IFLA President's Bulletin

President’s bulletin

Issue #03 – OCTOBER 2013

Dear all, I had the honour and the pleasure at the end of September to attend IFLA-Europe’s General Assembly in Berlin, which was hosted by the BDLA (German League of Landscape Architects) who were celebrating their 100th Anniversary.

It was a very dynamic and fruitful assembly, with new European officers being elected. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate again Ana Luengo, elected IFLA-Europe President, and Andrei Condoroş, elected IFLA-Europe Vice-President for Professional Practice. The BDLA organized an amazing party on the Friday evening with a direct view to the Quadrilla (Berlin’s iconic statue on the Gate of Brandenburg).

But before all that Ilya, Nigel, Bruno and I, together with our external facilitator, Mike, had a very efficient meeting following up on the strategy work which ExCo and the SPWG (strategic planning work group) have been doing since the World Council in Auckland. I have to say it is a pleasure to work with my colleagues on this task: I deeply thank them for all they do for our organisation.

IFLA Europe General Assembly, September 2013 Image courtesy of ELAU

Nigel, together with Ilya and SPWG co-chair, Diane Menzies, has been working on the update of our Constitution. We want to have a concise and clear document. I have also reviewed it and in my opinion it is what we need. All other ExCo members are also carefully reviewing it and, after that, it will be circulated (early November) to all Delegates, so you can gather all comments and define a document that matches with the majority of WC Delegates’ points of view.

John, IFLA Treasurer, and Mike have also been working on the financial and income development aspects of the Strategy Plan. There is still much work to do, but a draft set of financial management guidelines has already been developed, which will be circulated soon.

Another achievement of our Berlin meeting was to set a schedule for us all to follow, leading up to the WC taking decisions in Argentina in June 2014. An outline of that schedule is given later in this Bulletin - at the end of the article, which summarises the main points in the updated ‘strategic framework’ document that was prepared following the Auckland WC, and circulated to all Delegates at the end of August.

Hoping for your participation and thanking you for your support.

International Landscape Convention (ILC) Keep signing the petition here

IFLA online forum to discuss the new organisational framework Access here

IFLA Archive in René Pechère Library Visit the online catalogue here

‘A new organisational framework for IFLA’: Summary of document prepared after Auckland WC, April 2013, and circulated to Members August 2013 Main developments planned: i.

IFLA will stay as a single, international body revolving around its Regions who will share a supportive and coordinating Centre. However, IFLA’s new Constitution will allow Regions much more flexibility in how they manage their activities. The organisation will also increasingly function as a global on-line community, with Members sharing and networking regarding topics of common interest across the world.

ii.

Regions will keep their co-ordinating and supporting role across their local Members but, if there is a local demand, a Region may set up some sub-Regional groups to help enable closer support or networking between Members.

IFLA’s Constitution will permit up to five Regions in the future.

iii. IFLA’s Centre is to focus on three key functions: central administration/secretariat needed for IFLA as an organisation as a whole; support for and co-ordination of the work of World ExCo / IFLA’s Regions / main IFLA committees and services provided to Members; and IFLA communications (both with Members and external global PR and marketing). iv. To strengthen the effectiveness of the IFLA Centre, IFLA will establish a new post of Executive Director. ExCo will delegate some of their operational duties to this role. v.

IFLA’s current range of central committees and task groups is being rationalised and simplified to help make IFLA’s delivery of projects more focused and efficient. There will be four central standing committees: Education & Academic Affairs; Communications & External Relations; Policy & Professional Practice; and Finance & Business Planning. Other committees or task groups will report in to one of these standing committees. New terms of reference are being defined for every committee.

vi. Membership of world ExCo is being modified. Given the new role of Executive Director, IFLA’s Constitution will drop the role of Secretary General. Alongside the role of world President and Treasurer there will be up to five Regional Presidents (one for each Region) and a role for each of the chairs of the new standing committees. vii. To further improve how IFLA operates, IFLA will develop a range of good-practice management guidelines, which all parts of the organisation will be expected to follow. These will include a set of financial management guidelines and a set of strategic/business planning guidelines. A ‘relationship agreement’ will also be established between each Region and the IFLA Centre to clarify mutual expectations. viii. IFLA will develop enhanced streams of income to support its future activities. Areas it will review include IFLA’s range of member categories, new commercial income sources, member subscriptions policy, and how IFLA’s annual congress is managed. ix. IFLA will take measures to improve its communications - both with its Members and external communications to its major external stakeholders at a global level. Actions will include improved websites and greater use of relevant social media.

Principal actions & timings up to World Council 2014: i.

Drafting of new IFLA Constitution & By-Laws completed - October 2013

ii.

Draft constitutional documents circulated to Council Delegates/Regions for feedback - early November, for comments back by later in November 2013

iii.

Final proposed new constitutional documents posted online for IFLA members, together with call for nominations for vacancies on ExCo (including new standing committee chairs) - early December 2013

iv.

Electronic voting by Members - between end January and late February 2014

v.

ExCo to review/plan recruitment of Exec Director - January/February 2014

vi.

Report of recommendations from task group to develop proposals for new income sources for IFLA - end February 2014

vii. Buenos Aires WC votes on new constitutional documents - June 2014 If you have any questions or requests for further information about the above work, please contact the IFLA Executive Secretary in the first instance.

Review of IFLA 50th World Congress & Declaration, Auckland, April 2013 ‘Shared Wisdom in an Age of Change’ Learning planners: backlogs following

One of the several dance performances during the congress breaks. Image courtesy of IFLA 2013

from an earlier IFLA Congress is an unlikely possibility for IFLA organisers need to be 100% committed and afterwards have work and are exhausted. This then is a sharing of wisdom immediately the Congress in New Zealand, before the next challenge arrives.

The Congress theme enabled a range of ideas and viewpoints, as well as contributions from allied professions. The sub-themes were selected around a narrative developed at least two years previously and speakers who were thought likely to contribute to that theme, and provide both younger and more mature wisdom, a gender balance and geographic range were invited. The conference planning committee set several objectives, achieving quality results with great commitment and enthusiasm. Understanding that young landscape architects are largely the future of our profession, they aimed for high student and young graduate participation and achieved success. There were 67 students at the three-day charrette, and 37% of Congress participants were students.

A second objective for the Congress was to minimise less ‘sustainable’ practices such as printed material and conference bags.

Almost all information provided was electronic. A further objective was to keep participants together to encourage greater interaction and networking at the conference. The purpose of seeing the Auckland landscape early in the Congress was to provide the context for everyone for presentations on the second and third day, and to enable them to meet colleagues and make new friends during the field trips.

The final aim of the organisers was to provide for culture throughout the Congress. They had Pacific Island, Maori and Aboriginal dancing, music and drumming to lure participants back to the presentations, Maori participation as the first keynote speaker, and other speakers, as well as the final closing of the Congress; two formal Maori welcomes; the student charrette was a contribution to a real life project for the tribe Ngati Watua; and there was a session on Maori landscape values. The organisers think they gave visitors a broad introduction to indigenous culture and issues.

On behalf of IFLA, I would sincerely like to thank the team, led by the Convenor Renee Davies, and the speakers and participants for the amazing experience offered in New Zealand! It was a totally great event!

1. ‘Tamaki Makaurau Declaration’ A resolution was approved in the closing stages of the Auckland Congress, with the intention of establishing IFLA policy on indigenous knowledge and culture, and advocating that respect and attention be given to all landscapes, particularly by way of the proposed UNESCO International Landscape Convention (ILC).

The Declaration was as follows: Tamaki Makaurau Declaration, IFLA 12 April 2013 We, the landscape architects of 41 nations of the world, commend the following resolutions to international, national, regional and local decision makers and assert that: 1. All landscapes of intertwined cultural, natural, urban and rural systems, including land and water, are important to people´s identity and quality of life and therefore must be respected.

2. We support the proposed UNESCO International Landscape Convention and urge all nations to engage with the process and support this inspirational convention, founded on local charter actions.

3. We recognize traditional and indigenous knowledge and wisdom held by people of the world, which contributes to understanding landscape and can guide decision making at this time and for our shared future,

4. We acknowledge that the profound connection between people and place roots culture to landscape and that our future requires our effective action and collaboration to sustain the wealth of the landscape world-wide.

With a big, big hug Desiree Martínez IFLA-President president.ifla@gmail.com

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