Welcome

During our latest World Conference, the ILGA World membership voted for the bid brought forward by Iranti and Gender DynamiX, choosing to host the 2024 World Conference in Cape Town, South Africa.

In February 2023, ILGA World’s senior management staff and some Board members travelled to Cape Town to visit potential conference venues. ILGA World, Iranti and Gender DynamiX determined the Century City Conference Centre to be the most fitting space for our membership to convene.

The choice was made based on the venue’s readiness to host an LGBTI conference, its proximity to a diverse range of accommodations for scholars and attendees, its welcoming space for our communities, the possibility of combining halls and rooms in diverse spaces, and the cost of the venue. The Century City Conference Centre is also designed for maximum accessibility, and its managers have shared with us a commitment to making reasonable accommodation adjustments. In addition, the venue has a keen eye for sustainability – including water management, recycling and waste management, and various energy-saving initiatives.

Century City Conference Centre was developed and is owned by the Rabie Property Group, a property development group active across South Africa. Gary Koetser currently serves as the Century City Conference Centre and Hotels CEO, while the Rabie Property Group has co-founder Leon Cohen as its CEO.

In activist spaces, and increasingly due to the developments since October 2023 with the attacks against Israel and its military response against Gaza, allegations regarding the Group leadership have led to questions regarding whether ILGA World considered the venue an appropriate space to hold a human rights conference.

When selecting the conference venue, ILGA World conducted its due diligence to the best of its capacity. To date, we have not come across any evidence of the group’s investments in companies active in illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, nor of commercial ties with Israel.

Century City Conference Centre has provided a statement confirming the absence of any such abovementioned ties.

ILGA World does not plan to seek a different conference venue, due to both the lack of concerning evidence and the consequences that such a decision would have for the organisation. ILGA World, however, reserves the right to consult with the local hosts of the conference if any further concerns should arise.

Questions were also raised about how the ILGA World Conference is planning to support grassroots activists and local-led businesses owned by people of colour, in a city still shaped by race, ethnic, and class divides.

ILGA World is actively working – also in cooperation with local host organisations Iranti and Gender DynamiX – to ensure human rights defenders across Africa are supported with scholarships to attend the World Conference. We are also currently building systems to facilitate the participation of activists from countries where French is an official or co-official language.

ILGA World will hire a professional conference organiser to provide support with numerous logistical and organisational tasks ahead of, and during, the conference. To do so, they will hire and work with consultants who will help ILGA World deliver its conference. Whenever possible, we will give preference to contractors and service providers who are part of the LGBTI community and/or hold diverse identities from marginalised communities and vulnerable situations, and to organisations that make space for the same positionalities within their management, staff and suppliers.

Century City promotes itself as an area that prioritises safety and security. It has a 24/7 security operations centre and deploys technology – including cameras over different sites in the precinct – to maintain the safety and security of residents and guests. Follow this link to read an overview of Century City’s security solutions.

ILGA World and local host organisations are aware of how surveillance and policing strategies are actively used against our communities and LGBTI human rights defenders across the world. Therefore, before the conference begins, we are committed to providing sensitisation training on LGBTI issues to the Century City Conference Centre and Century City staff and external contractors – be they working for/with their Safety & Security team or others – as well as with private security and law enforcement. Century City has also provided documentation on their data sharing and retention policy: please consult it here and here.

Further recommendations on security for all conference participants will be added to the “Practical information” upcoming section of the ILGA World Conference website.

We appreciate your willingness to bring any concerns or evidence that may arise to our attention. To that extent, please contact us at 2024 (a) worldconference (dot) ilga (dot) org.