2019 ILS World Conference on Drowning

The 2019 ILS World Conference on Drowning will take place in Durban, South Africa, 8 to 10 October, preceded by the ILS Commission and Board of Directors meetings that will start on 4 October.

Durban or the eThekwini Municipality is KwaZulu-Natal’s largest city. It is South Africa’s second most populous area and has the busiest port. It is the most popular domestic tourism destination due to its warm subtropical climate, attractions and beaches. The municipality, which includes neighbouring towns, has a population of almost 3.5 million making the combined municipality one of the biggest cities on the Indian Ocean coast of the African continent. It is known as South Africa’s surf city, with a significant municipal lifesaving service and many private lifesaving clubs.

Drowning Prevention forms part of the National Development Plan as set out by the South African Government. The Conference will be a culmination of a number of years of collaboration and research into the prevention and treatment of drowning. The event forms part of the strategic objective of Lifesaving South Africa as well as of the Kwa-Zulu Natal Department of Sport and Recreation.

It is expected that the conference will highlight the burden of drowning in Southern Africa and the African continent. Inviting people from non-ILS member countries to the conference we plan to stimulate the interest in drowning prevention and lifesaving in these countries and may spark interest in establishing lifesaving organizations in these countries.