To: All IUS member unions
Dear friends,
The Executive Secretariat /ES/ would like to extend our greetings and to update you on developments regarding the International Union of Students /IUS/ in general and the Headquarters in Particular.
You may recall that for over two years the organisation has been going through the most difficult period in its history both organisationally and financially.
To begin with, the composition of the ES itself has been considerably diminished as a result of massive resignation of several of its members and others who simply absconded. As ar now there remains a limited number of ES members at the Headquaters who are still committed to the work of the organisation.
At the same time the financial crisis has gone from bad to worse due to the fact that the organisation has been operating without any source of income. In the circumstances expenditure soon took a heavy toll of the available and limited resources. Consequently, the organisation became derly indebted to the extent that utilities and communication facilities have all been disconnected from the Headquarters. In addition, members of the ES who are still trying to solve the crisis are left with no source of income or any financial support.
Furthermore, the financial crisis have prevented the IUS from organising any constitutional event since the 16th Congress. This has been despite the many attempts which were made in cooperation with some member unions in Brazil, the Netherlands and South Africa. Recently some other National Union of Students initiated a possibility of hosting a constitutional event but either failed to follow up on it or withdrew the offer later. Such is the case of USI-Irland and NSUM-Macedonia recently.
With all these serious limitations notwithstanding the ES have managed to achive a number of things trying to resolve the crisis.
Following the absence of the President and the Secretary General the ES ran the danger of not being able to exercise legal obligations towards third parties. Such a situation was proving catastrophic in relation to signatory rights until the occasion of the IUS 50 Anniversary when delegates from ES member unions decided to appoint Zakaria Abdourahamane as Acting President and Samwin Banienuba as Acting Secretary General. This decision later recieved the approval of the Constitutional Committee pending the next Constitutional forum when this matter will be dealt with. In the meantime these Acting officers would combine their new tasks with their accredited responsibilities.
Regarding contacts with other International Organisations the ES has kept in constant touch with UNESCO and other UN Agencies. Activities organised by UNESCO and the UN Youth Unit, for instance have provided desired opportunities for consultations with some member unions with the perspective of revitalizing the IUS. This was the case in Vienna during the UNESCO-NGO Collective Consultation on Higher Education.
The ES would further like to inform of the following perspectives which have been outlined for revitalizing our mutual organisation, the IUS.
IUS Council
The ES would like to underline the importance and urgency of a Council Meeting prior to the Congress as per the Constitution. This would also be very appropriate and efficient for later convening a successful Congress and for a better IUS. However, the ES do acknowledge that much as the Council is urgent it is presently difficult to organise it. We therefore remain open to offers and other related information as regards the hosting of this Constitutional event. Whenever it takes place the host organisation including member unions would have to shoulder greater financial responsibilities because the practice of 100% financing from the Headquaters is no longer possible.
Consultation Process
As indicated much earlier the ES have been exploring every opportunity for initiating consultations with member unions. The examples of Vienna and Paris have proved to be benefitial. In April the possibility exists for a youth and students forum to take place in Lybia and the ES lokk forward to having consultation with the Constitutional Committee /CC/. Member unions would be duely informed of the results at the apropriate time. The World Festival of Youth and Students which is scheduled to take place in Cuba in July would provide yet another opportunity for the ES to meet and consult with member unions on all matters of common interest.
In order to broaden the scope of these consultations with the involvement of a majority of our constituencies the ES at the same time look to opportunities in all the different regions for meeting with member unions. Member unions are also requested to communicate their ideas and suggestions directly to the ES. Even if these consultations have no constitutional basis, they are still advantageous in shaping commitment around the IUS and bringing suggestions and new ideas to the ES. They could also be useful for finding common solutions to the problems of the IUS up until the Council Meeting and subsequently the Congress.
Support of Member Unions
The ES can not operate efficently alone without the support of member unions. The payment of membership fees, for instance, would be very useful in assisting the ES on matters of daily administration. However, since 1992 most member unions have failed to pay their dues. Any other financial or material support from member unions would additionally provide a welcome relief to the ES.
Secondly, regular communications from member unions to the Headquaters is equally important. This would enable the ES to be adequately informed of the problems and activities of the Constituencies and to give them an international voice.
We therefore request that member unions would turn a new leaf in paying their membership dues as well as constantly updating us with information on what has been going on in their respective countries.
Role of the Chair Organisations of the Regional Consultative Platforms /RCPs/
It has become imperative for the RCPs chair organisations to become more active in their role of assisting the ES to implement IUS programmes and to coordinate student activities in the various regions. We further request that the RCPs chair organisations keep the Headquarter informed regularly of initiatives they would be undertaking on these matters.
We would also be happy to strengthen cooperation with Regional Students Organisations in furthering the cause of the students movement.
Finances
Taking into account the current needs of the organisation and how to find the relevant financial resources for revitalizing the IUS the ES is in the process of finding a loan from a Bank. We are also developing a project that would help generate incomes from the Administrative Building. It is hoped that we would be able to achieve such a project in cooperation with an investor. Both legal and tax experts would be sought to guarantee the interests of the IUS in the Contract that would be signed with the investor. Other possible alternatives for generating income from the building are parallely being explored.
UNESCO
As indicated earlier UNESCO remains one of the ficus for cooperation on matters of education and the student rights. For this matter the ES continue to do everything possible to actively participate in UNESCO activities and programmes for bringing student perspectives into the discussions. The most recent UNESCO event that the ES attended was from 10th-12th February 1997 in Paris. Thsi was the UNESCO-NGO Collective Consultation on Higher Education with the theme "Higher Education: The Consequences of Change for Graduate Employment". The theme and the discussions which took place were in preparation for UNESCO's forthcoming World Conference on Higher Education scheduled to take place in September 1998 in Paris.
For this purpose, Regional Consultations are also being organised to cater for regional perspectives - the dates are the following:
The IUS places priority on this Conference and the different Consultations taking place, because we do share with UNESCO the goals of widening access to Higher Education Systems, improving the management of this sub-sector and reinforcing its links with the production and service sectors. It is oru wish also that the views of the students be brought to bear on all these goals in ensuring that our vested interests are not marginalized. We therefore request member unions to cooperate with the National Commissions and Regional Offices of UNESCO for the possibility of participating in these Consultations. Subsequently, we would be happy to receive a feedback.
It is high time that we all rededicate our energy and resources to the voice of the World Student Movement, the IUS.
We look forward to hearing from you, and please, you may reach us on the IUS address which is the following:
In Solidarity,
Zakaria Abdourahamane
Acting President