ILGA World Conference 2022 – first mailing

Dear ILGA member organisation, dear friend,

On behalf of the Executive Board of ILGA World, and the It Gets Better Project (IGBP), it is our pleasure to invite you to attend the 30th ILGA World Conference to be held in Long Beach, LA, California, United States from the 2^nd to the 6^th of May 2022.

ILGA World Conferences are a reference point for the LGBTI rights world, and the event – held under the theme LGBTIQ Youth: Future Present Change – will be held during a difficult time for our planet as we continue to all live under the reality of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Historically at these meetings, we have had between 300 and 700 representatives of civil society organisations from around the world coming together for one week. Public officials, legislators, academics and representatives of international organisations also participate, enriching our analyses and discussions.

The conference will be an important and much-needed moment where we come together as a global family and learn from and support each other in all our global diversity. We will also learn from our local hosts in southern California and their own unique perspectives on bringing about much-needed change when it comes to acceptance and protection of persons of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expressions, and sex characteristics.

Discounted fee for members

We want as many member organisations as possible to attend and are very happy to announce that, for the first time ever, representatives of ILGA member organisations get a discounted conference fee. We therefore encourage you to register now!

Covid-19

Obviously Covid-19 has had a significant impact on the preparations for this conference. The health, safety, and well-being of the public and visitors is our highest priority. We have been following a contingency plan over the last few months, including making decisions on whether the conference would go ahead or be cancelled or postponed. A decision was made by the ILGA World board in October 2021 confirming it would go-ahead in Long Beach in May 2022. We know that some people will not be able to make it to the conference and there will be arrangements for some digital participation in the conference.

If you will physically participate at the conference, we will ask you to follow some simple rules including being vaccinated, getting tested, and wearing a mask. We will also be capping conference participation at 600 persons. For more on our Covid-19 safety policy see here: https://worldconference.ilga.org/covid-19

The ILGA World General Meeting

During this Conference we will have the most important decision-making body of ILGA World. The General Meeting will be the time for you -our member organisations- to raise your voice in relation to ILGA World´s finances, governance, membership and fees, and also elect 7 persons on the ILGA World Executive Board. Over three days, this “General Meeting” starts on Wednesday 4^th May in a plenary session, then breaks into its General Workshops where proposals and amendments are discussed in detail, and then meets again in a final plenary to adopt proposals and resolutions. This process is set-out in a video here: How does an ILGA conference work?

This mailing provides you, as a member organisation, with the information you need to take part in the governance of ILGA World: our Queer Democracy in Action!

Caucuses and Pre-Conferences

The World Conference starts with Caucuses and Pre-Conferences on Monday 2^nd May and Tuesday 3^rd May.

Caucuses

Caucuses are defined in the ILGA World Standing Orders as spaces where a collective body meets together to discuss any subject of mutual interest. ILGA World ensures there are caucuses for the 6 regions and 5 population groups that form part of its governance structure. This is so that member organisations from that population group or region may meet to discuss ILGA World governance issues of specific relevance to them, e.g., Youth member organisations may meet in a caucus to discuss candidates running for the position of Chair of the Youth committee. A caucus may make a recommendation to a General Workshop.

Member organisations only belong to one region, but persons representing member organisations may belong to more than one population group and therefore the agenda has been designed to minimize clashes between caucuses so that people may visit the different caucuses that are relevant for them.

Here is a preliminary timetable of the 11 Caucuses:

Pre-Conferences

A pre-conference is a place which explores a topic relevant to our communities in greater depth. The ILGA World Board decides which pre-conferences are to be held. For the 2022 ILGA World Conference, the ILGA World Board has invited organisations to propose and organise some thematic pre-conferences.

These are the pre-conferences that are currently confirmed:

Organised by ILGA-World:

1. Bisexual+ pre-conference
2. Intersex pre-conference
3. Trans pre-conference
4. Women pre-conference
5. Youth pre-conference
6. Media pre-conference
7. UN advocacy pre-conference

Organised by (or co-organised) with other organisations

8. Sex work
9. Inter-faith pre-conference
10. Francophone pre-conference
11. Diverse sexuality and gender through an Indigenous lens
12. Community-based participatory research to advance equity for LGBTQ youth (Research pre-conference)
13. Lesbian pre-conference
14. Leaving No One Behind – Disabled LGBTIQA+ changemakers
15. Stronger together: cities, councils & queer youth – the impact of the local level for LGBTI youth equality
16. Trade unions and access to labour market
17. Education pre-conference

Scholarships

ILGA offers scholarships for activists who would otherwise be unable for financial reasons to participate in the Conference. This process started in 2020 and closed in 2021. We are thrilled to announce that we are granting over 100 scholarships for the Conference in LA Long Beach. These scholars – chosen through a competitive process led by the ILGA World Board – represent the range and diversity of our world as well as bringing expertise and experience of activism to various sessions at the conference. We have been working hard to make sure that these scholars can attend the conference in Long Beach in spite of challenges outside of our control such as the Covid-19 pandemic and getting a visa to the United States. We encourage those who didn’t receive a scholarship to seek funding in advance within their own organisation or from other available sources.

First mailing

On behalf of the ILGA World Executive Board, and as required by our Standing Orders, we are hereby sending you the first of three conference mailings, which includes:

• A call to submit proposals (resolutions and/or amendments to the Constitution and the Standing Orders). Please read the Guidance Note and use the Amendments Form.
• A call for nomination of candidates to serve on the ILGA World Board, namely for the following 7 positions:
  • two positions of co-Secretary General
  • the position of Chair of the Bisexual Steering Committee
  • the position of Chair of the Intersex Steering Committee
  • the position of Chair of the Trans Steering Committee
  • the position of Chair of the Women’s Steering Committee
  • the position of Chair of the Youth Steering Committee

Alternates for each of these 7 positions will also be elected.

Please read the Guidance Note and use the Nomination Form and Candidate Form.

• A call for nominations of city and host organisation(s) to host the 2024 ILGA World Conference.

Please note that only the following entities may make nominations or submit proposals (and subsequently amendments to proposals):

• full ILGA member organisations;
• the ILGA World Executive Board;
• ILGA Regional Executive Boards; or
• the ILGA World Steering Committees.

Please also note that all persons running to serve on the ILGA World Board (or as an Alternate to that position) must be from full member organisations of ILGA. A list of full ILGA member organisations can be found here: https://ilga.org/member-organisations. Some member organisations are, for safety reasons, listed as anonymous. If you require clarity whether your organisation is a full member, please contact [email protected].

You will find all the required documents and all documents relevant to the General Meeting on ILGA World’s conference website.

• The deadline for full member organisations to present proposals and nominations – as set out in the Standing Orders – is Monday 7 February 2022. Proposals and nominations must be sent to [email protected].
• The ILGA World office will send the received proposals, together with the preliminary General Meeting agenda, to all members with the second mailing 10 weeks before the conference: Monday 21 February 2022.
• ILGA member organisations will then have 4 weeks to react to these proposals and to propose amendments to them. These amendments must be sent 6 weeks before the conference, that is, by Monday21 March 2022. Bids to host the 31^st ILGA World Conference must also be submitted by this date.
• The final General Meeting agenda will be sent by the ILGA office with the third mailing 3 weeks before the conference, i. e. by Monday 11 April 2022.
• Please keep checking the conference page on our website for updated information:  https://worldconference.ilga.org/for-our-members

Membership fees

As passed by resolution at the last ILGA World Conference in March 2019, the Executive Board has worked to prepare a proposed new sliding scale for annual membership fees paid by members in all six ILGA regions. This new membership fee structure will be based on each organisation’s size, capacity, and annual budget. This proposed new scale will be shared with the membership in the second mailing to be adopted at the World Conference. Until it is adopted, the current membership fees remain.

Other important deadlines

Scholarship applications: Ended
Workshop proposals: Ended
Pre-conference proposals: Ended
Registration for paying participants: 21 March 2022
Late registration for paying participants: 18 April 2022

Important:

• For those who need a visa, apply for your visa immediately. There are potentially long delays to get a US visa.
• For Covid-19 safety, conference participation will be limited to 600 persons. Places are given on a first-come first-served basis. Register early to avoid disappointment.

For all registrations:  https://worldconference.ilga.org/register-now

The final Conference and Workshops Programmes will be available on 11 April 2022.

REGISTER TODAY!

We are looking forward to welcoming you all in Long Beach! Please make sure you register before the deadlines!

Your participation – as an individual or as a delegation – is valuable and will contribute to the success of the Conference. If your organisation has a history of participation in ILGA Conferences, please consider bringing or paying for activists who otherwise would not be able to take part.

See you in Long Beach!

Luz Elena Aranda and Tuisina Ymania Brown
Co-Secretaries General, ILGA

Julia Ehrt
Executive Director