Hi Pirates,

In case you missed the celebration across our social media, I’m proud to announce that we’ve rejoined Pirate Parties International. Last Saturday, a brave delegation of 5 intrepid (sleep deprived) pirates attended the PPI’s online General Assembly from about 11pm to 4am where our application to join was formally accepted.

Highlights of the GA include an opening address by Rick Falkvinge, one of the pivotal figures of the early Pirate movement in Sweden and a Q&A from the head of the Russian Pirate Party Alexander Isavnin on the undemocratic situation within Russia.

Other items discussed include an update on PPI’s subcommittees to the United Nations, who have sent delegates to the UNODC Cybercrime Convention in New York, COP28, and the Internet Governance Forum in Kyoto. The reborn Pirate Party UK also applied for and received observer member status.

Several elections were held, of note is the new chair of PPI (Gregory Engels, PPDE), myself to the Court of Arbitrations and Board member Owen Richardson (Young Pirates of Australia).

I’m more than happy to encourage Australian pirates or pirate supporters to participate and contribute to the international movement. An exciting item to note is that through PPI, we can now obtain United Nations groundspasses for in-person events in Geneva, New York and the Hague, and a PPI application is being prepared for us to join the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, for insider access to future COPs.

Full minutes here: https://etherpad.pp-international.net/p/r.d25a6a61c53266fa340e03fcdf609863

My full speech to the GA is here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zfnbPRecT5Bx7dCMx8bkOoi_mcqu2P6Sn9HG8W3jqZM/edit

Address by the outgoing PPI President Marie Florie (PPFR): https://floriemarie.fr/index.php/2023/12/09/discours-ma-demission-de-la-presidence-du-parti-pirate-international-my-resign-of-the-presidency-of-the-international-pirate-parties/ or the recorded stream:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A_DeTtneP8

Miles Whiticker
President
Pirate Party Australia