GLB-C12-2024
For over a century, WOSM has supported the organisation of a large number of educational events that have offered transformative learning experiences for generations of young people. Historically, these events were organised based on mutual trust and collaboration, as well as traditions and practices that have guided us well over the years. However, the increasing complexity of organising such large-scale international gatherings and the recent challenges faced during the 25th World Scout Jamboree have highlighted the urgent need to upgrade our approach to planning and delivering future WOSM events.
In September 2023, the World Scout Committee appointed a Review Panel for the 25th World Scout Jamboree to independently and impartially review the events associated with the 25th World Scout Jamboree. Panel members included Neil Carney (Co-Chair, Ireland), Phil Harrison (Co-Chair, Australia) Rocío Moreno Lopez, (Mexico), Mare Reinicke (Sweden), Ana Saldarriaga (Colombia), and Kevin Tan (Singapore), who were selected based on their demonstrable and varied subject matter expertise, and their geographic and cultural diversity of backgrounds.
Today, we are sharing with our Member Organizations the final report and recommendations from the Panel, which were presented to the World Scout Committee during its recent meeting.
The Panel's report offers an examination and analysis of existing governance frameworks for hosting the World Scout Jamboree while also considering the historical context of Jamboree management, which relied heavily on placing trust in the Host. In reaching its findings, the Panel undertook a comprehensive process involving a series of surveys, focus groups, and interviews with various stakeholders to gain a holistic perspective of experiences, inputs, and feedback related to the event.
The Panel's findings highlight a number of shortcomings and challenges related to the planning and delivery of the 25th World Scout Jamboree. Furthermore, the report offers recommendations and actionable steps that WOSM and future Hosts should adopt which aim to enhance and improve the standards of safety and quality across WOSM Events.
The Panel identified that the mechanisms governing WOSM Youth Events resulted in gaps in the accountability for the 25th World Scout Jamboree. These mechanisms were thus inadequate to meet the challenges of the event. The Panel observed deficiencies in the agreements with the Jamboree Host, the Korea Scout Association, and highlighted the internal organisational and structural hurdles faced by the Host, including the complex dynamics with the Korean Government and the absence of a coherent communication strategy throughout the planning and delivery process.
Among the shortcomings identified, the Panel noted that the risks associated with the 25th World Scout Jamboree were not sufficiently managed in the lead-up to the event. The Panel further reflected that additional, independent verification of the state of site preparedness could have presented a more complete picture upon consideration of the postponement request delivered in early 2022 by the Host.
The Panel emphasised the need to enhance the accountability framework for future events by empowering the World Scout Committee and World Scout Bureau with stronger mandates to fulfil their oversight and support role in the organisation of WOSM events. While noting the historic context in planning previous Jamborees, the Panel recommended that going forward the ultimate accountability for the ownership, organisation, and execution of events, such as the World Scout Jamboree, should lie more explicitly and clearly with the World Scout Committee. The Panel also emphasised the need to strengthen risk management and contingency practices within both WOSM and the Host. Therefore, the Panel recommended the consideration of a Constitutional Amendment to empower WOSM bodies with a stronger mandate.
The Panel also highlighted a need to put in place sufficient capability and capacity to enable the World Scout Committee and World Scout Bureau to assume greater accountability for the planning and delivery of future events. Of particular relevance, the Panel highlighted the need for an agreed framework for managing government involvement and expectations in event planning and confirmed that the Host National Scout Organization bears the responsibility for the planning and execution of an event and not a national government. Finally, the Panel provided further recommendations and measures for continuous improvement, and emphasised that the report should be read and understood in full before decisions are taken to implement the recommendations.
We would like to thank the Panel for their diligent review of the 25th World Scout Jamboree, and express our appreciation to everyone who contributed to the work of the Panel through surveys, focus group discussions, and interviews.
WOSM acknowledges the Panel's review and recommendations, and has started addressing them. We believe that the 25th World Scout Jamboree Panel report is a pivotal learning opportunity to provide recommendations to improve and strengthen our processes and systems related to WOSM Events. We would like to thank all National Scout Organization leadership, Contingents, and International Service Team members who stepped forward during critical moments of the 25th World Scout Jamboree to ensure the safety and well-being of young people and adults.
As an organisation that strives to learn and continually improve, we are committed significantly upgrade the governance, supervision, and management of future World Scout Events to make them safer and more successful. Therefore, we have already initiated a series of changes aimed at improving the planning and delivery of future World Scout Events:
- We have started developing a first-of-its-kind WOSM Events Strategy that will integrate the Panel's recommendations and our internal learnings into actionable steps. The WOSM Events Strategy will be a key proposal of the World Scout Committee to the 43rd World Scout Conference in August 2024, and will be open for feedback by all NSOs.
- We have adopted a new set of standards which continue to evolve and include initiatives such as strengthened Host Organization Agreements, and an enhanced bidding process.
- We are taking measures to better resource and significantly upgrade the capacity of our World Events team across the World Scout Bureau.
- We have launched WOSM Guidelines on Organising Sustainable Events to promote environmental responsibility and released updated Safe from Harm Guidelines for World and Regional Scout Events to ensure the safety and well-being of participants.
- Finally, as recommended by the Panel, we will put forward a Constitutional Amendment to the 43rd World Scout Conference to empower WOSM bodies with the necessary mandate to strengthen their roles in the planning and delivery of future World Scout Events.
WOSM is also working closely with the appointed Hosts of the future WOSM Youth Events (the 16th World Scout Moot in 2025 and the 26th World Scout Jamboree in 2027) to review the outcomes of the Panel, which will be incorporated into the planning and delivery of the future events and shape the WOSM Events Strategy.
This past period has been filled with lessons and immense growth for our organisation, building on the World Scout Committee's and World Scout Bureau's commitments to transparency and accountability. By incorporating the recommendations from the Panel and upgrading the operations and governance of these educational events, we can make them even safer and more transformative experiences for young people and volunteers. We count on your support and look forward to engaging with you on the proposed WOSM Events Strategy and the proposed Constitutional Amendment after their release.
Yours in Scouting,
Andy Chapman
Chairperson
World Scout Committee
Ahmad Alhendawi
Secretary General
World Organization of the Scout Movement
