Organisation and Governance
Organisation:
In order to carry out its global mission, the UBS is organised into four geographical areas:
Africa / Americas / Asia-Pacific / Europe-Middle East
This is as shown on the map below, the former sub-regions in Africa and the Americas having been formally remerged in September 2005.
Governance:
The UBS governance framework is set out in the following diagram:
It comprises three levels – global, intermediate, and national – with the global and national elements themselves organised into assembly and board components.
Governing bodies establish key policies, determine the allocation of resources, and monitor overall performance and adherence to membership standards. This function is carried out by representative groups elected by UBS member Societies to act on their behalf as Boards and committees, in line with strategic directions established by the member Societies meeting in World Assembly.
Assembly — a gathering of representatives in a meeting that has decision-making functions, distinguished from other “gatherings” that are only consultative in nature.
Area — the four geographical units – Africa, Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe-Middle East – into which UBS currently organises its service structures. Now used in preference to “continent”, which was found to be confusing.
Board — the principal forum of decision-making governance at each level. Boards may appoint “committees” (which includes task forces, working groups, etc) to undertake work on their behalf.
Area Gatherings (e.g. national Bible Society gatherings on a geographical basis) have been held in a variety of forms for many years, and for a variety of purposes. These include fellowship, sharing of ideas and good practice, training and development, and inspiration and motivation. These gatherings also provide an important means of consulting and communicating with member Bible Societies, and as such make an important contribution to the UBS governance process. However, as they do not have a decision-making function, they are not considered to be part of the UBS governance structure. Thus, such consultations on identity, ethos, and governance are an example of governance consultative processes. Similarly, in some areas, gatherings of member Societies meet each year to discuss items on the Area Committee agenda prior to the committee meeting, and thus provide input directly to the Area Committee on key subjects.