Resolutions
NFWI Resolution Shortlist 2024/25
At the NFWI Resolution Shortlist Selection meeting on 3 October 2024 member and federation delegates shortlisted four resolutions which will now be taken forward for further debate and selection by members.
1. Let’s talk about incontinence
It is estimated that 14 million people in the UK of all ages are suffering from bladder problems and a further 6.5 million with bowel problems. However, it is still a subject that is misunderstood and very hard to talk about. We call upon the UK Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and Wales’ Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care to examine in detail all areas of health and wellbeing that are affected by incontinence issues. We call for the government to commit to an up-to-date audit to provide a national picture of incontinence care, offering a baseline from which to drive improved services. We call upon the members of the WI to raise public awareness, remove the stigma around incontinence, to help reduce the significant impact on people’s lives.
2. Bystanders can be lifesavers
There are over 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests a year in the UK, and less than one in ten people survive. Women have a lower chance of surviving than men. Early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillating can more than double the chances of survival. We call on WI members to work together to increase public confidence and training in the delivery of CPR and to work with local organisations to help improve access to defibrillators in their communities to give every person the best chance of surviving a cardiac arrest.
3. Join the repair revolution
There is a huge excess in clothing production which has devastating consequences for the environment. The WI calls on the UK Government to join the repair revolution and strengthen the law and investment to support a circular economy of clothing and fabrics in the UK, where repair and reuse are achievable, accessible, and affordable to all. We also call on WI members to promote clothing reuse and repair in their communities.
4. Eliminate landfill of medication packaging
Medication packaging, due to its complexity, is not routinely recyclable through local authority collections, usually leading to disposal in landfills. We call on the WI to proactively raise awareness by encouraging additional collection points where empty packaging can be easily returned for recycling. Furthermore, we call on manufacturing companies to acknowledge their moral responsibility to reduce their environmental impact by exploring simpler packaging alternatives that are easier to recycle or have less impact on the environment. These steps can significantly improve recycling rates to move towards eliminating landfill.
Every member now has the opportunity to consider these and select the one they would most like to go forward for further discussion and voting at the Annual Meeting in June 2025.
Brief notes can be found in the November/December edition of WI Life and more detailed information and PowerPoint presentations can be found on MyWI
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Resolution Selected for 2024
Between November and February, every WI member had the chance to have their say on the shortlisted resolutions and the first resolution on Dental Health Matters received the most selections both nationally and in West Sussex. This resolution was debated at the NFWI Annual Meeting and passed with a 95% majority.
The NFWI Public Affairs Department will now take the resolution away and develop a WI campaign to take action on the dental health crisis both locally and nationally. There will be lots of opportunities for members to get involved.
Dental Health Matters
There is a chronic shortage of NHS Dentists and people are suffering health issues as a result. The NFWI calls on the Government to increase investment in the training and retention of dentists and to review the current inadequate NHS contracts in order to ensure everyone can access an NHS dentist wherever they live.
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NFWI Resolution Shortlist 2023/24
At the NFWI Resolution Shortlist Selection meeting on 3 October 2023 member and federation delegates shortlisted four resolutions.
These were:
- Dental Health Matters
- Impacts of poor housing conditions
- Say ‘no’ to gambling advertising
- Improving Outcomes for Women in the Criminal Justice System
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Resolution Selected for 2023
Between November and February, every WI member had the chance to have their say on the shortlist and the resolution they would like to see go forward to the Annual Meeting on 25 May.
Resolution No. 4 Clean rivers for people and wildlife received the most selections both in West Sussex and nationally. Members then discussed this in their WIs and their Link Delegates took their votes to the NFWI Annual Meeting.
The resolution was passed with a majority of 84% and has now become a mandate.
The wording of the resolution is as follows:
Water quality in our rivers is shameful. Legally, designated bathing waters must be regularly monitored for pollution. The NFWI urges its members, the wider public, local authorities and Government to make, support and promote applications for official designated bathing sites on appropriate stretches of rivers in their area. This will be as instrumental to the clean up of rivers as it has been for water quality improvement at coastal beaches.
Members are now encouraged to take part in this campaign and more information can be found on My WI