Malta a role model for LGBT equity – MInister Dalli

Minister for Social Dialogue Helena Dalli said that Malta can serve as a role model for Mediterranean countries in the way it has approached LGBT equality issues. Minister Dalli was speaking to delegates from the international conference on the rights of LGBT persons. Minister Dalli mentioned several government initiatives, taken to introduce new laws and give rights and dignity to LGBT persons. She recalled, among other things, the legal amendments to the civil code which provide for the recognition of the new gender to persons who would have undergone gender re-alignment and the introduction of the Civil Unions. Minister Dalli stressed the importance of social dialogue when government is drafting new policies, particularly those which have a strong impact on the lives of the people. She referred to the LGBT consultative council, set up with the specific aim of consulting directly with NGOs in this sphere of life. The Mediterranean Network Conference met for the first time in 2010 and has since met in different Mediterranean countries.