The General Assembly approves the amended Terms of Reference for the Internal Audit of IFOAM – Organics International as published on page 39 of Organics In Action.

Rationale:

On the occasion of an external system audit provided by the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation which took place in March 2020 in the international office in Bonn, the role of the Internal Auditors was reviewed. In addition, the current Internal Auditors (IAs) proposed to clarify and extend the mandate of the IAs in order to better enable them to monitor the activities of the World Board and manage implementing the will of the membership

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0€ 

How to suggest an amendment?

Amendments must be formatted correctly to clearly indicate to the motioner what you are suggesting to amend. Please read these guidelines or watch the video before suggesting amendments.

All amendments must be seconded by another member organisation. This can only be done if another member writes "I second this amendment" as a reply to the amendment.

We cannot answer all questions of procedure in the forum, therefore, please email ga@ifoam.bio in case of any such questions.

To clarify and update the role and mandate of the World Board and its members, the General Assembly replaces the Rules of Procedure for the World Board, which were decided in 2000, by updated ToRs as published hereafter.

Rationale:

Over the last 20 years, IFOAM – Organics International has developed from a small office with a board and volunteers taking on executive tasks to an office of 30+ people and a board at a strategic level, leaving the executing to the ED and their team.

To catch up with the growth, the global office is working on simplification and alignment of processes and procedures. There are several policies pertaining to the board and its responsibilities, stemming from different points in time, are not necessarily coherent. The proposed Terms of References are an elaboration and update of the earlier Rules of Procedure and relevant policy parts in one overview, resulting in one clear and simple version to refer to.

Price Tag:
0€ 

How to suggest an amendment?

Amendments must be formatted correctly to clearly indicate to the motioner what you are suggesting to amend. Please read these guidelines or watch the video before suggesting amendments.

All amendments must be seconded by another member organisation. This can only be done if another member writes "I second this amendment" as a reply to the amendment.

We cannot answer all questions of procedure in the forum, therefore, please email ga@ifoam.bio in case of any such questions.

The World Board shall change policy 9 effective January 1, 2023 to decentralise the setting of membership fees. The change shall be phased in over a three-year period with a progress report to be presented at the next General Assembly.

1. IFOAM – Organics International, together with the Network Council, will define the member types based on existing (regional) categories. Regional Bodies may select member types that fit their regional needs.
2. Each regional body sets its membership fee structure and fees consistent with its own by-laws and rules of procedure.
3. The World Board sets fees for affiliates based in regions without a Regional Body.
4. Each Regional Body is obligated to contribute a proportion of its fees to IFOAM – Organics International based on discussion between the Regional Body and IFOAM – Organics International, which should ensure a minimum income to IFOAM – Organics International and at the same time help the development of the Regional Bodies.
5. IFOAM – Organics International, with the Network Council, will work out the role and relationship of supporters and associates.

Rationale:

The decentralization of the fee scheme is a core component of the network reform agreed upon between IFOAM – Organics International and the Self-organized Structures (SoS). The process to set the scheme should be transparent for the membership and all network partners.

The scheme should be as simple as possible while addressing SoS needs and the income requirements of both IFOAM – Organics International and the SoS. IFOAM – Organics International provides a framework and process proposal to the Networks Council to implement the decentralized fee scheme.

Price Tag:
€0

How to suggest an amendment?

Amendments must be formatted correctly to clearly indicate to the motioner what you are suggesting to amend. Please read these guidelines or watch the video before suggesting amendments.

All amendments must be seconded by another member organisation. This can only be done if another member writes "I second this amendment" as a reply to the amendment.

We cannot answer all questions of procedure in the forum, therefore, please email ga@ifoam.bio in case of any such questions.

The General Assembly mandates IFOAM – Organics International to participate in an organising consortium for the organisation of future Organic World Congresses.

Rationale:

The legal department of PricewaterhouceCoopers (PwC) advised in its assessment of IFOAM e.V. to create clarity on engagement opportunities. Currently, the statutes of the organisation do not explicitly foresee this possibility. Such engagement could be direct or indirect. The latter would imply setting up an additional legal entity. The General Assembly mandates IFOAM e.V. to create or engage in legal entities for the organisation of future Organic World Congresses (OWC).

Price Tag:
0€ for direct engagement OR 30,000€ when setting up a dedicated legal entity

How to suggest an amendment?

Amendments must be formatted correctly to clearly indicate to the motioner what you are suggesting to amend. Please read these guidelines or watch the video before suggesting amendments.

All amendments must be seconded by another member organisation. This can only be done if another member writes "I second this amendment" as a reply to the amendment.

We cannot answer all questions of procedure in the forum, therefore, please email ga@ifoam.bio in case of any such questions.

The IFOAM Network celebrates in an inclusive way its 50th anniversary in several parts of the world, in a variety of ways. The IFOAM Network, with all its members, will declare 2022 the Year of Organic. All parts of the network include the celebration in their planned activities, like conferences and communications, and use the occasion for a global membership campaign. IFOAM – Organics International will support the efforts with a promotional tool kit.

Rationale:

On the occasion of its 50-year anniversary, IFOAM - Organics International celebrates 50 years of achievements by the organic movement. This will mean a major collaborative communication exercise from IFOAM – Organics International, its members and network.

Price Tag:
€7500

How to suggest an amendment?

Amendments must be formatted correctly to clearly indicate to the motioner what you are suggesting to amend. Please read these guidelines or watch the video before suggesting amendments.

All amendments must be seconded by another member organisation. This can only be done if another member writes "I second this amendment" as a reply to the amendment.

We cannot answer all questions of procedure in the forum, therefore, please email ga@ifoam.bio in case of any such questions.

The IFOAM Network acknowledges the crucial role of youth in the further development of the organic sector and shall take concrete steps for the empowerment and inclusion of young people within its structures and in the organic movement. IFOAM – Organics International shall work in coordination with the regional bodies, sector platforms and global membership, as well as relevant global actors.

Rationale:

The empowerment of youth is crucial to the further development of the organic sector and the success of Organic 3.0. Inclusive and innovative measures to ensure their participation in decision-making processes should be taken, and opportunities to support the development of skills for young people in the organic sector should be offered throughout the IFOAM Network.

Measures for inclusion could be: making youth a criteria in the selection of candidates (for youth representatives) to boards, committees and decision-making bodies; ensure the participation of young people in key events with prominent roles; provide support for the creation of a platform focused on youth; integrate youth in communication strategies; etc. Opportunities for skill development could be: promotion and support for participation in relevant formal and informal educational and generational exchange programs; prizes and competitions aimed at youth engaged in the sector; etc.

Price Tag:
€11,000

How to suggest an amendment?

Amendments must be formatted correctly to clearly indicate to the motioner what you are suggesting to amend. Please read these guidelines or watch the video before suggesting amendments.

All amendments must be seconded by another member organisation. This can only be done if another member writes "I second this amendment" as a reply to the amendment.

We cannot answer all questions of procedure in the forum, therefore, please email ga@ifoam.bio in case of any such questions.

The GA confirms the World Board changes to policy 23 under point 6 on ‘Affiliation & voting rights’ to introduce ‘One Membership’ and to abolish the option of ‘supporting associate’. The one membership concept starts from January 2024.

Rationale:

Membership to IFOAM – Organics International automatically confers membership to the appropriate regional body and, in the case of farmers’ organisations, membership to INOFO. For example: an organic farmers’ organisation in India that applies to IFOAM would become, after approval, a member of IFOAM - Organics International, IFOAM Asia and INOFO. To allow proper preparation with the SoS the implementation shall start January 2024.

Price Tag:
€0

How to suggest an amendment?

Amendments must be formatted correctly to clearly indicate to the motioner what you are suggesting to amend. Please read these guidelines or watch the video before suggesting amendments.

All amendments must be seconded by another member organisation. This can only be done if another member writes "I second this amendment" as a reply to the amendment.

We cannot answer all questions of procedure in the forum, therefore, please email ga@ifoam.bio in case of any such questions.

In the world Board Motion Forum you can  

• ask questions to the World Board
• provide comments – for the World Board to consider
• propose amendments to the motion text

You may also ask questions to the World Board Candidates and Bidders for the next Organic World Congress.

How to Propose Amendments

When you wish to propose an amendment, you should please follow the guidance below:

You can propose amendments to the motion text by providing a concrete text to ADD to or DELETE from the original motion text in RED COLOR. Please use the strikethrough function to show what you want to DELETE. Please suggest amendments in a new thread and in the correct format. Otherwise, they could be overlooked. 

Here is an example of how to format an amendment to a motion:   

Original Motion text: black 
Add to amendment text: red 
Delete from amendment text: strikethrough 

Original Motion: 

“IFOAM - Organics International should convince both the city of Bonn and all the United Nations offices to only supply organic catering in their canteens.” 

My amendment:  

The World Board of IFOAM – Organics International should convince both the City of Bonn and all the United Nations offices in Bonn to only supply organic catering in their canteens.”

Seconding Amendments  

All amendments in the forum should be seconded by another member. This is done by writing, "I second this amendment." as a REPLY to the amendment.   

The motioner will consider your amendment and decide whether to accept it as a friendly amendment after the Forum is closed for input.  

• Case A: If the proposal is accepted as friendly after the forum closes, it will become part of the original motion text and presented as one at the GA plenary and voted on. 
• Case B: If the proposal is not considered friendly, your amendment can be brought as a general amendment to the GA, mentioning the name of the other member organization who seconded your amendment.  

This Forum is open until August 28, 12.00pm CEST. 

Please note, the motion submitter is responsible for assessing all the amendments and comments on the forum and will provide a summary to IFOAM - Organics International in advance of the General Assembly plenary voting sessions.