World Council Opens with Brightness from Smiles and Costumes
Decked out in their national costumes, delegates were in high spirits on Thursday morning as they marched in together with delegations from over one hundred countries. Despite the dreary weather outside, the brightness of the smiles and cultural clothing displays inside lit up the room in which the Business Meeting was held. Delegations walked in through a cheering crowd displaying flags and signs, and a sense of welcome to the women was conveyed.
Marion Schmid, Co-President of YWCA YMCA Switzerland, gave a brief welcome, introduced the host organisation and distributed handmade, colourful welcome cards from Girl and Boy Scout groups across Switzerland.
To begin the meeting, roll call and acceptance of the YWCA World Council 2007 minutes were completed. Thoughts were also extended to those delegations that were not able to be present at World Council—American Samoa, Bahamas, Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Malawi, Mali, Russia, Samoa, Sudan, Togo, and Uruguay. After greetings and cheers were offered by each region of the World YWCA, a message from the former World YWCA President, Razia Ismail Abbasi, was read, where she asked the questions: How can women create a safer world? Safe for whom? What will the world look like in 2035? What will be different for women and girls?
To “remember our sheroes,” participants held hands and listened as the list of members who have passed away was read during the In Memoriam portion of the morning. Delegates added many names on their own. “So they can hear us all the way in heaven,” delegates ended the session with cheering and clapping as a tribute to these strong women leaders.
A moving welcome was given to the two YWCAs that were granted affiliation—the YWCA of Haiti and the YWCA of the Virgin Islands. Delegates from the two countries were invited to the stage, receiving a standing ovation as they represented their countries as new YWCA delegations. Emotions ran high as each delegation was voted to be accepted and they received World YWCA badges and voting cards. Following the official ceremony, a vibrant Calypso song from the YWCA of Grenada was played, which brought every person in the room to their feet to dance. One volunteer captured the moment, “With this music, you just can’t stand still!”
Following the dancing, the YWCA of Belize and the YWCA of Rwanda were both promoted to full member associations, which includes all the responsibilities and benefits that full members assume.
The World Council adopted the Ways of Work and Rules of Procedure to conduct the meeting. The President then introduced the members of the Council Steering Committee, whose role it is to assist the President and General Secretary to ensure the work of the Council is done in the most effective way.
The Nominations Committee reported the voting process and answered questions that arose amongst the delegations.
Susan Brennan, President of the World YWCA, then gave an address that discussed four key points: new directions, advocacy, movement building, and governance. She reaffirmed, “An approach of dialogue, inclusion, respect for human dignity, and acceptance, will enable us to create a safe space around these questions.” She spoke of the essence of service and the conditions that are needed for true service to take place, and announced that the World YWCA will be joining Mary Robinson and the Elders in a campaign to end child marriage. As she thanked many people for their efforts during her time as President, she reminded the movement that, “The World YWCA is not in Geneva – it is in 22,000 communities throughout the world. Capability, expertise, and resources are found at all levels of the movement.” As she closed her speech, she reinforced that intergenerational leadership is key and that she is not seeking re-election in order to make way for others. The crowd thanked Susan for her time and effort with a standing ovation.
To end the morning session, General Secretary Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda delivered an address that discussed policy directions, context, achievements, challenges, reflections, and recommendations. As she called all members of the Board, staff, interns, and former staff to the front, she stressed the importance of the people behind the work of the YWCA. “When we present a report, it is just words. Behind those words it is women giving us inspiration and guidance,” said Gumbonzvanda. The General Secretary identified the major achievements of the World YWCA in the last four years, specifically in the categories of leadership development, sexual and reproductive health and rights, women’s human rights and violence against women, peace and justice, the Power to Change Fund, and movement building. As she closed her speech, she left the movement with some provocative questions, including: What do we see ourselves as, as the World YWCA? What is sacred about us? What should we be in order for people to gravitate towards us? How are we embedding and lifting the empowerment agenda? As she thanked each person in the audience again, she encouraged the movement to reflect upon their vision for the YWCA and the world as we carry on to the future.
