Baltic Pride 2025 Conference to highlight LGBTI rights and equality

​​​​​​​The Baltic Pride Conference, taking place in Vilnius on 6 June, will discuss the inclusion and rights of LGBTI people. The event will be opened by State Secretary Laura Rissanen as part of Finland’s Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers.

The theme of the Baltic Pride 2025 Conference is ‘Pride for Progress: Shaping Today’s Inclusive Workplace’. The topics of the conference include corporate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) leadership in challenging political environments and responsible AI for inclusive workplaces. 

The conference will also discuss the employment of young LGBTI people and how to create employment pathways for them and to transform educational settings to support inclusion. 

The aim is to share best practices for promoting workplace inclusion and to improve international cooperation on advancing LGBTI rights.

World of work needs everyone, irrespective of gender and sexual identity

Although gender equality has improved over the past few decades, the rights of LGBTI people have not progressed at the same rate. Transgender people in particular encounter discrimination in working life, and one in three LGBTI people in Finland still hide their identity in the workplace.

In her opening speech, State Secretary Rissanen will stress that, despite many improvements, there is still a lot we can do to improve the workplace inclusion of all sexual and gender minorities. She will emphasise, among other things, the importance of education in raising awareness and reducing prejudices. 

In Finland, employers and educational institutions are obliged by law to prevent discrimination based on gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation. Workplaces are obliged to plan and implement measures to promote gender equality and non-discrimination.

For several decades now, the Nordic countries have enacted more legislation to strengthen the rights of LGBTI people, which has led towards more sustainable societies. “We have continuously moved towards more competitive labour markets where everyone is valued for their skills and contribution. We have a more competent workforce, where people from different backgrounds have the opportunity to learn and flourish,” says Rissanen.

While in Vilnius, the State Secretary will also meet with representatives of local civil society organisations, the Lithuanian Minister of Health, the Lithuanian Vice-Minister of Social Security and Labour and representatives of the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE).

Nordic Council of Ministers in Baltic Pride 2025 

Baltic Pride is the largest LGBTI celebration in the Baltic region, rotating between Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius. This year, the event is taking place in Vilnius, Lithuania. The main partner of the conference is the Nordic Council of Ministers Office in Lithuania. Finland was invited to send a representative to the conference as it currently holds the Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers.