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Report of the Executive Secretariat on the Informal Meeting on the International Union of Students (IUS)

(Havana, August 1^st 1997)

Dear friends,

As you might all recall this meeting came as a follow up to a series of others which had already taken place amongst some member unions within the framework of searching for solutions to the various problems that have been confronting the IUS. It was held during the 14^th World Festival of Youth and Students which took place in Havana, Cuba from July 28^th - August 5^th 1997. Notwithstanding the problems related to contacts and coordination between the Executive Secretariat and member unions the meeting was still attended by a considerable number of member and friendly unions.

The meeting was divided into morning and afternoon sessions. At the start of the deliberations in the morning the president of FEU / Cuba delivered his welcoming message expressing the importance of international cooperation between students and the urgency of a constitutional event to take place in the near future.

Afterwards a brief presentation of the history of the organisation was made by a member of the immediate past Secretariat before the 16^th Congress in 1992. Thereafter the Executive Secretariat gave a brief overview of the current situation and its development based on a working document which had been prepared and distributed to participants by the Executive Secretariat. After these two presentations questions and clarifications took place followed by a discussion throughout the morning and afternoon sessions.

From the discussion that took place it was acknowledged by most participants that the IUS has been going through the most challenging period of its history arising mainly from financial crisis that have virtually crippled both organisational as well as political activities. In this regard, the very realisation of the noble objectives of the IUS, which constitute the cornerstone of the organisation, has been painfully difficult and of immense concern to participants. There was unanimity in agreeing that, more than ever before, there exists an urgent need for revitalising the IUS as the only international organisation which rallies together national union of students from across the globe on issues of mutual concern. In light of that the following proposals were considered:

1. Constitutional Events

   FEUQ / Quebec proposed to host the 17^th Congress of the IUS. In their estimation May 1998 was tentatively suggested as the earliest it could take place. The IUS member unions in Canada are expected to be working together in order to come out with a concrete and definitive offer to be made to the Executive Secretariat.

   The member unions coming from India did also give indication of the possibility of hosting a constitutional event in their country and are similarly expected to make their confirmation in written to the Executive Secretariat.

   All other member unions that are willing to consider at a later stage the possibility of hosting a constitutional event of the IUS are welcome to make an offer. All offers or confirmations would however have to be submitted to the Executive Secretariat by the end of 1997.

2. Coordination and Communication

   In order to ensure the smooth running of activities and to guarantee regular flow of information in the process of organising a successful constitutional event that involves all member unions directly the following suggestions were advanced:

1. That the Regional Consultative Platforms (RCPs) together with the Executive Secretariat and the hosting organisation should cooperate closely to ensure productive preparatory process such as regarding fundraising, logistics, distribution of information, etc. Any other member union that has the possibilities and willingness to assist in this process may contact the Executive Secretariat accordingly.
2. That cooperation with other International and Regional organisations ought to be emphasised especially in this wake of globalisation and neoliberalism. That cooperation between the IUS and Regional Student Organisations in particular must be given special attention for strengthening the bonds that unite us in the fields of students interests and activities. In the run up toward organising an IUS constitutional event it would be very much welcome to receive the support of the regional student organisations in the supreme interest of achieving a successful event.
3. A support committee should be established to accompany and facilitate the process leading to the 17^th Congress. This committee should be composed of the IUS Executive as well as its respective unions. Additionally it is open to the regional student organisations, like AASU, ASA, ESIB, GUAS and OCLAE in alphabetic order, as well as interested unions and organisations.
3. Finances

   It was clearly understood that the ongoing and rather acute lack of financial resources has been at the centre of the crisis facing the IUS. For tackling this problem the meeting arrived at the following considerations: 

1. That member unions should for once commit themselves to paying their membership fees in whole or partially in accordance with their immediate possibilities,
2. That besides the membership fees donations in cash or kind from member and friendly unions should be given urgent consideration,
3. That fundraising should be the collective task of all member unions in order to help with the daily administrative demands of the organisation as well as for ensuring that a constitutional event does take place,
4. That regarding the use of the Administrative Building in Prague member unions should endeavour to assist the Executive Secretariat in finding prospective investors from within their respective countries for the purpose of income generation. That aside, any financial contribution toward the mitigation of debts around the building would as well assist in securing the building from the possibility of receivership.
5. That member unions which have a close working relationship with the Board of the International Students Travel Confederation (ISTC) should bring their influence to bear on them to help resolve the stalemate that exists between the IUS and the ISTC.

The 14^th World Festival of Youth and Students did provide a much desired opportunity for revisiting the IUS and the cause of students in the rapidly changing world of our time. During this meeting the participants showed critical enthusiasm and rededication to the IUS and all it stands for. It is therefore hoped that all of us including those member unions which were unfortunately absent from the said meeting would work tirelessly for achieving the conclusions outlined in the above.

From now onwards until the next Congress member unions are also expected to locate a place for the IUS on their respective agenda and to give a serious thought to the reconstructuring of the organisation in order to make it more effective and efficient in its ability to deliver the goals for which it was founded. The reconstructuring which should embrace all aspects such as organisational, political, financial and otherwise would deserve indepth analysis and thorough discussion.

Finally, we would like to reiterate our profound gratitude to the organisers of the Festival for thoughtfully providing us with the opportunity to meet and place the IUS for discussion. We also remain very grateful to all participants for their diverse contributions, and hopefully we would be hearing from each and everyone about initiatives you must have already started to undertake in respect of the conclusions reached in Havana. And please, should you require any further information or clarifications do not hesitate to contact us on any of the following:

Address: International Union of Students
17^th November Street
P.O.Box 58
110 01 Prague 01
Czech Republic
Homepage URL:
http://www.stud.uni-hannover.de/gruppen/ius
Tel/Fax: +420 - 2 -71731257 (Zakaria Abdourahamane & Samwin Banienuba)
Tel: +49-511-632997 (Ingo Jäger)
Fax: +49-511-717441
e-mail:
Ingo.Jaeger@stud.uni-hannover.d
Ingo.Jaeger@stud.uni-hannover.de
Tel: +1-613-232 7394 (JenniferStory)
Fax: +1-613-232 0276
natoffice@cfs.fcee.ca

Thank You !!!

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