IAGA By-Laws

(The current IAGA Statutes and By-Laws were adopted on 19 July 1999, at the IUGG General Assembly, Birmingham, UK. Further minor amendments were made on 28 July 1999 to accommodate changes to the IUGG statutes.)

I. Composition

By-Law 1. Component Bodies of IAGA

The Components of IAGA shall be called Divisions and Interdivisional Commissions as follows:

Division I: Internal Magnetic Fields
Division II: Aeronomic Phenomena
Division III: Magnetospheric Phenomena
Division IV: Solar Wind and Interplanetary Magnetic Field
Division V: Observatories, Instruments, Surveys and Analyses
Interdivisional Commission: History
Interdivisional Commission: Developing Countries

By-Law 2. Role and Structure of a Component Body

2.1 Each Division or Interdivisional Body shall propose to the Executive Committee its own role, structure, and mode of operation, which must be approved by the Executive Committee.

2.2 The role and the effectiveness of each Division and Interdivisional Body shall be reviewed by the Executive Committee at each ordinary General Assembly.

By-Law 3. Appointment of Leaders of Component Bodies

3.1 The leaders of each Division and Interdivisional Body shall be appointed by the Executive Committee for one Period, subject to ratification by a Conference of Delegates. Vacancies occurring in the interim shall be filled by a person appointed by the Executive Committee.

3.2 In order that their appointments shall become effective, Division and Interdivisional Body leaders must express in writing to the President their willingness to serve.

3.3 The leaders of Divisions and Interdivisional Bodies may appoint, for each Period, Reporters, Working Group leaders, and the leaders of other possible subdivisions.

3.4 While it is recognized that the prime criteria for the appointment of leaders should be the scientific and administrative competence of the candidates, the Executive Committee and Division and Interdivisional Body leaders shall ensure that, wherever possible, these appointments achieve a diversified geographical representation.

By-Law 4. Honorary Membership of IAGA

4.1 A person who has given outstanding service to IAGA may be elected by a Conference of Delegates as an "Honorary Member of IAGA". The Executive Committee shall select persons for this category and shall present their names to a Conference of Delegates for approval.

4.2 The names of Honorary Members of IAGA shall be listed in publications where the structure of IAGA is shown and they shall be entitled to receive free from the Secretary-General, IAGA News, Transactions, and IAGA Programme-Abstract booklets.

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II. Administration

By-Law 5. Extraordinary General Assemblies

5.1 The President may at any time, with the approval of the Executive Committee, call an extraordinary General Assembly.

5.2 The President must call an extraordinary General Assembly at the request of not less than twenty-five Member Countries.

5.3 Such an extraordinary General Assembly must be held no later than nine months after the request.

5.4 An extraordinary General Assembly shall have the same powers and be subject to the same rules as an ordinary General Assembly.

By-Law 6. Notice of an Assembly

Notice of the date and place of an ordinary General Assembly or a Scientific Assembly shall be sent by the Secretary-General to the Member Countries at least nine months prior to that Assembly. The notice period for an extraordinary General Assembly shall be four months.

By-Law 7. The Agenda for a Conference of Delegates

7.1 A provisional agenda for a Conference of Delegates shall be prepared by the Secretary-General and circulated to IAGA National Bodies at least two months prior to the opening of an Assembly.

7.2 The provisional agenda shall include all items submitted by IAGA National Bodies for discussion at the Conference of Delegates, together with questions placed on the provisional agenda by the Executive Committee. Additional agenda items, for which notice has not thus been given, may only be discussed with the consent of the Conference of Delegates.

By-Law 8. Attendance at a Conference of Delegates

8.1 Conferences of Delegates shall be open to the public. Any non-delegate shall be heard in a discussion provided that person has the consent of the President.

8.2 The President may, on his or her own initiative or at the request of a National Body, invite representatives of scientific bodies or individuals to attend a Conference of Delegates in an advisory capacity.

By-Law 9. Voting at a Conference of Delegates

9.1 A Member Country not represented at a Conference of Delegates may vote by correspondence on any matter declared to be administrative or financial, with the exception of the election of the Executive Committee, provided that (i) the matter has been clearly defined in the final agenda distributed in advance to the Member Countries, (ii) the substance of the matter has not been changed, and (iii) the said vote has been received by the Secretary-General prior to the meeting.

9.2 Prior to a vote, the President shall decide whether the procedure of voting by correspondence applies. The President´s ruling may be challenged as prescribed in Statute 12.

By-Law 10. Representation on behalf of a Chief Delegate

A Chief Delegate of a Member Country may designate another Delegate from that country to be his or her representative at all or part of a Conference of Delegates. If the Chief Delegate is unable to do this, the accredited Delegates from that Member Country may designate one of their members to represent the Chief Delegate. In either case, the Secretary-General shall be informed of the designation in writing prior to the Conference of Delegates at which the representative of the Chief Delegate is to act.

By-Law 11. Nominations and Election of the Executive Committee

11.1 At least six months prior to the opening of an ordinary General Assembly, the President, in consultation with the Executive Committee, shall appoint a Nominating Committee consisting of a Chairman and four members. Members of the Executive Committee may not be appointed to the Nominating Committee.

11.2 The Nominating Committee shall nominate at least one candidate for each position on the Executive Committee and notify the Secretary-General so that these nominations are circulated to all IAGA National Bodies at least two months prior to the election.

11.3 The IAGA National Body of any Member Country may make other nominations in writing to the Chairman of the Nominating Committee at least one month prior to the election. To qualify for candidacy, each individual nomination must be supported by at least three Member Countries and must be accompanied by the written agreement of the nominee to stand. The combined list of candidates must be made public at least one day prior to the election.

11.4 The composition of the Executive Committee should reflect diversified geographical and scientific disciplinary representation.

11.5 Members of the Executive Committee shall be elected by secret ballot. The President shall select two scrutineers for the election from among the Delegates present. The scrutineers shall not be members of the Executive Committee nor of the Nominating Committee nor candidates for the election.

11.6 Scientists from countries that are not Member Countries of IAGA or are represented by Adhering Bodies that have been in Observer status for more than two years or have Associate Membership (as defined in the IUGG Statutes) are not eligible to hold elected positions in IAGA.

By-Law 12. Meetings of the Executive Committee

12.1 Executive Committee meetings shall be convened by the President, or jointly by the Vice-Presidents when the President is not available. At a meeting of the Executive Committee, no member can be represented by another person. Decisions of the Executive Committee shall be valid only if at least half of its members are present. All decisions of the Executive Committee shall be taken by simple majority of the total number of voting members present. In the case of a tie, the decision shall rest with the President.

12.2 When the importance and urgency of a decision warrant it, a vote by correspondence may be organized by the Secretary-General at the request of the President. Voting rules stipulated in these Statutes and By-Laws shall apply.

12.3 The President may, on his or her own initiative or at the request of another member of the Executive Committee or of an IAGA National Body, invite representatives of scientific bodies or individuals to attend an Executive Committee meeting in an advisory capacity.

12.4 Proposals concerning the agenda for meetings of the Executive Committee may be submitted by members of that Committee, by Division or Interdivisional Body leaders, or by IAGA National Bodies; they must be in the hands of the Secretary-General at least one month prior to the meeting. The final agenda, after its approval by the President, shall be distributed to the members of the Executive Committee at least one week prior to the meeting.

By-Law 13. Duties of the Executive Committee

In addition to the duties specified in Statutes 7 and 8 and By-Laws 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 11, and 12, and subject to directives of a Conference of Delegates, the Executive Committee shall have the power to:

(a) act as the organizing committee for all IAGA Assemblies, Symposia, and Meetings, or delegate such responsibility to other persons by making the necessary appointments;

(b) entrust to special commissions or to particular individuals the preparation of reports on subjects within the province of the Association;

(c) invite or appoint persons or institutions belonging to countries that are not members of the Association to be local correspondents to the Association.

By-Law 14. Duties of the President

The duties of the President of IAGA are:

(a) to represent IAGA in the IUGG Executive Committee;

(b) to represent IAGA in its dealings with IAGA National Bodies, other IUGG Associations, and other ICSU Bodies;

(c) to represent or to appoint a person to represent IAGA at meetings, conferences, or functions where formal representation is requested or desirable;

(d) to convene Conferences of Delegates and meetings of the Executive Committee and to preside over these meetings;

(e) to submit a report on the scientific work of the Association to a Conference of Delegates at each Assembly.

By-Law 15. Representation on behalf of the President

If the President is not available, the Executive Committee shall appoint one of the Vice-Presidents to preside at a Conferences of Delegates or an Executive Committee meeting, and one of the Vice-Presidents or the Secretary-General to represent the President at an IUGG Executive Committee Meeting in accordance with IUGG By-Laws. The President may designate one of the Vice-Presidents to act on his or her behalf in any other function, meeting, or conference in which formal representation of IAGA is requested or desirable.

By-Law 16. Duties of the Secretary-General

The duties of the Secretary-General are:

(a) to serve as secretary of IAGA, to organize Assemblies according to the instructions of the Executive Committee, to arrange meetings of the Executive Committee, and to prepare and distribute promptly the agenda and minutes of Conferences of Delegates and meetings of the Executive Committee;

(b) to manage the administrative and scientific affairs of the Association, to attend to correspondence, and to maintain and preserve the records of the Association;

(c) to inform members of the Executive Committee during the interval between its meetings about any important matter concerning the Association;

(d) to advise the President during the meetings of the IUGG Executive Committee;

(e) to receive and take charge of such funds as may be allocated by IUGG to the Association, or as may be received from any other source; to disburse such funds in accordance with the decisions of Conferences of Delegates or with the instructions of the Executive Committee; to keep account of all receipts and disbursements and to submit such account, audited by a qualified accountant, for examination by the Finance Committee appointed according to Statute 11;

(f) to prepare and arrange publication of the Programme of each Assembly, and a report on the outcomes;

(g) to publish an internal Association bulletin (such as IAGA News) containing information of general interest to the Association;

(h) to prepare for each Assembly the list of Chief Delegates;

(i) to perform such other duties as may be assigned by the President or by the Executive Committee.

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III. Finances

By-Law 17. Allocation of Funds

In the estimation of expenditures by the Secretary-General and approval thereof by the Executive Committee, as mentioned in Statute 10, provision may be made to allocate the expected funds to:

• operation of the Secretariat of the Association;
• administrative arrangements in preparation for Assemblies and Executive Committee meetings;
• publication on paper or electronically of IAGA News, IAGA Transactions, series of Geomagnetic Indices for which IAGA has primary responsibility, or special publications;
• assistance for the President to attend IUGG Committee meetings and for IAGA officers to attend functions as the representative of IAGA when such officers are unable to obtain the necessary support from other sources;
• assistance for officers of IAGA, meeting organisers, and scientists to attend official administrative meetings or IAGA-sponsored scientific meetings when participation by such persons is judged by the Executive Committee to be essential for the success of the meeting and those persons have expressed in writing that they are unable to obtain the necessary support from other sources;
• minor administrative expenses requested by leaders of Divisions, Joint Bodies, and Interdivisional Bodies who have expressed in writing that they are unable to obtain the necessary support from other sources,
• any item not mentioned above for which support will contribute to achieving the objectives of the Association.

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