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1 |
Final responsibility and ultimate authority
for A.A. world services should always reside in the collective conscience of our
whole fellowship.
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2 |
The General Service Conference of A.A. has
become, for nearly every practical purpose, the active voice and the effective conscience
of our whole Society in its world affairs.
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3 |
To insure effective leadership, we should
endow each element of A.A. – the Conference, the General Service Board and its service
corporations, staffs, committees, and executives – with a traditional "Right of
Decision".
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4 |
At all responsible levels, we ought to maintain
a traditional "Right of Participation," allowing a voting representation in reasonable
proportion to the responsibility that each must discharge.
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5 |
Throughout our structure, a traditional
"Right of Appeal" ought to prevail, so that minority opinion will be heard and personal
grievances receive careful consideration.
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6 |
The Conference recognizes that the chief
initiative and active responsibility in most world service matters should be exercised
by the trustee members of the Conference acting as the General Service Board. |
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7 |
The Charter and Bylaws of the General Service
Board are legal instruments, empowering the trustees to manage and conduct world
service affairs. The Conference Charter is not a legal document; it relies upon
tradition and the A.A. purse for final effectiveness.
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8 |
The trustees are the principal planners
and administrators of overall policy and finance. They have custodial oversight
of the separately incorporated and constantly active services, exercising this through
their ability to elect all the directors of these entities.
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9 |
Good service leadership at all levels is
indispensable for our future functioning and safety. Primary world service leadership,
once exercised by the founders, must necessarily be assumed by the trustees.
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10 |
Every service responsibility should be matched
by an equal service authority, with the scope of such authority well defined.
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11 |
The trustees should always have the best
possible committees, corporate service directors, executives, staffs, and consultants.
Composition, qualifications, induction procedures, and rights and duties will always
be matters of serious concern. |
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12 |
The Conference shall observe the spirit
of A.A. tradition, taking care that it never becomes the seat of perilous wealth
or power; that sufficient operating funds and reserve be its prudent financial principle;
that it place none of its members in a position of unqualified authority over others;
that it reach all important decisions by discussion, vote, and, whenever possible,
by substantial unanimity; that its actions never be personally punitive nor an incitement
to public controversy; that it never perform acts of government, and that, like
the Society it serves, it will always remain democratic in thought and action. |