The World Conference is the governing body of the

World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS ) is a global association that supports Girl Guides, female-oriented and female-only Guiding and Scouting organizations in 153 countries. It was established in the year 1928 in Parád, H ...

(WAGGGS) and meets every three years. If a country has more than one association, the associations form a federation for coordination and world representation.

Background

As the Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting movement spread, independent national Guiding associations were set up; however, a need for international cooperation was felt.

Lady Baden-Powell Olave St Clair Baden-Powell, Baroness Baden-Powell (; 22 February 1889 – 25 June 1977) was the first Chief Guide for Britain and the wife of Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell (the founder of Scouting and co-founder of Girl Guides). ...

founded an informal International Council in London in February 1918. In 1920, two leaders from each known Guide country were invited to the British County Commissioners Conference held at

Saint Hugh's College, Oxford St Hugh's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It is located on a site on St Margaret's Road, to the north of the city centre. It was founded in 1886 by Elizabeth Wordsworth as a women's college, and accepted its fir ...

. This became known as the First International Conference. The 13th World Conference was held in the same college in 1950. The member organizations continue to meet every three years (initially every two years) at World Conferences.

Formation of WAGGGS

At the fourth World Conference held at Camp Edith Macy in 1926, representatives from several countries suggested the formation of a World Association to take the place of the informal International Council. After the 1926 International Conference the Baden-Powells were approached about setting up a formal association and in 1928 the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts was founded at the 5th International Conference held in

Parád Parád is a large village in Heves County, Hungary, in the Mátra mountain range, the bottom of the northern side of the Kékes peak, beside of the Parádi-Tarna creek. As of 2022 census, it has a population of 1862 (see Demographics). The vill ...

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

. Rose Kerr was Vice Chairman, later Commissioner for Tenderfoot Countries.

Conferences

Conference details

15th World Conference

At the 15th World Conference it was decided to mark the centenary of the birth of

Lord Baden-Powell Lieutenant-General Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, ( ; 22 February 1857 – 8 January 1941) was a British Army officer, writer, founder of The Boy Scouts Association and its first Chief Scout, and founder, with ...

, the founder of Guiding, by holding a World Camp with four locations – Doe Lake, Ontario, Canada;

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino language, Filipino as Kyusi), is the richest and List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...

, Philippines; Lac de Conche, Switzerland; and

Windsor Great Park Windsor Great Park is a Royal Park of to the south of the town of Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor on the border of Berkshire and Surrey in England. It is adjacent to the private Home Park, Windsor, Home Park, which is nearer the castle. The park ...

, England, from 19 January to 2 February 1957.

33rd World Conference

Held from 6 to 12 July 2008 in Johannesburg, South Africa, it was hosted by the Girl Guides Association of South Africa and held in the Birchwood Executive Hotel and Conference Centre.

Graça Machel Graça Machel (; ; born 17 October 1945) is a Mozambique, Mozambican politician and humanitarian. Machel is an international advocate for women's and children's rights and was made an honorary Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire ...

was the keynote speaker and received the

World Citizenship Award The World Citizenship Award is an award of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS). Launched in 1996, the award is given to people outside the Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting movement who have contributed to a better world in ...

. Over 450 delegates attended representing 144 countries. The 33rd World Conference logo combined the WAGGGS logo and the South African Guides chosen pattern. The Girl Guides Association of South Africa wanted to portray their African dream and the sense of unity of all Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. Ten lines within the logo symbolise the ten Laws shared by Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. The three triangles symbolise the threefold Promise. The ''M'' shape symbolises the global challenges facing Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting that can be overcome through unity. The conference's theme was "Join in, reach out, change lives". In her key note address, Machel spoke about her childhood and three women who had a significant impact on her life. She also expressed her views on the contemporary state of women's rights. Deputy President of South Africa,

Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka (; born 3 November 1955), South African Government Information. is a South African politician and former United Nations official, who served as the Executive Director of UN Women with the rank of Under-Secretary-General o ...

, also addressed the meeting. Graça Machel was presented with the World Citizenship Award. Elspeth Henderson, the outgoing chairman of the World Board, received the WAGGGS Silver Medal, WAGGGS' highest award.

34th World Conference

Held from 11 to 15 July 2011 in Edinburgh, Scotland, it was hosted by the

Girlguiding UK Girlguiding is the operating name of The Guide Association in the United Kingdom, previously named The Girl Guides Association, which was formed in 1910. It is the original Girl Guides organisation in the world and, in 1928, became a founding m ...

and was held in the Edinburgh Conference Centre at

Heriot-Watt University Heriot-Watt University () is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1821 as the School of Arts of Edinburgh, the world's first mechanics' institute, and was subsequently granted university status by roya ...

. Over 390 delegates attended representing 122 member organisations. It was the first WAGGGS World Conference to be held in the UK since 1975. The theme of the conference was "100 years changing lives". UN Women Deputy Director and Assistant Secretary-General, Lakshmi Puri, delivered the keynote address on the first day of the conference, focusing on issues including

gender equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality, gender egalitarianism, or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making, an ...

and

domestic violence Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...

. Six new associations were officially given full member status of WAGGGS during the conference: * Guides de la République Démocratique du Congo * Association des Scouts et Guides du Congo *

Girl Guides Association of Cambodia The Girl Guides Association of Cambodia (Khmer:កាយប្ញទ្ធនារីកម្ពុជា, ''Kayarith Neary Kompuchea'') is the national Girl Guides, Guiding organization of Cambodia. It was founded in 1996 and became an assoc ...

* Girl Guides Association of Grenada * Swaziland Girl Guides Association *

Associazione Guide Esploratori Cattolici Sammarinesi The Associazione Guide Esploratori Cattolici Sammarinesi (''Sanmarinese Catholic Guide and Scout Association'', AGECS) is a Catholic Scouting and Guiding association in San Marino, with 300 members. Scouting and Guiding in San Marino started wi ...

(San Marino)

References

External links

World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts

33rd World Conference Micro Site

{{DEFAULTSORT:World Conference (Wagggs) World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting