24th World Conf report.doc
Version date: Oct. 10, 2005
Page 26 / 52
ISGF 24
th
World Conference 2005
Conference Report
move forward significantly. Let us remember that there is no road ahead, we
create it by walking.
2. Intensification and deepening of our relationships with WAGGS and WOSM.
Huge
efforts were made to meet at all levels the WAGGS and WOSM members. They will
have to be expanded around a core issue : which ISGF for which WAGGS and WOSM ?
3. Developing our involvement within UNESCO. For your information, we will have to
implement the agreement achieved with the UNHCR. It is a matter of credibility for an
international organization involved in ongoing education.
4. A key concern : expanding our membership. I would like to remind you that you will have
to vote on the proposal drafted by your Committee regarding the new membership fee
system which will allow organizations increasing their membership to benefit financially
from their expansion from next year onwards.
Support to national Fellowships should be strengthened through the regional structures
we set up. Let us call that approach a community-based strategy.
A special effort was made in Africa to support the launching and the development of new
Fellowships. This issue does require some follow-up. As to communication, thanks to a
donation from the Canadian Fellowship, we now have a modern tool which use has to be
promoted.
We now have it and this choice was made on the basis of our
intercommunication needs. It is up to you to make it live and develop. An excellent
contract was signed with `Strada Aperte' for the marketing of the ISGF items.
Finally, the World Gazette was taken over and is fully operational.
5. Another key concern : the achievements of the World Bureau. In Vancouver, we paid a
tribute to the memory of Na,,c Pirard taken away from us by a very cruel disease. To
stand in for her at a moment's notice, the Committee chose Faouzia Kchouk, who had no
personal roots with Scouting and Guiding, and had to learn and digest everything without
any delay. `Take care of her, she is a nice person' said publicly Niels Rosenbom, the
outgoing President before concluding our Conference in Canada. The Committee was
delighted to see that many people had not forgotten this call and had genuine friendly
relations with our Secretary General now based in Brussels. In spite of the unavoidable
chaos, the World Bureau improved. Once again, I would like to refer you back to our
written report and remind you that move of ISGF to the Porte de Hal was an outstanding
opportunity in terms of improved management and increased visibility.
6. Visibility. Another objective of which your Committee was aware in full harmony with the
World Bureau. Through all of our products (reports, printed material, documents), we
positioned our brand image. We know it, it is up to us to make it known to other people.
7. And then ... then there is the Lillehammer Conference : St Georges Gilderne I Norge, in
cooperation with the Committee, is hosting us in Lillehammer. It is a joint achievement of
Norway, the Committee and the Bureau, but we have to emphasize the enthusiasm, the
dynamism, the professionalism and the cheerful rigour of our Norwegian friends. A world
conference is an achievement as well as a starting point for an Organization. Together
we worked to the success of each of us.
We then mentioned in parallel some shadow areas.
We should refer first of all to the our limited and narrow budget. In terms of expenditure,
we have to count every penny although we have so many ambitions... and so many
frustrations. The choice is quite simple : when there is no resource, there is simply no
priority. We have not found new resources. We could have worked better together. We
had to make our voice, your voice, heard on the occasion of the very painful events which
took place at the beginning of this century : the war in Iraq, the tsunami in Asia.
Hesitations and lack of cohesion reduced us to silence which was deemed to be careful
by some people, but mediocre by others.
Anyway, the respect of the past remained. We should welcome the publication initiated
by Ferry Partsch from Austria on the 1001 BA of our 50
th
anniversary as well as the
commemorative book 1953-2003; some Italian issues are already available here. The
French and English issues will be ready in a few months.
