Join in and stand for election in the organization

Join in and stand for election in the organization

Dear International Member,

Join in and stand for election in the organization

We are committed to being an open organization where everyone's voice is heard.

Because we wanted to be open to anyone in the world – we launched a new initiative called 'International Membership' in August 2007. This initiative asked people who did not have a national office to join in and become a member of Amnesty International regardless of where they lived.

We even made International Membership free – so that anyone could join in.

So what's happening now?
From 2011, a delegation of international members - elected by the international membership - will contribute their expertise to our internal decision making process. As you may know, Amnesty International makes its internal decisions in a democratic way, and your delegation will now be able to play a part in this process by participating in key internal conferences.

The first international member delegation will be elected online in April 2011 and will attend the 2011 International Council Meeting (ICM). The three candidates with the most votes will also attend the 2012 and 2013 Chairs Forums (CFM). The delegation will comprise around 4 representatives – the delegation size will depend on the size of the international member community in April 2011.

This and future delegations will help set the strategic agenda for Amnesty International's work.

What do you need to do to nominate yourself?
As long as you have been a member for more than 18 months and are at least the age of 18 years at the time of your application to attend the ICM in 2011, you can consider putting yourself forward for election. Potential candidates will need to find a seconder, someone who also has been an International member for 18 months, to support their application. We recommend that you use the Activism Centre or Amnesty International social networking profiles to find other International members.

Once all the nominations are in place, all international members will be sent an email inviting them to vote online to select their representatives.

What is expected of elected representatives?
The members of the delegation will need to commit to giving their time to preparing for and attending the meetings, and then report back to the international members community after the event. Please note that the working languages of our international meetings are English, French and Spanish.

FIND OUT MORE
To explain this new system, we have set up a website with further information, questions and answers and contact information. Please take this opportunity to find out more about how you can help Amnesty International make decisions, by drawing on the expertise of its membership. The website links to the nomination area where you can submit your nomination.

Website link: http://amnestyicm-info.votebyinternet.co.uk/

Thank you,
Janet MacLean, Chair of the International Council Meeting
Karen Moeskops, Online Election Officer

KEY DATES

Deadline to submit your nomination: 20 March

Elections open between 17 April and May 1

Results announced: 8 May

THE MEETINGS

14-19/20 August 2011 International Council Meeting (ICM) – Biennial, 6/7 day meeting
Delegation attends ICM and then reports back to international members

Beginning 2012 CFM – Annual, 3 day meeting
Delegation (of top three) attends CFM and then reports back to international members

Mid 2013 CFM – Annual, 3 day meeting
Delegation (of top three) attends CFM and then reports back to international members