General Assembly

What is the General Assembly

Every three years (2014, 2017, 2020, ...) IFOAM - Organics International convenes in its entirety for the GA. That includes Members, board representatives and staff. At the GA you can see the truly democratic and participatory nature of our organization in action. The GA is a dynamic and lively gathering that inspires everyone working together to realize the vision of IFOAM - Organics International as a common voice for the organic movement.

The Statutes regulate the framework in which the GA operates, and the GA Rules of Procedure guide processes related to the GA. Both documents are recommended reading for Members who intend to actively participate in an upcoming GA. The following video animation provides valuable insight into all you should know about Member Motions.

Between in-person GAs, the membership of IFOAM - Organics International makes decisions by electronic vote, so-called Electronic General Assemblies (eGAs). You can find the eGA results here.

The next General Assembly: September 26 & 27, 2020 in rennes, france

The 2020 General Assembly will be held in conjunction with the 2020 Organic World Congress in Rennes, France. This venue was selected at the 2017 GA in India. See details here.

Please register here for the GA 2020 food package (obligatory for participants)

IFOAM - Organics International will hold elections for the 2020 - 2023 World Board term at the 2020 GA. We will publish important GA and WB 2020 related calls on this webpage. Current calls include:

Call for World Board candidates: published July 17, 2019 - see below
Call for Member Motions: It is a great opportunity for member organizations to have a real impact on the organic movement, the strategy and overall activities of the organization: As a Voting Member you are invited to submit motions that look at the global challenges facing the organic sector from the perspective of IFOAM – Organics International: What should IFOAM – Organics International achieve in its next three-year term, what should be on the agenda?
Motions should address important policy issues, long-term strategies of IFOAM – Organics International or positions to ensure organic development. They should align with and help further GA approved landmarks like Organic 3.0 and the organizational strategy.
The Internal Auditors of this term, Uygun Aksoy and Michel Reynaud, in charge of supervising the implementation of the motions of the 2017 GA, caution that “as motion implementation requires staff resources and a budget, the Internal Auditors recommend to present precise motions that do not contribute to endless and unrealistic wish lists.”
Download example_of_a_well_written_motion.pdf (285.54 KB). You can find a preliminary summary report on the implementation of the 2017 motions here.
Call for OWC 2023 Bids: Find out more (Policy 15 on the OWC & GA, Application Procedure 15a for OWC & GA Bids, which specify the requirements that have to be met for bids to be considered, as well as the compulsory OWC Concept and Budget Templates). If you have any further questions, please contact us at bids [at] ifoam.bio (subject: BIDS%202023)

The Next WORLD BOARD ELECTION: apply now for the 2020 - 2023 term

The next World Board election is scheduled for the 2020 General Assembly in Rennes, France.

We are looking for candidates! Apply by April 30, 2020 for consideration. Curious about who is running for our World Board? Check here for a preliminary list of candidates.

Available application-related materials:

The Call for World Board Candidates (listed further up on this webpage)
The World Board Terms of Reference
A Sample Supporting Letter
World Board Candidates

Nomination Committee

IFOAM - Organics International has established a Nomination Committee (NC) to ensure sufficient candidacies from people with a diverse background for the World Board. The NC is the first step of preparation for the 2020 General Assembly. Meet the 2020 Nomination Committee here!