http://ei-ie.org/annualreport2007

Teacher Solidarity for the improvement of education

1. Governing Bodies
The fifth World Congress of Education International was organised in Berlin, Germany on 22-26 July 2007. Around 1,700 participants from 150+ countries attended the Congress, which is the organisation’s supreme authority. Among other important tasks, the Congress:

* Determines the policies, principles of action and programme of the organisation;
* Elects the President, Vice Presidents, General Secretary and other members of the Executive Board;
* Considers the activity report of the General Secretary;
* Appoints the auditors;
* Considers the audited financial report, adopt the general budget, and determine the membership fees;
* Amends the Constitution and By-Laws.


By all accounts, the Berlin Congress was a great success both politically and logistically. Its most important decision perhaps was to change the frequency of the EI Congress itself from every three to every four years. Those who opposed the proposal argued that a four-year interval would represent a loss in democracy. But those supporting the motion pointed out that most other Global Union Federations used four-year programmes and that a longer interval would free up funds to be used for new, ambitious programmes in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia, where trade unions enjoy little democracy or influence.

The full report of the 5th EI World Congress may be accessed at www.ei-ie.org/worldcongress2007/ei-ie/docs/Bonus/CongressReport/EIWC05_
CongressReport_eng_final.pdf

Key Congress documents are available at www.ei-ie.org/worldcongress2007.

List of resolutions adopted by the 5th EI World Congress, Berlin, Germany, 22-26 July 2007
(click here to read the full text)

Resolution on the Strategic role of Educators
Resolution on fixed-term higher education teaching personnel
Resolution on Trade Union Rights Violations in Ethiopia
Resolution on the Australian Government’s incursion in to Aboriginal communities
Resolution on joining together to build a more effective union movement
Resolution on vocational education and training
Resolution on defence and development of public education
Resolution on education in correctional settings
Resolution on the place of religion in schools
Resolution on the school principals and school leadership
Resolution on Quality education: present and future
Resolution on "United for greater social justice"
Resolution on defending the Federación Colombiana de Educadores (FECODE) and teachers persecuted for trade union activity
Resolution on cultural diversity
Resolution on peace and an end to violence
Resolution on higher education and research as a public service
Resolution on gender and pay equity
Resolution on international migration
Resolution in solidarity with Iraqi workers
Urgent resolution on the Situation in Oaxaca, Mexico
Urgent resolution on the situation in Peru
Urgent resolution on the situation in the Higher Education system in France
Urgent resolution on the situation in the Philippines

According to the EI Constitution, the Executive Board “directs the affairs and activities of the Education International between World Congresses in conformity with the resolutions and the decisions of the latter.”

The year 2007 marked the first year since the establishment of EI in 1993 that four meetings of the Executive Board were organised in the same year.

The 28th Executive Board meeting, the last full Board meeting before the Congress, took place in Berlin on 27-28 March. Having the meeting in Berlin provided the Board and EI staff with an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the infrastructure and environment of the Estrel Convention Centre, which would welcome the Congress less than four months later. Not surprisingly, Congress preparations and issues for deliberations at Congress featured prominently on the agenda for the Board meeting itself. Among other decisions, the Board formally adopted the draft agenda and programme for Congress, the Congress theme paper and the texts of draft resolutions it wished to propose to Congress in July. The Board also adopted recommendations in support of or against proposals from member organisations to amend the Constitution and By-Laws. Also in relation to Congress, the Board decided on the recipients for the 2007 EI Albert Shanker Education Award and Mary Hatwood Futrell Human and Trade Union Awards, which were to be formally attributed during the Awards Dinner at Congress. Among non-Congress decisions, the Board adopted a series of reports and policy documents, including the 2006 Annual Report, the recommendations of the EI Advisory Group on the Middle East, the statutes of the EI Research Institute and a framework policy document on EI’s disaster relief work. SYNTER/Burkina Faso, SLET/Chad, SNEF/Mauritania, SNEM/Mauritania, YTS/Yemen and NAGRAT/Ghana were admitted into membership. Finally, the Board adopted a resolution in support of the teachers of Iran.

The 29th Board meeting, which took place in the afternoon of 20 July, was the occasion for the Board to review one last time the programme and all arrangements for Congress. Board members were assigned responsibility over particular Congress areas and discussions. The Board adopted the composition of the Congress Credentials Committee as well as draft proposals for the composition of the Elections and Resolutions Committees. On non-Congress business, the Board endorsed a proposal from the Secretariat regarding the composition of the Interim Board of Directors and Reference Group for the EI Research Institute. The Board also adopted a special motion for EI to take steps following threats made by the Costa Rican government against LGBT trade unionists. At the close of the meeting, Board members Colin Greene (A&BUT/Antigua&Barbuda) and Rosario Avila de Dominguez (COLPROSUMAH/Honduras) announced that they would not seek re-election at Congress. They were thanked for their valued contributions to the work of the Executive Board and indeed of Education International during their time as members of the Board.


The World Congress elected the following Executive Board for the 2007-2011 period:

COMPOSITION OF EI EXECUTIVE BOARD, 2007-2011
Thulas NXESI South Africa SADTU President
Irene DUNCAN ADANUSA Ghana GNAT Vice-President / Africa
Susan HOPGOOD Australia AEU Vice President / Asia-Pacific
Juçara Maria DUTRA VIEIRA Brazil CNTE Vice President / Latin America
Reg WEAVER United States NEA Vice President / North America & Caribbean
Patrick GONTHIER France UNSA-Education Vice President / Europe
Fred VAN LEEUWEN Netherlands AOb General Secretary
Abdelaziz MOUNTASSIR Morocco SNE Regional seat / Africa
Salimata DOUMBIA Ivory Coast SNEPPCI Regional seat / Africa
Yasuo MORIKOSHI Japan JTU Regional seat / Asia-Pacific
Lok YIM PHENG Malaysia NUTP Regional seat / Asia-Pacific
Maria Teresa CABRERA ULLOA Dominican Rep. ADP Regional seat / Latin America
Jorge PAVEZ URRUTIA Chile CPC Regional seat / Latin America
Marilies RETTIG Canada CTF-FCE Regional seat / North America & Caribbean
Ed McELROY United States AFT Regional seat / North America & Caribbean
Haldis HOLST Norway UEN Regional seat / Europe
Branimir STRUKELJ Slovenia ESTUS Regional seat / Europe
Jerry BARTLETT United Kingdom NASUWT Open seat
José CAMPOS TRUJILLO Spain FECCOO Open seat
S. ESWARAN India AIPTF Open seat
Grahame McCULLOCH Australia NTEU Open seat
Alain PÉLISSIER Canada CSQ Open seat
Eva-Lis PREISZ Sweden Lärarförbundet Open seat
Ulrich THÖNE Germany GEW Open seat
Teopista BIRUNGI MAYANJA Uganda UNATU Open seat
José Antonio ZEPEDA LÓPEZ Nicaragua CGTEN-ANDEN Open seat


The newly elected Executive Board convened briefly in the afternoon of 26 July for the purpose of designating Board members to serve on the Status of Women Committee, the Constitution and By-Laws Committee and the Finance Committee. This 30th meeting also aimed at identifying issues arising from Congress which required urgent attention. However, the Board expressed the view that all pending issues were not of urgent character and would be best investigated in greater depth at the November meeting.

After three meetings in Berlin, the Executive Board held its 31st meeting (19-20 November) in the International Trade Union House in Brussels, the traditional venue. Having the meeting near the end of a budget year enabled the Board to make timely decisions regarding the implementation of the new quadrennial programme and budget and of the resolutions adopted by the Congress. The political and logistical aspects of the last World Congress were reviewed, and the Board initiated a discussion on the venue for the next Congress. The Board also agreed on parameters for the establishment of several special committees and taskforces and for the implementation of a study into the situation of teachers and of public education in Venezuela and another, as yet to be named Latin American country. During the meeting, there was a special presentation by the authors of a UNESCO-IIEP study on corruption in education. Finally, the Board adopted a set of revised procedures for dealing with membership applications, while UNE/Ecuador, AUSPS/Fiji, FERC-CGT/France and PRICPHMA/Honduras were granted affiliation.

In 2007, there were also six meetings of the EI Officers, the group comprising the President, Vice-Presidents and General Secretary. The Officers usually meet immediately prior to each Executive Board meeting and at least one more time between Board meetings, in order to review progress in the implementation of EI policies and decisions. The Officers are often mandated by the Executive Board to deal with urgent matters between Executive Board meetings or to finalise matters on behalf of the Executive Board.

Until July 2007, the Officers also acted as the Finance Committee, which reports to the Executive Board on financial matters. However, the Board decided on 26 July that the new Committee would also include two Board members. Still, Committee meetings will continue to be held in conjunction with Officers meetings. The Committee analyses the balance sheets prepared by the Secretariat, discusses the auditors’ reports, makes recommendations on requests for special agreements on dues payments and reviews other financial issues as relevant.

The Status of Women Committee advises the Executive Board on gender and equality issues. The Committee, which brings together all the women Executive Board members, meets immediately prior to each full Board meeting. Its work in the months leading up to the Berlin Congress focused on preparations for the Women’s Caucus, LGBT Caucus and Indigenous Peoples Caucus at Congress, but also on finalising the triennial surveys and on preparing the resolutions on equality issues that were presented by the Board to Congress. After Berlin, the Committee discussed the implementation of gender and equality programmes in the next quadrennium and started making preparations for EI’s participation in the work of the UN Commission on the Status of Women in March 2008.

Finally, the Constitution and By-Laws Committee, the last of the three Executive Board Committees, also meets before each full Board meeting. Its mission is to review the EI Constitution and By-Laws and to advise the Board on all constitutional matters. In the weeks before Congress, the Committee prepared the draft constitutional amendments that the Board wished to propose to Congress, as well as the Board’s recommendations in relation to draft amendments proposed by member organisations. At its November meeting, the Committee embarked on new constitutional debates, some of which may eventually result in draft amendments to be proposed to Congress in 2011.

The Committee of Experts on Membership advises the Executive Board on membership matters which the Board has referred to the Committee. Its role is to determine whether an organisation that has applied for affiliation or is already a member, is in compliance with the EI membership criteria. The Committee does not make recommendations. It functions as an independent advisory body. Members of the Committee may not hold positions in the governing structures of member organisations.

The 12th meeting of the Committee of Experts was held in Brussels on 15 March 2007. The Committee discussed the membership applications of NAGRAT/Ghana, which the Executive Board subsequently admitted into membership, and of TETU/Turkey. The Committee also looked into the membership applications of PTUZ/Zimbabwe, KUPPET/Kenya, FGII/Indonesia and GST/Libya, which would all be investigated in detail in the next year.

In November, the Executive Board decided to re-appoint Hon. RJL Hawke, Chair, and Agneta Anderlund, Don Cameron and Marguerite Cummins-Williams as members for a four-year term. However, the Board also mandated the Officers to appoint two additional Experts, one from Latin America and one from Africa, to secure regional balance on the Committee. By year’s end, the Secretariat was expecting candidacies for both positions, with the appointments scheduled to be made by the Board in March 2008.