We are very happy to welcome you to the website of the 39th IBBY International Congress that will take place in Trieste, Italy in 2024.
Being asked to host this prestigious event is an exciting task but one that carries great responsibility vis-à-vis IBBY and our international community, one that our Italian Executive Board willingly accepts.
We’ve got off to a great start with the full backing of major institutional partners like the Centro per il libro e la lettura, (the Centre for Books and Reading of the Italian Ministry of Culture), the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region and Trieste Municipality. Fully aligned with IBBY’s mission and the specific aims of the Congress, these public players generously offered their support from the outset. We are therefore confident that the scene is set for a successfully organized meeting whose landmark results will see our work take a quantum leap, starting in the host city and region.
The choice of Trieste is emblematic. The city has been witness to all the horror and tragedy that Jella Lepman wanted to spare future generations when she founded IBBY. At the same time though, as a frontier city, Trieste has also witnessed the benefits that dialogue and mutual understanding can bring, as we in IBBY well know. The capital of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, Trieste is home to prestigious international institutions and children’s publishing houses. Indeed, it heads one of the most proactive regions in Italy, promoting books for children and young adults as well as reading campaigns supported by its multicultural community and partnered by its extended library network. However, Trieste is also facing huge challenges on account of the current international situation.
So, the choice back in 2021 of Trieste as the host city now seems prophetic. As does the theme of the congress: “Join the revolution! Giving every child good books”. It will be a great opportunity for us all to gain new knowledge, grow professionally, share projects and good practices, strengthen ties, build new ones, and reinforce our efforts to fulfil our mission of ensuring all children have the right to good books and reading.
The pre-congress IBBY Forum on 29th August will see the National Sections kick off this process as they look at how to further coordinate their work and action.
Join the 39th IBBY International Congress! Over and above the work sessions, our Congresses are always happy occasions as we renew old friendships, make new acquaintances, and discover the history and culture of the host city and its region.
We look forward to meeting you all in Trieste!
The Congress Organizing Committee