The Annual General Meeting of the International Federation of Journalists, meeting in Athens on April 20th 2023,
noting that regional structures continue to play an important role in helping develop the capacity of IFJ regions;
recalling motion 15 agreed by the Dublin congress setting out a path for developing IFJ regions through the building of the capacity of the regional offices and an increase in their functions;
Equally recalling motion 27 “Strengthening IFJ’s Continental Organisations” agreed by the Oman congress which called for the application of “the cardinal trade union principle of equality and non-discrimination based on shared solidarity rooted in professional solidarity and uniformity within the IFJ, including resources-sharing”, and “instructed the IFJ General Secretary as well as the Administrative and Executive Committees to ensure that resources including annual allocations to continental/regional offices or organisations are equitably distributed;” Motion 27 was tabled by the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ) and the Federation of Journalists of Latin America and the Caribbean (FEPALC) on behalf of their unions and was carried by 137 votes for, 6 against and 55 abstentions.”
welcoming the very good cooperation on the ground between the IFJ and EFJ Secretariats, particularly in the context of activities in support of Ukrainian journalists' unions; concerned that governance and financial difficulties raised the need to review IFJ organisational and developmental framework for its regional offices;
reiterating that regional offices strengthen the links between the IFJ and its affiliates, allowing the IFJ to multiply its actions at regional and national level for the best benefit of IFJ affiliates;
The IFJ Annual General Meeting calls on the IFJ Executive Committee to:
1) maintain a decent level of funding for regional offices, commensurate with the resources available, through the IFJ continental structural funding;
2) to renew, without delay, a new cooperation agreement with the European Federation of Journalists.