The Association of Library and Information Professionals in Germany (Berufsverband Information Bibliothek) strongly condemns the decision of the Governing Board of IFLA to hold WLIC 2024 in Dubai. The association will not be officially represented there and we do not support any travels by our members.
We strongly welcome the deliberate choice of regions and venues for the World Congress where no WLIC has been held before. However, when choosing locations, it is equally important to do so on the basis of IFLA's Core Value 4 ("the commitment to promote and value diversity and inclusion, notably as regards age, citizenship, disability, ethnicity, gender-identity, geographical location, language, political philosophy, race, religious beliefs, sex, sexual orientation or socioeconomic status, and actively pursue relevant policies and practices").
Dubai is not a democratic and free country, and in particular the respect of basic human rights, be it in relation to women or to members of the LGBTQ+ community, is not guaranteed - the implementation of WLIC 2024 is in incompatible contrast to IFLA's Core Value 4.
BIB shares the concerns and fears of the LGBTQ+ Users Special Interest Group (SIG).
We call on the Governing Board to reconsider and reverse this decision and call on all member associations of IFLA, and especially the associations and partners in Germany, to support our position.
We are committed to a cosmopolitan and diverse society with free access to information and literature.
German Version of the Statement
