IBBY-congres 2018 in Turkije afgeblazen

Het is echter triest dat men ook bekend moest maken dat het IBBY-congres dat gepland stond voor 1-4 september 2018 geen doorgang kan vinden vanwege de politieke situatie aldaar. Vooral voor al die IBBY-vrienden in Turkije die al jaren keihard aan het werk waren voor dit congres een grote teleurstelling. Of zoals IBBY-president Wally de Doncker het zei: Our world is in turmoil. At the start of the 2017 Bologna Children’s Books Fair press conference I talked about promoting international understanding and the current tendency of building walls in order to separate nations from one another.  We are now confronted by a situation that affects IBBY directly.  Our colleagues in Turkey are dealing with a situation in their country that is beyond their control. However, IBBY needs to react to world events, we are not immune. So, with a really heavy heart as IBBY president I have to announce that the 2018 IBBY Congress that was scheduled to happen in Istanbul next September has been cancelled. I want to sincerely thank our IBBY members in Turkey for their dedication, perseverance and good will. They have been preparing for this event for the last 4 years.

De persconferentie is hier bekijken.