Countries and regions

Girlguiding is broken down into ten countries and regions

All the information you need.

Which are our countries and regions?

All countries and regions have equal status and responsibilities. We use the term 'countries and regions' to refer to all areas, including British Girlguiding OVerseas.

How countries and regions are run

The country and region team consists of the:

  • Chief commissioner
  • Deputy chief commissioner(s) where appointed
  • County commissioners within the country/region 
  • Treasurer
  • Advisers and/or coordinators
  • Chairmen of sub-committees
  • Trainers
  • Trefoil Guild chairman
  • President and vice-presidents.

Find out more about volunteer roles in guiding.

The Executive Committee

The Executive Committee is responsible for guiding in their area and they report to the Board of Trustees of Girlguiding. They usually meet at least four times a year and are appointed according to the country or region constitution.

The Executive Committee appoints sub-committees to advise and assist it. The Executive Committee may in some circumstances delegate certain of its powers to its sub-committees or to individual members.

The country/region chief commissioner chairs her country/region Executive Committee and she is part of the national chief commissioners group.

From time to time the Girlguiding Board of Trustees appoints ad-hoc committees or groups from countries and regions to deal with specific tasks. These are normally dissolved when the task is completed.

Other governing bodies

Each country and region may also have a council or similar body appointed according to the terms of its constitution.

It may also have a Junior council, forum or panel with its own constitution or terms of reference.

Each country or region has an administrative office with a small number of professional staff.

British Girlguiding Overseas

British Girlguiding Overseas (BGO) was guiding for British girls living overseas. In May 2023, our trustees made the decision to change our overseas operations. That means that from 1 September 2023, Girlguiding operations in the Middle East and Africa, Asia, Benelux and France and Europe areas have closed.

Girlguiding in British Overseas Territories (Caribbean and Atlantic) will continue as we explore options for Girlguiding organisations in these areas, and units there will be part of Girlguiding until 31 December 2023.

Find out more about why this decision was made and read more about the history of BGO. We remain a member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS). WAGGGS is the largest women’s organisation in the world, with 10 million members across 152 countries.