Abstract
International governmental organisations (IGOs) understand discrimination of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals mostly as unequal treatment in spheres such as employment, pensions, housing or insurances. Hate crimes are often not taken on board, though they can be regarded as the most cruel and violent form of discrimination and oppression of minorities. This article explores to what extent IGOs, that is the European Union, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Council of Europe, the Organization of American States and the United Nations have incorporated the issue of hate crime in their policies to fight discrimination against LGBT persons. These organisations vary in their response, but most approaches so far are only partial ones. This is not only a question of a lack of political will. Sound analyses, coherent concepts and methodologies and the collecting of relevant and comparable data are also part of the equation.