Member Assembly 2020
The first Member Assembly as a new Federation has started June 22. We began by welcoming 9 new members from Malaysia, Ecuador, China, Uruguay, Poland, the Czech and Slovak Republic, Lithuania, Sri Lanka and Turkey. Welcome to the Biodynamic Federation Demeter International, now a federation of 47 member associations in total.
To wonder at beauty,
Stand guard over Truth
Look up to the noble
Resolve on the Good.
This leadeth man truly
To purpose in living,
To right in his doing,
To peace in his feeling,
To light in his thinking.
And teaches him trust,
In the working of God,
In all that there is,
In the width of the world,
In the depth of the Soul.
Evening bells prayer, Rudolf Steiner
With this poem, Helmy Abouleish, President of the Biodynamic Federation – Demeter International started the first Member Assembly of the new Federation, and for the first time in an online format! Starting on June 22, the Member Assembly gathered 47 organisations in total with participants from all over the world. It is always an important moment of exchange for the members but this is even more true with the launch of the new Federation.
On the first day the Federation welcomed 9 new members from Malaysia, Ecuador, China, Uruguay, Poland, the Czech and Slovak Republic, Lithuania, Sri Lanka and Turkey. All the new organisations presented themselves and happily joined the Federation.
The Member Assembly is also an opportunity for every committee of the Federation to present its work and an outlook to the future on which the members are invited to give their feedback. A crucial moment for all the coordinators and committee members to know what the members needs are and what should be in store for the future. This year´s Member Assembly also welcomed new committees: it was the first meeting for the lobby and public relations committee, as well as for the trademark committee.
The Member Assembly is an opportunity to address and exchange on new topics. A consultation was organised on social and fair standards, a challenge that the Federation wants to bring forward, and another took place on CBD, Hemp and Cannabis to gather the members´ opinions on those subjects. The project groups “Associative Economics” and “Animals on Farms” presented themselves and started the discussions for the future.
Even though a physical meeting was not possible, discussions and exchanges between participants were encouraged as much as possible with regular break-out groups, discussions stream and surveys. About 150 participants attended the online member assembly from countries all over the world, a numerous diversity of participants which enriched greatly the discussions!
The Member Assembly took place June 22-25, 2020. Location: world wide web.