Deutsche Bank in 2018. Four years later, the palace served another purpose: within its ornate, rococo-style walls, ORAM led a two-day roundtable discussion focused on supporting LGBTIQ Ukrainians displaced by the war with Russia, hosted by our partners at Deutsche Bank.
Pictured: The exterior of the Palais Populaire, where the conference took place.
The conference, which convened activists, human rights defenders, and funders from ten countries and 20 organizations, was held on Thursday, July 21 and Friday, July 22. In the heart of Berlin, event attendees discussed coordinated and strategic plans to support displaced LGBTIQ Ukrainians and third-country nationals. The conference was meant to develop connections between organizations who had not yet had the chance to meet and collaborate on this topic, and to reach an agreement on next steps.
Pictured: Attendees are in deep thought during the roundtable discussion.
According to Czeslaw Walek, a consultant for ORAM who coordinated the event, “hunger for the meeting was visible,” as it was, in fact, the first opportunity for international organizations to meet in person and to share their experiences, goals, and challenges with their ongoing work to support the displaced queer Ukrainian community.
On Thursday, day one of the roundtable discussion, attendees informed one another about the work that their organizations do for displaced LGBTIQ people. The discussion was crucial for helping members of the various organizations to build a strong sense of trust and familiarity, and to bond over their shared missions.
Pictured: Conference attendees gather outside of the Palais Populaire for a group photo.
Then, on Friday, attendees participated in a group discussion about LGBTIQ Ukrainians’ medium- and long-term needs as well as potential solutions to address those needs. Many of the organizations in attendance began working with displaced LGBTIQ individuals only after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February sparked an immediate need, so ORAM’s staff relied on our organization’s years of experience with providing humanitarian aid to vulnerable LGBTIQ refugees to provide guidance to our new, valued partners.
Pictured: ORAM Executive Director Steve Roth (center) speaks at the conference and is joined by Senior Program Manager Anja Limon (left) and Board Chair Rajiv Desai (right).
Attendees on Friday also spoke about the long-term, evolving needs of LGBTIQ Ukrainians and third-country nationals, given the drawn-out nature of the war. For example, many of the folks whom ORAM and our partner organizations are serving—particularly those who are HIV-positive and those who belong to the transgender community—need consistent access to health services that will remain accessible even after their temporary protection status ends in their new countries.
Like any other humanitarian crisis, the initial, overwhelming outreach of global support for those affected by the war in Ukraine is starting to dwindle with time—which makes the work that ORAM and our partner organizations are doing even more crucial. Folks at the roundtable discussed how our organizations can aim to fill that gap, and how we can continue to raise funds which will enable our work to continue in the long term.
Attendees agreed on several next steps: ORAM will plan additional follow-up discussions, and the organizations will work together to create a map of services that they are providing to displaced LGBTIQ Ukrainians across the EU, to fundraise to support their long-term efforts, and to gather more input from clients regarding their needs.
Pictured: Attendees in discussion during day two of the conference.
On Saturday, after the roundtable discussion ended, ORAM joined its partner organizations once more—this time, to march in the Berlin Pride Parade, amidst loud music and clouds of rainbow confetti. It was the perfect end to a productive week.
Pictured: ORAM's contingent in the Berlin Pride Parade marches behind two banners.
More information about ORAM’s support for displaced queer Ukrainians can be found on our website as well as our new Instagram account, @OramUkraine!
Additionally, thank you to the incredibly talented Yuliya Mulyukina, a displaced LGBTIQ Ukrainian whom ORAM has served, for photographing our roundtable discussion and participation in the Berlin Pride Parade. To view more of Yuliya's photos, visit our Flickr page.