DPCA Resolutions
Welcome to the DPCA Resolutions Committee’s wiki space.
Information specific to the resolutions process for the DPCA Global Meeting in June 2025 will be linked here shortly.
Members of DPCA and DA generally are welcome to send inquiries to the committee's email address: resolutions at democratsabroad.org
Welcome to the 2025 Resolutions Process!
The Resolutions Committee has been meeting diligently to make sure we have a smooth, orderly and productive Resolutions Process at the Global Annual Meeting (AGM). This Wiki Page serves as the central place to view all matters related to Resolutions.
Please check out our 2025 DPCA Resolutions Section on the right side for more details related to the Resolutions Process, such as our Timeline, or the link below.
As DPCA Members and Engage Members, please review the Editorial Guidelines carefully as you consider submitting a Resolution for consideration. We thank you for participating in the process, and invite you to submit your resolution at resolutions@democratsabroad.org.
If you have questions, you are also free to reach out and we will get back to you asap. Our team is truly global, so we hope to get back to you within 24-48 hours.
Warm regards,
Keith Brannum (Chair, Türkiye), Serajeane Rossitto (Secretary, Japan), David Heaps (Switzerland), Bob Vallier (France), Donna Lum (Indonesia), Kelly Feenan (Italy)
Editorial Guidelines
Please review our Editorial Guidelines as approved by the Resolutions Committee below:
Preliminary considerations
Any voting representative of the DPCA may propose a resolution about any subject they wish. However, we would ask that you take into consideration the following before proposing resolutions :
is what you’re proposing “mission critical“? Our mission right now is twofold: on the one hand, voter engagement, which means both resistance to the autocratic overreach of the Trump administration, and helping a maximum number of people to be able to vote and to protect their right to vote; on the other hand, advocacy, which means engaging with our elected representatives at every level to protect the right to vote, to seek tax relief, to make Medicare portable, to protect Social Security, etc. Many of these things we already do and are very much committed to doing over the next several years, so…
Is what you’re proposing as a resolution something that has already been resolved, something that is already part of our DNA? If so, is there a compelling reason to revisit it?
If what you’re proposing is not “mission-critical“, does it ask the organization to divert precious resources, whether they be human volunteer hours, funds, or other assets, to doing something that is outside of our mission? If so, very compelling reasons will need to be provided in order for such a resolution to receive consideration by the body at the annual general meeting.
Does the resolution that you’re proposing have something to do with our platform, and if so, is it already in the platform from previous years? Please note that because this is not a platform year, something that appears to be important in this very moment may not be important two or three years from now. If you are aiming to include something in a platform that is not scheduled to be prepared for another 2 1/2 years, it should be “timeless“.
Is the resolution you’re proposing something that can be realistically accomplished? For example, calling for the impeachment of Donald Trump, as much as we might like this, is not realistic, given that such a resolution could never make it to the floor of the house. Such a proposed resolution would at best to be performative, virtue signaling, and while that might make us feel good, it is not mission critical
Given the amount of time that will be devoted to resolutions at the annual general meeting, is the resolution that you’re proposing worthy of the members' time, some of whom will be awake at 4 o’clock in the morning.
We also ask you to remember that as an organization we do not and cannot take a stance on foreign policy matters or on the internal politics of other countries.
Please note that the above are not requirements or barriers to consideration. They are merely strong suggestions that we ask you to bear in mind if you plan to propose resolutions.
Submitting a resolution.
Resolutions consist of two principal parts.
The first part is often called the “whereas” section, where in the various conditions and motivations for proposing, a resolution are stated. These should be clear, cogent, coherent, concise and compelling. Because we ask you to be mindful of members time, the whereas section should not go on for pages and pages,
The second part is often called the “be it resolved“ section. This is where you make the “ask” or state the action that you want the body to take. It should be focused, concrete, and achievable. And as we said above, it should be consistent with our mission.
When a resolution is submitted
Once submitted resolutions will be reviewed by the committee, and authors will be invited to consult with editors to achieve a text that is clear and concise with concrete outcomes.
After the deadline for submissions has past and editorial work is complete, resolutions will be circulated to all voting members of the DPCA for a period of review and open commentary.
A series of town halls will be scheduled for discussion of the resolutions and the suggestions to the authors. During this period changes and amendments can be made to the resolutions.
We strongly recommend that each country committee send at least one member of its voting delegation to the town halls. Ideally all voting members will attend at least one Townhall.
A Google Form will be created for amendments that can be made in writing between the release of Resolutions and May 22nd, when the Final Report is issued by the committee.
On May 22, the resolutions committee will issue both the final versions of the resolutions and our report. At that point no additional changes can be made.
At the AGM
When resolutions are discussed at the annual general meeting, there may be debate, but there will be no amendments to the final texts,, friendly or otherwise. They will be submitted for an up or down vote, so if you don’t like the placement of a comma or the use of a semi-colon or a particular term of phrase, you are invited to vote against the resolution.
Have you reviewed the DA Platform adopted in 2024? It is directly relevant to resolutions regarding public policy. You can find it here: https://www.democratsabroad.org/our_charter_and_platform
Would you like to see what resolutions were adopted in 2023? https://democratsabroad.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/Resolv/pages/7256014868
Documents listing Resolutions adopted by the DPCA (in the 21st Century)
This is now a dedicated page on the DA wiki: https://democratsabroad.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/Resolv/pages/7000064022
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Resolutions Space Managers
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