OII Europe (Organisation Intersex International Europe) is the umbrella organisation of European human rights based and intersex-led organisations. OII Europe works for the protection of intersex persons’ human rights in Europe and Central Asia.
The organisation’s activities include policy and awareness-raising work, community and capacity building and training and education of professionals, allies and the general public on the situation of intersex persons. OII Europe is a framework partner to the European Commission and holds expert status with the SOGI Unit of the Council of Europe. OII Europe also supports national governments in their efforts to better the situation of intersex persons on a national level.
OII Europe was founded as a network on Human Rights Day, 10 December, during the Second Intersex Forum at Stockholm in 2012. In 2015 the organisation OII Europe was founded as a non-profit, registered NGO based in Germany.
What does intersex mean?
Intersex individuals are persons who do not match medical and societal norms of so-called female and male bodies with regard to their chromosomal, gonadal, endocrine or anatomical sex. The latter becomes evident, for example, in secondary sex characteristics such as muscle mass, hair distribution and stature, or primary sex characteristics such as the inner and outer genitalia and/or the chromosomal and hormonal structure.
Simplifying working definition: We are intersex because our innate sex characteristics are either female and male at the same time or not quite female or male or neither female or male.
Although intersex characteristics are congenital, intersex bodies can present themselves as intersex at birth, during childhood, in puberty or in adulthood. A person may realize being intersex at a very early age or later on in life. People with intersex bodies may have an intersex gender identity or they may have any other gender identity.
Learn more about intersex and our work in several languages:
OII Europe Strategic Plan 2019 – 2022
What is the Strategic Plan 2019 – 2022?
The Strategic Plan 2019 – 2022 is OII Europe’s first strategic plan. The document brings together the collective ideas of our members, the Steering Board and of our staff. It articulates OII Europe’s strategic objectives, together with means to achieve them. It helps us ensure that our work is aligned with the clearly defined strategies and is an impact measurement tool for our actions. It will guide us from the extra-ordinary General Assembly in 2019 and up to the General Assembly in 2022.
To find out more what we aim to do, here you can download our Strategic Plan 2019-2022 as a PDF:
