1. Background

The 1993 conference Language Programs in Development Projects, held in Bangkok, Thailand, began what was to become a series of biannual conferences exploring the themes of Language and Development. Conferences have been subsequently held in Bali, Indonesia (1995), Langkawi, Malaysia (1997), Hanoi, Vietnam (1999), Phnom Penh, Cambodia (2001), Tashkent, Uzbekistan (2003) and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (2005).

During a meeting at the 2001 Phnom Penh conference, it was thought necessary to make more formal and transparent the decisions about selection criteria for conference venues and organizers, and to ensure the continuation of the spirit and principles of the conference series. It was suggested that there be a group of conference “trustees” made up of people who had played significant roles in organizing conferences in the series.

After the Phnom Penh conference, the trustees drafted an earlier version of this document to reflect precedents in the planning of the conference series. It has been revised at the 2003 Language and Development Conference in Tashkent.

2. Principles of the Conference Series

Over the years, a set of principles have emerged to guide conference planning and organization. These are:

Whenever and wherever possible, the conference should be held in a developing country.

Conference themes and focus areas should encompass a broad understanding of Language and Development issues, both internationally and in the host country.

The conference should provide a forum for discussing change and contribute to the professional development of people involved.

Participation should be balanced among national and international delegates.

Strategies, including a flexible fee structure and a plan for attracting funding, should allow for maximum participation by delegates who would not otherwise be able to participate.

Previous conference organizers should be involved in the planning of subsequent conferences.

It is the prerogative of the current organizer to invite other co-organizers to be involved as they deem appropriate, and

Current organizers should have access to administrative documents and files, including budget details, mailing lists and results of evaluations, from previous conference hosts.

3. Roles of the Trustees and Expressions of Interest

The primary role of the trustees is to ensure that future conferences are thematically consistent with previous conferences and that the principles of the conference series are maintained and strengthened.

In determining future conference organizers, the trustees will hold an Open Meeting on the second day of each conference, during which organizations may express their interest in hosting the conference. Expressions of interest may also be communicated to any of the trustees in advance of the conference at the e-mail addresses below.

At the Open Meeting during each conference, discussions will take place about the organization of the subsequent and future conferences. Expressions of interest already received will be presented, as will any other proposals by current conference participants. Agreement will be reached among the trustees and those expressing interest concerning how proposals will be followed up after the Open Meeting. All serious proposals will then be considered and a decision about the next conference will be taken and confirmed by the trustees and interested organizations within the following six months. Priority will be given to organizations who previously expressed interest and then submit a proposal at the next Open Meeting.

4. Criteria for Selection and Success

Organizations expressing an interest in hosting future conferences would need to establish that:

National laws, including immigration requirements, would enable an international conference to be held and that it would have host country support.

The conference promotes the host country and organizations, and the conference series.

There is a transfer of capacities and skills among the conference organizers.

Any financial loss likely to be incurred by the conference can be willingly sustained by the organizers.

The venue would attract no less than 200 full-fee-paying delegates, reflecting an increasingly broad geographical spread and appropriate representation of host country participants.

At least one of the trustees would be involved in conference program planning and paper selection.

A high-quality, academically-reputable, post-conference publication would be made available to conference participants and distributed widely. It should be published in print form with an ISBN number; a supplementary web-based version could also be published.

5. Trustees

The current group of trustees are listed here, along with the conference years in which they were co-organizers. They are:

Geoffrey Crewes (1995, 1997)

Tony Crooks (1995, 1997)

Netsanet Demewoz (2005)

Jamilya Gulyamova (2003)

Psyche Kennett (1999)

Paul Mahony (2001)

Simon Mills (2005)

William Savage (1993, 1995)

Martin Seviour (2003)

Jonathan Shaw (1993, 1999)

Future conference organizers will be invited to be trustees. The trustees may also suggest other people to be involved in planning the conference series. These could be individuals who have an interest in the field or who have contributed to previous conferences.