97th Executive Council of the WFSW

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97th EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEETING OF THE
WORLD FEDERATION OF SCIENTIFIC WORKERS

The 97th meeting of the Executive Council (EC) of the World Federation of Scientific Workers (WFSW) took place on 26th–27th November. The meeting was held remotely via videoconference. During the same week, on 28th–29th November, a Regional Symposium was held in Rabat, Morocco, under the theme “Open Science and Democratising Science”, an initiative of the WFSW in partnership with UNESCO. For this reason, some of the EC members, namely Co-Presidents Jean-Paul Lainé and Elies Molins, and Secretary-General Jamal Sebbani, attended the event in person in Rabat.  Also present in Rabat were the coordinators of the Federation’s UNESCO Sector and co-organisers of the event, Josette Rome-Chastanet, Mehdi Lahlou, and Marc Delepouve.

The EC proceedings were divided into four sessions, with a total duration of eight hours. The split was necessary to create acceptable conditions for the participation of representatives from affiliated associations across various continents, from China to Canada and South America, considering significant time zone differences.

Representatives from scientific workers’ associations in Argentina, China, France, Morocco, Portugal, Russia, Senegal, Spain, and a few other countries also participated. The diversity of associations present was one of the key strengths of this EC meeting, reflected in contributions detailing the successes and challenges faced by affiliated associations in their respective national and regional contexts. Concerns regarding working and living conditions of scientific workers in these different countries and regions were also highlighted.

Key topics discussed included: science policies, open access to research results—Open Science—the situation of women scientists, geopolitical instabilities that hinder cooperation among scientific workers, energy issues, and the limited efforts to mitigate climate change. Alongside the questions of Peace and unequal development, these factors continue to compromise real progress towards achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This brief report on the 97th EC highlights some of the most significant discussions and contributions. Notably, at the start of the meeting, the opening addresses by Co-Presidents Jean-Paul Lainé and Elies Molins set the tone for the discussions.

During the session dedicated to the Federation’s Working Groups and Sectors, Frederico Carvalho (OTC) presented a contribution on “Science and Peace” in both English and French, on behalf of Working Group 1— “Peace, Disarmament, and Cooperation”. As a result of this intervention, the Federation proposed an Appeal for Peace, urging scientific workers to engage in this crucial cause. This proposal was approved during the closing session and has already been published on the websites of WFSW and OTC:

Regarding the World Federation’s internal regulations, which had been circulated for comment and approval in the final session of the EC, sensitive issues continued to emerge. Following discussions and the suggestions presented—including the need to adapt the Federation’s Statutes — Pascal Janots proposed that the task of reviewing the Statutes be assigned to Working Group 6 — Internal Regulations of the Federation. He also suggested restructuring this group to present a final document for review and approval at the next in-person EC meeting, before its formal ratification at the 2026 General Assembly.

The future of the Federation was also discussed in the final session, a topic that has been repeatedly raised due to its importance. It was acknowledged that coordinators should be appointed for a new working group dedicated to this issue.

Despite the limitations of remote work and hybrid meetings, the 97th Executive Council of the WFSW proved productive, paving the way for positive perspectives on the Federation’s future activities.

As approved at the Marrakesh General Assembly in May 2022, the WFSW now holds two Executive Council meetings per year, one of which is in person. The next 98th Executive Council meeting, which will be held in person, is scheduled to take place in Paris from June 9 to 13, 2025. The next General Assembly is expected to be held in 2026 in a Latin American country, yet to be defined.

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Portuguese version: https://otc.pt/wp/2025/04/01/97o-conselho-executivo-da-fmtc/