| World Organization of the Scout Movement | |
| Headquarters: | |
| Country: | Worldwide |
| F-Date: | 1922 |
| Members: | |
| Chiefscouttitle: | Secretary General |
| Chiefscout: | Ahmad Alhendawi[4] [5] |
| Chiefscouttitle2: | World Scout Committee Chairman |
| Chiefscout2: | Edward Andrew Chapman |
| Website: | http://www.scout.org |
The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) is the largest international scout organization and was established in 1922.[6] [7] It has 176 members. These members are national scout organizations that founded WOSM or have subsequently been recognised by WOSM, which collectively have around 43 million participants. Its operational headquarters is in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia while it is legally based in Geneva, Switzerland.
It is the counterpart of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS).
WOSM's current stated mission is "to contribute to the education of young people, through a value system based on the Scout Promise and Scout Law, to help build a better world where people are self-fulfilled as individuals and play a constructive role in society".[8] [9]
WOSM operates through conferences of representatives of its member organizations, a committee and a full-time bureau structured into regions. It is associated with three World Scout Centres. A World Scout Jamboree is held approximately every four years under its auspices and it organizes World Scout Moots for 17- to 26-year-olds and previously organized World Scout Indabas, a gathering for Scout leaders. The World Scout Foundation is a separately governed fund, supported by donations, for the development of WOSM associated programs.
WOSM is a non-governmental organization with General Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).[10]
A conference held during the 1st World Scout Jamboree at Olympia, London in 1920, agreed to create a Boy Scouts international bureau. An office was established at 25 Buckingham Palace Road, London and The Boy Scouts Association of the United Kingdom International Commissioner, Hubert S. Martin, was appointed as honorary director. The bureau’s principal task was to co-ordinate discussions and prepare a second international conference in Paris in 1922. At the 1922 Paris conference, The International Conference of the Boy Scout Movement, its committee and its Boy Scouts International Bureau were constituted by the founding member organizations.
In 1961 The International Conference of the Boy Scout Movement reconstituted the organization under the name World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM). The International Conference of the Boy Scout Movement became the WOSM World Scout Conference, its International Committee became the WOSM World Scout Committee and the Boy Scouts International Bureau became the WOSM World Scout Bureau.[11]
The World Scout Conference is the governing body and meets every three years, preceded by the World Scout Youth Forum. The World Scout Conference is the general assembly of the World Organization of the Scout Movement and is composed of six delegates from each of the member Scout associations. If a country has more than one association, the associations form a federation for coordination and world representation. The basis for recognition and membership in the World Scout Conference includes adherence to the aims and principles of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, and independence from political involvement on the part of each member association.
The Conference meets every three years and is hosted by a member association. At the World Scout Conference, basic cooperative efforts are agreed upon and a plan of mutual coordination is adopted.[12]
| Date | Number | Location | Country | Member Countries | Host Candidate Countries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | Retrospectively referred to as the "First International Conference" | London |  United Kingdom | 33 | ||
| 1922 | First International Conference (retrospectively referred to as the "Second") | Paris |  France | 30 | ||
| 1924 | Third International Conference | Copenhagen |  Denmark | 34 | ||
| 1926 | Fourth International Conference | Kandersteg | 29 | |||
| 1929 | Fifth International Conference | Birkenhead | 33 | |||
| 1931 | Sixth International Conference | Baden bei Wien | 44 | |||
| 1933 | Seventh International Conference | Gödöllő | 31 | |||
| 1935 | Eighth International Conference | Stockholm | 28 | |||
| 1937 | Ninth International Conference | The Hague | 34 | |||
| 1939 | 10th International Conference | Edinburgh | 27 | |||
| 1947 | 11th International Conference | Château de Rosny-sur-Seine | 32 | |||
| 1949 | 12th International Conference | Elvesæter | 25 | |||
| 1951 | 13th International Conference | Salzburg | 34 | |||
| 1953 | 14th International Conference | Vaduz | 35 | |||
| 1955 | 15th International Conference | Niagara Falls, Ontario | 44 | |||
| 1957 | 16th International Conference | Cambridge | 52 | |||
| 1959 | 17th International Conference | New Delhi | 35 | |||
| 1961 | 18th International Conference | Lisbon |  Portugal[13] | 50 | ||
| 1963 | 19th World Scout Conference | Rhodes | 52 | |||
| 1965 | 20th World Scout Conference | Mexico City | 59 | |||
| 1967 | 21st World Scout Conference | Seattle | 70 | |||
| 1969 | 22nd World Scout Conference | Espoo | 64 | |||
| 1971 | 23rd World Scout Conference | Tokyo | 71 | |||
| 1973 | 24th World Scout Conference | Nairobi | 77 | |||
| 1975 | 25th World Scout Conference | Lundtoft | 87 | |||
| 1977 | 26th World Scout Conference | Montreal | 81 | |||
| 1979 | 27th World Scout Conference | Birmingham | 81 | |||
| 1981 | 28th World Scout Conference | Dakar | 74 | |||
| 1983 | 29th World Scout Conference |  United States | 90 | |||
| 1985 | 30th World Scout Conference | Munich | 93 | |||
| 1988 | 31st World Scout Conference | Melbourne | 77 | |||
| 1990 | 32nd World Scout Conference | Paris | 100 | |||
| 1993 | 33rd World Scout Conference | Sattahip | 99 | |||
| 1996 | 34th World Scout Conference | Oslo | 108 | |||
| 1999 | 35th World Scout Conference | Durban | 116 | |||
| 2002 | 36th World Scout Conference | Thessaloniki | 125 | |||
| 2005 | 37th World Scout Conference | Hammamet | 122 |  Hong Kong | ||
| 2008 | 38th World Scout Conference | Jeju-do | 150 | |||
| 2011 | 39th World Scout Conference | Curitiba | 138 |  Australia, Hong Kong, Switzerland | ||
| 2014 | 40th World Scout Conference | Ljubljana | 143 |  Italy | ||
| 2017 | 41st World Scout Conference | Baku | 169[14] |  Malaysia | ||
| 2021 | 42nd World Scout Conference | Digital | 170[15] | |||
| 2024 | 43rd World Scout Conference | Cairo |  Egypt[16] | France,  Mexico | ||
| 2027 | 44th World Scout Conference |  Rwanda,[17] United Kingdom[18] |
The World Scout Committee is the executive body of the World Organization of the Scout Movement and is composed of elected volunteers and one appointed Secretary General. The World Scout Committee represents World Scout Conference between the meetings of the full conference. The World Scout Committee is responsible for the implementation of the resolutions of the World Scout Conference and for acting on its behalf between its meetings. The Committee meets at least twice a year. Its Steering Committee, consisting of the Chairperson, two Vice-Chairpersons, a Youth Advisor and the Secretary General, meet as needed.[19]
The committee has 21 members. Twelve, each from a different country, are elected for three-year terms by the World Scout Conference. The members, elected without regard to their nationality, represent the interests of the movement as a whole, not those of their country. The Secretary General, the Treasurer of WOSM and a representative member of the board of the World Scout Foundation and the chairpersons of the regional Scout committees are ex-officio members of the committee. From 2008 to 2021 six Youth Advisors to the WSC were elected by the World Scout Youth Forum. The Youth Advisors participated in all of the WSC meetings and were also part of the governing structure between the meetings.[20] There will be no Youth Advisors from 2024.
The 2021-2024 World Scout Committee set up work streams to address the top strategic priorities, as defined by the World Scout Conference, which at present include:[21]
Task forces include:
Workstream Coordination Group
Standing committees include:
| Name[22] | Country | Term to* |
|---|---|---|
| Andy Chapman, Chairperson | United States | 2024 |
| Jo Deman, Vice-Chair | Belgium | 2024 |
| Sarah Rita Kattan, Vice-Chair | Lebanon | 2024 |
| Mehdi Ben Khelil | Tunisia | 2024 |
| Mori Chi-Kin Cheng | Hong Kong | 2024 |
| Wayne Adrian Davis | Ethiopia | 2024 |
| Nika Gorovska | Ukraine | 2024 |
| Eun Gui Kim | Korea | 2024 |
| Chrissy Pollithy | Germany | 2024 |
| Daiana Neil | Argentina | 2024 |
| Pia Melin Graasbøll | Denmark | 2024 |
| Juan Reig | Spain | 2024 |
| Edgar Marumbu | Kenya | 2024 |
| Yelena Luzyanina | Chairperson, Eurasia Scout Committee | 2024 |
| Rubem Tadeu | Chairperson, Interamerican Scout Committee | 2024 |
| Matthias Gerth | Chairperson, European Scout Committee | 2024 |
| Abdullah Altraiji | Chairperson, Arab Scout Committee | 2024 |
| Maina Kiranga | Chairperson, Africa Scout Committee | 2024 |
| Hon. Gov. Dale Corvera | Chairperson, Asia-Pacific Scout Committee | 2024 |
| Ahmad Alhendawi, Secretary General | Jordan[23] | |
| Joseph Lau, Treasurer | Hong Kong | |
| Geoff Morgan, AM, Member WSF | Australia[24] | 2021** |
| Fatima Aliyeva | Youth Advisor to the World Scout Committee | 2024 |
| Yoobinnara Kim | Youth Advisor to the World Scout Committee | 2024 |
| Reese Medina | Youth Advisor to the World Scout Committee | 2024 |
| Alhassan Soltan | Youth Advisor to the World Scout Committee | 2024 |
| Maman Lamine Soumana Ide Issa | Youth Advisor to the World Scout Committee | 2024 |
| Melissa Wilm Senna Pinto | Youth Advisor to the World Scout Committee | 2024 |
The Bronze Wolf Award is the only distinction awarded by WOSM, awarded by the World Scout Committee for exceptional services to world Scouting. It was first awarded to Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell by a unanimous decision of the then-International Committee on the day of the institution of the Bronze Wolf in Stockholm in 1935.
The World Scout Bureau (WSB, formerly the International Bureau) is the secretariat that carries out the instructions of the World Scout Conference and the World Scout Committee. The WSB is administered by the secretary general, who is supported by a staff of technical resource personnel. The bureau staff helps associations improve and broaden their Scouting by training professionals and volunteers, establishing finance policies and money-raising techniques, improving community facilities and procedures, and assisting in marshaling the national resources of each country behind Scouting.[25]
The staff also helps arrange global events such as the World Scout Jamborees, encourages regional events, and acts as a liaison between the Scouting Movement and other international organizations. A major effort in the emerging nations is the extension of the universal Good Turn into an organization-wide effort for community development.[26]
The Bureau was first established in London, England in 1920 and moved to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada in 1959. The International Conference directed the move of the Bureau from Ottawa to Geneva on 1 May 1968.[27] In August 2013, WOSM announced the relocation of the World Scout Bureau Central Office (WSB-CO) to Kuala Lumpur where it is now located.[28]
This list includes Secretaries General and their deputies from the World Organization of the Scout Movement and members of the World Scout Bureau. From 1920 to 1968, this function was called Director.
| Title | Years | Name | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | 1920–1938 | |||
| Director | 1938–1951 | |||
| Director | 1951–1965 | Daniel Spry |  Canada | |
| Director | 1965–1968 | |||
| Secretary General | 1968–1988 | |||
| Secretary General | 1988–2004 | |||
| Deputy Secretary General | 1991–2004 | |||
| Deputy Secretary General | 1991–2004 | |||
| Secretary General | 2004–2007 | |||
| Deputy Secretary General | 2004–2007 | |||
| Deputy Secretary General | 2004–2007 | Luc Panissod | ||
| Secretary General | 2007–2012 | |||
| Secretary General | 2013–2016 | Scott Teare | ||
| Secretary General | 2017–incumbent | Ahmad Alhendawi |
Kandersteg International Scout Centre in Switzerland, operated by the The KISC Association is the only recognised World Scout Centre.[29]
The Better World Framework combines the Scouts of the World Award, Messengers of Peace and World Scout Environment Programmes as programme initiatives administered by the World Scout Bureau.[30]
The WOSM emblem and membership badge is the World Scout Emblem, a purple, circular logo with a fleur-de-lis in the center, surrounded by a length of rope tied with a reef knot (also called a square knot). Baden-Powell used a fleur-de-lis badge awarded to British Army scouts and subsequently adopted and modified the badge for Scouting. The arrowhead represents the North point on a compass, and is intended to point Scouts on the path to service and unity. The three points on the fleur-de-lis represent the three parts of the Scout Promise: - service to others, duty to God and obedience to the Scout Law.[31] The two five-point stars stand for truth and knowledge, with the ten points representing the ten points of the Scout Law. The bond at the base of the fleur-de-lis symbolizes the family of Scouting. The encircling rope symbolizes the unity and family of the World Scout Movement.
The needs of Scout youth in unusual situations has created some interesting permutations, answerable directly to the World Scout Bureau. These permutations fall generally into three categories:
Both the Boy Scouts of United Nations and the International Boy Scouts of the Canal Zone have long since disbanded, and the only remaining directly registered Troop is the International Boy Scouts, Troop 1 located in Yokohama, Japan.
In addition to these three groups a temporary recognition was extended by the BSIB to Scouts in displaced persons camps after World War II. In 1947 at the 11th International Conference the "Displaced Persons Division" of the BSIB was established to register and support Scouts in displaced person camps in Austria, Northern Italy, and Germany.[33] These Scouts did not receive the right of membership in the Boy Scouts International Conference but gained recognition as Scouts under the protection of the Bureau until they took up residence in a country that had a recognized National Scouting Organization, which they then could join.[34] The D.P. Division was closed on 30 June 1950.[35]
The International Conference of the Boy Scout Movement decided to admit and recognise the exile Russian Scout group as the "Representatives of Russian Scouting in Foreign Countries" on 30 August 1922 and the Armenian Scouts in France were recognized as a "National Movement on Foreign Soil" on 30 April 1929.[11]
The Boy Scouts of the United Nations began in 1945, and for years there was an active Boy Scouts of the United Nations with several troops at Parkway Village in New York City, with but 14 members in 1959.
The International Boy Scouts of the Canal Zone, a group in Panama with Scouts that claimed British and not Panamanian nationality was originally placed under the American Scouting overseas of the BSA but, in 1947, was transferred under the International Bureau. In 1957 the group had over 900 members and existed as a directly registered group until the late 60s.
The third category in the directly registered groups, the "mixed-nationality troops", were registered after discussions concerning such troops took place at the 3rd International Conference of 1924[36] at which the BSIB was authorized to directly register such groups. It seems that the discussion at the 1924 International Conference was, at least in part, prompted by a letter to Baden-Powell from the Scoutmaster of one such troop in Yokohama, Japan.[37] Janning's troop became the first troop directly registered by the BSIB.[38] Only a few troops were directly registered as soon the practice was discontinued and new "mixed" groups were encouraged to join the National Scout Association of their country of residence. In 1955 only two such groups were still active, a troop in Iraq that disbanded that year,[39] and the first group to be registered, the International Troop 1 in Yokohama.[40] The international troop in Yokohama is the only remaining active troop of the small group of the originally directly registered mixed-nationality troops.[41]
See also: Religion in Scouting. The Inter-religious Forum of World Scouting serves as a working-group for the religions and beliefs represented in Scouting. There are eight main religious groups represented in the Inter-religious Forum of World Scouting:[42]
Publications of WOSM include: