Date: Fri, 12 Nov 1999 18:11:48 +0100 From: Tom Hoemig Subject: ILGA XIX Conference ILGA XIX World Conference in Johannesburg:=20 Building Partnerships for Equality 19-25 September 1999 In a successful and its biggest-ever ILGA World Conference, 200 delegates from 40 countries gathered at the plenary session to elect Unison's Kursad Kahramanoglu from the United Kingdom and NCGLE's Phumzile Mtetwa from South Africa as their Secretaries General. The next World Conference will be held July 2000 in Rome.=20 For the first time in its 22 years of existence, an ILGA World Conference was held on the African continent. This is the third time a southern hemisphere country hosts an ILGA Conference, the first one being the 1991 Conference in Mexico, and the second in 1995 in Brazil. The theme of the XIX Conference was "Building Partnerships for Equality", and it was attended by 200 delegates from 40 countries all over the world, an event which confirms that ILGA has become a more truly international organisation of GLBT associations.=20 The Conference Organising Committee included: Gays and Lesbians of Witwatersrand (GLOW), the National Coalition for Gay and Lesbian Equality (NCGLE) from South Africa; Gays and Lesbians from Zimbabwe (GALZ); Lesbians, Gays and Transgendered from Zambia (LEGATRA); Lesbians Gays and Bisexuals from Botswana (LEGABIBO); and the Rainbow Project from Namibia. The Conference progamme included a wide range of activities. A workshop on human rights for the African groups was hosted by ILGA San =46rancisco-based member the International Lesbian and Gay Human Rights Commission, which was attended by 64 delegates from 8 African nations: Botswana, Cameroon, Kenya, Morocco, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Women's pre-conference day gathered 80 participants=20 from all over the world, as did the pre-conference on religion, ideology and homophobia and the nearly 80 sessions in different formats (workshops, caucuses, panels, and plenary sessions) that addressed various issues for different purposes. The cultural programme included such events as the queer tour of Johannesburg, the gala hosted by the City Council, and the storytelling night that took place at the site of the Conference. The Conference was closed with the Tenth Pride Parade, which this year saw a record 20,000 participants and paid a special tribute to the late Simon Tseko Nkoli, a historic ILGA member and anti-apartheid activist who founded the AIDS Township Project in his own country.=20 This Conference has brought representatives from all regions and groups that are often underrepresented. Sixty Africans made the largest regional representation, while 45% of the delegates were women. ILGA organisers set a historic record in providing 31 scholarships to participants from countries such as Cuba, China, Sri Lanka, India, Jamaica and Brazil.=20 The plenary of the XIX ILGA World Conference held in Johannesburg, South Africa on September 19-25, 1999 elected the following delegates as Secretaries General : Phumi Mtetwa - South Africa=20 Kursad Kahramanoglu - United Kingdom=20 The following persons represent their regions on the Executive Board of ILGA Latin America and the Caribbean Jane Pantel - Brasil=20 Luis Gauthier (interim) - Chile=20 North America Claudine Ouellet - Canada Harold Kooden - U.S.A.=20 Africa Annie Leatt - South Africa =20 Ian Swartz - Namibia=20 Europe Jackie Lewis - United Kingdom=20 Pierre No=EBl - Belgium Australia, New Zealand and Asia Pacific Islands Jennifer Wilson - Australia Wayne Roberts - Australia Asia Sherman De Rose - Sri Lanka=20 Women=B4s Secretariat Gloria Careaga - Mexico=20