Could you stand for election to our council?

By: Paul de Hoest
Date: 2 March 2018

Outgoing chair Paul de Hoest explains how our council elections help make Global Justice Now a member-led organisation

Global Justice Now is a wonderful organisation to be a part of. The range of issues that we have campaigned on is amazing: from migrant rights to water privatisation and food sovereignty.

Whilst it is fascinating and uplifting to be out there fighting for these great causes, behind the scenes there is a huge effort that makes all this happen. Many of you will be familiar with the paid staff in the office, but they are supported and directed by the activities of the council, which is democratically elected by Global Justice Now members every three years – including this spring. As you can imagine, with the range of injustices out there that we could fight, there has to be a process to decide where to focus our scarce resources How do we maximise the funding we get? How do we support the management team to deliver all the wonderful campaign materials and lobbying that you associate with Global Justice Now?

At council we debate issues around the strategic direction of the organisation which have led, for example, to the relaunch that was undertaken a few years ago and the drive to being part of, and shaping, the global movement against corporate power. Ultimately it is council that decides what the priorities are for spending our resources. These are complicated questions, and they require the independence of council members sitting outside of day to day activities, but informed by them.

I have met so many wonderful and different people during my time on council and that is the strength of a good council – the more diverse the experience, the better the quality of the debate and the better the decisions made.

Being an effective council member requires dedication, integrity, sensitivity and a lot of thinking, but it is never ‘work’ either – there is a great buzz about a group of people coming together working for a common cause and satisfaction in knowing that what you have done together makes it better than it otherwise would be.

My time on council is up and I will miss it. I urge anyone who enjoys working through issues with other people, who feels passionately about ensuring that Global Justice Now has an effective voice in the world and would like to make a difference to put yourself out there and stand for election. You have until Friday 6 April to do so.

I look forward to voting for you!

For more on standing go to globaljustice.org.uk/elections-2018 or call 020 7820 4900.

A more representative council

Historically our council has been disproportionately made up of people from white middle class backgrounds. Global Justice Now is working to encourage a more diverse membership, including among our activist network, staff and council. As our governing body, it is essential that our council, and so our campaigns, benefi t from the voices and experiences of people from other backgrounds. We’d therefore like to particularly encourage those from other backgrounds to stand for election.