The proposal to the General Meeting in Hong Kong 2008 “that this General Meeting approves the transition to a revised Constitution which encompasses the simplified structure with a view to its final approval in 2009/10 and implementation at the General Meeting of 2011” was carried.
The proposition came about following a ’systematic and comprehensive review of the Constitution, based on the fullest possible participation’ as approved by IPA at its General Meeting in 2005 in Berlin.
Please review the following:
IPA is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961.
It provides a forum for exchange and action across disciplines and across sectors.
IPA’s purpose is to protect, preserve and promote the child’s right to play as a fundamental human right. ~Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
“That every child has the right to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts.
That member governments shall respect and promote the right of the child to participate fully in cultural and artistic life and shall encourage the provision of appropriate and equal opportunities for cultural, artistic, recreational and leisure activity.”
Our Structure
IPA has a small administrative Board of Directors, five Regional Vice Presidents and a Council of national representatives.
[Board of Directors] [Regional Vice Presidents] [IPA/UN Liaison] [Council Members-at-Large] [World Council]
Member Groups
IPA has members in close to 50 countries, and active groups in
- Argentina
- Brazil
- Germany
- Ireland
- New Zealand
- Spain
- N. Ireland
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- Australia
- Canada
- Hong Kong
- Japan
- Portugal
- Sweden
- USA
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- Belgium
- Denmark
- India
- Netherlands
- Scotland
- England
- Wales
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IPA member groups initiate a wide variety of projects that promote the child’s right to play. These include seminars, conferences, study tours, research, publications, playground design, playwork training and the organization of play programs and Play Days. National groups often collaborate with other organizations which promote the well-being of children and children’s rights.
Contact your national representative (see Council list) for further information or check their websites (see Links)
Triennial Report 2005-2008
Click here to Read the Triennial Report 2005-2008
IPA was born in Scandinavia in 1961 and held its first conference in Copenhagen that year.
Barriers to children’s play were recognized in Scandinavia as early as the 1930s when to counteract the effects of increasing urbanization and motor traffic, specific areas with trained play workers were designated for children’s play.
Interest in providing quality play opportunities for children gradually increased and in 1955 a major seminar on playgrounds was held in Europe. The need for international action was evident. In 1961 IPA was born.
The United Nation’s International Year of the Child in 1979 injected IPA with new energy and a desire to become truly international. That year it held its first triennial conference outside Europe (in Ottawa, Canada). Since then, triennial conferences have been held worldwide and a global perspective has been realized.
Though IPA began its life with an emphasis on adventure playgrounds it gradually changed its focus to play itself and to the child’s right to play. In the 1980s IPA was effective in establishing the word “play” in article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Presidents of the Organization from 1961 – 2010:
- C.T. Sorensen, Denmark
- Jens Sigsgaard, Denmark
- Valia Tanon, France
- Arvid Bengstsson, Sweden
- Polly Hill, Canada
- Nic Nilsson, Sweden
- Robin Moore, USA
- Jan van Gils, Belgium
- Michael Paris, Germany
- Theresa Casey, Scotland
Consultative Status with ECOSOC
The IPA Declaration of the Child’s Right to Play was originally produced in November 1977 at the IPA Malta Consultation held in preparation for the International Year of the Child (1979). It was revised by the IPA International Council in Vienna, September 1982, and Barcelona, September 1989.
The IPA Declaration should be read in conjunction with Article 31 of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child (adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations, November 20, 1989), which states that the child has a right to leisure, play, and participation in cultural and artistic activities.
Read the full text of the International Play Association if you [Click Here]
