“Kwa Umoja We Rise”

21 November 2024 by Guest

Cape Town, South Africa – The global LGBTI community has concluded a landmark event, the ILGA World Conference, held this year in Cape Town, South Africa and hosted by local organisations Iranti and Gender DynamiX. The 31st edition of the conference — the largest in the history of the organisation — brought together over 1,450 delegates from more than 100 countries under the theme “Kwa Umoja We Rise”, referencing a phrase in Swahili that celebrates unity and collective progress.

This historic conference marked the first time in 25 years that the event returned to African soil, symbolising a renewed commitment to inclusion, alliances across movements, and solidarity across the continent and the globe.

For five days, the event brought together hundreds of LGBTI human rights defenders and development experts, policy makers, international human rights mechanisms experts, government representatives, researchers, journalists, funders, and allies— responding in global solidarity to the ongoing anti-rights pushback.

A constellation of many more events happened during and around the ILGA World Conference — including the ceremony of the inaugural International Pride Awards, a joint initiative by UNDP and ILGA World, and a strategic summit for intersectional and inclusive democracies.

The theme for next year’s International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOBIT) was also announced: in 2025, LGBTI communities and allies around the world will rally under the theme “The power of communities”, emphasising collective strength in overcoming challenges and driving change.

The member organisations of ILGA World also elected their new representatives to the Executive Board: Kimberly Frost (United States) and Yuri Guaiana (Italy) are the organisation’s new co-Secretaries General, taking the helm from Luz Elena Aranda (Mexico) and Tuisina Ymania Brown (Samoa).

Member organisations also elected the chairs of ILGA World’s Steering Committees: Hamlet Nkwain (Bisexual Committee), Obioma Chukwuike (Intersex Committee), Alejandra Collette Spinetti Nuñez (Trans Committee), Angelica Polmonari (Women’s Committee), and Gabriel Benjamin Barahona Escobar (Youth Committee).

Julia Ehrt, Executive Director of ILGA World, reflected on the event’s significance:
“In such polarised and contentious times, it has been heartening to witness so many people coming together, strengthening bonds to resist the anti-rights wave, and keep advancing the human rights of LGBTI peoples. This conference has been a testament to the resilience, courage, and determination of our global movement. In Cape Town, we witnessed the strength of our unity, and we are inspired to continue working toward a world where everyone is free to live authentically and without fear.”

Liberty Matthyse and Jade Jacobs-Wort, Executive Director at Gender DynamiX and Knowledge and Research Manager at Iranti respectively, said: “We are proud to have hosted the global LGBTI community in Africa, and to have created spaces for them to witness what activism looks like in our context, our work with grassroots communities, and how we keep pushing forward towards equal rights for all. Let this event be a testament to the true solidarity that can come alive when diverse movements work with each other and forge alliances.”

As the conference drew to a close, ILGA World announced that its next global gathering will take place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, continuing the tradition of fostering collaboration and amplifying the voices of LGBTI communities worldwide.