WOSM Secretary General Collection
Below you can see the World Organization of the Scouting Movement (WOSM) Secretary General Collection which is on display at the World Scouting Museum. These items were given to current Secretary Generals of WOSM during their tenure; many were gifted from Scout Organizations and Scouts. Once these Secretaries General left their post behind, they felt they should donate the items they were gifted so that they may be shared with other Scouts. The then-Las Vegas International Scouting Museum, now the World Scouting Museum, became the permanent home to many of these pieces of Scouting History. We want to thank every Secretary General for their generous donations to the Museum, but we want to thank every single one for their service to Scouting Worldwide. Please enjoy the collection below and ask any questions in the comment box. we will come back and answer them as we are able.
NOTE: Please click or touch on a photo to view a larger version of it in the galleries below.
The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) is the largest international organization in the Scout Movement, established in 1922. It currently has 176 members (as of June 2025), representing 48,228,194 Scouts as of July 2024, but estimated membership for 2024 was 57,040,310. WOSM members are National Scout Organizations that either founded WOSM or have been recognized by WOSM in the years since its founding. The operational headquarters of WOSM is in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Legally, it is based in Geneva, Switzerland.
WOSM’s stated mission is “to contribute to the education of young people, through a value system based on the Scout Promise and Scout Law, to help build a better world where people are self-fulfilled as individuals and play a constructive role in society.” WOSM operates through conferences of its member organization representatives, its committee, and its full-time bureau, structured into regions. It is associated with three World Scout Centers.
A World Scout Jamboree is held approximately every four years under its auspices and it organizes World Scout Moots for 17- to 26-year-olds and previously organized World Scout Indabas, a gathering for Scout leaders. The World Scout Foundation is a separately governed fund, supported by donations, for the development of WOSM associated programs.
WOSM is the counterpart of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS).It is a non-governmental organization with General Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
If you are a former or current WOSM Secretary General and would like to donate items to the World Scouting Museum, please reach out to the museum directly by phone 681-215-4450 or email wsmwvcurator@gmail.com . We would be honored to house your collection! If you are not a former Secretary General, but a professional Scouter we would be happy to show your collection as well. Please reach out to us!
