World Organization of the Scout Movement

The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM /ˈwʊzəm/) is the largest and, after the Order of World Scouts (formed in 1911), is the second-oldest international scout organization, having been established in 1922. It has 176 members. These members are national scout organizations that founded WOSM or have subsequently been recognised by WOSM, which collectively have around 43 million participants. Its operational headquarters is in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, although it is legally based in Geneva, Switzerland.
WOSM's current stated mission is "to contribute to the education of young people, through a value system based on the Scout Promise and Scout Law, to help build a better world where people are self-fulfilled as individuals and play a constructive role in society".
WOSM operates through conferences of its member organization representatives, its committee and its full-time bureau, structured into regions. It is associated with three World Scout Centres. A World Scout Jamboree is held approximately every four years under its auspices and it organizes World Scout Moots for 17- to 26-year-olds and previously organized World Scout Indabas, a gathering for Scout leaders. The World Scout Foundation is a separately governed fund, supported by donations, for the development of WOSM associated programs.
WOSM is the counterpart of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS). It is a non-governmental organization with General Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
In 1920, a conference held during the 1st World Scout Jamboree at Olympia, London agreed to create a Boy Scouts international bureau. An office was established at 25 Buckingham Palace Road, London and The Boy Scouts Association of the United Kingdom International Commissioner, Hubert S. Martin, was appointed as honorary director. The bureau's principal task was to co-ordinate discussions and prepare a second international conference in Paris in 1922. At the 1922 Paris conference, The International Conference of the Boy Scout Movement and its committee were constituted and took over the bureau in London.
In 1961, the organization's conference reconstituted the organization under the name World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM). Its International Conference of the Boy Scout Movement became WOSM's World Scout Conference ("conference"), its Boy Scouts International Committee became WOSM's World Scout Committee ("committee") and its Boy Scouts International Bureau became WOSM's World Scout Bureau ("bureau").
WOSM's membership consists of its remaining founding member organizations and organizations recognized by WOSM as national scout organizations. WOSM's rules protect its founding and existing member organizations by permitting only one member organization in each country and locking-out all other Scout organizations from WOSM membership, recognition and participation no matter how worthy or large their membership. Several member organizations are federations, some with different component groups divided on the basis of religion (e.g., France and Denmark), ethnic identification (e.g., Israel) or language (e.g., Belgium). However, WOSM has never required an existing member organization to federate with other Scout organizations in the country, in order to make WOSM more inclusive and representative. There are numerous Canadian Scout organizations but only one is a WOSM member organization (the Canadian branch of one of the organizations that founded WOSM) which has a French language affiliate which is thereby recognized by WOSM. Other than this inherent limitation on WOSM membership, the basis for WOSM membership includes adherence to WOSM's aims and principles and independence from political involvement on the part of each member organization.
WOSM has member organizations in some non-sovereign territories.
WOSM historically recognized some non-national Scout organizations:
WOSM's conference is its general meeting of member organizations' representatives which meet every three years, hosted by a member association. Each member organizations may send six delegates. The conference is usually preceded by the World Scout Youth Forum.
WOSM's committee is its executive governing body, composed of elected volunteers and its secretary general, which is responsible for the implementation of the resolutions of its conference and governs the organization between meetings of its conference. The committee meets at least twice a year. Its steering committee, consisting of the chairperson, two vice-chairpersons and its youth advisor and secretary general meet as needed.
The committee has 21 members. Twelve, each from a different country, are elected for three-year terms by WOSM's 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 chairpersons of the regional Scout committees are ex-officio members of the committee. From 2008 to 2021 six Youth Advisors to the WSC were elected by the World Scout Youth Forum. The Youth Advisors participated in all of the WSC meetings and were also part of the governing structure between the meetings. There will be no Youth Advisors from 2024.
The 2021–2024 committee set up work streams to address the top strategic priorities, as defined by WOSM's conference.
Task forces include:
Workstream Coordination Group
Standing committees include:
WOSM's bureau is its secretariat, which carries out the instructions of its conference and committee. The bureau is administered by the secretary general, supported by a staff of technical resource personnel.
A bureau was established in London, England in 1922, moved to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada in 1959, Geneva, Switzerland after 1 May 1968 and Kuala Lumpur after August 2013.
Kandersteg International Scout Centre in Switzerland, operated by The KISC Association, is the only WOSM activity centre.
The Better World Framework combines the Scouts of the World Award, Messengers of Peace and World Scout Environment Programmes as programme initiatives administered by WOSM's bureau.
WOSM's emblem and trademark is a purple circular logo with a white fleur-de-lis in the center with a purple five-point star in each outer lobe, surrounded by a circle of white rope tied with a reef or square knot at the base.
The fleur-de-lis, commonly with a five-point star in each of outer lobe, is a more widely used symbol of the Scout Movement. The fleur-de-lis represents the north point on a map or compass and is intended to point Scouts on the path to service. The three lobes on the fleur-de-lis represent the three parts of the Scout Promise: duty to God, service to others and obedience to the Scout Law. A "bond", tying the three lobes of the fleur-de-lis together, symbolizes the family of Scouts. The two five-point stars stand for truth and knowledge, with the ten points representing the ten points of the Scout Law.
The WOSM emblem adds an encircling rope, tied with a knot at the base, which symbolizes the unity and bond of the Scout Movement and uses purple and white colours. In heraldry, the white of the fleur-de-lis and rope denotes purity and the royal purple denotes leadership and service.
For the origin of the fleur-de-lis as a more widely used Scout symbol see: Scout Movement.
From its origin in 1922 until 1939, WOSM did not have its own emblem. In 1939, its director, J. S. Wilson, introduced an international Scout badge, a silver fleur-de-lis on a purple background containing the five continent names in silver framed between two concentric circles. Wearing of the badge was confined to WOSM committee members and bureau staff and their past members. The design became WOSM's logo and a purple flag containing the design followed, the flying of which was restricted to WOSM international Scout gatherings.
In 1955, WOSM's emblem was redesigned in mid-century minimalist style, dropping the continent names and circles and replacing them with a circle of tied rope in the style of family clan emblems. The redesign was introduced at WOSM's 8th World Scout Jamboree by former Boy Scouts of Greece National Commissioner Demetrios Alexatos.
In August 2024, WOSM introduced the current minor redesign of its emblem.
WOSM's emblem is worn by Scouts and Scouters of several of its member organizations, which determine the manner in which WOSM's emblem is worn.
The Scout Association refers to WOSM's emblem as its "Membership Award" and uses it as its joining badge for its Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Explorer Scouts and Scout Network, with progressing requirements intended to help the member understand their commitment.
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) refers to WOSM's emblem as the World Crest. It may be worn on BSA uniforms as an emblem of the worldwide Scout Movement. BSA first used the badge as an award for Scouts and Scouters who participated in an international Scouting event from early 1956 through 1991 with requirements devised by each council. In 1991, BSA made it part of the uniform for all Scouts and its International Activity Patch replaced the World Scout Crest as an award.
Scouts South Africa uses the WOSM emblem badge when new members join as a Cub, a Scout or an Adult Leader. The badge is worn on the left front pocket of the uniform, over the heart.
WOSM's Bronze Wolf Award is given for exceptional services to the international Scout Movement. It was first awarded to Robert Baden-Powell by a unanimous decision of the committee on the day the award was instituted in 1935.
See article: Scouts of the World Award
WOSM's Inter-religious Forum serves as a working-group for eight main religious groups:
Publications of WOSM include:
Ten of these overseas branches of accredited National Scout Organizations are considered "potential members" by the WOSM (marked by *).
Served by Scouting America
Served by The Scout Association (UK)'
Served by Scouts Australia
Australia
Denmark
France
New Zealand
United Kingdom
United States
Antarctica