[OSGeo-Conf] Fwd: Letter of Intent for hosting FOSS4G 2025 in Saudi Arabia
Vasile Craciunescu
vasile at geo-spatial.org
Mon Mar 4 06:35:06 PST 2024
FYI
-------- Forwarded Message --------
Subject: Re: [OSGeo-Conf] Letter of Intent for hosting FOSS4G 2025 in Saudi Arabia
Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2024 13:12:25 +0000
From: AlGhamdi, Asim Ibrahim <a.alghamdi at geosa.gov.sa>
To: Vasile Craciunescu <vasile at geo-spatial.org>
CC: isimonis at ogc.org <isimonis at ogc.org>, alhamlan at gravitygis.com <alhamlan at gravitygis.com>
Dear Vasile,
We are still facing the same issue being unable to login to the list to answer the questions directly there. We had the same issue at the time when we wanted to send our bid to the official mailing list. We get the following error message:
[cid:6d635643-2a98-41c5-bbe0-79b286185858]
As a workaround to the above problem, we will be copying the questions and in this email and answering them here. Please see below for the Q&A.
Question (Ivansanchez): Air quality in the venue
Related to COVID safety: What are the air quality facilities in the venue?
Specifically:
- Are there CO2 monitors?
- What kind of air purifying is in the indoor areas of the venue? Filtering, UV?
LOC Answer:
* Related to COVID safety: The LOC has sufficient financial resources to implement all protocols that will be mandated by the regulatory authorities in case of such an emergency.
* Regarding the kind of air purifying system for the venue: Both the proposed venues are equipped with state of the art HVAC systems that provide a healthy and controlled environment (air quality, temperature, humidity, etc). Both the venues are professionally managed and have successfully hosted very high profile and large events in Riyadh.
* Regarding C02 monitors: The city of Riyadh is very keen on monitoring CO2 levels in the city (https://aq.riyadhenv.gov.sa<https://aq.riyadhenv.gov.sa/>). All convention centers in the city are regulated to maintain the applicable standards in this regards
Question: Diversity and Inclusion
We kindly ask for a statement about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in your country.
What is the legal status of same-gender relationships and/or marriage in your country? Can our members travel safely with their same sex partner? What about transgender members, are they safe?
How safe is for a woman to travel alone in your country?
Is your venue accessible for wheelchairs and other disabilities?
LOC Answer:
* Regarding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Saudi Arabia, and the safety for a women alone in Saudi Arabia:
The laws of Saudi Arabia mandate all entities to do justice to everyone, regardless of religion, ethnicity, gender, or nationality. If any agencies or their representatives infringes the realization of one of the rights, the violator can get recourse from any of the following entities:
* Judicial authorities
* Relevant government departments
* Governmental and non-governmental human rights institutions
The laws and regulations of Saudi Arabia, adhere to the principle of supplemental equality between men and women, taking into account the characteristics that distinguish one gender from the other. This will eventually result in justice. Saudi Arabia believes that a collaborative relationship between men and women is the best way to promote and protect human rights, including women's rights and the abolition of discrimination against them. It should be noted that the definition of the term “discrimination against women” contained in Article (1) of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is consistent with what is in force in Saudi Arabia, as Saudi Arabia ’s laws do not include any discrimination, exclusion or restriction that result in undermining the recognition of women’s human rights and fundamental freedoms in all fields.
The principle of equality, which is fundamentally the inverse of discrimination, including discrimination against women, is mentioned in Article (8) of the Basic Law of Governance, which states that "Governance in Saudi Arabia shall be based on justice, consultation, and equality," and it is mentioned - implicitly - in Article (26) of the law, which states that "the Country shall protect human rights", and other principles and provisions contained in the Basic Law of Governance, and the kingdom’s regulations emanating from it are in line with relevant international standards, and that these provisions criminalize discrimination and violence against women. It is concerned with the activation of institutions that have been created or supported in their establishment for the purpose of promoting and protecting human rights, including the rights of women, such as the Human Rights Commission, the National Society for Human Rights and other institutions, in addition to the existing government agencies. It should be noted that most areas of human rights have absolute equality between men and women, such as the rights to work, education, health, economic rights and others.
* What is the legal status of same-gender relationships and/or marriage in your country? Can our members travel safely with their same sex partner? What about transgender members, are they safe?
We believe that this is a personal matters that we don’t interfere with in any shape or form, and any member or visitor can travel safely to Saudi Arabia. And any visitors to Saudi Arabia are safe regardless of their beliefs.
* Regarding accessibility of the venue for persons with disabilities:
The venue will have sufficient capabilities to support persons with disabilities.
Question (Marco Bernasocchi): Income generation
In the LOI, you mention that "the LOC is happy to offer that the attendees will not be charged for attendance to the event. Charges could be levied on exhibitors and that will be decided in due course".
More a remark than a question, the gains from FOSS4G are one of OSGeo's main income sources. Please consider this when going further with your proposal.
LOC Answer:
* Regarding the remark of FOSS4G being one of the income sources for OSGeo, we acknowledge this. We can discuss the expected fee that could be charged by OSGeo for organizing this event in Riyadh.
Question (Luca Delucchi): Postpone to the coming year
Are there any possibilities of holding the conference the following year or are there any specific reasons why you would prefer 2025?
LOC Answer:
* The LOC has got the necessary approvals for hosting an international event of the pedigree of the FOSS4G for the year 2025. Therefore, we are keen on hosting the event in 2025.
Looking forward to host FOSS4G 2025 in Saudi Arabia,
Best regards,
Asim
________________________________
From: Vasile Craciunescu <vasile at geo-spatial.org>
Sent: Monday, March 4, 2024 7:45 AM
To: AlGhamdi, Asim Ibrahim
Cc: isimonis at ogc.org; alhamlan at gravitygis.com
Subject: Re: [OSGeo-Conf] Letter of Intent for hosting FOSS4G 2025 in Saudi Arabia
Dear Asim,
Please be aware that Riyadh LOC did not answer yet to the question sent to the conference mailing list and available in the wiki [1]. All LOCs receive the same questions. The voting period for the first stage will start today.
Warm regards,
Vasile
[1] https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Q%26A_Stage_1_Riyadh
On 16.02.2024 11:59, AlGhamdi, Asim Ibrahim wrote:
> Dear All
>
> Please find attached again the letter of intent of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to host the 2025 edition of FOSS4G in Riyadh.
>
> Sincerely,
> Asim AlGhamdi
>
> ________________________________
> From: 신상희(Sanghee Shin) <shshin at gaia3d.com>
> Sent: Friday, February 16, 2024 12:08 PM
> To: Vasile Craciunescu; Alex Leith; conference_dev at lists.osgeo.org
> Cc: AlGhamdi, Asim Ibrahim; isimonis at ogc.org; alhamlan at gravitygis.com
> Subject: RE: [OSGeo-Conf] Letter of Intent for hosting FOSS4G 2025 in Saudi Arabia
>
>
> Hi Vasile,
>
>
>
> I couldn’t open the file. It seems like it’s damaged. I’m not sure it’s the case only to me.
>
>
>
> Kind regards,
>
> 감사합니다.
>
> 신상희
> ---
> Shin, Sanghee
> Gaia3D, Inc. - The GeoSpatial Company
> www.gaia3d.com<http://www.gaia3d.com/>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> 보낸 사람: Vasile Craciunescu via Conference_dev <conference_dev at lists.osgeo.org> 대신 Conference_dev <conference_dev-bounces at lists.osgeo.org>
> 보낸 날짜: Friday, February 16, 2024 3:09:21 PM
> 받는 사람: Alex Leith <alexgleith at gmail.com>; conference_dev at lists.osgeo.org <conference_dev at lists.osgeo.org>
> 참조: AlGhamdi, Asim Ibrahim <a.alghamdi at geosa.gov.sa>; isimonis at ogc.org <isimonis at ogc.org>; alhamlan at gravitygis.com <alhamlan at gravitygis.com>
> 제목: Re: [OSGeo-Conf] Letter of Intent for hosting FOSS4G 2025 in Saudi Arabia
>
> Hi Alex,
>
> Please find the document attached. I think the original message was some how filtered by our mailing service.
>
> Best,
> Vasile
>
> On 15.02.2024 23:44, Alex Leith wrote:
>> Hey Folks
>>
>> Would it be possible to share a copy of the LoI on the list please? I can't see the attachments from the original email.
>>
>> Cheers,
>>
>> On Fri, 16 Feb 2024 at 07:10, Vasile Craciunescu via Conference_dev <conference_dev at lists.osgeo.org <mailto:conference_dev at lists.osgeo.org>> wrote:
>>
>> Dear Asim,
>>
>> Thank you for your contribution! This message is to acknowledge that the proposal was received by the Conference Committee. Please stay tuned for the next steps.
>>
>> Warm regards,
>> Vasile
>> OSGeo Conference Committee co-chair
>>
>> On 15.02.2024 17:19, AlGhamdi, Asim Ibrahim wrote:
>> > Dear Vasile Craciunescu
>> >
>> >
>> > Please find in the attached PDF document, the letter of intent of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to host the 2025 edition of FOSS4G in Riyadh. We look forward to receiving your favorable response for the same.
>> >
>> >
>> > Sincerely,
>> >
>> > Asim AlGhamdi
>> >
>> >
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Conference_dev mailing list
>> Conference_dev at lists.osgeo.org <mailto:Conference_dev at lists.osgeo.org>
>> https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/conference_dev <https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/conference_dev>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> *Alex Leith*
>> m: +61 419 189 050
>> https://auspatious.com <https://auspatious.com>
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