In 2021, IFLA implemented significant changes to its governance – the structure of our committees and the way they work together in order to achieve our Federation’s goals.

With almost two full mandates’ experience, the 2023-2025 Governing Board made a review of this governance a priority. This is not only good practice, but an important way of ensuring that we are helping our members and volunteers get the best out of their engagement, and creating the conditions for maximum positive impact.

Under the authority of the Governing Board, the health check will ran from February 2025 to March 2026 under the leadership of Vicki McDonald (IFLA President 2023-2025). The health check working group’s terms of reference placed a strong emphasis on consultation with IFLA volunteers and members, and highlight the following goals:

• Consideration of the commitments made in the 2021 Governance changes: provide an overview and advice on the status of their implementation
• Concerning the governance structures, consideration and assessment of achievements, successes, gaps and suggestions for further improvements
• Consideration of how far IFLA’s current governance structure is meeting the objectives of the 2021 review.
• Make recommendations on changes and additions to the governance structure that would support good governance and progress towards IFLA’s objectives

The Working Group was charged with developing a methodology that includes:

• Consultation with current elected members of the governance structure (2023-2025), elected members from 2021-2023 governance structure.
• Opportunity for the broader IFLA community (members and volunteers) to contribute

The Working Group submitted its recommendations to the Governing Board for its meeting in April 2026.

Led by Vicki McDonald, a steering group brought strong experience and insight from across IFLA’s current volunteer structures will advance this work. The group was made up of:

• Vicki McDonald
  President, 2023-2025
• Kirsten Boelt
  Governing Board Member at Large, 2023-2025
• Saif Al Jabri
  Chair, Middle East and North Africa Regional Division Committee, 2023-2025
• Athena Salaba
  Chair, Division H, 2023-2025
• Jonathan Hernandez Perez
  Chair, Advisory Committee on Freedom of Access to Information and Freedom of Expression, 2023-2025
• Martyn Wade
  Parliamentarian

Find out more about the Steering Group on the relevant page.

With an emphasis on providing maximum opportunities to share ideas and experience, the health check included surveys, town halls and other meetings. More information can be found in the Timeline.

IFLA’s current governance is the result of the Governance Review carried out over 18 months between 2019 and 2021. This aimed to make IFLA a more effective, inclusive and transparent organisation. In particular it had the following objectives, informed by the membership:

• more transparency, efficiency and collaboration
• stronger regional representation
• greater financial and organisational sustainability
• more varied opportunities for participation, esp. for new leaders
• better support for volunteers

Among the results of this work, introduced into IFLA’s Statutes after a vote by the General Assembly, key elements included:

• A smaller Governing Board with a directly elected Treasurer and great focus on risk management
• A new structure of Professional Divisions and new possibilities to create units
• A new regional structure, made up of a Council and 6 Divisions