The World Student Christian Federation elected global leaders for the next four years at the 34th General Assembly today.

Mr Horacio Mesones (Uruguay) was elected WSCF Chairperson, Ms Janejinda Pawadee (Thailand) Vice-Chairperson and Mr Youhanna Kamal Shawky (Egypt) was returned as the Federation’s Honorary Treasurer.

Mr Horacio Mesones is a former WSCF Latin America and Caribbean region Chairperson, global Executive Committee member and LAC Regional Secretary. He is currently Director of Advisory Services for CREAS, a regional ecumenical organisation based in Buenos Aires that provides capacity building for the ecumenical movement in eight South American countries. Mr Mesones was elected by a striking two-thirds majority. Following the election he shared his excitement at the opportunity to lead the Federation for the coming quadrennium and identified four priority areas of engagement for his term:

-promoting learning and capacity building in the SCMs by strengthening critical Biblical, theological and political reflection and deepening the reflection on diversity

- building alliances with ecumenical, interfaith and university networks and with UN agencies for deeper learning and effective social action

- promoting local resource mobilisation and diversification at the SCM level and sharing resources among regions and with other organisations

- promoting a committed spirituality among students, in order to encourage advocacy of peace and justice within communities and societies around the world.

Asia-Pacific senior friend Ms Janejinda Pawadee (Thailand) was elected to the position of Vice-Chairperson of the Federation, also by an overwhelming majority.

Ms Pawadee was involved in the Thai SCM as a student and served on WSCF’s Asia-Pacific Regional Women’s Committee in the late 1980s. She later served in the Urban Rural Mission of the Christian Conference of Asia and is currently Co-ordinator of the Mekong Ecumenical Partnership Programme. In her current role she works on capacity building, human rights advocacy, HIV and AIDS education and sustainable development.

Ms Pawadee looks forward to supporting the Federation to build solidarity amongst SCMs and within societies at the local, national, regional and global levels.

"I would like to see WSCF help SCMs become more compassionate, so that they in turn can move the hearts of other students and their broader communities to care for those who are marginalised and in need," she said.

Ms Pawadee hopes that through her role as Vice-Chair, she can empower SCMs as communities of transformation, for the ongoing transformation of both the students themselves and their societies.

Mr Youhanna Kamal Shawky received a unanimous affirmation to return him as the Federation’s Honorary Treasurer for the next four years. An accountant by profession, Youhanna has served as WSCF Honorary Treasurer for the last four years and has helped ensure the Federation has sound budgeting and financial management. Youhanna hopes that in this term he can help the Federation build up the current budget and increase support to SCMs through investing in relationships with senior friends, proactive fundraising and developing new partners and donors.

Photo: WSCF’s newly elected Chairperson Mr Horacio Mesones, Vice-Chairperson Ms Janejinda Pawadee and Honorary Treasurer Mr Youhanna Kamal Shawky.