ENOC 2026 Annual Conference

The ENOC 30th Annual Conference and General Assembly meeting took place on 30^th September - 1^st October 2026 in Barcelona, Spain. This year’s conference focused on “Safeguarding and Advancing the Rights of LGBTQIA+ Children and Young People in Contemporary Europe”.

The event was hosted by the office of the Deputy Ombudsperson for Children’s Rights in Catalonia, Aida C. Rodriguez Gimenez. On the same occasion, Aida took over the Chairmanship of ENOC for the period 2026/2027.

The conference brought together Ombudspersons and Commissioners for Children from across Europe and beyond, alongside representatives of European and regional institutions, professionals, academics, and experts actively working in the children’s rights area or with expertise on the rights of LGBTQIA+ Children and Young people and allies.

The Annual Conference also offered the opportunity to present the results and conclusions of the ENOC research on the annual theme. ENOC experts Prof. Angelina Sánchez and Prof. Ingrid Agud, from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), Catalonia (Spain), presented the main findings of the research carried out over the past year, which provided valuable insights into how the Rights of LGBTQIA+ children and young people are implemented and respected in Europe.

The collected data is collated in a Synthesis Report (soon available).

Young Advisors involved in the ENYA 2026 project also played an active role in the event, presenting their recommendations developed during in-country activities and on the occasion of the ENYA Forum earlier this year in Dublin.

To find out more about ENOC’s annual priority theme, check our dedicated page ENOC 2026 Annual Theme.

Day 1

The conference opened with welcoming remarks by Aida C. Rodriguez, ENOC Chair-elect and Deputy Ombudsperson for Children’s Rights, Catalonia (Spain) and Vasile Coroi, ENOC Chair, People’s Advocate for the Rights of the Child (Moldova), followed by Esther Giménez Salinas, Ombudsperson of Catalonia, Josep Muñoz Luque, General Director for Prevention and Protection of Children and Adolescents, Government of Catalonia and Georgina Pol Borràs, Secretary for Equal Rights and Non-Discrimination, Catalonia

The first thematic session gathered several key contributors to discuss how, from local to the European framework, the rights of LGBTQIA+ children and young people are being protected in a context of increasing polarisation. Ewa Kopacz, European Parliament Vice-President and EP Coordinator on Children’s Rights, addressed participants with a video message. Anne Kayser, Secretary of the Council of Europe Committee for the Rights of the Child (CDENF) and Javier Rodríguez Núñez, Commissioner for Childhood, Adolescence, Youth and LGBTI Policies at Barcelona City Council, shared perspectives on European and regional frameworks for the rights of LGBTQIA+ Children and Young People.

The second session was a panel discussion addressing progress and the risks of backsliding in relation to the rights of LGBTQIA+ Children and Young People. The session featured Nevena Vuckovic Sahovic, former member of the UNCRC, Gabriella Calleja, Senior Policy Advisor, SOGIESC Unit, Council of Europe, Rú Ávila Rodríguez, Deputy Executive Director and Policy & Research Manager, IGLYO and Miltos Pavlou, Senior Project Manager, EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA).

Later in the day, ENOC members were divided into three workshops in which they presented updates from their institutions before heading to the ENOC 30^th anniversary celebrations session. A specially developed video featuring people who have played or continue to play an important part in the Network was displayed, followed by a discussion between long-standing ENOC Members and the ENOC Principal Coordinator.

Watch the video and find out more about the ENOC 30^th anniversary.

The first day concluded with Young Advisors from the ENYA 2026 presenting their ENYA 2026 journey and personal views and experiences through interactive activities and sketches. Laura McFall, ENYA General Coordinator and Participation Officer (Northern Ireland/UK), reflected on the ENYA Forum and the outcomes of this year’s ENYA project.

Day 2

The second day began once more with the ENYA Young delegates presenting the ENYA Recommendations on Safeguarding and Protecting the Rights of LGBTQIA+ Children and Young People. They shared their proposals using engaging tools and opened an interactive discussion with the Ombudspersons and Commissioners for children in the audience.

This was followed by the presentation of the findings of the ENOC Survey on the Rights of LGBTQIA+ Children and Young People by independent experts Prof. Angelina Sánchez and Prof. Ingrid Agud, from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), Catalonia (Spain), covering areas such as education, protection system, juvenile justice, health, participation, family, digital & information, identity & privacy, violence, social & cultural development and international protection.

The final session provided a forum for good practices sharing, exploring pathways for policy implementation and opportunities to turn commitments into action. The ENOC member institutions that featured in this session were Ararteko/the Ombudsman’s office of the Basque Country (Spain) and the Berdindu Service of the Government of the Basque Country, Sarah Meys from the Office of the Commissioner for Children’s Rights in Flanders/Belgium and Solayman Laqdim, Defender for Children’s Rights for the French-speaking community/Belgium.

In the afternoon, participants joined field visits. One group visited the Youth Centre for Sexuality Support (CJAS). A second group visited the Barnahus Centre, while a third group explored Centre LGTBI in Barcelona (LGTBI Families Association). The last group visited the Trànsit Unit, a trans and non-binary people's health care and promotion service of the Catalan Institute of Health.

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