IUGG Statutes and Bylaws: By-Law I. Administration

Union By-Laws

II. Administration

General Assemblies will normally be held once every four years at the call of the President of the Union. The interval of time between the closure of two successive General Assemblies shall be known as a "period".
Notice of the date and of the place of the meeting of the next General Assembly shall be sent by the Secretary General to the Member Countries at least nine months before the Assembly.

Proposals concerning the agenda for meetings of the Council may be presented by the Adhering Bodies or National Committees; they must be received by the Secretary General at least six months before the meeting. Associates may make proposals of a scientific nature only. The Secretary General must place all proposals received on the final agenda for the Council meeting. This final agenda, with explanatory comments, shall be sent to all Member Countries at least four months prior to the meeting. An item which has not been thus placed on the agenda may be discussed at a meeting of the Council if a proposal to that effect is approved by a two-thirds absolute majority vote of the Council Delegates.

The Secretary General may send notice of the date and place of the next General Assembly to individuals or scientific organizations in countries not adhering to the Union, but where there is evidence of activity in Geodesy and Geophysics.

Scientists from these countries will be invited to participate in the scientific programme of the General Assembly, with the status of Guest.

The President of the Union may, on their own initiative or at the request of an Association or Member Country, invite representatives of scientific bodies to attend any General Assembly as Guests provided there is no financial obligation for the Union.
A plenary meeting of the participants in the General Assembly shall be held during each General Assembly for discussions of Union activities.

The Associations shall hold business meetings and scientific sessions at the General Assemblies of the Union.

The scientific meetings at a General Assembly should include joint sessions of two or more Associations for the discussion of interdisciplinary topics. The programme of the meetings and the selection of these interdisciplinary topics shall be decided by the Executive Committee of the Union, about two years before the time of the General Assembly, on the basis of recommendations made earlier by the Associations.

Provided that the Executive Committee is informed, an Association may also arrange meetings of its own in the interval between the General Assemblies, either singly to deal with topics of specific interest, or jointly with another Association or other Associations.
1. The President of the Union shall be elected for one period and is not immediately eligible for re-election.
  
  The Vice-President and the additional elected Members of the Bureau shall be elected for one period and may be re-elected for not more than one consecutive period in the same function.
  
  The Secretary General shall be elected for two periods initially and should not normally be re-elected for more than two additional single periods.
  
  The Treasurer shall be elected for one period initially and should not normally be re-elected for more than two additional single periods.
  
  The Members of the Finance Committee shall be elected for one period and may be re-elected for two successive periods.
2. At least eighteen months before a General Assembly, the President shall appoint a Nominating Committee with the advice and approval of the Executive Committee. The Nominating Committee shall consist of a Chairman and three other members, not themselves members of the Executive Committee or of the Finance Committee.
  
  The Nominating Committee, after soliciting nominations from the Adhering Bodies of the Member Countries, and from the officers of the Union and the Associations, shall propose one or two candidates for each position in the Bureau, seeking to achieve a reasonable balance in their geographical and professional distribution. Candidates will be required to signify their acceptance of nomination and to prepare a resumé outlining their position, research interests and activities related to the Union.
  
  The officers of the Union and Associations and the National Committees shall be informed by the Nominating Committee of the list of nominations at least eight months before the General Assembly. They may make further nominations and/or recommendations to the Nominating Committee at least three months before the General Assembly. If new nominations for a given position are supported by at least three Presidents or equivalent officers of National Committees of Member Countries, and if they are accompanied by the written acceptance of possible nomination and resumé outlining the position, research interests and Union related activities of the candidates, they shall be added to the list initially established. The Nominating Committee shall send the final list of nominations to the officers of the Union and Associations and to the National Committees at the latest two months prior to the General Assembly.
  
  Re-nominations, from those previously nominated for the Bureau may also be made over a period of 48 hours following the close of the first session of the Council meeting at the General Assembly. Such nominations must be submitted in written form to the Secretary General, supported by at least three members of the Council and accompanied by the same documentation as required with the original nominations. The Council Delegates shall be informed of these additional nominations, together with their resumés, at least 24 hours before the elections.
  
  No one can be a candidate for more than one position in the election. Elections shall be by secret ballot.
3. The Nominating Committee shall, after soliciting nominations from the Adhering Bodies of the Member Countries, and from the officers of the Union and the Associations, propose one or two candidates for each of the four positions on the Finance Committee: two positions from among the current members of the Finance Committee and two positions from among the accredited Council Delegates at the present or any previous General Assembly excluding the current members of the Finance Committee. If there is an insufficient number of candidates from the current Finance Committee, then an additional member or members shall be elected from among the Council Delegates. No member of the Finance Committee may at the same time be a member of the Bureau or the executive body of the Union or of an Association or of a governing body of one of the Permanent Services or programmes supported by the Union. No member may serve for more than three consecutive periods on the Finance Committee.
  
  The officers of the Union and Associations and the National Committees shall be informed by the Nominating Committee of the list of nominations at least three months before the General Assembly. The Council may add to the list of nominations for the Finance Committee during the General Assembly until three days prior to the elections.
  
  Candidates will be required to signify their acceptance of nomination and to provide a resumé outlining their suitability for serving on the Finance Committee.
4. No one may be at the same time a Member of the Bureau or of the Finance Committee and President or Secretary of an Association.
  
  The Bureau may appoint Assistant Secretaries General and one Assistant Treasurer who may be assigned specific tasks by the Secretary General and the Treasurer with the approval of the Bureau. They may attend meetings of the administrative bodies of the Union in an advisory capacity.
  
  Scientists represented by Adhering Bodies that have Associate membership, or have been in Observer status for two or more years and scientists from countries not represented by an Adhering Body are not eligible to be elected to positions in the Union or in its constituent Associations.

The Council is convened by the President of the Union, and shall meet at appropriate times during each Assembly.

The Council may be convened between two General Assemblies when a written request is made by at least a third of the paying Member Countries or by a simple majority of the members of the Executive Committee, with notice of the questions to be placed on the agenda of the meeting.

Council meetings shall be open to Council Delegates, the Executive Committee, and the Finance Committee. One person from each Associate Member may attend any Council meeting, as Listener, without the right to speak. The IUGG President may invite guests to make presentations at Council meetings. Other individuals may, with concurrence of the President, attend Council meetings as Listeners only, except that a simple majority of Council Delegates present may declare part of any meeting closed to Listeners.

The Council shall:
1. decide upon the admission of new Member Countries and new Affiliate Members;
2. decide on an appeal against a decision by the Bureau to deny a transfer to Associate membership of a Member Country in Observer Status;
3. elect the members of the Bureau and of the Finance Committee;
4. receive reports from the Secretary General and the Treasurer of the Union and ratify the decisions or actions taken by the Bureau and the Executive Committee since the last Council meeting;
5. consider the budget submitted by the Treasurer and adopt the final budget;
6. determine the amount of the unit of contribution for the ensuing period (the unit cannot be changed at a General Assembly unless proposed on the agenda distributed four months in advance to the Member Countries);
7. review from time to time the categories of Member Countries; review the Associates at each General Assembly;
8. examine questions of general policy or administration in the business of the Union and appoint such Committees as may from time to time be deemed necessary for this purpose;
9. consider proposals for changes in the Statutes or By-Laws.

The Executive Committee is convened by the President of the Union. It shall meet at each General Assembly, and also at all sessions of the Council with voice but without vote. It will also meet normally at least once between General Assemblies, two years ahead of the next General Assembly, in order to prepare an outline of the interdisciplinary scientific agenda and of the timetables for the Union and for the Associations during the next General Assembly.

At a meeting of the Executive Committee, no member of the Bureau, or the Past President of the Union, may be represented by any other person. The Presidents of the Associations, in case of hindrance, may be represented by a Vice-President or the Secretary of their Association. The Past President has voice but no vote. For the validity of the deliberations of the Executive Committee, at least half of its members must be present or represented.

Proposals concerning the agenda for meetings of the Executive Committee may be submitted by Members of the Committee; they must be received by the Secretary General at least six months before the meeting.

The final agenda shall be sent to the Members of the Executive Committee at least four months prior to the meeting. No question which has not been placed on the agenda may be discussed at a meeting of the Committee unless a proposal to that effect has been approved by a two-thirds absolute majority vote of the Members present.

The Executive Committee shall:
1. initiate actions, as required, to co-ordinate the common interest of the Associations, such as by meetings between the Secretary General and the Secretaries of the Associations;
2. guide the Treasurer regarding the financial needs of the Associations in achieving their objectives;
3. fill any vacancy which may occur between General Assemblies among the Members of the Bureau and the Finance Committee (when such appointments are later confirmed by the Council, the period of office will be considered to begin from the date of its confirmation by the Council);
4. make recommendations to the Council on matters of general policy of the Union.

The Bureau will normally meet once a year, at the call of the President of the Union. In a meeting, no Member of the Bureau may be represented by any other person. For the validity of the deliberations, four Members at least must be present.

Between the meetings of the Council, the Bureau shall initiate procedures to attain the general objectives of the Union; it shall manage the finances, and ensure the adequate administration of the Union, including maintenance of a reference document ‘Guidelines on IUGG Administration’. It shall draw up the programmes for the meetings of the Council and of the Executive Committee.

Applications for membership of the Union and for transfer to Associate membership shall be referred to the Secretary General who shall report thereon to the Executive Committee, which shall decide on the scientific merits of each application. The Secretary General shall then forward the proposals through the appropriate channels to the Adhering Bodies representing the paying Member Countries; these bodies will vote by correspondence and the results of the ballot shall be communicated to them by the Bureau. Admission or transfer will be determined by a simple majority and is provisional until approved by Council. Simple majority is here determined by the proportion of affirmative votes to the sum of votes (affirmative, negative) provided that this sum is not less than one third of the total membership of the Union eligible to vote. Any case of refusal shall be referred to the Council.

The President of the Union shall:
1. be the representative of the Union in its dealing with National or International Organisations or Institutions:
2. convene and preside over the General Assembly and over all meetings of the Council, Executive Committee and Bureau;
3. submit a report to the General Assembly on the scientific work of the Union during the current period.
In case of absence of the President, the Vice-President shall act. If the President is incapable of remaining in office, the Vice-President shall become President and the Executive Committee shall elect a new Vice-President from the remaining Members of the Bureau.

The Secretary General shall:
1. serve as Secretary of the General Assembly, the Council, the Executive Committee and the Bureau; arrange for meetings of these bodies; prepare and distribute promptly the agenda and the minutes of all their meetings;
2. manage the affairs of the Union, informed by the document ‘Guidelines on IUGG Administration’, attend to correspondence, preserve the records;
3. circulate all information related to the Union;
4. prepare reports on the Union's activities; at least three months before the General Assembly, forward to all the Member Countries a report on the administration of the Union since the last General Assembly, and present a summary of this to the General Assembly itself;
5. Maintain a register of distinguished scientists who have been honoured by the Union as Fellows of IUGG, collectively designated as the College of Fellows.
6. perform such other duties as may be assigned by the Bureau.
To assist the Secretary General and the Treasurer in the performance of their duties to the Union, they may be authorized by the Bureau to employ administrative and secretariat personnel as may be required to ensure orderly administration.

For more information, direct questions to secretariat@iugg.org.


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