12 Concepts of World Service
World Service Conference approved for use until WSC 2024
Introduction to the 12 Concepts - Just as the Twelve Steps are guides for personal recovery and the Twelve Traditions are guides for group unity, the Twelve Concepts are guides for World Service. These Concepts for World Service are the path for Twelve Step work on a world service level. They show how the UA groups, the World Service Conference, the GSR Committee and other World Service Conference-Approved Committees and the Underearners Anonymous Trustees work together to carry recovery in UA to the still suffering underearner. The concepts are uniquely important to Underearners and our recovery. They are our roadmap for emerging out of scarcity and isolation into prosperous autonomy and interdependence in our service and in our lives. We come to UA in "a state of vagueness: vagueness about time, about money, about needs…,'(About UA Pamphlet) by studying the concepts and doing service guided by these concepts we get to develop that muscle of clarity as we practice in service everything we learn in our UA recovery.
Concept 1 - The ultimate responsibility and authority for Underearners Anonymous World Services should always remain with the collective conscience of our whole Fellowship as expressed through the UA groups.
Concept 2 - The UA groups delegate authority to the General Service Board for legal and financial responsibilities, insofar as their actions are determined at the WSC convocation. The UA groups consider the World Service Conference to be the true voice and conscience for the whole Fellowship on all matters, including policy, except for any change in the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions.The General Service Representatives of the groups (GSRs) are the majority voice of the Conference.
Concept 3 - As a traditional means of creating and maintaining a clearly defined working relationship among the groups, the World Service Conference, the World Service Conference- Approved Committees and the Underearners Anonymous Trustees, are each endowed with a traditional “Right of Decision.”
Concept 4 - Throughout our Conference structure, we maintain at all levels a traditional “Right of Participation,” ensuring a voting representation.
Concept 5 - The traditional Rights of Appeals and Petition protect the minority opinion and ensure the consideration of personal grievances.
Concept 6 - The Conference endows custodial and administrative responsibility, along with the authority to fulfill these actions, to the Underearners Anonymous Trustees.
Concept 7 - The World Service Conference recognizes that the Charter of the Underearners Anonymous World Service Conference and secondly, the Bylaws of UA serve as governing documents. The Trustees have legal rights, insofar as they abide by the voice of the Conference. The rights of the Conference are spiritual, guided by the Twelve Traditions. Since the Concepts are included in the Bylaws, they shall be the guiding factor in all Trustee decisions.
Concept 8 - The Underearners Anonymous Trustees and the WSC Approved Committees (interdependent and autonomous service bodies) assume shared primary leadership for matters of overall policy, finance, and custodial oversight. The Trustees delegate authority for routine management to the General Service Office.
Concept 9 - Good leaders, together with appropriate methods for choosing them at all levels, are necessary. At the World Service level, the World Service Conference (comprised of the representatives of the groups and the Trustees) holds primary leadership for UA as a whole by setting guidelines for WSC-Approved Committees and by directly selecting, ratifying or removing the Trustees.
Concept 10 - Every service responsibility should be matched by an equal service authority, with the scope of such authority well defined.
Concept 11 - The Trustees hold authority and oversight for UA World Service administration, via the authority granted by the Conference, the acknowledged group conscience of UA. Serious care and consideration will always be given to the compensation, selection, induction to service, rotation, and assignments for special rights and duties for all staff with a proper basis for determining financial compensation. This ensures sober consideration regarding all aspects of business and volunteer participation..
Concept 12 - The World Service Conference of Underearners Anonymous, the General Service Board and the GSR Committee and other World Service Conference-Approved Committees will observe the spirit of the Traditions. These service bodies take care not to become powerful and wealthy; having sufficient operating funds with a prudent reserve; having no authority over any other members; making important decisions by discussing and voting on issues wherever possible by substantial unanimity; not acting in a punitive way; not inciting public controversy; never performing any acts of government; and finally, like the fellowship of Underearners Anonymous, always remaining democratic in thought and action.