The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM ) is the largest international Scouting organization. WOSM has 173 members. These members are recognized national Scout organizations, which collectively have around 43 million participants. WOSM was established in 1922, and has its operational headquarters at

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

and its legal seat in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. It is the counterpart of the

World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS ) is a global association supporting the Girl Guides, female-oriented and female-only Guiding and Scouting organizations in 152 countries. It was established in 1928 in Parád, Hungary, ...

(WAGGGS). The WOSM's current stated mission is "to contribute to the education of young people, through a value system based on the

Scout Promise The Scout Promise (or Oath) is a spoken statement made by a child joining the Scout movement. Since the publication of ''Scouting for Boys'' in 1908, all Scouts and Girl Guides around the world have taken a Scout (or Guide) promise or oath to li ...

and

Scout Law Scout Law is a set of codes in the Scout movement. Since the publication of ''Scouting for Boys'' in 1908, all Scouts and Guides around the world have taken a Scout Promise or oath to live up to ideals of the movement, and subscribed to the Sco ...

, to help build a better world where people are self-fulfilled as individuals and play a constructive role in society". WOSM is organized into regions and operates with a conference, committee and bureau. The WOSM is associated with three World Scout Centres. The

World Scout Jamboree The World Scout Jamboree is a Scouting jamboree of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, typically attended by several tens of thousands of Scouts from around the world, aged 14 to 17. The first World Scout Jamboree was organized by Th ...

is held roughly every four years under the auspices of the WOSM, with members of WAGGGS also invited. WOSM also organises the

World Scout Moot The World Scout Moot is an event for senior branches of Scouting (traditionally called Rovers) and other young adult Scouts, gathering up to 5,000 people. Moots provide an opportunity for young adults in Scouting to meet, with the objective of ...

, a Jamboree for 17- to 26-year-olds, and has organised the

World Scout Indaba The World Scout Indaba was a gathering of Scout Leaders from around the world. Created at the 1949 12th World Scout Conference in Elvesæter, Norway where The Boy Scouts Association of the United Kingdom submitted that of the great number of Scou ...

, a gathering for Scout leaders. The

World Scout Foundation The World Scout Foundation (WSF) is an international, non-profit institution based in Geneva, Switzerland. Its mission is to develop World Scouting by the provision of financial and other support through the World Organization of the Scout Movement ...

is a perpetual fund governed by a separate Board of Governors and supported by donations for the development of WOSM associated Scouting programs throughout the world. WOSM is a

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

with General

Consultative Status The consultative status is a phrase whose use can be traced to the founding of the United Nations and is used within the UN community to refer to "Non-governmental organizations ( NGOs) in Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and So ...

to the

United Nations Economic and Social Council The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC; french: links=no, Conseil économique et social des Nations unies, ) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields ...

(ECOSOC).

History

As a result of an international conference held during the first World Scout Jamboree at Olympia, London in 1920, leaders there agreed to create a Boy Scouts International Bureau (BSIB). An office was established at 25,

Buckingham Palace Road Buckingham Palace Road is a street that runs through Victoria, London, from the south side of Buckingham Palace towards Chelsea, forming the A3214 road. It is dominated by Victoria Station. History In the 18th century, the road was known as ...

, London, and the then International Commissioner of

The Boy Scouts Association The Scout Association is the largest Scouting organisation in the United Kingdom and is the World Organization of the Scout Movement's recognised member for the United Kingdom. Following the origin of Scouting in 1907, the association was form ...

of the United Kingdom,

Hubert S. Martin Hubert Stanley Martin (1879 – 17 November 1938) was a British diplomat, an early Boy Scout leader, The Boy Scouts Association of the United Kingdom International Commissioner and the Boy Scouts International Bureau's first director, fro ...

, was appointed as Honorary Director. The first task of the bureau was to co-ordinate the discussions and to prepare a second international conference in Paris in 1922. At the 1922 Paris conference The International Conference of the Boy Scout Movement, its committee and BSIB were constituted by the founding member organizations. In 1961 The International Conference of the Boy Scout Movement reconstituted the organization introducing the name World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM). The International Conference of the Boy Scout Movement became the WOSM's World Scout Conference, its International Committee became the World Scout Committee and the Boy Scouts International Bureau became the WOSM's World Scout Bureau.

World Scout Conference

The World Scout Conference (WSC) is the governing body and meets every three years, preceded by the

World Scout Youth Forum The World Scout Youth Forum provides an opportunity for young members of World Scouting to discuss and express their views on issues of interest to them. Through preparing inputs and making recommendations to the World Scout Conference and to the ...

. The World Scout Conference is the general assembly of Scouting and is composed of six delegates from each of the member Scout associations. If a country has more than one association, the associations form a federation for coordination and world representation. The basis for recognition and membership in the World Scout Conference includes adherence to the aims and principles of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, and independence from political involvement on the part of each member association. The Conference meets every three years and is hosted by a member association. At the World Scout Conference basic cooperative efforts are agreed upon and a plan of mutual coordination is adopted.

World Scout Committee

The World Scout Committee is the executive body of the World Scout Conference and is composed of elected volunteers and one appointed Secretary General. The World Scout Committee represents World Scout Conference between the meetings of the full conference. The World Scout Committee is responsible for the implementation of the resolutions of the World Scout Conference and for acting on its behalf between its meetings. The Committee meets twice a year, usually in

. Its Steering Committee, consisting of the Chairman, two Vice-Chairmen, a Youth Advisor and the Secretary General, meet as needed. The committee has 21 members. Twelve, each from a different country, are elected for three-year terms by the World Scout Conference. The members, elected without regard to their nationality, represent the interests of the movement as a whole, not those of their country. The Secretary General, the Treasurer of WOSM and a representative member of the board of the World Scout Foundation and the chairmen of the regional Scout committees are ''ex-officio'' members of the committee. The six Youth Advisors to the WSC are elected by the

are participating in all of the WSC meetings and are also part of the governing structure between the meetings. The World Scout Committee has set up work streams to address the top strategic priorities, as defined by the World Scout Conference, which at present include: * Educational Methods ** Boosting Volunteers (Adults in Scouting Project) ** Earth Tribe Coordinating Team ** Gender Mainstreaming Coordination ** Life Skills Initiative ** SCENES Coordination Team *World Events **Evolution of the World Scout Conference *Good Governance **Growth, Recovery and Resilience - Enabling Capacities for Growth **GSAT Review and New Partner On-boarding **Safe from Harm 1 - Compliance Mechanism Build, Pilot and Implementation **Safe from Harm in World and Regional Events **Strengthening Consultants Support in Financial Management **WOSM Consultants 2.0 Task forces include: * Youth Engagement in Decision-Making * Sustainability Workstream Coordination Group * Project management support * Volunteer management support * Monitoring and evaluation support Standing committees include: * Audit * Budget * Constitutions * Ethics * Honours and Awards * Steering

Current members 2021–2024

* Note: The World Scout Conference in 2008 decided that, starting at the World Conference in 2011, elected members will serve for only three years, but be eligible for re-election for one additional term. Due SARS-COV2 (COVID-19) pandemic, the World Scout Conference was rescheduled from Aug 2020 to Aug 2021.

Bronze Wolf Award

The

Bronze Wolf Award The Bronze Wolf Award is bestowed by the World Scout Committee (WSC) to acknowledge "outstanding service by an individual to the World Scout Movement". It is the highest honor that can be given a volunteer Scout leader in the world and it is the ...

is the only distinction awarded by WOSM, awarded by the World Scout Committee for exceptional services to world Scouting. It was first awarded to Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell by a unanimous decision of the then-''International Committee'' on the day of the institution of the Bronze Wolf in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

in 1935.

World Scout Bureau

The World Scout Bureau (WSB, formerly the International Bureau) is the secretariat that carries out the instructions of the World Scout Conference and the World Scout Committee. The WSB is administered by the secretary general, who is supported by a small staff of technical resource personnel. The bureau staff helps associations improve and broaden their Scouting by training professionals and volunteers, establishing finance policies and money-raising techniques, improving community facilities and procedures, and assisting in marshaling the national resources of each country behind Scouting. The staff also helps arrange global events such as the

s, encourages regional events, and acts as a liaison between the Scouting Movement and other international organizations. A major effort in the emerging nations is the extension of the universal Good Turn into an organization-wide effort for community development.

Location

The Bureau was first established in London, England in 1920 and moved to

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

, Ontario, Canada in 1959. The International Conference directed the move of the Bureau from Ottawa to Geneva on 1 May 1968. In August 2013, WOSM announced the relocation of the World Scout Bureau Central Office (WSB-CO) to

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

where it is now located. World Bureau (World Organization of the Scout Movement)

Leadership

This list includes Secretaries General and their deputies from the World Organization of the Scout Movement and members of the World Scout Bureau. From 1920 to 1968, this function was called Director

World Scout Centres

''World Scout Centre'' is a brand of the WOSM but the two World Scout Centres are operated by regional divisions of WOSM and an independent body: * Kandersteg International Scout Centre in

, operated by the ''Scouts International Home'' association. * Cairo International Scout Centre in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

, operated by the ''Arab Region''.

World Scout programmes

The ''Better World Framework'' combines the

Scouts of the World Award The Scouts of the World Award is an international Scout recognition administered by the World Organization of the Scout Movement. It was developed to give "young people more opportunities to face the challenges of the future" as identified by the ...

, Messengers of Peace and World Scout Environment Programmes as programme initiatives administered by the

World Scout Bureau The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM ) is the largest international Scouting organization. WOSM has 173 members. These members are recognized national Scout organizations, which collectively have around 43 million participants. WOSM ...

World Scout emblem

The WOSM emblem and membership badge is the

World Scout Emblem The World Scout Emblem is the emblem of the World Organization of the Scout Movement and is worn by Scouts and Scouters around the world to indicate their membership. Each national Scout organization determines the manner in which the emblem is wo ...

, a purple, circular logo with a

fleur-de-lis The fleur-de-lis, also spelled fleur-de-lys (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a lily (in French, and mean 'flower' and 'lily' respectively) that is used as a decorative design or symbol. The fleur-de-lis has been used in the ...

in the center, surrounded by a length of rope tied with a

reef knot The reef knot, or square knot, is an ancient and simple binding knot used to secure a rope or line around an object. It is sometimes also referred to as a Hercules knot. The knot is formed by tying a left-handed overhand knot between two ends, ...

(also called a square knot). Baden-Powell used a fleur-de-lis badge awarded to British Army scouts and subsequently adopted and modified the badge for Scouting. The arrowhead represents the North point on a compass, and is intended to point Scouts on the path to service and unity. The three points on the fleur-de-lis represent the three parts of the Scout Promise: - service to others, duty to God and obedience to the Scout Law. The two five-point stars stand for truth and knowledge, with the ten points representing the ten points of the

. The bond at the base of the fleur-de-lis symbolizes the family of Scouting. The encircling rope symbolizes the unity and family of the World Scout Movement.

Recognition of non-national Scouting organizations

The needs of Scout youth in unusual situations has created some interesting permutations, answerable directly to the World Scout Bureau. These permutations fall generally into three categories: * "National" Movements not operating within the boundaries of their original homelands, such as the Russian and Armenian exile groups; * Small, non-voting associations basically viewed by the BSIB as "councils", such as the

Boy Scouts of the United Nations The Boy Scouts of the United Nations existed from 1945 through perhaps the early 1980s as the Scouting association serving the families of diplomats and staff of the United Nations, active in both Geneva and at Parkway Village in New York. The or ...

and the

International Boy Scouts of the Canal Zone The Boy Scouts of the Panama Canal Zone were founded in 1947, recognized by the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1955, and had 970 members in 1957. The organization had ties to the Boy Scouts of the United Nations, and existed at leas ...

* The less well-known directly registered "mixed-nationality Troops". Both the Boy Scouts of United Nations and the International Boy Scouts of the Canal Zone have long since disbanded, and the only remaining directly registered Troop is the

International Boy Scouts, Troop 1 International Boy Scouts, Troop 1, Japan's first Boy Scout troop, was founded in 1911 with Clarence Griffin (Scouting), Clarence Griffin as Scoutmaster. Despite its early multinational character the troop's original registration was with the Londo ...

located in Yokohama, Japan. In addition to these three groups a temporary recognition was extended by the BSIB to Scouts in displaced persons camps after World War II. In 1947 at the 11th International Conference the " Displaced Persons Division" of the BSIB was established to register and support Scouts in displaced person camps in Austria, Northern Italy, and Germany. These Scouts did not receive the right of membership in the Boy Scouts International Conference but gained recognition as Scouts under the protection of the Bureau until they took up residence in a country that had a recognized National Scouting Organization, which they then could join. The D.P. Division was closed on 30 June 1950. The International Conference of the Boy Scout Movement decided to admit and recognise the exile Russian Scout group as the "Representatives of Russian Scouting in Foreign Countries" on 30 August 1922 and the Armenian Scouts in France were recognized as a "National Movement on Foreign Soil" on 30 April 1929. The

began in 1945, and for years there was an active

with several troops at Parkway Village in New York City, with but 14 members in 1959. The

, a group in Panama with Scouts that claimed British and not Panamanian nationality was originally placed under the

American Scouting overseas There have been American Scouts overseas since almost the inception of the movement, often for similar reasons as the present day. Within the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), these expatriate Scouts are now served by two overseas Councils and the Dire ...

of the BSA but, in 1947, was transferred under the International Bureau. In 1957 the group had over 900 members and existed as a directly registered group until the late 60s. The third category in the directly registered groups, the "mixed-nationality troops", were registered after discussions concerning such troops took place at the 3rd International Conference of 1924 at which the BSIB was authorized to directly register such groups. It seems that the discussion at the 1924 International Conference was, at least in part, prompted by a letter to Baden-Powell from the Scoutmaster of one such troop in

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

, Japan. Janning's troop became the first troop directly registered by the BSIB. Only a few troops were directly registered as soon the practice was discontinued and new "mixed" groups were encouraged to join the National Scout Association of their country of residence. In 1955 only two such groups were still active, a troop in Iraq that disbanded that year, and the first group to be registered, the International Troop 1 in Yokohama. The international troop in

is the only remaining active troop of the small group of the originally directly registered mixed-nationality troops.

Inter-religious Forum of World Scouting

The Inter-religious Forum of World Scouting serves as a working-group for the religions and beliefs represented in Scouting. There are eight main religious groups represented in the Inter-religious Forum of World Scouting: * CPGS -

Council of Protestants in Guiding and Scouting The Council of Protestants in Guiding and Scouting (CPGS) is an autonomous, international body committed to promoting and supporting Protestant Scout and Guide associations and to be a link between the Scouting, Scout movement and Protestant churc ...

* DESMOS -

International Link of Orthodox Christian Scouts The International Link of Orthodox Christian Scouts (DESMOS, from Greek language, Greek "Δεσμός", bond) is an autonomous, international body committed to promoting and supporting Orthodox Christian Scout Association, Orthodox Scout associat ...

* ICCS -

International Catholic Conference of Scouting The International Catholic Conference of Scouting (ICCS) is an autonomous, international body committed to promoting and supporting Catholic Scout associations and to be a link between the Scout movement and the Catholic Church. Its headquarters ...

* IFJS - International Forum of Jewish Scouts * IUMS - International Union of Muslim Scouts * WBSB -

World Buddhist Scout Brotherhood The World Buddhist Scout Council (WSBC) formerly the World Buddhist Scout Brotherhood until 2009 is an autonomous, international body committed to promoting and supporting Buddhism within Scouting. The WBSB began as a means to facilitate religio ...

Won-Buddhist Scout Council The World Buddhist Scout Council (WSBC) formerly the World Buddhist Scout Brotherhood until 2009 is an autonomous, international body committed to promoting and supporting Buddhism within Scouting. The WBSB began as a means to facilitate religio ...

The Church of the Latter Day Saints The Church of Christ was the original name of the Latter Day Saint church founded by Joseph Smith. Organized informally in 1829 in New York and then formally on April 6, 1830, it was the first organization to implement the principles found in ...

Publications

Publications of WOSM include: * '' Scouting 'Round the World'': a book updated every three years with details on all WOSM member organizations; *
WorldInfo
': a monthly circular distributed in electronic format with the help of Scoutnet.

References

External links

World Scout Conference & World Scout Committee

World Scout Bureau & Secretary General of the World Organisation of the Scout Movement

World Scout Shops
{{commons category, World Organization of the Scout Movement Youth organizations established in 1922 International Scouting organizations Organisations based in Geneva International nongovernmental youth organizations