Resolutions Process

Turning your concerns into national campaigns

Have your say – Member led campaigning

• The WI is renowned for taking on tricky issues. Much of this reputation stems from the WI’s resolutions process and the innovative campaigns that evolve from it.

• Every WI campaign - from Equal Pay to Honey Bees, from Keep Britain Tidy to More Midwives - would not have happened without the initial idea being submitted by a concerned member to their WI.

• The resolutions process allows the whole membership to debate these ideas and choose the next campaign for the WI to tackle.

Recent campaign successWI Resolution Submission Achievements of the WI Campaign

2008 – Norfolk Federation submitted a resolution calling for the appropriate care for people with mental health issues in the criminal justice system.

In 2014, £25 million of funding was secured for funding pilot liaison and diversion schemes across the country – Taking the total secured to £75 million for a Care not Custody approach.

2009 – Hindon and Fonthill Bishop WI submitted a resolution urging HM Government to increase funding for research into Bee Health.

In 2010 the NFWI secured £10 million of research funding, followed by the government publishing a comprehensive pollinator action plan in 2014.

2010 – Bengeo Evening WI submitted a resolution calling for clear and mandatory country of origin labelling on meat products sold in this country.

In 2011 the European Parliament committed to introducing mandatory country of origin labelling on all fresh meat – rules that came into effect in 2015.

The Resolutions Process

• Resolutions go from an individual WI or federation, through a WI-wide debate and selection process, onto the Annual Meeting, where delegates vote whether or not they become the next WI campaign.

• There are four stages to this process:– Stage 1 – WIs and federations submit resolutions – Stage 2 – Federation representatives decide a shortlist– Stage 3 – Members select which resolutions to take to the

Annual Meeting – Stage 4 – Delegates at the Annual Meeting vote for the next

WI campaign/s

Stage 1 – Submitting Resolutions• Resolutions can be submitted by any WI, by a federation or by the

NFWI Board of Trustees. • To submit a resolution you need to research your topic and

complete a resolution submission form, which asks you to explain:– what the problem is– what the objective of the campaign would be– which other organisations are currently working in this area.

• The wording of your resolution will be checked by your resolutions adviser, who will need to sign it off to say that they are happy that it is correctly worded.

• Your resolution submission form must be submitted to the NFWI, normally towards the start of September.

Stage 2 – Shortlist Selection

• Once all submissions have been received by the NFWI, the Public Affairs team collate them into a longlist and produce briefing notes on every resolution submitted.

• In October, representatives from all federations meet in London for a day long debate – called the short-list selection meeting, where they vote on which resolutions make it to the shortlist.

• The shortlist selection meeting is facilitated by the NFWI Public Affairs team, who are on hand to provide expert advice on all topics being discussed.

• The longlist for 2015/2016 had 79 resolutions, from which representatives voted for a shortlist of 8.

Stage 3 – Selecting the Resolutions for the Annual Meeting

• The shortlist of resolutions is sent out to all WI members, via federations, WI Life, the NFWI website and the Moodle. The shortlist and accompanying briefing notes can be obtained directly from the NFWI Public Affairs team as well.

• Every member now gets the chance to select which resolution they would like to go for a vote at the Annual Meeting. Selections are made by completing and returning the selection slip printed in WI Life. The most popular resolution/s will go to the Annual Meeting where delegates will debate them and vote for or against each one.

• To aid members in their selections federations and WIs should hold resolution debates, where members can discuss each of the resolutions and learn more about each one.

Stage 4 – Annual Meeting Vote• Once all members have selected a resolution, the results are tallied. The most

popular resolutions will be taken to the Annual Meeting where delegates will hold a final debate, and will cast their votes for or against each resolution.

• Prior to the Annual Meeting, each WI will need to meet to decide whether to vote for or against each resolution that is being debated. At the Annual Meeting each WI gets a vote, rather than each member. This vote would be communicated by the WI to their delegate, who would attend the Annual Meeting and cast the vote.

• A WI can vote in one of three ways. They can tell the delegate to vote for the resolution, against the resolution, or they can give discretion. If a WI gives discretion the delegate will be able to decide which way to cast the vote following the debate at the Annual Meeting.

• The decision over how many resolutions will be discussed at the Annual Meeting lies with the NFWI Board of Trustees. If one resolution is a clear favourite, this one will go forward. If more than one are close favourites, then more than one will be put forward.

Key Dates in the Resolution Process

• Early September – Closing date for resolution submissions• Early October – Federation representatives meet to decide

the shortlist• Early November – The shortlist is distributed to WIs with the

selection slip• Late January – Closing date for selection slips to be returned• March – Final resolutions for debate at the Annual Meeting

are sent out to all WIs to decide which way to vote • June – Vote taken at the Annual Meeting

Review of the Resolutions Process

• The Board of Trustees of the NFWI is currently undertaking a review of the resolutions process. Whilst the information in this presentation is relevant for this year, it is possible that the process may change for future years. Any changes will be widely communicated to all members, and we will produce further guides to the process as and when they are necessary.

For More Information…

• If you have any questions, or would like any further information about the resolutions process please do contact the NFWI public affairs team:

• Tel: 020 7371 9300 Ext. 238• Email: publicaffairs@nfwi.org.uk