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2026 Central Atlantic Region-Motions, Survey, and Discussion Questions Collection Survey for the Conference Agenda Report (CAR)

1.Approve the revised IP #21, Staying Clean in Isolation, contained in Addendum A, as Fellowship-approved recovery literature to replace the current IP #21, The Loner—Staying Clean in Isolation
Maker: World Board
Intent: To update this IP originally approved in 1986 with current Fellowship experience.
For more information on this topic, see page 17 of the CAR.
2.To adopt the collaboratively created 2026–2029 NA World Services Strategic Plan contained in Addendum B.
Maker: World Board
Intent: To approve the results of the collaborative planning that began at WSC 2023 and continued with zonal and conference participant involvement throughout this cycle.
For more information on this topic, see page 19 of the CAR.
3.To hold the World Convention of Narcotics Anonymous (WCNA) every 5 years, beginning in 2028. The location to be determined by the World Board based on fiscal and geographic considerations that lend themselves to, at minimum, a revenue-neutral event. (The specific changes to the WCNA Guidelines in GWSNA are shown in Addendum C.)
Maker: World Board
Intent: To have guidelines for the World Convention (WCNA) that reflect the changing nature of large events worldwide and support the prudent use of Fellowship resources.
For more information on this topic, see page 25 of the CAR.
4.Motion #3-a1
Arizona Region
Amend CAR Motion 3 Added 12 February

To change from 5 years to 3 years. The motion, as amended, would read: To hold the World Convention of Narcotics Anonymous (WCNA) every 3 years, beginning in 2028. The location to be determined by the World Board based on fiscal and geographic considerations that lend themselves to, at a minimum, a revenue-neutral event. (The specific changes to the WCNA Guidelines in GWSNA are shown in Addendum C.) Intent: To maintain a regular cycle of recovery and connection that accommodates the life obligations and the "aging" reality of our members. Rationale: We believe a five-year interval is too long. Our fellowship is aging, and many members may not be able to participate or attend if the frequency is reduced to five years. We need to meet more regularly to 'share and care the NA way.' This is a full-contact fellowship. World Board Response: Regardless of how passionately we individually feel about the World Convention, it is our responsibility as a World Board to make decisions and recommendations that consider the best interests of both the Fellowship and NA World Services. In addition to what we said in the 2026 CAR, rising meeting costs, reduced in-person attendance, and a staff that is still reduced from pre-pandemic levels, makes our recommendation to hold WCNA every five years seem the most responsible way forward. To hold a World Convention more often than every five years would impact our ability to provide our regular services.
Session CAR-Related Discussion & Decision Session
5.Motion #3-a2
Brazilian Zonal Forum

Amend CAR Motion 3 to add a new section to Addendum C (World Convention Guidelines) titled “Financial Planning and Risk Mitigation,” to be inserted after the section Site Selection, with the following text:
In planning the World Convention of Narcotics Anonymous (WCNA), the World Board will seek to incorporate, whenever feasible, scalable financial planning and contracting practices in order to mitigate financial risks and support the goal of holding the event at least in a revenue-neutral manner.
Planning decisions related to event capacity, contractual commitments, and the allocation of resources should be guided by realistic participation projections and confirmed registration data, consistent with prudent financial management and with NA’s principle of self-support.
Intent: To encourage the use of scalable planning practices that reduce financial exposure and help ensure that WCNA events remain financially responsible.
Rationale: The financial challenges observed in some previous WCNA events may be related not only to the frequency of the event but also to planning assumptions and fixed contractual commitments made in advance. Many large international events use scalable planning models that allow event capacity and costs to grow in response to actual registration demand. Encouraging this approach can reduce financial risk for the Fellowship while preserving the spiritual importance of the World Convention. By aligning commitments with realistic participation projections and confirmed revenues, this amendment reinforces the principle of self-support and the responsible stewardship of Fellowship resources.
World Board Response: We appreciate the intent here and agree that the principles described—aligning commitments with prudent stewardship, realistic projections, and confirmed registrations—reflect sound event management practice. Our consideration of these issues and others are among the reasons we use professional resources to assist us in the planning and implementation of WCNA. The addition proposed in this amendment reflects some of the ideas we have already planned to investigate to determine whether a revenue neutral WCNA is even possible today. Adding these ideas to GWSNA may be premature at this stage of this investigation. NA World Services and the World Board will always be committed to effective and prudent use of the Fellowship’s resources.
Session
CAR-Related Discussion & Decision Session
6.Motion #3-a3
German-Speaking Region
Co-makers: Iran, Australia, Italy, Norway
Amend CAR Motion 3
To amend CAR Motion 3 to specify Frankfurt/Germany as the location for WCNA 2028, and to add language to the Site Selection section of the WCNA Guidelines proposed for GWSNA (as shown below from Addendum C) directing the World Board to consider linguistic, cultural, and historical factors and ideally to involve zones in future location decisions.
Add to the Proposed WCNA Guidelines in Addendum C - Site Selection after “revenue neutral” - Consideration should also be given to the linguistic, cultural, historical, and, above all, financial capabilities of the members in the part of the world where the WCNA is taking place. Ideally, the respective zone will be involved in the decision. Planning an event where income covers expense may require capping attendance when necessary.
The motion as amended would read:
To hold the World Convention of Narcotics Anonymous (WCNA) every 5 years, beginning in 2028 in Frankfurt/Germany. Future locations to be determined by the World Board based on fiscal and geographic considerations that lend themselves to, at minimum, a revenue-neutral event. Consideration should also be given to the linguistic, cultural, historical, and, above all, financial capabilities of the members in the part of the world where the WCNA is taking place. Ideally, the respective zone will be involved in the decision. A cap on the number of participants should be imposed only as necessary. (The specific changes to the WCNA Guidelines in GWSNA are shown in Addendum C. – with added language above)
Intent: To ensure that the selection of WCNA locations is not based solely on global financial indicators, but actively considers the diverse cultural, linguistic, and economic circumstances of the members, as well as the historical aspects of the respective host zone. The respective zone should be given a significant voice by being asked where it would like to hold the convention.
Rationale: Starting the cycle with WCNA 2028 in Frankfurt addresses the shortcomings of the decision matrix and prevents the fear-driven decision to choose Dublin from resulting in members being turned away from participating in WCNA & 75 Years of World and 50 Years of Europe due to the cap.
World Board Response: We recommend against this amendment. Our financial investigation of the final three sites for WCNA 39 strongly indicates that Dublin is our best choice as the site for the next world convention to create the possibility of a revenue neutral event.

In addition, the language introduces policy that future World Board members and trusted servants would be required to interpret and implement, including those who are not present for this discussion. Policy guiding the board between conferences must be written in a way that creates a clear and uniform understanding that can be implemented by anyone reading it.

The phrase “Ideally, the respective zone will be involved in the decision” provides no procedural direction and cannot be implemented without more specific policy guidance. As written, it introduces ambiguity and makes it difficult to establish a
point of accountability for these decisions. This type of language is not consistent with the level of clarity normally expected in GWSNA.
In addition, mandating the location of WCNA through conference action bypasses the established site selection process. Achieving revenue neutrality for WCNA in 2028 is already an ambitious and aspirational goal, and we currently have no experience or evidence indicating that it is achievable. Changes that significantly increase expenses will make that objective even more difficult.

Historically, an overwhelming majority of WCNA attendance has come from the United States. At most, the event reaches about 1% of our worldwide Fellowship—primarily members who are already established and able to afford international travel.
Given our limited resources, our goal is to plan and hold a World Convention using fewer resources, not more. Many zonally hosted conventions now provide members with much of what was once available only at WCNA. NA World Services seeks to focus its time and energy on supporting our primary purpose and reaching the still-suffering addict worldwide. Complicating the path to a viable World Convention serves neither goal.
7.Motion #3-a4
Finland Region
Amend CAR Motion 3
Added 18 March
To amend CAR Motion 3 to replace the proposed location selection process with a zonal bidding process as defined in updated Addendum C guidelines (as shown below).
WORLD CONVENTION GUIDELINES

Unity is the foundation of everything we do in Narcotics Anonymous, and the World Convention of Narcotics Anonymous (WCNA) is a living expression of that principle. This event brings together members from around the world to celebrate recovery from the disease of addiction.
Just as our symbol makes space for every manifestation of the recovering addict, WCNA highlights the extraordinary diversity, wisdom, and spirit of our Fellowship as we rise together in freedom. It is a chance for NA members to share the joy, hope, and freedom found in recovery.

Beyond being a powerful experience for members, WCNA also serves as a unique opportunity for public relations—allowing professionals, local communities, and the wider world to witness firsthand that “an addict, any addict, can stop using drugs, lose the desire to use, and find a new way to live.”
WCNA is ultimately a celebration of our Fellowship: a vibrant, growing, international community united in carrying a message of hope to the still-suffering addict.
World Convention Rotation Plan
NA’s 75th anniversary, will be hosted in Europe. After that, the event will be scheduled to be held
every five years. As world conditions allow, the event will rotate, with the World Board responsible for considering locations. WCNA locations will be selected by the World Board based on
bids submitted by NA zones. Where feasible, the convention will rotate among different global locations to support participation from the worldwide Fellowship. (See below for more information.)

Traditionally, WCNA has been scheduled on the first weekend in September, coinciding with the Labor Day holiday in the USA. However, the World Board retains the right to set the convention dates as appropriate for each event. As part of the bidding process, zones may propose potential convention dates based on venue availability and local considerations. The World Board retains final responsibility for determining the dates of each convention.

Site Selection
The World Board is committed to planning conventions that highlight the global nature of NA while ensuring the prudent use of Fellowship funds. Sites will be considered that allow for rotation to the extent that is prudent and possible based upon the current geopolitical and financial circumstances in the world, while at the same time Zones submitting bids to host WCNA are expected to consider geopolitical, financial, and logistical factors when proposing locations. Proposed sites should demonstrate the ability to hold WCNA in a manner that supports rotation across global locations where feasible while remaining, at a minimum, “revenue neutral.” Planning an event where income covers expense may require capping attendance. Given the rising costs and increasing complexity of international travel for large
events,
8.Motion #4: To direct the World Board to create a project plan for consideration at WSC 2029 to research and explore the opportunities and obstacles of providing booklength pieces of literature to the incarcerated, on tablets, in addition to the IPs and audio version of the Fifth Edition Basic Text that already exist on inmate tablets.
Maker: Arizona Region
Co-makers: Florida, Ohio, Northern California, Southern California, Sweden, UK, Utah
Intent: To give the Conference and Fellowship the ability to meaningfully discuss the opportunities and obstacles of making booklength pieces of literature available to the incarcerated on tablets.
For more information on this topic, see page 45 of the CAR.
9.Motion #5 To direct the World Board, to implement artificial intelligence (AI) interpretation solutions for WSC meetings (both in-person and virtual) to replace the current human live language interpretation.
Maker: South Florida Region
Co-makers: Iran, UK, Nepal
Intent: To eliminate language barriers, ensuring that all voices are heard globally, enhancing our communication and time efficiency during business meetings. This initiative also aims to reduce the risk of human interpretation errors and potential absences during our sessions.
For more information on this topic, see page 46 of the CAR.
10.Motion #5-a1 Arkansas Region
Co-makers: Florida, South Florida, UK

Change from immediate implementation to research and pilot with a clearly defined specific timeframe AND change from replacement of current human live language interpretation to providing the technology to CP that opt to use it as a support AND addresses simultaneous vs consecutive interpretation AND mitigates privacy and data security concerns by requiring a private, closed-system model where all meeting data remains under Fellowship ownership.
The motion as amended would read:
To direct the World Board, to research and then trial simultaneous language implement artificial intelligence (AI) interpretation solutions for WSC meetings (both in-person and virtual) to replace the current human live language interpretation tools, including AI and other emerging technologies, at some point during the 2026-2029 conference cycle, as additional (optional) support for Conference Participant webinars. Before any trials, research must include
safeguards that protects confidentiality and that ensures data ownership remains private and managed by NA World Services.

Intent: To eliminate language barriers, ensuring that all voices are heard worldwide, enhancing our
communication and time efficiency during business meetings. This motion also aims to reduce the
risk of human interpretation errors and potential absences during our sessions.
Rationale: The motion supports the unity of NA by strengthening worldwide participation while
maintaining English as the working language and preserving current human interpretation practices.
The WSC exists to reflect the voice of the Fellowship as a whole. When members who rely on
interpretation cannot engage fully in real time, our collective conscience is limited, and we miss
experience, strength, and hope that guide sound decision-making. Piloting tools that support more
simultaneous communication promotes equity in discussion. Testing during the cycle allows for
informed discernment before permanent change.
World Board Response: As we explained in the CAR response to Motion #5, we believe questions about
administering the WSC and conference participant meetings should be left to the body to decide and
adapt through experience, not decided through a CAR motion. CAR motions create policy that can only be changed again by conference action. This amendment improves on the original motion by limiting scope to CP webinars and requiring research before any trial. However, the requirement that data ownership remain with NA World Services may be impossible to guarantee given how rapidly AI technology is evolving and the contractual realities of most available platforms. We believe continuing to experiment with available technology and sharing best practices with each other will better allow conference participants to adopt and incorporate the tools that prove effective.
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