Previous IBBY Congresses

• 2008: Copenhagen, Denmark, 7-10 September Theme: Stories in History-History in Stories
• 2004: Macau, China, 20-24 September. Theme: Children's Literature and Social Development
• 2004: Cape Town, South Africa, 5-9 September Theme: Books for Africa
• 2002: Basel, Switzerland, 29 September-3 October Theme: Children and Books - a Worldwide Challenge. 50 Years of IBBY
• 2000: Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, 18-22 September Theme: The New World for a New World. Children's Books for the New Millennium
• 1998: New Delhi, India, 20-24 September Theme: Peace through Children's Books
• 1996: Groningen, Netherlands, 12-16 August Theme: Telling the Tale
• 1994: Seville, Spain, 11-15 October Theme: Children's Books, a Place of Freedom
• 1992: Berlin, Germany, 7-12 September Theme: The World of Children in Children's Books – Children's Books in the World of Children
• 1990: Williamsburg, USA, 2-7 September Theme: Literacy through Literature: Children's Books Make a Difference
• 1988: Oslo, Norway, 26-30 September Theme: Children's Books in the New Media
• 1986: Tokyo, Japan, 18-23 August Theme: Why do you write for children? Children, why do you read?
• 1984: Nicosia, Cyprus, 9-14 October Theme: Children's Book Production and Distribution in Developing Countries
• 1982: Cambridge, UK, 6-10 September Theme: Story in the Child's Changing World
• 1980: Prague, Czecho-Slovakia, 28 September - 3 October Theme: Books and the Young Child
• 1978: Würzburg, Germany, 23-28 October Theme: Modern Realistic Stories for Children and Young People
• 1976: Athens, Greece, 28 September - 2 October Theme: How Can Children's Literature Meet the Needs of Modern Children: Fairy Tales and Poetry Today
• 1974: Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, 21-25 October Theme: The Book as an Instrument for Education and for the Human Development of Children and Young People
• 1972: Nice, France, 19-21 May Theme: The Role of Reading in the Development of Children and Adolescents in our Changing Societies
• 1970: Bologna, Italy, 3-5 April Theme: Young People in a Changing World
• 1968: Amriswil, Switzerland, 25-29 October Theme: Mass Media and Youth
• 1966: Ljubljana, Yugoslavia, 28 September-1 October Theme: The Birth of Children's Book
• 1964: Madrid, Spain, 14-18 October Theme: Literature for Children Since the Second World War
• 1963: Vienna, Austria, October Theme: Children's Literature and International Understanding
• 1962: Hamburg, Germany, September Theme: Children's Literature and the Developing Countries
• 1960: Luxemburg, September Theme: Children's Books and the School - with Special Consideration of European Humanitarian Thinking
• 1958: Florence, Italy, May Theme: Juventile Literature and Public Opinion
• 1956: Stockholm, Sweden, 13-15 September (Theme was not specified)
• 1955: Vienna, Austria, September Theme: Books and Illustrations
• 1953: The Foundation Congress of IBBY, Zurich, Switzerland, 1-4 October Theme: Contemporary Problems and Children's Literature
• 1951-1952: Preliminary meetings took place 16-18 November 1951 in Munich and 3-4 October 1952 in Zurich Theme: International Understanding through Children's Books