DE
DE
Gayane Abrahamyan
#FEMALEFORWARDINTERNATIONAL
Svetoslav Todorov

Meet Gayane Abrahamyan from Armenia

Armenian politician, journalist, and activist Gayane Abrahamyan has long been devoted to different causes, from raising awareness of domestic violence to advocating long-needed judicial reforms. “I’m showing that there are no limits to what a woman or anyone else can do”, she says.

Valeriia Lutkovska
#FEMALEFORWARDINTERNATIONAL
Joanna Elmy

A Woman on the Diplomatic Frontline

Meet Valeriia Lutkovska, the legal expert paving the way for Ukrainian Human Rights legislation. “For me, it is about human rights – not empty words but standards in each sphere of our lives. Without an understanding of my rights as a human being, it is not possible to understand what human dignity is. Only the person who can protect the right of privacy, or education, or freedom of expression – only they can understand human dignity.”

Eva Tovmasyan
#FEMALEFORWARDINTERNATIONAL
Joanna Elmy

A Dreamer and a Doer

This human rights activist turned Supreme Court spokeswoman shares why she believes a personal example is the best mechanism for change. The Press secretary of the Constitutional Court of Armenia, Eva Tovmasyan, is a master communicator. With extensive experience in the civic sector and well-versed in politics, she reveals how she was inspired to become a civic activist and why she believes it is her duty to inspire others. 

Svetla Kostadinova
#FEMALEFORWARDINTERNATIONAL
Mila Cherneva

The voice of economics

Svetla Kostadinova has been the executive director of one of the most influential economic think tanks in Bulgaria for more than 13 years. Svetla has the exceptional quality of a calm, serious demeanour, which makes you respect her even before she impresses you with her mind. She is the executive director of the Institute for Market Economics (IME), an important, influential economic think tank in Bulgaria for nearly 30 years.

Nino Bolkvadze
#FEMALEFORWARDINTERNATIONAL
Joanna Elmy

Changing the world one fight at a time

Achieving legal and social victories, Nino Bolkvadze does not wait for a better world: she creates it. She was the first openly lesbian running for office in the history of Georgia. Meet the #FemaleForwardInternational ambassador from Georgia.

Maia Panjikidze #FemaleForward
#FemaleForwardInternational
Martin Dimitrov

Meet Maia Panjikidze from Georgia

In 2010, Maia Panjikidze resigned her position as head of the Georgian mission to the Netherlands over a disagreement with her government’s domestic policy. She went back to her first profession – teaching literature and German language to high school and university students – and did not think she would ever join the ranks of the diplomatic corps again.

Pride
LGBTIQ
Markus Kaiser

Serbia: Gays and lesbians “temporarily” declared personae non-gratae

Europride begins today in Serbia. Although thousands of protesters have once again taken to the streets in Belgrade against the large-scale event and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić had previously announced the cancellation of the Pride event, the international pressure was too great. In the conservative world view of the Serbian president, same-sex partnerships and alternative life plans have no place. LGBTIQ activist Stefan Šparavalo talks about equal rights and social participation in Europe.

Zajkova
#FemaleFowardInternational
Martin Dimitrov

The changing face of North Macedonian politics

Monika Zajkova from the Liberal Democratic Party wants to serve as an example for other young female politicians in her country. Despite her age, she has nearly a decade of political experience – she joined the LDP’s youth wing in 2011 and became its president in 2017. Zajkova, who holds a degree in law, worked in four electoral campaigns before she made her own bid for MP in 2020.

Nino Bakradze
#FEMALEFORWARDINTERNATIONAL
Joanna Elmy

Meet Nino Bakradze from Georgia

In Georgia, journalism is traditionally considered a “female” profession, states investigative journalist Nino Bakradze. She adds that since people do not have sexist views towards female journalists, her profession has not complicated her life much. Being a female in Georgia is complicated enough, so being in journalism just adds to that.  Meet the investigative journalist who uses collaborative reporting and cross-border investigations against corruption.

Nino Bakradze
#FEMALEFORWARDINTERNATIONAL
Joanna Elmy

Journalism as a Catalyst for Change

The investigative journalist who uses collaborative reporting and cross-border investigations in the fight against corruption. Nino Bakradze is the editor and co-founder of the Investigative Journalists' media project iFact, based in Tbilisi, Georgia. She works in an all-female team to uncover some of the most gruesome political scandals in Georgia and says that so far, there is not much competition when it comes to investigative reporting.

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