On November 4, 2023, a Special General Assembly of IBBY was convened. Chaired by Redza Ahmad Redza Khairuddin, President of IBBY Malaysia, the Special General Assembly was attended by 54 sections along with members of the IBBY Executive Committee—with approximately 70 IBBY members and friends joining the YouTube livestream. IBBY Canada was represented by Patti McIntosh, President.
Per the agenda:
“The meeting was called as a result of a formal request by the necessary one fifth of the IBBY membership to address the replacement of Denis Beznosov as Vice President because of his citizenship, an action that has shaken many members in the IBBY community. This decision of the Executive Committee (EC) was intended as a compromise to concerns from several IBBY National Sections regarding Russian participation in IBBY and in IBBY’s leadership positions, in the context of the Russian war against Ukraine. It therefore became urgent to meet collectively as an IBBY community and work towards strengthening the future of our organization.”
The business of the day was two-fold:
Discussion and motion to issue an official statement saying that no IBBY member or National Section should be deemed ineligible to be a member or serve IBBY in any capacity due to the actions of their governments.
Discussion and motion to overhaul the IBBY Statutes:
This will initiate a committee dedicated to the full overhaul of the IBBY Statutes to make them more relevant to the 21st century, and put IBBY’s mission at the centre of its actions and strengthen its institutional structure and capacities, including fundraising.
The committee will work independently, but at the same time ask for advice whenever necessary.
The recommendations of the committee must be presented to the EC at its meeting in Bologna in April 2024. Following legal consultation as needed, members will be sent the proposed Statutes in advance of the official approval vote at the IBBY General Assembly at the 39th World Congress in Trieste, Italy.
Both motions were approved.
IBBY Canada looks forward to continuing to work in a collaborative and consensus-building framework with our colleagues internationally on all initiatives aimed at strengthening IBBY.
Special General Assembly Meeting of IBBY
On November 4, 2023, a Special General Assembly of IBBY was convened. Chaired by Redza Ahmad Redza Khairuddin, President of IBBY Malaysia, the Special General Assembly was attended by 54 sections along with members of the IBBY Executive Committee—with approximately 70 IBBY members and friends joining the YouTube livestream. IBBY Canada was represented by Patti McIntosh, President.
Per the agenda:
“The meeting was called as a result of a formal request by the necessary one fifth of the IBBY membership to address the replacement of Denis Beznosov as Vice President because of his citizenship, an action that has shaken many members in the IBBY community. This decision of the Executive Committee (EC) was intended as a compromise to concerns from several IBBY National Sections regarding Russian participation in IBBY and in IBBY’s leadership positions, in the context of the Russian war against Ukraine. It therefore became urgent to meet collectively as an IBBY community and work towards strengthening the future of our organization.”
The business of the day was two-fold:
Both motions were approved.
IBBY Canada looks forward to continuing to work in a collaborative and consensus-building framework with our colleagues internationally on all initiatives aimed at strengthening IBBY.
Contributed by Patti McIntosh
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