Movement Strategy/Interim Global Council

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The Interim Global Council (IGC) is an initiative from the Movement Strategy recommendation 4. It is described as a temporary committee to oversee the development of a Movement Charter and the establishment of a Global Council, and to play a leadership role in supporting the implementation of Movement Strategy. The IGC should be representative of the diversity of the movement and openly and transparently collaborating with communities. The IGC will dissolve once the Global Council is established according to the Movement Charter.

The Interim Global Council's presumed responsibility of drafting the Movement Charter was later transferred to the Movement Charter Drafting Committee.

Responsibilities

The IGC is a temporary committee and will dissolve after the Movement Charter is finalized and the Global Council is established. The IGC will not automatically become the Global Council.

In drafting the recommendations, communities identified having a representative Global Council as an urgent need in the movement. The Global Council would be established by the Movement Charter. Since the Movement Charter itself may take some time to write, the IGC was thought of as a temporary solution to get implementation rolling and to have communities directly involved with governance.

Implementation of the Interim Global Council was discussed at various Wikimedia events, including its dedicated online Global Conversations on 23-24 January 2021.

Develop the Movement Charter

Main article: Movement Charter

The IGC was previously assumed to oversee the development of the Movement Charter in consultation with communities, organizations, and subject matter experts. The Movement Charter would lay values, principles, and policies for new and existing movement structures, such as the Global Council. This responsibility will be now handled by the Movement Charter Drafting Committee.

Transfer of responsibilities

The IGC would design an independent and transparent process, along with an independent legal assessment, to transfer certain responsibilities and authorities to the appropriate movement-led bodies. In this process, the IGC would engage with the Board of Trustees to identify areas of its current responsibilities that must be transferred to achieve the goals of the recommendations. The eventual Global Council's responsibilities would include any responsibilities identified by the Interim Global Council as needing to be delegated by the Board.

Oversee the Implementation of Movement Strategy

The IGC would play a leadership role in supporting the implementation of the Movement Strategy.

Tentative timeline

November 2020: Start of conversations on establishing an Interim Global Council
December 2020: Global framing and scoping
January - February 2021: Continued scoping, focused planning
March 2021: Setup

Considerations

Composition that balances representation and functionality

The principle of efficiency can function as a backbone for the clear tasks ahead for the IGC
Efficiency to be balanced with principles of inclusivity & participatory decision-making and subsidiarity & self-management
Greater representation can be addressed when establishing the Global Council itself

Actively support engagement of underrepresented groups and emerging Wikimedia communities

Fair estimation of the required time commitment
Compensation for participation (e.g. data / internet, childcare)
Translation support
Balancing existing privileges in the movement and overrepresentation

Resources and support for the IGC to function well

Supporting staff, access to expertise
Time for team building / onboarding
Assigning internal roles

Discussion for the Global Conversations and follow-ups

(1) Composition

Define the needed skills to deliver the tasks
Define clearly the groups and voices that need to be represented
Define the size to ensure the functionality of a temporary structure
Define the process - selection / election / appointment / combination

(2) Operation and Tasks

Scoping to set success criteria - what should, could, and must the IGC accomplish?
Decide what is the most urgent to start, e.g. drafting the Movement Charter or leading the implementation of Movement Strategy
One single IGC delivering all of the functions, or
Three internal working groups to focus on specific tasks, such as (1) the Movement Charter, (2) set up of the Global Council, and (3) oversight of the Movement Strategy implementation
Define criteria and process for ratification of the Movement Charter

(3) Relationship

With existing entities, i.e. the Wikimedia Foundation and its Board of Trustees, affiliates, project communities, thematic groups, FDC, Affiliations Committee, etc.
With emerging structures, e.g. hubs