EXCO Letter February, 27 2005
From SI Exco News
27 February 2005
Dear National Secretary
You are probably confused and possibly concerned by the emails currently circulating regarding a proposed Extraordinary General Assembly (EGA).
I wrote to you on 20 January 2005 advising you that “in the near future, EXCO will outline, for consideration of all National Secretaries, the shape of a possible program for an additional GA this year; timing and process by which this GA would be developed, and options for logistical arrangements including costs to participants and to Servas International.
On 24 February 2005, Honora Clemens (General Secretary of Exco) sent out an email titled “A Call for an EGA” to all NS’s. This letter contained her own personal feelings and opinions about not convening an EGA and I have to advise you today that her letter was NOT (repeat NOT) an official Exco announcement.
Honora’s letter was sent out without the sanction of Exco members and it’s contents are purely what Honora thinks and not what Exco is saying.
You are all aware that to convene an additional GA, it requires the support of at least one fifth (just 20 percent) of member countries. Exco has received written requests for an EGA from 40 percent of member countries. These requests cannot be ignored, filed away and forgotten. Exco has been requested by two fifths of member countries to convene an EGA - and that is what we have to do.
My letter to you today is to advise you that plans are definitely underway for an Extraordinary General Assembly (EGA) to be held in Germany for a period of four to five days commencing on 19th January 2006. At Exco's request, Servas Germany has booked the Sports & Educational Centre of the Hessen State Athletic Association in Frankfurt Germany (Olympic Games Training Base, World Soccer Cup 2006 Base Camp, Frankfurt International Trade Fair Support Conference Facility)
To convene an EGA eleven months from now is going to be no easy task and Exco will be seeking your support to ensure the quality and success of this EGA. Also we would like to have your own views on what work you consider needs to be done.
Firstly, Exco intends to set up an EGA Program Committee, to be chaired by the SI President or designate. It will have responsibility for shaping the conference and planning the program and overseeing operations to the end of the Conference. It will be in contact with Servas on a global basis, both with delegates and with others not traveling but who wish to participate remotely from the EGA site venue.
Program Committee members will be encouraged to represent the range and diversity of SI. Members of the host country will be included in the Program Committee as well as representatives from other National Groups who have an interest in the EGA Conference.
The goal of the EGA Conference Program Committee is to ensure high quality results by anticipating, identifying, planning and organizing essential arrangements for the EGA. The EGA Conference Program Committee will be used to distribute the workload among many people, and most importantly, to ensure that the conference represents the thinking and planning of more than one individual, more than one element of SI and more than a small group.
On the question of travel-support funding - there will be some funding available but it will be limited to ensure global balance, not large numbers of attendees. It is expected that only ten to fifteen National Secretaries will be travel-supported.
You may not have responded to S3’s request for an EGA to be convened but Exco respectfully asks for your support now to assist us in ensuring that we convene a high quality and worthwhile EGA.
In peace and friendship
Geoff Maltby
President - Servas International
exco@servas.org
