173. International Financial Collaboration Programme

173

International Financial Collaboration Programme

17 July 2011

To selected National Spiritual Assemblies

Dear Bahá’í Friends,

173.1 Over recent decades, a large number of national communities have been provided with valuable financial assistance from their sister communities across the Bahá’í world through the instrument of the international financial collaboration goals programme. In the last fifteen years, the approach adopted by the Universal House of Justice has been to invite selected National Spiritual Assemblies, once a new Plan had commenced, to assess how much they could contribute towards the acquisition and improvement of property and equipment by other national communities during the course of that Plan. On the basis of these estimates, the House of Justice then called upon them to assist communities in various countries as and when specific needs came to its attention.

173.2 During the recently concluded Five Year Plan, 42 National Spiritual Assemblies participated in the financial collaboration goals programme, donating some US$2,000,000 to national Bahá’í communities in all parts of the world. These funds were used to meet a variety of needs: the acquisition of land and buildings for national and local Bahá’í Centres and for future Temple sites; the construction and renovation of Bahá’í properties, including the repair of buildings that suffered storm or earthquake damage; and the purchase of such items as an electricity generator, an office computer, and a motorcycle. Beyond that, the bonds of unity between geographically distant national communities have been strengthened and the worldwide solidarity of the believers enhanced.

173.3 Your National Spiritual Assembly is one of 45 now being invited to participate in the international financial collaboration programme for the new Five Year Plan. You have been selected because the House of Justice believes you are in a position to assist other national communities which have not been endowed materially to the same extent. We would therefore appreciate receiving from you by 30 September 2011 an estimate of the amount you can offer as financial collaboration during this Five Year Plan. It would be helpful if you could provide a breakdown of the total sum you can make available, indicating how much you believe you can provide each year. If, in the months since Riḍván 2011, you have already been asked to fulfil a specific goal, then the sum you were requested to contribute will be counted towards the amount you are able to offer in the first twelve months. To assist you in determining the total sum you can provide, we have been asked to inform you that the House of Justice anticipates that at least US$2,500,000 will be required to meet the financial collaboration goals to be assigned during the current Plan. Kindly note that if monies remain from the pledge your Assembly made at the start of the previous Plan, these may be carried forward to form part of your new pledge.

With loving Bahá’í greetings,

Department of the Secretariat