ATTENDANCE
The 37th World Scout Conference was held 5-9 September 2005 in Yasmine Hammamet, Tunisia. It was attended by nearly 1,200 participants from 122 countries. The Conference was officially opened by the Tunisian Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi on behalf of the country's President His Excellency M. Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

The Conference is the general assembly of the World Organization of the Scout Movement and is composed of the leaders of national Scout organizations.

NEW MEMBERS
The Conference voted to accept three national Scout organizations as new members: Beslidhja Skaut Albania, the National Scout Association of Guinea, and the Scout Association of Malawi. This brings WOSM membership to 155 countries. The Conference also welcomed the Scouts of Namibia to its first conference since becoming a full member recently.

FUTURE EVENTS
Progress reports were made about the:
- 21st World Scout Jamboree, United Kingdom, 2007
- 38th World Scout Conference, Korea, 2008
- 13th World Scout Moot, Mozambique, 2008

Sweden was chosen by the Conference to host the World Scout Jamboree in 2011. Australia, Japan, and Singapore also made invitations to host the event.

Brazil was chosen by the Conference to host the World Scout Conference and Youth Forum in 2011. Australia and Hong Kong also made invitations to host the event.

ELECTIONS
Six people were elected to six-year terms on the World Scout Committee from a field of 15 candidates:
Mrs. Thérèse Bermingham, Ireland
Mr. Mario Diaz Martinez, Spain
Mr. Georges El Ghorayeb, Lebanon
Mr. Steve Fossett, U.S.A*
Mr. Nkwenkwe Nkomo, South Africa
Mr. Gualtiero Zanolini, Italy*

*Mr. Fossett and Mr. Zanolini completed 3-year terms, and were elected to six-year terms.

The World Scout Committee elected the following officers:
Chairman: Mr. Herman C.S. Hui, Hong Kong
Vice-Chairman: Mrs. Thérèse Bermingham, Ireland
Vice-Chairman: Mr. Philippe Da Costa, France

Continuing their mandates on the World Committee are Mr. Mohd. Habibul Alam (Bangladesh), Mr. Philippe Da Costa (France), Mr. John Gemmill (Canada), Mr. Herman Hui (Hong Kong), Mrs. Ana Elisa Piubello (Argentina), Mr. Mohamed Ben Ali Triki (Tunisia), Mr. Arnaud Girardin (Treasurer), Dr. Eduardo Missoni (Secretary General, WOSM).

Retiring World Scout Committee members are: Dr. (Mrs.) Marie-Louise Correa (Senegal), Mr. Ferran Guimaraes (Spain), Mr. Walter Hofstetter (Switzerland), and Mr. Toby Takemichi Suzuki (Japan).

BRONZE WOLF
The Bronze Wolf, the only award of the World Scout Committee, was presented to Mohamed Afilal (Morocco), Richard Burdick (USA), Saiful Islam Khan (Bangladesh), Christos Lygeros (Greece), Yapo Leonard Offoumou (Côte d'Ivoire), Anthony Thng Bock Boh (Singapore), Jack Sinclair (Canada), Costas Tsantilis (Greece), and Gerald Voros (USA).

KEY AGENDA ITEMS
- Key-note reports were made by Marie-Louise Correa, Chairman of the World Scout Committee; Eduardo Missoni, Secretary General of the World Organization of the Scout Movement; and Arnaud Girardin, Treasurer.

- The Strategy for Scouting was the focus throughout the Conference. Progress on each of the seven priorities was reported, with many countries presenting examples of their success. Delegates traveled to the historic Roman coliseum in El Jem to meet in small groups to discuss aspects of the Strategy.

- Preparations for the Centenary of Scouting in 2007 were widely discussed and reported. Most countries declared their "gifts for peace" projects which will be undertaken for the Centenary.

- The first Youth for Development Prizes were awarded to teams of young people who have run innovative projects in the framework of the Millennium Development Goals in the fields of environment, development or peace. Twenty-seven applications were received and reviewed by a world jury of experts on these subjects, headed by the First Lady of Poland Jolanta Kwasniewska.
She announced the following winners to the Conference. They are: Peace: Burundi - Scouting and peace promotion Environment: Bahrain - Creativity in Environment Culture Development: Ireland - Mantay: Mothers, Murals & Mosaics.

Press Release

Herman Hui Elected
Head of World Scouting

Hammamet, Tunisia, 8 September 2005 - Herman Hui, a Hong Kong lawyer and businessman has been elected chairman of the World Scout Committee, the governing body of the World Organization of the Scout Movement.

He was elected on the occasion of the 37th World Scout Conference being held 5-9 September in Tunisia.

He announced his desire to "open the Scout movement" and support the process of revising the governence of the nearly 100-year-old organization. The project was introduced to the Conference by Dr. Eduardo Missoni, Secretary General of the World Scout Organization, with the goal of strengthening the unity and effectiveness of the movement.

Mr. Hui, a British citizen, has been in Scouting 43 years, and is actively involved in social action projects of the Scout Association of Hong Kong. He has initiated exchanges between Hong Kong Scouts and young people in China. "Scouting activities are warmly received in China," he explained. Each year the Hong Kong Scouts organize activities jointly with the Chinese Youth Federation to offer Chinese youth the opportunity to benefit from training programmes.

Mrs. Thérèse Bermingham, Ireland, and Françis Philippe Da Costa, France, were elected vice-chairmen of the World Scout Committee. Adventurer Steve Fossett was re-elected as a member of the committee.

Note to editors:

- The mission of Scouting is the education of young people to take an active role in society.
- The world Scout Committee is composed of 14 members, 12 of whom are elected to six-year terms.
- The movement encompasses 28 million boys and girls in 216 countries and territories. Scouting is a grassroots organization for youth, guided by adult volunteer leaders. Educational programmes are developed according the local needs and the aspirations of young people.
- Based in Geneva, Switzerland, the World Scout Organization has, since 1947, consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.