
Year
2004
8th GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE
INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENT FORUM
Hotel Olympic, Thessaloniki, Greece, 17 October 2004
Report
The 8th General Assembly of the International Environment Forum was held immediately after the closing of the 8th Annual Conference of the IEF in Thessaloniki, Greece. The General Assembly was attended by four members: David Willis, Yasmina Mata, Arthur Dahl, and Sylvia Karlsson (only five IEF members had attended the conference, the rest of the participants were non-IEF members).
The President of the International Environment Forum, Dr. Arthur Dahl, formally opened the 8th General Assembly. The Assembly suggested that the sitting officers of the Board act as officers of the General Assembly: Arthur Dahl as chair and Sylvia Karlsson as secretary. The proposed agenda was approved (Annex 1).
Annual report
The General Secretary presented the Annual Report
2003-2004 by going through its main points. The Assembly approved
the report.
Election of the Governing Board
Tellers were appointed (Yasmina Mata and David Willis). The IEF members
present voted, and the votes sent over e-mail were downloaded by the
tellers as well. 14 votes were cast, including 10 via e-mail. The elected
Board members are: Arthur Dahl (Switzerland), Peter Adriance (USA), Sylvia
Karlsson (Sweden), Irma Allen (Swaziland), Roxanne Lalonde (Zambia), Gail
Lash (USA), Charles Boyle (Australia).
Consultation on the implementation of the IEF
Five Year Plan
The consultation identified as one of the weak points in the
implementation of the plan the development of educational materials,
including for children and youth. It was suggested that study guides and
tutorials are made from the materials on the IEF website and relevant
Bahá'à documents, particularly those related to the United
Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. These could
then be made available on the website. The materials to be developed for
the Wilmette Institute course on sustainable development next year could
also be used for this. A member offered to work on the web-based study
guides.
Consultation on activities and priorities for
the coming year
The possible alternative venues for the next annual conference were
discussed. One alternative could be Canada if we follow the tradition to
take turns between the Americas and Europe. Another possibility is the
World Science Forum in Budapest, Hungary, which is to be held in November
2005 on the theme of ethics and values in science. An IEF presence there
would be desirable, and one possibility is to organize the annual
conference there in the form of seminars during or after the event. When
discussing future conferences it was suggested that the IEF should try to
become a bit more academic in its activities, such as by soliciting
abstracts for presentations of papers at conferences.
There was also a suggestion to activate a system of national focal points for the IEF who could spread information on the IEF in each respective country.
The need to develop the newsletter further was discussed, and a member who often writes reviews on environmental books for the Amazon web site offered to share them with the newsletter.
Financial resources
The financial expenses for organizing the 8th Annual Conference
were reviewed and necessary reimbursements made for refreshments and
photocopying. The costs were kept to a minimum through provision of free
venues by two co-sponsors: the Directorate of Secondary Education and the
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. A local company paid for the welcome
reception. No registration fees were charged this year, as most
participants were not IEF members. The costs were covered partly by the
leftover funds from previous conferences and by personal donations.
Other business
It was suggested that the IEF should become a member of the Consumer
Citizenship Network, a thematic network of 124 institutions from 29
countries funded by the European Union in cooperation with UNESCO, UNEP
and international citizenship and consumer organizations. The IEF was
represented at its first conference in Paris in March 2004. There are no
costs related to membership. The General Assembly therefore encouraged the
Board to apply for membership.
The chair thanked all the participants, and closed the General Assembly.
ANNEX 1
AGENDA1. Opening of the General Assembly
2. Introduction of members present
3. Election of officers of the General Assembly
4. Approval of the Agenda
5. Presentation and consultation on the Annual Report 2003-2004
6. Election of the Governing Board
7. Consultation on the implementation of the IEF Five Year Plan
8. Consultation on activities and priorities for the coming year, including:
- publications
- education materials
- engagement in the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development
- issue monitors
- representation of IEF at UN meetings
- future IEF Conferences
9. Financial resources
10. Other business
11. Closing of the General Assembly
See the Annual Report 2003-2004
Return to About IEF Page
Return to 8th Conference
Last updated 4 December 2004