World Organization of the Scout Movement

World Organization of the Scout Movement
Headquarters
World Scout Bureau: Geneva, Switzerland

Secretary General's Office: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

CountryWorldwide
Founded1922[1][2]
Membership
  • 176 organizations[3][4]
  • which have around 43 million participants (2021)[5]
ChairDaniël Corsen
Vice-ChairsJulius Kramer
Mori Cheng
Secretary GeneralAhmad Alhendawi[6][7]
Website
http://www.scout.org
 Scouting portal

The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM /ˈwʊzəm/) is the largest international scout organization and was established in 1922.[1][2] It has 176 members.[3] These members are national scout organizations that founded WOSM or have subsequently been recognised by WOSM, which collectively have around 43 million participants.[5] Its operational headquarters is in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia while it is legally based in Geneva, Switzerland.

WOSM's current stated mission is "to contribute to the education of young people, through a value system based on the Scout Promise and Scout Law, to help build a better world where people are self-fulfilled as individuals and play a constructive role in society".[8][9]

WOSM operates through conferences of its member organization representatives, its committee and its full-time bureau, structured into regions. It is associated with three World Scout Centres. A World Scout Jamboree is held approximately every four years under its auspices and it organizes World Scout Moots for 17- to 26-year-olds and previously organized World Scout Indabas, a gathering for Scout leaders. The World Scout Foundation is a separately governed fund, supported by donations, for the development of WOSM associated programs.

WOSM is the counterpart of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS).[further explanation needed][citation needed] It is a non-governmental organization with General Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).[10]

  1. ^ a b "Constitution of the World Organization of the Scout Movement" (PDF). World Organization of the Scout Movement. January 2011. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  2. ^ a b Colquhoun, OBE, John Frederick (1954). Running a Scout Group. London: The Boy Scouts Association. p. 198. the first International Conference was held in Paris in '1922', when Great Britain became one of the founder-members of the world organization.
  3. ^ a b "Scouting in Albania joins as the 176th Member Organization of World Scouting | World Scouting". Scout.org. 16 August 2024. Archived from the original on 17 August 2024.
  4. ^ "Association des Scouts et Guides du Mali joins as 175th Member of World Scouting". World Organization of the Scout Movement. 9 June 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Final WOSM Census 2022" (PDF). 31 May 2022.
  6. ^ "Next Secretary General – World Organization of the Scout Movement". scout.org. Archived from the original on 16 November 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  7. ^ "Alhendawi announces departure – Office of the Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth". United Nations. 15 November 2016. Archived from the original on 4 November 2017. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  8. ^ "Mission". World Organization of the Scout Movement. 2017. Archived from the original on 6 December 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  9. ^ "The Mission of Scouting". World Organization of the Scout Movement. 2007. Archived from the original on 29 June 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2007.
  10. ^ "WOSM and the UN". World Organization of the Scout Movement. 2016. Archived from the original on 21 June 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2016.