Adviser Kojičić attends Out Leadership Summit in London: Government of Montenegro committed to improving quality of life and human rights of LGBT people

London, the Unhited Kingdom (17 September 2015) – Adviser to Montenegro’s Prime Minister for Human Rights and Protection from Discrimination Jovan Kojičić attended earlier today the Out Leadership: Europe 2015 LGBT Summit, which took place in London. The Summit was hosted by Credit Suisse and Clifford Chance, and gathered more than one hundred senior European business leaders form prestigious multinational companies, banks and corporations dedicated to promoting LGBT rights.

The Summit discussed global policies with a particular emphasis on achieving equality of LGBT population in the society. In that regard, the summit also discussed mechanisms for overcoming obstacles in terms of equality, diversity and cultivation of clients. It also discussed the historical victory in the Irish referendum which legalised gay marriages and proved that human rights could be improved in Europe, business and the overall society.

In addition to the host, Mr Todd Sears, President of the Out Leadership, and high representatives from multinational companies and business corporations, the European leaders were also addressed by Irish Health Minister Leo Varadkar and MP of the UK Parliament Nick Herbert.

The idea to organise the summit was born five years ago by LGBT leaders gathered within the Wall Street (Out on the Street), while the first meeting of that kind in Europe was organised by the Deutsche Bank in 2011. Since then, prestigious companies have teamed up to promote diversity policies in the working place and global LGBT rights. The Out Leadership business association became a strong global movement committed to building a network of 64 most respected multinational companies and corporations, such as Goldman Sachs, Sherman and Sterling, KPMG, Microsoft, Barclays, Bloomberg, Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank, Clifford Chance, Credit Suisse, Forbes Inc, HSBC, Citi, C1Bank, Bank of America Merill Lynch, Moody’s, etc.

Adviser Kojičić belongs to those activists who use their personal references and influence to support efforts aimed at developing this project in Europe, while, at the same time, the Government of Montenegro has pledged its commitment to the idea and welcomed the multinational companies’ efforts. Nowadays, the Montenegro government has a leadership role in the Western Balkans when it comes to establishing the highest standards, promoting policies of respecting diversity in the working place, with a view to boosting teams and corporations’ efficiency, as a precondition for successful economic development, respect for human rights, and promotion of integration processes.

The Government of Montenegro, in cooperation with the Out Leadership and UCLA School of Law, has launched an initiative on establishing a LGBT Business Forum, as a platform for promoting diversity and LGBT inclusion in the Western Balkans. With the support of a wide range of international partners and local communities, the concept was presented at this year’s IDAHO Forum in Budva, Montenegro, relying on the experience and collaboration of the US Out Leadership Association. The concept has also been presented at the London European Leadership Summit, and the Government of Montenegro will continue to support these processes in the community and the Western Balkans, concentrating on developing the best mechanisms for cooperation and exchange of experience.

Supporting the LGBT inclusion and respect for diversity in the working place are strategic guidelines of the Government’s policy, while the experiences of multinational companies and their global strategies remain a strong support and sustainable partner to the Government of Montenegro in this area.