World Service Conference (WSC)
A list of the motions and how we voted on behalf of CIRNA is included at the end of this report.
Some of the big take-aways from the 2023 WSC:
- Regional Reports show 71,815 weekly meetings worldwide, but does not include virtual meetings that may not be associated with an Area or Region. (Roughly 4,500 meetings down from the 2020 CAR.)
- All 12 World Board motions were passed. Only 3 of the 13 Regional motions passed.
- The WSC will be on a 3-year cycle for 2 cycles, until 2029, when it returns to 2-years unless changed.
- All of the Fellowship Intellectual Property Trust (FIPT) motions from the World Board were passed.
- Virtual meetings are now recognized at the world level as NA groups.
- The process by which we create new literature is broken. Regional Motions and the Literature Survey, both try to establish what literature development to prioritize. The literature survey is only taken by a small fraction of the fellowship, and Regional motions are often too focused on the needs or desires of a local portion of the fellowship, rather than NA worldwide.
- Just because the World Board is tasked with creating a project plan for a piece of literature, doesn’t mean that the project will actually be prioritized at the next conference. This means that any projects not prioritized are added to all the other projects from previous cycles that weren’t prioritized – in other words, the projects basically die from lack of support.
- We need a means to discuss, flesh out, and vet Regional motions prior to their submission to the CAR. With more discussion between Regions, the ability to amend motions to include input from other Regions prior to the WSC, and the increased understanding that comes from these discussions, Regional motions might be more effective.
Thank You CIRNA!
Thank you to the groups of CIRNA for the opportunity to serve as your Regional Delegate for the last 4 ½ years. It has been an amazing experience and has certainly opened my eyes to how things are done at the world level. Along the way I have made new friends, learned much, and, in some cases, found myself to be much more powerless than I had hoped.
There are things in the service structure at the WSC and world level that I have come to believe are broken – or at least less than effective – and may be beyond our ability to repair them. The process of change is complicated by the infrequency of WSC meetings, the complexity of the CAR, and the challenge of keeping the fellowship engaged in the discussion year-to-year. Maybe it is simply a matter of time and faith? Maybe most addicts don’t care if it doesn’t affect their home group?
The good news is that our fellowship is alive and strong. Don’t miss the opportunity to attend a day – or a few – of the next WSC in 2026. There are many dedicated members involved, and it was truly an experience that I have struggled to capture in words. How do you describe something that is as full of wonder and joy as a Christmas morning, and a grueling marathon of business meetings at the same time?
I spoke with a member from Namibia, where they have two meetings in the entire country – a country approximately 30 times the size of our region. (CIRNA covers roughly 10,500 sq/mi while Namibia covers roughly 318,000 sq/mi.)
We heard how the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has forced the Ukrainian fellowship to rush their translation process, as Russian language literature, which was widely spoken and used prior to the conflict, is now highly frowned upon in Ukraine.
We listened with tears in our eyes as the Serenity Prayer was recited in at least 34 languages representing the languages spoken by the countries and peoples present at the conference.
Although we are a global fellowship, I was reminded that there is more work to do at home than ever. There was talk of stagnant growth in the US and apathy in service. While our primary purpose remains unchanged, some of the challenges we face today may require solutions that move us outside of our comfort zones.
I encourage you to fill both the Delegate and Alternate Delegate positions as soon as possible and ensure that the servants in those positions understand the weight and responsibility of the conscience they carry on behalf of CIRNA. It is very important for the servants in these roles to understand that CIRNA is investing time and money in their training so that they will be prepared to represent our region at the WSZF and the WSC. It is especially important for the AD to understand the need to move into the RD position.
As your Delegate, I hope that I have represented CIRNA with integrity, I hope that I have kept my opinions to myself – unless asked – and I hope that I have given our groups a voice at the WSC and WSZF that accurately represents their conscience.
In gratitude for this opportunity,
Mike C.