COC Nederland Receives UN‑Backed International Pride Award at WorldPride Amsterdam

COC Nederland, the world’s oldest LGBTQI+ rights organisation, was presented with the International Pride Award at the WorldPride Human Rights Conference in Amsterdam. The award, a joint initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and ILGA World, was handed to director Marie Ricardo at a ceremony in the Beurs van Berlage. It recognised the group’s 80‑year history and its support for LGBTQI+ people in countries where homosexuality is criminalised, including coaching, advocacy and financial assistance.

Other awardees included South African deputy minister Mmapaseka Steve Letsike and Ugandan transgender pastor Aggie Dennett Harmon. Dutch development minister Sjoerdsma also announced renewed funding for COC’s work over the next five years.