Current WI Resolutions:
Details and Action Plans can be found on the main WI website
A call to increase potential stem cell donor registration (2020)
There is an urgent need to increase the number of people registered on the aligned UK stem cell registry in order to provide potentially life-saving treatment to people of all ages with certain blood cancers. We call on all WI members to promote registration to the database to avoid people dying whilst waiting for a match.
End modern slavery (2020)
There are tens of thousands of victims of modern slavery hiding in plain sight in the UK. Modern slavery has severe consequences for the health and mental wellbeing of survivors. The NFWI calls on Government to protect victims of modern slavery in the first instance and deliver longer term support to help them rebuild their lives. We call on our members to raise awareness of the prevalence of modern slavery throughout society and to campaign to defeat it.
Don't Fear the Smear (2019)
Cervical screening saves around 5,000 lives a year, yet attendance is currently at its lowest for a decade. The NFWI urges WI members to attend routine screening, to take action to raise awareness of the importance of cervical screening and address barriers to attendance to help eradicate cervical cancer.
Proposed by Disley WI, Cheshire Federation
Passed by 97% majority
A Call against the decline in local Bus Services (2019)
Over the last decade there has been a massive decline in the number of bus services, particularly of those in rural and semi-rural areas. In order to alleviate loneliness, improve health and well being, as well as promoting sustainable development, the NFWI calls on the Government and local authorities to increase subsidies and work in partnership with bus companies and community transport operators to enable an adequate provision of services.
Proposed by Burniston and Cloughton WI, North Yorkshire East Federation
Passed by 96% majority
Mental Heath Matters (2018)
Mental health matters as much as physical health. The NFWI urges all WI members to recognise the importance of parity between mental health and physical health, and take action to make it as acceptable to talk about mental health issues as much as physical health issues, and to lobby government for better support for mental illness.
Callow End WI, Worcestershire Federation
The resolution was passed with 98% of the vote.
Votes cast in favour: 5945 Votes cast against: 103
The NFWI will be putting together a full campaign plan and action pack that will include background to the campaign as well as ideas for how members can take action.
Plastic Soup: Keep microplastic fibres out of our oceans (2017)
Microplastic fibres are shed from synthetic clothing with every wash and are the main contributors to microplastic contamination of the oceans. The NFWI calls on Government and industry to research and develop innovative solutions to this problem in order to stop the accumulation of microplastic fibres in our oceans.
Ashley Green WI, Buckinghamshire Federation
The resolution was passed with 98.9% of the vote.
Votes cast in favour: 6132. Votes cast against: 157
Delegates voted to pass the above resolution which calls on the UK Government and industry to take action to address the problem of microplastic contamination of our oceans by supporting and developing innovative solutions. Microplastic fibres are released from synthetic clothing every time it is washed. As they are so small they aren't caught by filtration equipment and can end up in our oceans where they are ingested by marine wildlife.
Alleviating Loneliness (2017)
This meeting calls on every WI and the NFWI to work alongside health and social care providers and their local communities to raise awareness of the causes and impacts of loneliness, thus ensuring better identification of lonely people in order to be able to offer them the appropriate support and assistance.
North Cave WI, East Yorkshire Federation
The resolution was passed with 69.3% of the vote.
Votes cast in favour: 4334. Votes cast against: 1919
Delegates voted in support of this year’s NFWI resolution to ‘alleviate loneliness’. The resolution seeks to ensure that people who are lonely, or at risk of loneliness, are identified at the earliest possible opportunity to enable them to access the appropriate support and assistance. It calls on every WI and the NFWI to work in partnership with health and social care providers and their local communities to raise awareness of the causes and impacts of loneliness to help achieve this.