Consensus Recommendations – DRAFT unofficial

The IFOAM global task force on government reform met online over a period of months during the first half of 2024 to address concerns about how IFOAM operates and how individual members, sector groups, and regional bodies engage with each other and the central organization. Of note, the group functioned effectively and attracted strong proactive engagement. The comments below represent the consensus understanding reached by the task force but should not be attributed to any individual member of the task force.

In summary, the idea of governance must be clarified to ensure clear and constructive thinking. The task force found that the unspoken assumptions of what governance meant to a particular person determined the point of view and scope of the conversation. The task force eventually articulated the components of governance, which helped identify where improvements and changes may be needed — or not.

Below are the activities associated with three types of governance. There are certainly overlaps here, but the intention of providing this framework is to help facilitate meaningful and productive discussions about undertaking effective reassessment and reaffirmation of IFOAM within the context of global ecological, cultural, political, and economic transformation.

Financial Governance – Stewarding our common resources. The task force identified the operational structure and function of the global IFOAM office as the fundamental source of concern, while acknowledging that stable funding and adequate staff are required to heal negative perceptions of operational issues.

• Manage responsibly and transparently the collection and disbursement of members’ financial contributions.
• Enforce robust budgetary processes and cost accounting.
• Provide timely and accurate reporting
• Provide timely and complete responses to inquiries

Operational Governance – Implementing our mission. The task force recognized that members, sector platforms, and regional bodies are by their nature dynamic and independent entities comprised of human individuals for which a rigid set of rules and requirements is not always useful. The myriad forms of interdependent relationships based on shared cultural norms in support of economic exchange are too complex to be described and codified. Yet, organic ways of living in community can be accepted and honored for the strength of their unique characteristics even when woven within a structured institutional fabric.

• Function as a principle global representative body of IFOAM International to gain recognition, influence, and funding through engagement with international NGOs, governments, and other entities.
• Amplify the collective voice of members, sector platforms, and regional bodies.
• Provide the infrastructure for members, sectors, and regional bodies to communicate with each other within a shared set of methods, principles, and practices – while protecting ways that are available and customary to each member.
• Facilitate institutional continuity and succession planning to address constant changes to the roster of IFOAM participants. Who is IFOAM, why is it important, how to begin participating, what to expect.
• Articulate and evolve a shared set of practices that support efficient, inclusive, and effective engagement by all members, sector platforms, and regional bodies.

Cultural Governance – Curating our collective wisdom. The task force responded to the idea that “soft governance” is at the core of the global organic movement’s survival and success. Harmonized and codified standards are important to trade, but interdependent human communities thrive on tradition, ritual, wisdom, mutual aid, and the value of individual contributions to the common good.

• Maintain and reinforce over time a consensus on how members, sectors platforms, and regional bodies should organize, deliberate, and act within the global IFOAM community, while recognizing the unique and dynamic nature of each entity.
• Attract and support leaders from across membership to ensure broad and inclusive representation of the global organic community. Ensure that income, distance, language, gender, or religion are not barriers to full participation.
• Continue to develop the principles of Organics 3.0 and provide the language and bridging language to promote understanding and adoption.
• Keep the IFOAM community’s spirit, history, and memory intact for successive generations to build the future of IFOAM. Elevate exemplary contributors while acknowledging the critical foundation provided by global farmers and advocates.
• Notice and elevate those new ideas that inspire us, even when they challenge us.
• Build an open repository of research from all sources that supports understanding and adoption of organic principles.
• Undertake externally funded research projects that support the needs and goals of the global organic community.
• Collect, remember, and retell the stories of IFOAM participants.

The 2024 IFOAM governance reform task force recommendation is to allow more time to carefully reconsider what, in fact, needs to be changed and why. The governance functions outlined above are the responsibility of all IFOAM participants in one form or another. It is not clear that a controlling central authority is appropriate for some of these functions, although many obviously require a legal entity with bylaws, official recognition by government, and professional staff experts.

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