WILD12 News & Updates

12th World Wilderness Congress Resolution Guidelines

The World Wilderness Congress is unique among civil society environmental foras as it provides the public a direct and concrete instrument for setting the global environmental agenda: resolutions. We invite all WILD12 delegates to participate in the resolution process, engaging with other delegates in polite and purposeful conversation in meaningful attempts to find common ground on the next steps we can and should take as an international wilderness movement.

Below you will find more information on what resolutions are, how you can participate, and what to expect when we convene in Hé Sapa (the Black Hills) from August 25-31.

Purpose

Have you ever wondered how or why the issues that capture the public’s attention garner such widespread notice? Social scientists who study this process know that it can be a complex and time-consuming process, oftentimes relying on external and unexpected events to launch certain policy ideas into the collective consciousness. However, one commonality shared among most of the subjects that make it on the public agenda is the presence of an organized and determined group of people who spend countless hours organizing communities and advocating for solutions. Some call this group an “an interest group,” especially when it consists of paid professionals. But when it is a mix of people, volunteering their time to leave a positive mark upon the world, we at WILD call it a “coalition.”

We see the World Wilderness Congress as a unique space to nurture such coalitions, especially for the resolutions that WILD (and other participating NGOs) adopt to support and advance within global environmental decision-making bodies in the years following the Congress.

The only requirements for these resolutions is that they are centered around an environmental problem and they propose a feasible actions/solutions.

Types & Processes

There are two types of resolutions at WILD12: planned and spontaneous. Below, we lay out the process for developing and submitting each.

Planned Resolutions

WILD12 is centered around two overarching objectives: 1) strengthening the international movement by recognizing and embedding Indigenous leadership and contributions within our concepts and policies and 2) bringing greater attention to the environmental leadership of Indigenous Nations in the Great Plains and Black Hills. In the lead up to the Congress, WILD has organized and convened working groups around each of these topics to develop resolutions that will provide a roadmap for action after the Congress.

In addition to these objectives, other delegates in anticipation of the Congress have convened their own working groups and have submitted resolutions for publication in the print program and the digital program. The deadlines for those submissions are, respectively, August 7 and August 19. Email Tori Pfaeffle (tori@wild.org) with your submissions. Your subject line should include the words “W12 Resolution.”

Planned Resolutions will oftentimes be presented in contact sessions at the Congress as an opportunity to gain support and receive feedback. They will be presented on the final day and submitted to the delegates for vote. After the Congress, those who support these resolutions can officially endorse them and commit to advancing them in subsequent work. WILD will endorse many of these resolutions and adopt several of them to steward as proposals in international governmental foras.

Spontaneous Resolutions

When like-minded people gather together, good ideas are often born. WILD12 encourages delegates to capture the momentum of their exchanges and share it with others in an announcement on the final day of the Congress.

These resolutions will follow the format of other resolutions (see below) and are an opportunity to garner important attention and support. If submitted to WILD’s proceedings committee, they will be included in the proceedings to be published approximately a year after the Congress.

There is a limited amount of time on the final day of the Congress. Space is limited. Should you develop a spontaneous resolution during the Congress, email Adam Hanson (adam@wild.org) and Tori Pfaeffle (tori@wild.org) and include in your subject line “Spon W12 Resolution.” They will let you know if space is available to share and will put you in touch with the proceedings committee after the Congress.

Substance & Format

All WILD12 Resolutions will follow the following guidelines.

Substance

  • Be primarily about an environmental or ecological challenge, or clearly states that the challenge poses a current and significant ecological threat/or opportunity citing credible evidence.
  • Proposes a feasible solution that requires collective commitment and action.

Format

  • Length: No more than 2 pages with standard margins at 11 point font.
  • Include three sections: the WHEREAS section, the THEREFORE section, and the RESOLVED section
  • List in the RESOLVED section the actions and commitments required.
  • Include two delegate proposers (names and titles required, emails recommended).
  • Include one delegate seconder (names and titles required, emails recommended).
  • The WHEREAS section lists important background including: describing the opportunity, listing evidence, and stating values.
  • The THEREFORE section broadly describes the way forward. Example: Whereas scientists have concluded that we need half of Earth’s wildlands intact in order to protect the biosphere, we therefore propose that we work around the world to ensure that people and nations everywhere are empowered to protect and steward half.
  • The RESOLVED section lists the specific commitments needed to take the next step in solving the challenge.

Timelines

Submissions

Planned Resolutions: The deadlines for submissions are, respectively, August 7 and August 19. Email Tori Pfaeffle (tori@wild.org) with your submissions. Your subject line should include the words “W12 Resolution.”

Spontaneous Resolutions: Between August 27 and 3 PM August 30. There is a limited amount of time on the final day of the Congress. Space is limited. Should you develop a spontaneous resolution during the Congress, email Adam Hanson (adam@wild.org) and Tori Pfaeffle (tori@wild.org) and include in your subject line “Spon W12 Resolution.” They will let you know if space is available to share and will put you in touch with the proceedings committee after the Congress.

Contact Sessions

Contact Sessions will occur between the afternoon of August 28 and the evening of August 30. Space is limited and these can only be held for some planned resolutions.

What Resolutions Are Adopted

The World Wilderness Congress is a unique space for wilderness champions to meet, plan, and mobilize. We are an agenda-setting community, but we are not a governance body, meaning we have no authority over each other. Planned Resolutions will go through several rounds of adoption. These include:

  • Adoption in the working group, usually by consensus.
  • Garnering support and feedback in the contact sessions. Session attendees have an opportunity to decide if this is something they want to endorse or have interest in following in the future.
  • Recorded vote in plenary. Planned resolutions will be voted on in plenary and WILD will record and public these vote totals. This number can be used for advocacy purposes in future efforts.
  • Possible adoption by WILD or another organization as a core policy objective.
  • Endorsements (following the Congress and to be published in the proceedings).

Do the WILD’s small team and the subsequent lack of capacity, our offerings for Spontaneous Resolutions are more limited.

  • Possible adoption by WILD or another organization as a core policy objective.
  • Endorsements (following the Congress and to be published in the proceedings).