ILGA World Conference postponed to 2022

Some important news to share with you all: after careful consideration, the ILGA World Board has decided to postpone the next ILGA World Conference to Spring 2022 in California. The event – to be hosted by the It Gets Better Project in Los Angeles, CA, United States – was originally planned for November 2021.

This was a difficult decision for our Board, but it was made necessary because of the unprecedented situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

To ensure the highest level of participation at the conference, a long lead-in period is needed and ILGA World would have needed to issue the call for scholarships and workshop applications in June 2020 to allow time for visa applications, all the while securing funds to make the event possible. ILGA World has decided that this is simply not the right time to be embarking on this process with so much uncertainty.  ILGA World is a global family and our family needs each other’s support right now.

Over the past three months, we know many of you have been facing deep challenges. Many in our communities are amongst the most vulnerable during this pandemic.
Each of our member organisations is focused on adjusting their strategies to the new realities of uncertainty and complexity that come with COVID-19. This will continue for months and possibly years to come.

Organising a truly global and inclusive conference takes time, commitment and resources. And the whole ILGA World staff and Board are continuing to work with It Gets Better towards a thoughtful, inclusive and world-changing 31^st ILGA World Conference.

ILGA World is grateful to our conference hosts It Gets Better for their ongoing support as we continue to work together to find viable solutions in the organisation of this event.

We will announce the logo and the theme of the event in the second half of 2020, and open a call for scholarship applications and session proposals by the end of the year. The official dates will be communicated through our website and social media pages.

Meanwhile, we have new ways for our global family to come together – starting from our series of roundtables and advocacy webinars, to a collection of remote working and well-being resources and positive messages to raise the spirits of our LGBTI communities in this tough time.

We will conduct research to investigate how this pandemic is impacting our communities in the long run, and we will continue to support our member organisations as they keep conducting their advocacy work.

We are still here. And we remind all of you – and us – that we are in this together, and that we need to keep looking out for each other and our communities. We will continue to support you as always, and we can’t wait until we’ll be able to come together again.

In solidarity,

Luz Elena Aranda and Tuisina Ymania Brown
Co-Secretaries General

André du Plessis
Executive Director