In the setting of the national Library in Riga, the President of Latvia Raimonds Vējonis launched our two-day 2018 General Assembly (GA). Members from across our FEE global network joined together as the President talked about the need for sustainability and finding solutions to excess consumption.

“Environmental awareness must be in the heart of everyone,” President of Latvia

The Chairwoman for both days of the GA was FEE Board of Directors President Lesley Jones, who was elected as the first female President of FEE at the previous General Assembly in 2016. Our members were treated to a packed itinerary of sessions, including FEE’s overall objective and strategic plans for the next two years, as well as those of our five individual programmes. Other sessions included our financial reporting since 2016, new communication initiatives and plans to develop our Regional African Network. New lesson plans for the YRE and Eco-Schools programmes on Litter and Waste were launched to assist the Litter Less Campaign.

There were sessions showcasing our latest developments, the revamping and relaunching of our Global Forest Fund, and the idea of an online FEE University which would enable members to access online material.

“This will be an opportunity for our members to increase their knowledge and skills, while allowing them to connect more intimately with FEE, its programmes and structure,” Board Member Laura Hickey.

The main talking point for the second day of the GA was the possible addition of a sixth FEE programme called the Sustainable Community programme. Board member Amine Ahlafi gave an overview which included developing an eco-label or award within the new programme that would include a strong emphasis on the Sustainable Development Goals and embrace the full spectrum of sustainability-related activities. Break out groups were organised to discuss the pros, cons and benefits of such a programme, and their feedback was then shared between our members.

FEE members also voted for a new FEE Board of Directors member, after it was announced that Boris Šušmak would be stepping down from his position. After the votes were cast, Sasha Karajovic, Executive Director of ECOM (Environmental Consultancy of Montenegro) was invited to join the board.

 “I believe that with my valuable experience and as a representative of a small volunteer organisation with limited sources which ‘out of nothing’ makes something very valuable and recognisable in Montenegro, I can contribute to the whole FEE family and FEE Board of Directors,” Sasha Karajovic.

“This was a very productive General Assembly and I think our most successful to date. I am so proud that we came together and had the opportunity to discuss our exciting new developments and receive valuable feedback.  This will enable FEE to keep expanding as we continue to contribute to a more sustainable world,” Daniel Schaffer, CEO of the Foundation for Environmental Education.

For the finale to celebrate our FEE global network, our national hosts FEE Latvia organised 500 Latvian young people to join each of our FEE member countries by waving their national flags outside the national library.