CAPAL Statement on the IFLA selection of Dubai for the 2024 World Library and Information Congress (WLIC)

July 4, 2023

The Canadian Association of Professional Academic Librarians (CAPAL) joins with international library associations in condemning IFLA’s selection of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, as the site of the 2024 WLIC. This choice flies in the face of IFLA’s stated Core Values, specifically, “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.”

As members of IFLA, CAPAL has joined with the goal of helping to increase participation of member countries from all regions. While we applaud the involvement of the Middle East and North Africa Regional Division in choosing the next WLIC site, the choice of Dubai is reprehensible due to Dubai’s treatment of LGBTQ+ peoples, their restrictions on speech that will apply to our colleagues who attend WLIC, and the reasonable fear of LGBTQ+ persons that in attending WLIC in Dubai their personal safety is at risk. The lack of consultation by IFLA with its own LGBTQ+ Users Special Interest Group (SIG) is baffling and their response to the announcement outlines their concerns.

“Are you expecting us to hide who we are to be able to attend and to not meet to discuss the issues of our SIG? Are you asking us to risk prison to be able to go? . . . To be a truly all-inclusive organization, IFLA must consider who is being included and who is not. If there had been a real consultative process in advance of the final decision, we would have shared these ideas with the Board sooner.”

As a member association CAPAL is asking IFLA leadership to find another site within the Middle East and North Africa Regional Division to host the 2024 WLIC. We further request that IFLA reevaluate their site selection process to select countries that better align with IFLA values and to ensure the participation and safety of all members, as this is not the first time a country with opposing values has been selected to host WILC. If we do not see progress in these areas, CAPAL will be reevaluating our continued membership within IFLA.

(Via Canadian Association of Professional Academic Librarians)