In the eighth edition of Eduardo Suplicy’s book, Citizen’s Income: The Way out is through the Door (Renda de Cidadania: A Saída ÉPela Porta) there is a dialog between Suplicy and now re-elected President Luis Inácio Lula da Silva on the occasion of Suplicy’s 80th birthday in 2022. Here is an English translation of part of that dialog:
“I think that, after the pandemic, Basic Income will return with much greater strength, and that it is not possible that we will not succeed in getting the world to adopt it. If Brazil has a democratic president who cares, the BRICS may adopt it. South America may begin to do this, we can evolve beginning with the realization of our vulnerabilities when we governed this country that we didn’t succeed in establishing certain policies.”
At the 22nd BIEN Congress in Seoul that ended August 26, Suplicy announced that he is proposing to President Lula the creation of a working group to study how to gradually implement the universalization of Basic Income in Brazil.
Annie Miller, a co-founder of BIEN, has just published a new book, Basic Income: A Short Guide (Edinburgh: Luath Press). This is a clear, concise, and complete work that should be in the library of every supporter of basic income (BI).
The book begins with a critique of modern social insurance systems and means-tested social assistance safety nets and then sets forth an enhanced definition of BI that builds on the current definition found on the BIEN website. This new definition is informed by Annie’s participation in the BIEN task force currently working on improving this definition and was presented by her at the 22nd BIEN Congress in Seoul that just ended. To the five BIEN characteristics (periodic, cash payment, individual, universal, and unconditional) she adds a sixth, uniform: “the amount of a basic income is the same/equal for everyone within a given jurisdiction at a given time and does not vary according to pre-existing categories or circumstances.” She then argues that this uniform basic income should be a foundational element in a broader social protection plan that also includes “adequacy top-up payments, other differential benefits, targeted and non-uniform means-tested benefits, and other cash benefits for which basic income is not a good substitute, such as a welfare fund for emergency payments for fire or flood.”
The book goes on to discuss many practical issues such as integrating a basic income into existing social assistance programs, sources of finance, affordability issues, economic benefits, political support, empirical evidence from around the world, the impact of the Covid 19 pandemic, other recent developments, and suggestions for what BI supporters can do to advance the cause. It ends with a select bibliography – all this in 80 compact pages, a true tour de force.
A meeting of the Basic Income Earth Network General Assembly will be held online, in connection with the 2023 BIEN Congress, on Saturday, 26 August 2023 at 13:00h British Summer Time (UTC+1).
If you are interested in becoming a member, you can do so by following the few simple steps outlined here. Please note that new memberships cannot be received at the meeting or during the week before it.
Invitation to affiliated organizations to apply to host the 2025 congress. Please apply by writing to the secretary at diana.bashur@basicincome.org.
The following documents will be useful for members to review ahead of this year’s General Assembly meeting:
BIEN’s constitution, as amended following the general meeting of members held on the 17th December 2020 and subsequently agreed by the UK Charity Commission.
BIEN’s internal rules as amended following the general meeting of members held on the 17th December 2020.
A meeting of the Basic Income Earth Network General Assembly will be held online, in connection with the 2022 BIEN Congress, on 26 August 2023 at 13:00h British Summer Time (UTC+1).
This meeting will constitute the Annual General Meeting of the Charitable Incorporated Organisation The Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN)
If you would like to have copies of the papers with you at the meeting, please print them out or have them available on your screen.
Draft Agenda
13.00
1
Opening of GA and welcome
13.05
2
Confirmation by the Chair that a register of members present has been taken
13.07
3
Approval of the agenda
13.10
4
Approval of the minutes of the 2022 General Assembly
13.15
5
Matters arising from the minutes not elsewhere on the agenda
13.25
6
Treasurer’s report, annual report and accounts for 2022, and financial statement for the period 1st January to 30th June 2023.
13.30
7
Appointment of auditor: Proposal that Tony Garrood should be reappointed as auditor.
13.35
8
Elections to the Executive Committee: 1. Chair; 2. Vice Chair; 3. Affiliates Coordinator; 4. Academic Research Editor
13.50
9
Report from the Chair and Vice-Chair
14.00
10
Other Executive Committee reports
14.10
11
Report from the Clarification of the Basic Income Definition working group established at the 2019 General Assembly
14.20
12
Affiliation requests received: Sri Lanka
14.30
13
Bath, UK as venue for the 2024 congress
14.40
14
Venue for the 2025 congress
14.50
14
Any other business (which should be notified to the Chair before the meeting begins)
14.55
15
Close of meeting
The rules for running the General Assembly will be those found in BIEN’s constitution. Those rules likely to be relevant to the management of the General Assembly are as follows:
10 (2) Taking ordinary decisions by vote … any decision of the members of the CIO may be taken by means of a resolution at a general meeting. Such a resolution may be passed by a simple majority of votes cast at the meeting …
11 (3) (a) The charity trustees … must give at least 14 clear days notice of any general meeting to all of the members … (b) If it is agreed by not less than 90% of all members of the CIO, any resolution may be proposed and passed at the meeting even though the requirements of sub-clause (3) (a) of this clause have not been met. This sub-clause does not apply where a specified period of notice is strictly required.
11 (4) Chairing of general meetings. The person nominated as chair … shall, if present at the general meeting and willing to act, preside as chair of the meeting. Subject to that, the members of the CIO who are present at a general meeting shall elect a chair to preside at the meeting.
11 (5) Quorum at general meetings. No business may be transacted at any general meeting of the members of the CIO unless a quorum is present when the meeting starts. … the quorum for general meetings shall be the greater of 3% or three members. …
BIEN member Eduardo Suplicy, pictured above with BIEN Chair Sarath Davala at the Hyderabad BIEN Congress, testified in favor of a measure implementing a law he authored in 2004 gradually implementing a Citizens Basic Income (UBI) in Brazil. The invited testimony took place on 25 April 2023 in the Federal Senate and on May 7 the newspaper Folha de São Paulo published a slightly abbreviated version of Suplicy’s written testimony that you can read (in Portuguese) by clicking here.
