Statement Regarding the Motions Presented for Consideration and Voted on at the IGA AGM in March 2026
At the most recent IGA Annual General Meeting (AGM), held in March 2026, three motions were presented for consideration and a vote:
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Amendment to the Articles of Association.
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That this Annual General Meeting affirms that the Institute of Group Analysis (IGA) may, where appropriate, publicly express humanitarian concern and solidarity in situations of widespread human suffering and oppression, where doing so is consistent with the Institute’s values and charitable purposes.
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That the statement submitted by the GA4P group be published on the IGA website.
While Motion 1 was passed without opposition, there were strongly held and opposing views among members regarding Motions 2 and 3. Following discussion, the AGM democratically resolved that Motions 2 and 3 be passed and that the agreed actions should proceed.
Following the AGM, the IGA Trustees carefully considered the implications of these decisions, including the publication of the GA4P statement on the IGA website, particularly in light of the differing views expressed within the organisation.
The matter was discussed at Board level, including concerns about whether publication could be challenged on the grounds that it might be inconsistent with the IGA’s charitable objectives or governing documents. It was also suggested that advice should be sought from the Charity Commission to clarify whether publication would raise any concerns in relation to the IGA’s charitable purposes.
These considerations, together with the need for further deliberation by the Trustees, resulted in a delay in publishing the statement.
Following extensive discussion and consideration by the Board, the IGA Chair, Graham Mackay, has now made a final decision regarding publication.
Statement by the IGA Chair
As Interim Chair of the Board of Trustees and recognising that the Board reflects the wider membership in having strongly held and, in some respects, irreconcilable differences of opinion on this matter, I have taken responsibility for bringing this issue to a conclusion.
This is not an ideal situation, but I believe that further delay in acting on the motions would be more damaging than proceeding with the decisions already made through our democratic processes.
My view is that we should honour the mandate given by the AGM and proceed with the two motions, in accordance with the democratic decision of our membership.
I do not consider the arguments that acting on these motions, including publication of the statement, would be fundamentally at odds with the IGA’s charitable aims and governing documents, or that publication would cause significant reputational damage, to be sufficiently compelling to override the decision taken by the AGM.
Accordingly, the two motions passed by the AGM will now be implemented. The statement submitted by and on behalf of the GA4P group will be published on the IGA website without further delay.
Graham Mackay
IGA Chair