Reker says travel trip to Tunis: concern about women's rights!

Reker says travel trip to Tunis: concern about women's rights!

The Mayor of Cologne, Henriette Reker, has canceled her planned trip to Tunis. This decision was made on May 16, 2025, shortly before departure. The journey should serve to strengthen the rights of women, lesbians, gays, bisexuals, trans- and interlectors (LSBti) people as well as migrants. The city of Cologne announced the cancellation due to new information that arrived shortly before departure.

The necessary preparations for the trip had already been made. However, the city of Cologne received a request from the embassy in Tunis to withdraw a press release via the trip. This was surprising and the city was not completely clear to the city. Nevertheless, those responsible were not ready to meet this request and decided to cancel the trip.

concern for the local program

In addition, after consultations with other authorities, there were concerns that the planned program could not take place as planned. An important part of the travel program was a meeting with professors at a university in Tunis, which is no longer realized. Ultimately, the combination of the press -technical request and the uncertainties on site led to Reker made the decision not to travel.

The commitment of Germany for the rights of LSBTIQ+person is not new. Germany has been a member of the Equal Rights Coalition since 2016, which is made up of 42 countries. This coalition is actively committed to strengthening lesbians, gays, bisexuals, trans- and intersex people. In September 2022, Germany and Mexico took over the chair.

international cooperation

At the G7 Presidency 2022, Germany confirmed its commitment to gender equality and the rights of LSBTIQ+person. In the G7 decisions, the challenges that are experiencing trans- and non-binary people were particularly discussed, and closer cooperation with the LSBTIQ+civil society was sought. The G7 Development Minister and Minister of Development emphasized the tightened challenges of the past year, which were reinforced by the Covid 19 pandemic.

The central concern includes combating sexual and gender violence as well as the discrimination against LSBTIQ+person, which is characterized by poverty, social exclusion and persecution. In this context, the UN LGBTI inclusion Index is regarded as a decisive tool for evaluating progress in international development cooperation.

The cancellation of Reker is another step in a complex interplay of political engagement and the challenges that arise from international relationships.

For further information on the efforts of the Federal Government in the area of ​​LSBTI rights, visit BMZ and for the current developments in Cologne Radio Köln .