Q. What is being proposed through Proposed Motion 4 and why?
A. Proposed Motion 4 proposes a strategic change to when Regional Committees are elected.
Proposed Motion 4a allows more than one Regional Conference per triennium. This means the Regional Gatherings at World Conference could be formally recognised as Regional Conferences, while still keeping the Mid‑Triennium Regional Conferences.
Proposed Motion 4b moves Regional Committee elections from the Mid‑Triennium Regional Conferences to the Regional Conferences held at World Conference.
Together, these changes would lead to four key benefits for Member Organisations, Regions and the wider Movement:
- Aligned mandates – The World Board and Regional Committees would begin their terms together, strengthening the shared “One Team” approach. It would also mean all Trustees would start their terms together to support collective leadership and reduce the disruption caused by frequent turnover on the World Board changes.
- Stronger induction and onboarding – World Board and Regional Committee members could be inducted together, improving cross‑regional learning and better collaboration.
- More streamlined election processes – One election cycle per triennium would be simpler for everyone .
- More space for regional priorities – Mid‑Triennium Regional Conferences could focus more on what matters most to MOs: shaping regional priorities, sharing learning, building connections and influencing global strategy through meaningful consultation.
We look forward to exploring and discussing the implications of these suggestions further at World Conference.
Q. What is the link between Proposed Motion 4 and WAGGGS’s 12-6-3 planning cycle?
A. WAGGGS’s 12-6-3 planning cycle is not directly affected by this Proposed Motion. Operational planning is already managed via three-year rolling action plans and budgets and there is no intention to change this.
We are now in Year 6 of our current 12-Year cycle, but Regional and Global three-year plans are offset by one year.
Over the next triennium, the World Board has already agreed to move to full alignment of planning cycles across WAGGGS, which requires no Constitutional change. Aligning cycles will significantly improve planning, budgeting and coordination.
While we believe that changing election timings could make cycle alignment even more effective, the shift to fully aligned planning cycles is not dependent on the outcome of Proposed Motions 4a and 4b.
Q. What are the implications of the different voting outcomes on Proposed Motion 4?
A.
If both 4a AND 4b are approved
The Constitution would be updated (Clauses 20.1, 20.2, 14.2, 21.1, 21.5, 21.6).
More than one Regional Conference could be held each triennium, but Regional Committee elections must take place at the Regional Conference during World Conference.
WAGGGS would work with each Region to design Mid‑Triennium Regional Conferences that reflect their context and priorities.
Regional Chairs would start their World Board term at the same time as Elected Trustees. This change would start in 2029. Current Regional Committee members would be asked (but not required) to extend their term to 2029.
If 4a AND 4b are NOT approved
No Constitutional changes would be made. Only one Regional Conference could be held per triennium (the Mid‑Triennium Regional Conference).
WAGGGS would work with each Region to design Mid‑Triennium Regional Conferences that reflect their context and priorities.
Elections for Regional Committees and Regional Chairs would continue to take place at the Mid‑Triennium Regional Conference.
If 4a is approved AND 4b is NOT approved
The Constitution would be updated (Clauses 20.1 and 20.2).
WAGGGS would work with each Region to design Mid‑Triennium Regional Conferences that reflect their context and priorities but still include elections.
More than one Regional Conference could be held per triennium.
If 4a is NOT approved AND 4b is approved
The Constitution would be updated (Clauses 14.2, 21.1, 21.5, 21.6).
Only one Regional Conference could be held per triennium, and it would always take place during World Conference. All Constitutional functions—including Regional Committee and Regional Chair elections—would happen at that event.
Regional Chairs would start their World Board term at the same time as Elected Trustees. This change would start in 2029. CurrentRegional Committee members would be asked (but not required) to extend their term to 2029.
Q. Can you share some of the risks you considered when proposing this change to election timings, and how you propose to mitigate them?
A. As with any change, we recognise there are both benefits and challenges. We believe some of the key can be managed thoughtfully, and we are committed to ongoing evaluation so we can learn, adapt and continue improving our approach over time.
Some of the main risks we identified, and how we plan to address them, are outlined below:
Preparing for several elections at one event could feel demanding, particularly for smaller delegations. To support this, we will ensure that there is more time for delegations to prepare and provide clear guidance and structured virtual opportunities for candidate engagement.
Having multiple elections at one event could make voting feel more complex or time‑consuming. We will mitigate this by carefully planning the schedule and ensuring the process is well resourced. We will also draw on our previous experiences of online and hybrid voting to keep things as smooth and efficient as possible.
There is a possibility that adding Regional Committee elections to the World Conference could affect the duration and/or cost. There are already many factors to consider when planning these governance events however, time is already allocated to Regional Gatherings within the current World Conference programme, so this is not entirely new. We remain committed to keeping any additional impact on cost or duration to a minimum.
We also recognise concerns that Mid‑Triennium Regional Conferences might lose some of their governance focus. We want to reassure Member Organisations that these conferences will remain strategic and relevant to each Region. We see this as an opportunity to strengthen their impact - creating more space to share good practice, have meaningful tow-day discussions and respond to the priorities and needs of each Region. They will still be spaces where Member Organisations can actively contribute to shaping WAGGGS’ future direction, which will be fed into Triennial Action Plans for each Region and the overall WAGGS Strategy which Member Organisations formally vote upon.
Please see attached a series of diagrams that will explain the planning cycle alignement.
Q. As we understand it, Motions 4(a) and 4(b) have been divided and will be voted on separately. Is it correct that Motion 4(a) solely addresses the possibility of holding multiple Regional Conferences within one triennium, without introducing any further changes? If so, could you clarify why Motion 4(a) includes the following provision: “[…] to align the timing of World Board and Regional Committee election and planning cycles”?
A. Yes – it is correct that Proposed Motion 4 has been divided into two vote:
- Proposed Motion 4a is a vote about allowing more than one Regional Conference per triennium. If adopted, it would mean that the Regional Gatherings at World Conference could be formally recognised as Regional Conferences, while still keeping the Mid-Triennium Regional Conferences.
- Proposed Motion 4b is a vote to move the timing of the Regional Committee elections from the Mid-Triennium Regional Conferences to Regional Conferences that would take place during a World Conference.
Although these will be voted on separately, the wording of both 4a and 4b remains the same, as per the original wording of Proposed Motion 4 because the adoption of both Motions 4a and 4b would be required in order to achieve election cycle alignment.
Thank you for the feedback on this point, it is helpful. We have shared this with the WoCo Chairs’ Team and Procedural Team to ask them to ensure that it is made very clear at Conference that the key distinction is the specific Constitutional text that would change if 4a or 4b were adopted.
Q. The amendments to clauses 14.2, 21.1 21.5 and 21.6 are only contained in Motion 4(b). As we understand it, should Motion 4(a) be adopted without Motion 4(b), clause 20.1. would permit multiple Regional Conferences while the aforementioned clauses would still refer to “the triennial meeting of a Regional Conference”. Would this not create an inconsistency within the Constitution?
A. Yes – your understanding is correct. As per previous World Conferences, adopting Proposed Motion 10 will enable us to update the wording of the Constitution and Bye-Laws to ensure the accuracy of all formatting, spelling and grammar. No substantive changes will be made that is are related to Constitutional Motions adopted at the 39th World Conference.
If Proposed Motion 4a is adopted, but Proposed Motion 4b is not adopted, all references to Regional Conference throughout the Constitution and Bye-Laws will be checked for correct grammar so we would be able to update references such as this from singular to plural to provide clarification.
Q. Should Motion 4(a) be adopted, how will decisions be made regarding the number, timing, location, format and organisation of Regional Conferences – and who will be responsible for making them?
A. Decisions on Regional Conferences would be considered and made in largely the same way as other organisational decisions, in line with the WAGGGS Scheme of Delegation.
The World Board is ultimately responsible for the approval of annual budgets and action plans. Regional Committees and the Membership and Regional Support Team, in consultation with Member Organisations and informed by discussions with host MOs (once agreed), would present proposals and plans for Regional Conferences through this existing process.
The locations of Regional Conferences are currently decided by a vote taken by Member Organisations within each Region; it is envisioned that this process would continue.
Q. Concerning Proposed Motion 4(b) “Aligning Regional Committee and World Board election cycles. We believe that holding Regional Conferences at the World Conference would carry significant disadvantages. We are concerned that discussing motions and electing the Regional Committees requires considerable time – meaning either the World Conference would need to be extended (with financial and logistical implications, particularly for a movement that relies on volunteer work) or other agenda items would have to be cut. How do you intend to address this going forward?
A. The election of Regional Committees (and World Board members) is not a lengthy process during the governance event. However, we recognise the significant time investment for Member Organisation in advance of the elections. For some Member Organisations, this includes investing time at the very start of the process in identifying, preparing and supporting potential nominees and if they are chosen as candidates, developing and supporting them during their campaign. All Member Organisations also spend time reading through published material about candidates, attending virtual events or engaging with candidates directly to learn more about them and then discussing and deciding amongst their delegations who to vote for. The majority of this work is completed before the Conference take place.
We believe this workload could be streamlined and made more efficient by running a single process for Regional Committees and World Board members. It would also allow the Nominations Committee more opportunity to advise nominees of the different governance roles available and to support volunteers to apply for the role that best suits their interests and experience.
The World Board are specifically recommending that the election of Regional Chairs takes place at Regional Conferences during World Conferences. There are already many factors to consider when planning governance events however, time is already allocated to Regional Gatherings within the current World Conference programme, so this provision is not entirely new.
Therefore, it would be possible to adjust the overall functions of Regional Conferences in a sensible way across the two Regional Conference events that would take place during each triennia. We remain committed to keeping any additional impact on cost or duration of the World Conference to a minimum.
Q. Ensuring a fair, transparent and democratic process requires thorough preparation from the delegations so they can make informed decisions. This is already a considerable challenge for the World Conference given the volume of documents. How do you therefore intend to support delegations – particularly smaller ones – in preparing for a Regional and a World Conference simultaneously?
A. We recognise about the importance of delegations being well prepared and having sufficient time to plan and consider their positions in order to make informed decisions.
We recognise the potential impact on Member Organisations and have already considered how some of these challenges could be mitigated, for example through :
- Continuing to publish our full Conference calendar and timelines on Campfire, showing when documents will be released, when briefing sessions will occur, and when decisions need to be made to helping delegations plan their workload.
- Continuing to build our Conference hubs on Campfire, with easy to access information, FAQs and briefing backs available all in one place to support delegations understand procedures and what they need to do to prepare well
- Publishing Conference documents in good time, to enable Member Organisations ample time to thoroughly review and consider materials
- Planning the work strategically across both events, to make it more manageable and designing Conference agendas to space out governance items as much as possible, so delegates can engage without feeling overwhelmed.
- Providing structured virtual opportunities for candidate engagement and Motion discussions, including scheduling interactive events and publicising them well in advance.
We also appreciate the peer support that Member Organisations already give to each other – for example, we know that some delegations ‘buddy’ up with each other and provide informal support with shared preparation opportunities through existing networks, for example.
Q. How do you plan to ensure continuity of knowledge among Regional Chairs if all of them are elected at the same time going forward?
A. We are confident that continuity will remain strong, even when all World Board members are elected at the same time, because WAGGGS already has robust systems in place to support leadership transitions.
Continuity does not depend on individual but is underpinned by strong institutional processes, which are already well-established. They include:
Structured and effective induction and onboarding, ensuring every newly elected World Board member (including the Regional Chairs) quickly gains the context, relationships and understanding needed to lead confidently in their role.
Robust handover processes and documentation, which capture ongoing work, priorities, risks and decisions so that nothing depends on personal memory or informal knowledge transfer.
Professional staff support, providing stability, organisational memory and continuity of delivery throughout leadership transitions.
Clear governance frameworks and Triennial Action Plans, which ensure that priorities and commitments continue beyond the tenure of any individual volunteer.
We already see this working in practice at Regional level today. Regions sometimes experience significant changes in their Regional Committees composition and this has not disrupted the implementation of regional plans or the continuity of work.
Q. Both the motion rationale and the FAQs refer to “practical and symbolic distinctions” between World Board members. Could you elaborate on what these distinctions are and where they originate?
A. This is mainly referring to the fact that Regional Chairs are currently elected on a different cycle from elected Trustees and have joined the World Board at different times.
This creates practical distinctions – for example Regional Chairs join the World Board in the middle of a triennium, usually over a period of 3-4 months depending on the timing of the five Regional Conferences, while elected Trustees join together at the start of a cycle. Because they join at different times, Regional Chairs often receive inductions separately from elected Trustees, which can affect shared understanding and cohesion.
This also creates symbolic distinctions – for example, joining at different times can unintentionally create a sense of having three different ‘cohorts’ of trustees on the Board, with frequent changes in membership making it harder to build a unified, cohesive team identity, underpinned by collective leadership.
Q. Should Motion 4(b) be adopted without Motion 4(a), would this mean that in future, Regional Conferences would only take place at the World Conference, with no Regional Conferences being held within the regions themselves?
A. Yes – this is correct.
However, the World Board have Proposed Motions 4a and 4b together as their recommendation is that there should be the flexibility to hold more than one Regional Conference per triennium, and that the election of Regional Committees should take place due the Regional Conferences at World Conference.
