Q&A Stage 1 Riyadh

Questions to LoI of the Riyadh Team:

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?

Ivansanchez (talk) 01:54, 26 February 2024 (PST)

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

Diversity and Inclusion

We kindly ask for a statement about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in your country.

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?

LOC answer: 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.

How safe is for a woman to travel alone in your country?

LOC answer: 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.

Is your venue accessible for wheelchairs and other disabilities?

LOC answer: The venue will have sufficient capabilities to support persons with disabilities.

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.

Marco Bernasocchi (on behalf of the OSGeo board) 20:17, 27 February 2024 (CET)

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.

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?

Luca Delucchi, 29 February 2024 (CET)

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.