IONA GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2016
MADRID (Spain)
GENERAL DECLARATION

A) The General Assembly of the IONA reaffirms its determination to develop its three lines of work, namely Philosophy, Culture and Volunteering. In so doing, it seeks to provide access for all to real knowledge to counteract the violence, fear and loss of core values in our current societies, and to work towards a moral reconstruction with spiritual values that can unite all human beings.

The General Assembly invites each of the national member Associations of the IONA to implement these lines of work in each of their activities.

The IONA, therefore, reaffirms its preventive and constructive action for both society and nature, by promoting the necessary awareness to participate in and actively collaborate with useful and similar initiatives to those developed by the IONA.

B) The General Assembly recalls the need to continue with the development of Schools of Philosophy in the classical tradition, as the best instrument for education and training, since philosophy has practical applications that improve and give meaning to life and make human beings happier.

IONA recalls that a practical philosophical education promotes the essential aspect of human beings by developing their understanding, intuition and will, enabling them to become free from personal and social diseases such as selfishness, fanaticism, violence and materialism, thus fulfilling the IONA’s founding aims and principles.
C) The General Assembly values the actions of the IONA in collaboration and active participation with institutions and public and private organisations.

It invites its member Associations to continue along these lines of promoting shared philosophical experiences among human beings of different origins, cultures and practices when lived in a complementary way.

D) It, therefore, proposes continuing with the development of working groups and social action groups that contribute to education and training with regard to the preservation and improvement of planet Earth and human societies, as recommended by the unprecedented Agreement adopted in Paris (France) on 12 December by 195 countries, within the framework of COP 21.

E) The General Assembly approves the actions carried out during the past year by the different organisations and associations working alongside the IONA in the area of environmental protection and philosophical and social education and training, as can be seen in the Activities Yearbook which is presented to this General Assembly.