Bid presentations for the XX World Congress of the WFD, to be held in 2027 - International Sign

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Bids for the XX World Congress of the WFD - International Sign

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Election of the WFD Board for 2023 - 2027 - International Sign

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Executive Board congratulates Victoria Manning on her election to second term, and Victoria shares her experience and plans

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10th July 2023

Transcript:

Joanne: What are your plans for the next 4 years?

Victoria: I have been on the Board for the past four years and I have learned so much about how WFD works and there is still so much more work to do.

I have worked with a focus on the Deaf world as a whole. But for the next four years, my focus will be on Deaf women and Deaf in the Pacific region.

I will continue to work with Deaf Aotearoa and continue the work we have been trying to doing – I want to really strengthen the work being done and see Australia, NZ and the Pacific working together more. As well as a focus on Deaf Pasifika women as there is a real disparity there. I want to work together with Deaf Aotearoa on this.

Joanne: If we all work together we can achieve things! And now through the voting process there were 13 nominations and you were selected!

Victoria: I feel very privileged to have been elected and I want to use that to benefit the community.

Joanne: Well congratulations – we are really proud of you!

#DeafLeadership #NZSL #DeafAotearoa #WFD World Federation of the Deaf Ry #WomenInLeadership

Clarification on Deaf Aotearoa’s position on the selection of UAE as the host country for the 2027 World Congress of the World Federation of the Deaf

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12th July 2023

Kia ora Aotearoa Deaf community. 

We wanted to update you all and share of of the background of the voting process held yesterday. We had many people reaching out to us, thank you.

Firstly, Deaf Aotearoa voted for Norway.  NZ delegates Joanne and Craig has opportunity in the break to discuss with Zoe and Cha’nel, the youth NZ delegates, and agreed to vote for Norway. We believe their proposal was overall the strongest and that their history and commitment to Deaf people’s rights made them the ideal candidate to host the Congress in 2027.

We respect the General Assembly voting decision process that the WFD members have selected UAE as the host for 2027. We don’t agree with final decision but we respect each country right to make their own decision. However we note that the final votes were 40 to 32, which shows a significant portion of the members were in support of Norway. 

We understand that this has upset many people, particularly women and people from the rainbow community. We share these concerns and will be seeking reassurances from WFD and UAE that women and people from the rainbow community will be welcome and safe at the 2027 congress and will be allowed to fully participate in all activities. We expect that many countries will be asking similar questions of both WFD and UAE. 

We also have similar questions for UAE how they will host WFDYS camp as well, safely and inclusive for all youth participants regardless of their backgrounds. WFDYS board have mentioned they will look into this.

At this time, we do not know if Deaf Aotearoa will attend the General Assembly, Youth General Assembly and Congress in 2027, and we expect that we will make this decision once we have all the information available and our questions answered. This process will likely take over 3 years and so our decision will not be made until time is right.  

Deaf Aotearoa continue to maintain our position to support all human rights and the United Nations Convention of People with Disabilities. We will continue to advocate for better world where any Deaf, regardless of their background can participate in all activities.

We support the women and rainbow communities and we thank you for your support.

Media Statement on the General Assembly Decision on the Host for the WFD XX World Congress 2027 - WFD

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13th July 2023

The World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) convenes a World Congress every four years in conjunction with the WFD General Assembly. The WFD has 137 Ordinary Members and its General Assembly is the organisation’s highest decision-making authority, deciding on its Action Plan, Board membership and the site of the next World Congress.

The WFD Statutes and the WFD World Congress Guidelines define the processes for selecting an Ordinary Member to host the next WFD World Congress. Our Guidelines clearly state that Congresses cover a variety of topics, including LGBTQIA+ topics. Bidders who submit bids are expected to follow our Guidelines. The Guidelines outline the purpose and expectations for bids and the processes for a Site Inspection Team to visit and assess the proposed sites’ capacity to host the World Congress. The Site Inspection team consists of two WFD Board Members and one WFDYS Board Member who together assess each bid.

Earlier this year the Site Inspection team visited two of the bidding countries, Norway and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and held virtual meetings with the third bidding country, Nigeria, due to safety concerns.

The Site Inspection team's findings were shared with the WFD Board. Based on the assessment information, the WFD Board agreed that on sharing the assessment information with Ordinary Members it would include a recommendation that the UAE host the 2027 World Congress.

At the XXI WFD General Assembly in Jeju, South Korea, on 10th July, the three bidding countries were given an opportunity to present their bid to the General Assembly prior to voting. This process revealed some new information regarding the UAE’s bid and raised concerns about Congress presenters speaking about LGBTQIA+ issues and the safety of LGBTQIA+ people. The WFD Board promptly withdrew its recommendation that the UAE host the 2027 World Congress. The General Assembly then voted on the location of the next Congress, as per our Statutes. The General Assembly voted for the UAE to host the 2027 World
Congress.

While recognising the executive authority of the WFD General Assembly, the WFD Board is deeply troubled by this decision causing distress and raising serious questions about inclusiveness, particularly the inclusion of deaf LGBTQIA+ topics.

The WFD wishes to reiterate that its philosophy is one of equality, human rights and respect for all people, regardless of race, nationality, religion, gender, sexual preference, age and all other differences. The WFD supports and promotes in its work the many United Nations conventions on human rights, with focus on deaf people who use sign languages, and their friends and family members. The WFD works with the aim of solidarity and unity to make the world a better place for everyone.

The WFD also recognises that deaf people can be subject to multiple or aggravated forms of discrimination on the basis of race, colour, gender, sexuality, language, religion, political opinion, national, ethnic, indigenous or social origin, age or audist attitudes and actions. Deaf people from marginalized groups can also experience intersectional discrimination based on historical, social and political contexts.

Following the outcome of the General Assembly decision the WFD requested an urgent meeting with the UAE delegation and we are currently in bilateral dialogue to clarify the situation regarding the inclusion of LGBTQIA+ topics and people in the 2027 World Congress. The WFD Board will hold UAE OM accountable for the safety and inclusion of all deaf people in the Congress and WFDYS camp.

The WFD will provide an update as soon as we have more information.

Media statement on the host for the WFD XX World Congress

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18th July 2023

WFD Board sees there is much discussion about the selection of the host for the 2027 Congress. As we previously stated, before the XXI General Assembly, the WFD received assurances from all three bid OMs that all delegates were welcome in their countries and that specifically LGBTQIA+ delegates would be safe in their countries. After the General Assembly we received further confirmation from the UAE that this is indeed the case.

The issue before us now is very specific: whether or not LGBTQIA+ topics can be presented at this Congress. The WFD is adamant that our Congresses are spaces for discussion of all human rights topics. We are in dialogue with the UAE about this.

We see some discussion has veered from this specific issue to expressions of different forms of stigmatization of different groups. It is not ok to minimize LGBTQIA+ issues or stigmatize LGBTQIA+ communities. We stand with LGBTQIA+ deaf people and communities. It is not ok to engage in islamophobic discourse or to engage in negative stereotypes of Arab peoples or Arab cultures. Discussion on this topic can proceed with respect to all countries and all groups within our deaf communities.

The WFD is a global organisation with 137 country members. Anywhere deaf people are, we aim to be there too. This means we work in countries with different cultures and different values, and we work with representative organisations of deaf people in these countries to promote their human rights as deaf people within their countries.

As a global organisation promoting human rights, we face unequal understandings of human rights issues among our member countries. This is our challenge. But it is also our opportunity. To expand deaf communities' understanding of human rights, and to work to ensure the equality of all deaf people everywhere. We will not retreat from this challenge, or from our global mission. We accept this challenge, and the tensions within this work, as a fundamental part of our mission.