the group, and have been accepted at the FA convention into the Anarchist Federation." For a group seeking to join FA, it must accepted by majority vote at a FA convention, with all sections carrying veto power. Every section is entitled to one vote and may withdraw from the FA should it desire. A section may also be expelled from the Federation at the request of another section at an FA convention – the decision on this matter is made by majority vote with the right of veto. The Anarchist Federation Information Office operates in the period between conventions, forming decisions on current, external affairs. The office coordinates the flow of information between sections, acts as a liaison between sections, updates the contact list of all sections, and adopts resolutions. The groups making up the Federation enjoy a high degree of autonomy. The sections must, however, agree with the overall ideological beliefs of the Federation, which "unites people whose aim is to overthrow the hierarchical social order which contradicts the idea of freedom and democracy", and which strives to "create a self-governing society, formed on a voluntary basis". It is incumbent upon a particular section to organize a FA convention, and all groups belonging to the Federation are required to participate once a convention is called. "Contact" members (non-section groups) who pledge to perform tasks for the Federation must submit a report at the next convention on their work in carrying out those tasks. If they cannot attend the next convention, they are required to submit a written report. Conventions The Anarchist Federation has described their conventions as: "the most significant manifestation of the activity of anarchist structures on the national forum". Conventions typically end with the issuance of resolutions. During the Eighth Congress of the FA, held in June 1992 in Warsaw, the ideological declaration of the Anarchist Federation called "The Majority Plane" was passed; so far (November 2010) thirty-seven conventions have been held. Sections At the turn of the 20th and 21st century over a dozen sections from all over the country belonged to the FA, including Gdansk, Krakow, Warsaw, Poznan, Wroclaw, Kielce, Lodz, Lublin, Sochaczew, Slupsk and Koszalin. Between 1989 and 1998 a libertarian group from Katowice was also active in the Anarchist Federation. The Anarchist Federation is no longer active in Warsaw, since the section there announced that it was leaving the Federation in October 2021.