The Twelve Concepts for DA World Service

Just as the Twelve Steps are guides for personal recovery and the Twelve Traditions are guides for group unity, the Twelve Concepts are guides for Wold Service. These Concepts serve as a path for Twelfth Step work on a world service level, and show how the DA groups, the World Service Conference, and the Debtors Anonymous General Service Board work together to carry recovery in DA to the still suffering debtor.

1. The ultimate responsibility and authority for Debtors Anonymous World Services should always remain with the collective conscience of our whole Fellowship as expressed through the DA groups.


2. The D.A. groups have delegated complete administrative and operational authority to General Service Board. The groups have made the Conference the voice and conscience for the whole Fellowship, excepting for any change in the Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions, and in Article 10, the General Warranties, of the Conference Charter.


3. As a traditional means of creating and maintaining a clearly defined working relationship between the groups, the World Service Conference, and the Debtors Anonymous General Service Board, it is suggested that we endow these elements of world service with a traditional “Right of Decision” in order to ensure effective leadership.


4. Throughout our Conference structure, we maintain at all levels a traditional “Right of Participation,” ensuring a voting representation.


5. Throughout our world service structure, a “Right of Appeal” protects minority opinion and assures that they be heard.


6. The Conference acknowledges the primary administrative responsibility and other duties of the Debtors Anonymous General Service Board. The Trustees delegate full authority for routine management of the DA headquarters to its executive committee.


7. The Conference recognizes that the Charter and the Bylaws of the Debtors Anonymous General Service Board serve as governing documents and that the Trustees have legal rights, while the rights of the Conference are spiritual, rooted in the Twelve Traditions. The Concepts are not legal instruments.


8. The Debtors Anonymous General Service Board of Trustees assumes primary leadership for larger matters of overall policy, finance, and custodial oversight, and delegates authority for routine management of the General Service Office.


9. Good leaders, together with appropriate methods for choosing them at all levels, are necessary. At the world service level, the Board of Trustees assumes primary leadership for DA as a whole.


10. Every DA service responsibility should be equal to its service authority as defined by tradition, resolution, or DA’s Charter.


11. While the Trustees hold final authority for DA World Service administration, they will be assisted by the best possible staff members and consultants. Therefore, serious care and consideration will always be given to the compensation, selection, induction to service, rotation, and assignments for special rights and duties for all staff with a proper basis for determining financial compensation.


12. The Conference of Debtors Anonymous will observe the spirit of the Traditions, taking care not to become powerful and wealthy; having sufficient operating funds with a prudent reserve; having no authority over any other members; making important decisions by discussing and voting on issues wherever possible by substantial unanimity; not acting in a punitive way; not inciting public controversy; never performing any acts of government; and finally, always remaining democratic in thought and action.

Rev. 8/2005 DA World Service Conference

Reprinted with permission, as registered group #252, from Debtors Anonymous General Service Board, Inc.