Report from ILGA World, Vienna 2008

Click here for our main reporting in news-sheet pdf format. However as our delegation had the honour of attending ILGA Europe and World Conferences in November 2008 it was felt that a synopsis report could be appropriate.

The Scottish LGBT Unison delegation was elected through due process, including a hustings with proportionate representation achieved. Post election changes to World Conference location created a situation where it was expedient and financially prudent that the Scottish delegated elected to World Conference were our representatives to ILGA Europe Conference.

The theme of 2008 year's conference was " Think globally, act locally" and reflected the work of ILGA-Europe and its members on advocating for international human rights standards and practices and their implementation at the local level. In such an environment the voice of the trade union movement, rested mainly upon the commitment of UNISON was essential to meeting conference objectives and in assisting steering ILGA Europe.

Outcomes and reports from conference can be found on the link

http://www.ilga-europe.org/Europe/News/News-Reports-from-ILGA-Europe-s-Annual-Conference-Vienna-30-October-2-November

230 delegates from 40 countries contributed to lively discussions in a conference extremely well organised and hosted by HOSI Wien and was the first ever ILGA-Europe’s Annual Conference under the patronage of a state head. The affirmative official receptions recognised the important roles of ILGA Europe.

The next Annual Conference of ILGA-Europe in 2009 will be held in Malta and co-hosted by Malta Gay Rights Movement. 2010 Conference is scheduled for COC based in the Hague, Netherlands.

INTERNATIONAL LESBIAN & GAY ASSOCIATION

Engelbert Theuermann, head of the Human Rights Directorate of the Austrian Federal Ministry of European and International Affairs, opened the conference which benefited for the first time in ILGA’s history from the patronage of a head of state, as Heinz Fischer, Federal President of Austria, with 200 activists coming from 81 countries, the 24th ILGA conference gathered a balanced number of participants from almost all regions of the world. In itself this provided the challenge of for the conference processes which at times struggled with the cultural and political priorities. Conference was also linked with the 30years of ILGA activism.

ILGA had invited the regional boards of ILGA Asia, ILGA LAC (Latin America and the Caribbean), and Pan Africa ILGA, which had been elected by activists during regional conferences over the previous two years in Johannesburg, Lima and Chiang Mai. Conference organizers also made a particular effort to ensure participation of activists from the Caribbean region. This provided the opportunity for these regional groups to hold regional and inter-regional meetings, to discuss and make progress within the global ILGA structure. Therefore representation was achieved in a very dynamic and learning environment.

Conference strongly encouraged the organisation "to promote equality of women, trans and intersex persons within and outside ILGA" and decided to move away from the traditional binary gender representation: all positions to be filled within the organisation will now need to include two representatives, of whom one at least identifies as a woman". This proposal, put forward by the LGBT section of the UK trade union UNISON, enables activists who do not wish, for political or personal reasons, to identify as a man or a woman or identify as both to occupy a position within the association while ensuring the organisation is not ran by men only. A UNISON representative noted "there should be space for non-gender specific self-perceptions in ILGA and in its Constitution, if anywhere in the world".

Socially the delegates were invited to official reception at the Austrian Parliament and Vienna City Town Hall.

Links to ILGA Conference outcomes are located on:

http://www.ilga.org/news_results.asp?LanguageID=1&FileCategory=50&ZoneID=7&FileID=1197

The 25^th ILGA Conference is scheduled for Rio de Janeiro Brazil