A guide outlining the best practices for the rights of transsexual people was launched this afternoon, giving practical examples on how to implement such rights.

Speaking during a press briefing ahead of the high-level ministerial conference being held tomorrow, Richard Kölher, Transgender Europe senior policy officer said that trans rights had advanced “in leaps and bounds” since the first edition was published in 2011, commending Malta for the progress made.

“It is actually very fitting to launch this edition in Malta, whose progress in this area of human rights has become an inspiration for other countries to follow, and a beacon of hope for trans people across the continent,” Mr Kölher said.

Civil Liberties Minister Helena Dalli, who was at the briefing, said that Europe was recognising the good work being carried out by the Maltese authorities, adding that many had already started emulating the country when developing their own systems.

“More people are leading better lives, which is essentially why we're doing what we're doing. Our systems will be used as models by other countries to give better rights to people,” Dr Dalli said.

Malta features strongly in the catalogue, with the Gender Identity, Gender Expression, Sex Characteristics Act being hailed as “best practice” for legal gender recognition.