All Members are Welcome to a special Wed. Meeting to Learn and Discuss: 2024 WILPF US Congress – Virtual or In-Person?

You’re invited to a special all-member virtual meeting this Wednesday, October 18, where you, Board members and others can present views on how should we meet in 2024 for our triennial Congress. The meeting will take place at the regular monthly meeting of our virtual Jane Addams Branch:

This Wed., October 18: 5 pm PDT / 6 pm MDT / 7 pm CDT / 8 pm EDT 

Please register in advance; click to register.  

Whether virtual or in-person, we’ll have an excellent 2024 Congress!

The Congress theme, Water on the Frontlines of Peace, is bitterly topical right now, as water has become a weapon of war in Gaza. We hope many WILPF members and others will join us – virtually or in person – at the Congress, from May 30 through June 2.

Save those dates! Already, program planning has gone forward for months. In addition to looking at how water can be both a cause and a weapon of war, we expect to address many other peace and water topics: the Rights of Nature, A Feminist Approach to the World's Water Crisis, Water Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Bank Loan Effects, the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the Military & Water Contamination, the Effects of Climate Collapse on Water, and much more! 

Why is this meeting happening?

We live in uncertain times. While inflation drives up overall costs, many of our members have limited or fixed incomes. Concerns about COVID can continue to restrict members from traveling or feeling at ease eating and meeting together. Many of us are paying attention to the climate effects of flying.

In 2021, we chose to have an entirely virtually Congress. In 2024, many of us were looking forward to an in-person Congress. Yet now we wonder. 

The Board members want to hear from you, our WILPF membership. What kind of Congress do you prefer?

Why not a “hybrid” Congress?

The equipment and technical assistance needed for a truly hybrid event would substantially increase the cost of the Congress, so WILPF US cannot offer a hybrid Congress. However, we also realize many members who will not be able to attend in person will want to see our Congress sessions somehow. 

If we do decide to meet in person, we’ll still offer some limited form of virtual attendance. So the decision the Board must make is this: Will the 2024 Congress be entirely virtual (as in 2021) or in-person with limited virtual options?

Join us on Wednesday to give us your perspective! 

What aspects of a Congress matter to you? For you, is an in-person Congress important? Is it important to WILPF?

Also, what ideas do you have for ways to make a virtual Congress better fulfill some of the special aspects of an in-person event?

We hope to see you, Wed., October 18: 5 pm PDT / 6 pm MDT / 7 pm CDT / 8 pm EDT. Be sure to register in advance.

On behalf of the entire Board,

Darien De Lu, WILPF US President

President@WILPFUS.org