GroenLinks congress

Tomorrow marks the GroenLinks conference. All around us we feel it: GroenLinks is growing and thriving. It is an important time for our party and that also requires a strong party leadership. Indeed, on Saturday we will not only appoint a new leadership leader but also elect five board members. We wouldn't be DWARS if we didn't have an opinion on that ourselves. Below are the candidates we support.

Chairman: Marjolein Meijer
As international secretary and ad interim president, Marjolein was very committed to DWARS. Enthusiastically, she shared our actions and her door was always open to us. More importantly, she is the obvious candidate to lead GroenLinks's period of growth and accompanying professionalisation. Moreover, she creates a good atmosphere like no other! See here To our video for Marjolein.

International: Mieke Van der Vegt
Mieke, as her campaign says, is #-proven effective. She has an extensive history within DWARS. So if anyone can give the young force of our organisation a listening ear it is her. As international secretary, she once again brought the EGP council to the Netherlands for the first time in years. See here To our video for Mieke.

External Party Development: Pauline Gankema
We also know Pauline as a former DWARS member. She wants to focus on expanding the GroenLinks network in the coming years. Given her deep involvement in the environmental movement, among others, we have no doubt that she can take on that task well.

Campaigns and communications: Rogier Elshout
Last but not least, we support Rogier. It won't be a very exciting battle (Rogier is the only candidate). The hard work of this third former DWARS'er to make GroenLink a strong Grass Roots party to make is certainly not lost on us.

At the congress, besides supporting candidates for the party leadership, DWARS will also table a motion on the ombudsperson for future generations. The full motion can be found below:

MOTION ESTABLISHING OMBUDSPERSON OF FUTURE GENERATIONS*

The Congress of GroenLinks, meeting in Amersfoort on Saturday 23 April 2016;

Noting that;
-Hague politics is often focused on the order of the day,
-Sometimes forgetting the interests of future generations too easily,
-People in everything they do now, affect the lives, prosperity and well-being of future generations,
-At present, the interests of future generations are not sufficiently considered in -decision-making processes,
-The right to sustainable development and a healthy environment is not yet enshrined in the Dutch Constitution,
-This makes it difficult to adequately represent the interests of future generations,

Whereas;*
-The right to sustainable development and a healthy environment is enshrined in the constitutions of more than 100 countries worldwide,
-The institution of an ombudsperson can lead to better compliance and monitoring of this right,
-Several countries (e.g. Canada, Wales, Hungary, New Zealand) have already successfully established institutions that look with or protect the rights of future generations,

Speaks out that;
-GroenLinks advocates the inclusion of the right to sustainable development and a healthy environment in the constitution and the creation of an ombudsperson for future generations to safeguard these fundamental rights
monitor,

Calls on the House group to;

-To re-enforce the ombudsperson for future generations
put in her parliamentary work.

And moves on to the order of business.