Sunday, May 1, 2016

UN Pension matters (join our push for change): Proposed revisions to AFICS By-Laws and Rules of Procedure, 1 May 2016

Please see below explanatory cover note and proposed revisions to AFICS by-laws and rules of procedure prepared by Lowell Flanders and Loraine Rickard-Martin.

We're seeking support for this effort. Please circulate to  AFICS members who share our concerns and send any comments by email to unpensionblog.info@gmail.com, or participants of the FCUNS on Facebook may comment there (see link). 



1 May 2016 

Dear Former Colleagues and AFICS members,

Over the last year or so, with increasing assaults and threats to our pension savings, we have become increasingly concerned that AFICS is not well equipped, or oriented to act as a lobbying group to effectively protect our common interests. It is not at all clear, in fact, that AFICS was ever intended to be an organization that could mobilize its members for an extended struggle against those who may not have our best interests at heart. Nothing in the AFICS by-laws and rules of procedure provides confidence in democratic, transparent leadership and procedures, or in the role that many of us believe AFICS should play. 

Pension Funds around the world have been under siege for quite a few years now, both in the private and public sectors. Many funds have been crippled by mismanagement and malfeasance. Until recently, the UN Pension Fund has been well managed, with conservative and stable returns on its investments.  All of this changed in 2014 with the effort to make operational changes that threatened to breach the separation between the Fund’s investment and administrative functions. Efforts were also afoot for the fund to take on more risky investments in hedge funds and other questionable financial products. This came at a time when other large public pension funds were divesting themselves of such funds. It is ironic indeed that the UN is forging ahead along a path that others have already abandoned.

Worse still, there is clear evidence in two letters from the Pension Board Assets and Liabilities Monitoring Committee (11 Feb and 7 March) that the Investment Management Division is operating with weakened risk controls, transactions carried out without the proper signatures, plus a troubling statement by the RSG to the 4-5 Feb Committee meeting that "possible changes to the Fund's investment philosophy and approved UNJSPF risk appetite are being considered", which, the Committee states in its 7 March letter, it considers to pose unacceptable levels of risk.

Weakened risk controls in the Fund’s Investment Management Division are only part of the picture. The Pension Board's Investment Committee is seriously weakened as well. Why did our Fund lose its highly respected Chair of the Investment Committee, Ivan Pictet in his sudden resignation last year? He cited 'overwork' in media reports. He had served the Committee for ten years, and had been its Chair for a year. By many accounts he had done an excellent job of maximizing returns on the Fund's investments, and by some accounts, he resigned not because of overwork, but because the RSG wanted to impose changes he found unacceptable. He has not been replaced. Instead, the Chair of the Investment Committee has been rotated by the RSG and the term of office for members decreased to one year.

Clearly, we are faced with a level of turmoil and threat to the Pension Fund that we have not seen in previous years. This points to a situation where retirees need to be better organized to confront these threats to the Fund by people who do not care what happens to us. If our complaint was only that AFICS had been somnolent in the face of such threats, perhaps we could make excuses and move on. But, as many of you know, the leadership of AFICS actually worked to advance the interests of one of the parties to the merger debate. When many of you signed a petition to call for a general meeting of AFICS, in accordance with the AFICS by-laws, to discuss these issues, your request was effectively dumped in the rubbish bin by the AFICS leadership.

To address these issues we have prepared a proposed revision of the AFICS by-laws and rules of procedure that seeks to clarify and re-formulate its purposes and to make election procedures more transparent and democratic.

Please have a look at the attached document and provide us with your comments, reactions and inputs. Please indicate if you could support such changes.  Proposed new text is in bold italics while deletions are indicated by a strikethrough

Please feel free to share with other AFICS members who may share our concerns.

Lowell Flanders           Loraine Rickard-Martin

  ____________________________________________________________________             

Proposed Revisions to the By-Laws and Rules of Procedure of AFICS

Association of Former International Civil Servants

Existing text is in Black and new proposed text in Bold Italics. Deletions are indicated by a strike through.


Article I

Nature and purposes


1. The Association of Former International Civil Servants (New York), hereinafter referred to as "The Association", is established at United Nations Headquarters in the City of New York under the laws of the State of New York.

2. Its aims and purposes are:

a) to actively represent and defend the interests of Association members and UN retirees and those of their dependents and survivors before the administrations and other bodies of the United Nations System;

b) to advise and assist former international civil servants and those about to separate from service on questions of pensions, residence, health care, taxation, social security and other important concerns;

c) to keep members and retirees actively informed of matters affecting their welfare, pensions and other matters of interest to them;

d) to foster social and personal relationships among members, to promote their well being and to encourage mutual support of individual members.

e) to actively cooperate with other retiree organizations, staff unions and associations of the UN system to protect and promote the welfare and benefits of current and former international civil servants;

f) to support and promote the purposes, principles and programmes of the United Nations System.


a) to support and promote the purposes, principles and programmes of the United Nations System;

b) to advise and assist former international civil servants and those about to separate from service on questions of pensions, residence, health care, taxation, social security and other important concerns;

c) to keep members informed periodically of matters affecting their interests or of interest to them;

d) to represent the interests of members and, as needed, those of their dependents and survivors before the administrations and other bodies of the United Nations System;

e) to foster social and personal relationships among members, to promote their well being and to encourage mutual support of individual members.

3. The Association is a charter member of the Federation of Associations of Former International Civil Servants (FAFICS), and cooperates in all its activities. Through the Federation the Association is represented in various administrative bodies of the United Nations System, including, but not limited to, the UN Joint Staff Pension Board, the International Civil Service Commission and the Consultative Committee on Administrative Questions. The Association may represent the Federation in its activities as a non-governmental organization in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council.


Article II

Membership


1. Membership of the Association shall be open to:

(a) former staff members and officials of the United Nations and its subsidiary organs, the specialized agencies, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and other organs or former organizations of the United Nations System. Present staff members and officials of any of these organizations who wish to join in anticipation of retirement shall also be eligible for membership;

(b) former experts and consultants in the United Nations System.

2. Life membership shall be open to anyone who meets the criteria set out in paragraph 1 above of this article and who pays the life membership dues as established by the Assembly.

3. An associate membership, subject to payment of annual dues, which shall be set at not more than one half of the rates established for full members, shall be open to members of any other association participating in FAFICS.

4. The surviving spouse of a member or associate member of the Association shall be entitled to membership or associate membership of the Association, for as long as he or she continues to pay the annual dues or, in the case of the surviving spouse of a life member, for the duration of his or her life.

5. On the proposal of the Governing Board, the Assembly of the Association may confer an honorary [non-voting] membership on individuals who have rendered meritorious service to the Association or to the United Nations System.

6. A member may resign from the Association effective at the end of a calendar year by submitting a written communication to that effect.


Article III

Organs
The organs of the Association shall be:
(a) an Assembly;
(b) a Governing Board;
(c) such committees as the Assembly or the Governing Board may from time to time establish.

Article IV

The Assembly


1. The Assembly shall consist of all members of the Association. It shall hold an annual meeting on the third Thursday of May each year unless, for reasons it deems important, the Governing Board fixes another day. Any change of the date of the meeting from the third Thursday of May shall be notified to the membership not less than thirty days in advance of the new date.

2. Notice of the annual meeting and nominations for election to the Governing Board shall be sent to all members of the Association not less than thirty days in advance. The annual report on the activities of the Association shall be distributed to the membership prior to the annual meeting.

3. The Governing Board may convene an extraordinary meeting of the Assembly, and shall do so upon receipt of a written request from at least fifty members of the Association. [In the event of a written request from at least fifty members, the extraordinary assembly must be convened within two weeks from receipt of the proposed agenda by the petitioning members.] Notice of the time, place and agenda of the extraordinary meeting shall be sent to all members of the Association not less than fourteen days in advance of the meeting.

4. The functions of the Assembly shall be:

(a) to take note of the activities of the preceding year and to provide guidance on the future work of the Association;

(b) to elect from its members a nominating committee of six members to serve for a term of two years;

(c) to approve the elections to the Governing Board, [and its rules of procedures;]

(d) to approve the annual financial statements;

(e) to approve any changes in the rates of the annual and life membership dues;

(f) to elect two auditors;

(g) to consider any other matter submitted to it by the Governing Board or proposed by any member.

5. An attendance of at least fifty members of the Association shall constitute a quorum. In the absence of a quorum, the President shall adjourn the meeting to another proximate date.

6. Except for the election of members of the Governing Board, which is governed by the provisions of paragraph 1 (b) of Article V below, the Assembly shall take its decisions by a majority vote of the members present and voting. When, however, in the opinion of the Governing Board, a matter to be submitted to the Assembly is of such importance that the widest expression of the will of the membership is desirable, the Board may establish a procedure for voting by mail.


Article V

The Governing Board


1. The Governing Board shall consist of not more than [sixteen] twenty-three members. [Sixteen members] Eighteen members shall be elected by the membership of the Association, as follows:

(a) The Sixteen members shall be elected by the membership of the Association, with four members being elected each year for a term of two years.  Elected members shall be eligible for  re-election when their terms expire, subject to a maximum of two consecutive terms.  No member shall serve for more than a combined total of four consecutive years, including terms for which he or she is elected, although any member who has completed that total may again stand for election to the Board after an interval of at least one year.
(b) The elections shall be conducted by a nominating committee composed of six members elected by the Annual Assembly for a period of two years. The nominating committee shall select its own officers.
(c) The nominating committee shall consider for nomination outgoing members of the Board who are eligible for re-election, and members of the Association who are in good standing, are not in arrears in their dues and have demonstrated an interest in the work of the Board or its various committees
(d) Candidates may also be submitted in nominating petitions signed by not fewer than twenty members of the Association and received at least 30 days prior to the distribution of ballot papers by the nominating committee. The date for the Annual Assembly shall be announced by the Board not less than three months prior to its being convened to allow ample time for submission of nominating petitions.

(a) Six members shall be elected each year for a term of three years. A member hereafter elected shall be eligible for immediate re-election when the term expires, subject to a maximum of three consecutive terms.

(e) The elections shall be by secret ballot. Ballot papers shall be distributed in advance of the annual meeting of the Assembly. and shall contain the names submitted by a nominating committee designated by the President, together with any other names submitted in a nominating petition signed by not less than twenty members and received at least ninety days before the annual meeting of the Assembly.


2. Up to five additional members may be appointed, for any term not exceeding three years, by the Governing Board by a majority vote. The Board may in like manner fill a vacancy in its membership for the remainder of an unexpired term.

3. Any member of the Governing Board who fails to attend three consecutive Board meetings without adequate reasons shall be considered by the Board as having resigned therefrom and shall be so notified.

4. The Governing Board shall be convened by the retiring President as soon as possible after the annual meeting of the Assembly. It shall at its first meeting elect from its membership a President, a First Vice-President, a Second Vice-President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, a Deputy Secretary and a Deputy Treasurer. The Board shall also have authority to designate other officials of the Association from within its own membership or from the membership of the Association at large, including liaison officers for regions where large numbers of members reside.

5. The Governing Board may authorize the establishment of local chapters of the Association in regions where large numbers of members reside.

6. The Governing Board may consult the membership of the Association by means of questionnaires.

7. The functions of the Governing Board shall be:

(a) to take all appropriate measures in pursuance of the purposes of the Association in conformity with the by-laws;
(b) to prepare the agenda of all meetings of the Assembly and to carry out its decisions;

(c) to present to the Assembly a report on the activities of the Association as well as annual financial statements;

(d) to coordinate the activities of any chapters of the Association;

(e) to provide representation of the Association at meetings of the Federation of Associations of Former International Civil Servants and maintain liaison with other member organizations of FAFICS, and, through the Federation, to assure appropriate representation of the Association at meetings of the bodies listed in Article I, paragraph 3;

(f) to circulate periodically a Bulletin for the information of members of the Association.


8. An attendance of one half of the current membership of the Governing Board shall constitute a quorum. In the absence of a quorum, the President shall adjourn the meeting to another proximate date.

9. The Governing Board shall take its decisions by a majority vote of the members present and voting.

10. In exceptional cases, where the Governing Board considers that urgent needs of the Association require early action and it is impractical to convene an extraordinary meeting of the Assembly, the Board may poll the members of the Association by mail on a given matter. The matter is then decided by a majority of the members casting their ballots within forty-five days.

Article VI

Committees


1. The Governing Board shall establish committees to facilitate its work on specific subjects.

2. The President shall appoint members of committees from the membership of the Association on the basis of their interests and qualifications. Members of the Governing Board may serve on any committee.

3. The President shall designate a chairperson pro tem of the Committee who shall convene the first meeting, at which the members thereof shall elect a chairperson.

4. The chairperson of each committee shall report on its work to the Governing Board at its meetings. The chairperson shall prepare an annual report for publication in the Bulletin prior to the annual general meeting of the Association.

5. Committees shall establish their own quorum and other rules as appropriate.




Article VII

Dues


1. The Association shall be financed by the dues paid by its members at the rates established from time to time by the Assembly, and by grants and gifts accepted by the Governing Board. All members, except life and honorary members, shall pay annual dues, provided, however, that members who attain the age of eighty-five may notify the Association thereof and shall thereafter be exempt from the payment of annual dues.

2. The dues established by the Assembly shall be payable in January of each year. Members who fail to pay dues for two consecutive years shall have their rights and privileges suspended until payment is effected.


Article VIII

Amendment of the by-laws


On the proposal of the Governing Board or at the written request of at least fifty members of the Association, these by-laws may be amended by the Assembly by a vote of two thirds of the members present and voting, provided that notice has been sent to all members, accompanied by a copy of the proposed amendments, not less than thirty days in advance of the meeting at which the vote is to be taken.


Article IX

Dissolution of the Association


1. On the proposal of the Governing Board or at the written request of at least one hundred members of the Association, the dissolution of the Association may be decided by the Assembly by a vote of two thirds of the members present and voting, provided that notice has been sent to all members, accompanied by a copy of the proposal or the request, not less than sixty days in advance of the meeting at which the vote is to be taken.

2. In case of dissolution of the Association, the Assembly shall decide on the disposition of the assets of the Association.


RULES OF PROCEDURE OF THE GOVERNING BOARD


            The Annual Assembly has adopted the following rules of procedure to assist the Board and the Assembly of the Association in the orderly conduct of business within the framework of the Association's By-Laws:

1.  Definition of terms other than those made explicit in these rules

- "the Association" means the Association of Former International Civil Servants (New
  York), also referred to by the acronym AFICS/NY;
- "the By-Laws" means the By-Laws of AFICS/NY as adopted on 16 May 2002.

2.  Composition of the Governing Board [i]

2.1  The Governing Board, hereinafter referred to as the Board, shall consist of not more than sixteen members.[ii]

2.2  The sixteen members shall be elected by the membership of the Association,[iii] with four members being elected each year for a term of two years.  Elected members shall be eligible for immediate re-election when their terms expire, subject to a maximum of two consecutive terms.[iv]  No member shall serve for more than a combined total of four consecutive years, including terms for which he or she is elected or appointed, although any member who has completed that total may again stand for election or be appointed to the Board after an interval of at least one year.

2.3  The elections shall be conducted by a nominating committee composed of six members elected by the Annual Assembly for a period of two years. The nominating committee shall select its own officers. designated by the President and composed of four Board members who are not members of the Bureau and  will not be candidates in the election. To this end, the President shall invite a Board member, who is not an Officer and is not standing for election, to chair the nominating committee and shall discuss with him or her who should be its other members.  The names of the chairperson and members of the nominating committee shall be reported to the Board.

2.4  The nominating committee shall consider for nomination outgoing members of the Board who are eligible and wish to stand immediately for re-election, and members of the Association who are in good standing, are not in arrears in their dues and have demonstrated an interest in the work of the Board or its various committees.

2.5  Candidates may also be submitted by nominating petitions signed by not fewer than twenty members of the Association and received at least 30 ninety days prior to distribution of ballot papers by the nominating committee. The date for the Annual Assembly shall be announced by the Board not less than three months prior to its being convened to allow ample time for submission of nominating petitions. before the annual meeting of the Assembly.[v]

2.6   Candidates who accept nomination by the nominating committee or by members of the Association shall be asked to submit a biographic note stating, inter alia, the services they have rendered or believe they can render to the Association and indicating in which committee or committees they wish to serve. The notes shall be edited for consistency by the nominating committee, and the final text will be shown to the candidate concerned to ensure accuracy.

2.7  The elections shall be by secret ballot.[vi]  Ballot papers containing the names of the candidates, as well as the biographic notes and voting instructions, shall be distributed at least three weeks in advance of the annual meeting of the Assembly.  Voting members shall indicate their choices on the ballots and return them in specially provided balloting envelopes to the Association's offices.  Ballots shall be receivable up to one week before the opening of the annual meeting of the Assembly.

2.8   The nominating committee shall open the ballot envelopes and tally the votes, and shall announce the results of the election at the annual meeting of the Assembly. The four six candidates who receive the largest number of valid votes shall be declared elected.

2.9  The term of office of newly elected members of the Board shall commence as from the first meeting of the new Board, which shall be convened as soon as possible following the annual meeting of the Assembly, and in no case later than three weeks after that date.  It shall expire immediately before such meeting two three years later. 

2.10  Up to five additional members may be appointed, for any term not exceeding three years, by the Board by a majority vote.[vii]  The appointment shall normally be for one year at a time.

2.11  The Board may in like manner fill a vacancy in its membership for the remainder of an unexpired term,[viii] up to two months before the date of expiration of that term.

2.12  Members to be appointed under 2.10 and 2.11 above shall be proposed by the President with a statement of the reasons supporting the proposal.  Approval of the proposal shall require a majority of the duly convened Board members present and voting.

2.13  Members appointed as provided for in 2.10, 2.11 and 2.12 above shall have rights equal to those of elected members. The term of office of members appointed in this manner shall commence on the date the Board approves the appointment, and shall expire in the year decided by the Board on the date of expiration of the term of elected members.

2.10  Every member of the Board shall be a member of at least one of its standing committees.

2.11  The resignation of any member of the Board shall be addressed in writing to the President.

2.12 Any elected or appointed member of the Board who fails to attend three consecutive Board meetings without adequate reasons shall be considered by the Board as having resigned therefrom and shall be so notified.[ix]

2.17  In addition to the elected and appointed members, the Board may elect honorary members.

2.18  Candidates for election as honorary members, who must be persons who have served for three consecutive terms as elected members of the Board and have made a generally recognised outstanding contribution, shall be nominated by the President for approval by the Board. 

2.19  Honorary members of the Board shall have all the rights of elected or appointed members except the right to vote.  They shall not be considered as having resigned from the Board, in accordance with 2.16 above, for failure to attend Board meetings.

2.13  The Board may decide, after due consideration and notification process, to suspend or remove a member whose behaviour is deemed incompatible with the high ethical standards expected of Board members.

3.  Meetings of the Governing Board

3.1  Meetings of the Board shall be called by the President, and notice of such meetings shall normally be sent to the members at least one week beforehand, together with a provisional agenda drawn up by the President and any documents available at the time as would facilitate consideration and action at the meeting.  At the beginning of each meeting the Board shall adopt its agenda.

3.2  Any member of the Board may propose items for inclusion in the provisional agenda.  These proposals shall normally be submitted to the President at least two weeks before the date of the meeting.

3.3  Meetings of the Board shall normally be held on the third Tuesday of every month.  The President may call additional meetings whenever such action is required by events.  The agenda for such meetings shall be limited to the issues for which they are convened.

3.4  The attendance of one half of the voting members of the Board shall constitute a quorum.[x]  In the absence of a quorum, the President shall decide whether to adjourn the meeting to another proximate date, or to hold the meeting after advising the members present that because of the absence of a quorum any decisions taken shall be subject to ratification.

3.5  In the absence of a consensus, the Board shall take its decisions by a simple majority vote of the members present and voting at a duly constituted meeting.[xi]

3.6  The Board may invite other members of the Association, as well as non-members, to attend its meetings. Chairpersons and co-chairpersons of committees of the Board who are not members of the Board, as well as the President of the AFICS/NY Charities Foundation and the Editor of the AFICS/NY Bulletin, shall normally be invited to meetings of the Board. They may participate in its discussions, but shall not have the right to vote.

3.7  Minutes of each meeting of the Board shall be drawn up by the Secretary or the Deputy Secretary or another designated person and circulated in draft form to the members of the Board in advance of the following meeting, under the authority of the President.  Board members wishing to make changes to the draft minutes should normally communicate those changes to the drafter before the following meeting, at which time a final version of the minutes shall be adopted.  Only statements actually made during a meeting shall be reflected in the minutes.

4.  Officers of the Association

4.1  The Officers of the Association, who shall constitute the Bureau of the Governing Board, shall be the following: a President, a First Vice-President, a Second Vice-President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, a Deputy Secretary and a Deputy Treasurer.[xii]

4.2  The Officers shall be elected by the Board from among its members[xiii] and shall have a term of office of one year, at the end of which they will be immediately eligible for re-election as long as they remain members of the Board.

4.3  The Officers shall be elected at the first meeting of each newly constituted Board, which shall be called by the retiring President as soon as possible after the annual meeting of the Assembly, as stipulated in 2.9 above, bearing in mind the time required for candidacies to be put forward.

4.4  Candidates for posts of Officer shall be nominated by a member of the Board, with the nomination being seconded by at least one other member.  The Officers shall be elected by a majority vote of members present and voting.

4.5  The President shall lead the Association, shall be its primary representative and spokesperson and shall exercise general direction of the Bureau.  He or she shall decide on the provisional agenda of Board meetings, shall chair such meetings and be responsible for the implementation of the resolutions and decisions of the Board. In like manner, he or she shall draw up the draft agenda of the annual meeting of the Assembly for approval by the Board, and shall preside over said meeting. The President shall be a member ex officio of all committees established by the Board.  He or she shall also be responsible for the management of the AFICS/NY offices and shall oversee the preparation, publication and distribution of the AFICS/NY Bulletin. 

4.6  The First and Second Vice-Presidents shall assist the President in his or her functions.  The President may assign to each of the Vice-Presidents special responsibilities for specific areas of work of the Association.

4.7  In the event of the absence or disability of the President, the First Vice-President
shall perform the functions of the President.  If both the President and the First Vice-
President are absent or disabled, the Second Vice-President shall perform said functions.  The Acting President shall have such powers and responsibilities as pertain to the President until the President resumes his or her functions or until the Board elects new Officers.

4.8  The Secretary shall draw up minutes of the meetings of the Board and of the Assembly, record votes and decisions, circulate documents to be considered at such meetings and assist the President and the Vice-Presidents as required.  The Deputy Secretary shall assist the Secretary and replace that Officer in his or her functions as necessary.

4.9  The Treasurer shall be responsible for the sound financial administration of the Association.  He or she shall prepare annual financial statements for submission to the auditors, and submit audited financial statements for approval by the Assembly in accordance with Article IV,4,(c) of the By-Laws. The Treasurer shall advise the Board regularly on the financial situation of the Association, and prepare the Association's budget for the approval of the President. The Deputy Treasurer shall assist the Treasurer and replace that Officer in his or her functions as necessary.

5.   Officials of the Association [xiv]

5.1   The Board shall also have authority to designate other officials of the Association, from within its own membership or from the membership of the Association at large, including but not limited to, liaison officers, representatives of local chapters of the Association and editors of the AFICS/NY Bulletin.

6.  Convening of the Assembly

6.1  The Board shall convene the Assembly of the Association on the third Thursday of May of each year, unless, for reasons it deems important, it fixes another date.[xv]


6.2  The Board may also convene extraordinary meetings of the Assembly, on its own decision or upon receipt of a written request from at least fifty members of the Association.[xvi] In the event of a written request from at least fifty members, the extraordinary assembly must be convened within two weeks from receipt of the proposed agenda by the petitioning members. 


6.3  The Board shall prepare the agenda for all meetings of the Assembly, except in cases where the agenda has been proposed by association members requesting an extraordinary Assembly. Notice of the annual meeting, together with nominations for election to the Board, shall be distributed to all members of the Association not less than thirty days in advance of the meeting.  Notice of the time, place and agenda for any extraordinary meeting shall be distributed to all members of the Association not less than fourteen days in advance of the meeting.[xvii]

6.4  At the annual meeting, the Board shall present to the Assembly a report on the activities of the Association as well as annual financial statements.[xviii]

6.5 The Annual Assembly, may, by a two-thirds majority, recall the President or any Board members, who have failed to faithfully discharge the duties entrusted to them. 

7.  Standing and other committees [xix]

7.1  The Board shall establish standing committees, including their mandates and terms of reference, to facilitate its work on specific subjects.[xx]  The President shall appoint members of newly created standing committees from the membership of the Association, including the membership of the Board, on the basis of their interests and qualifications.[xxi]  Once such committees are established, the President may delegate to their leadership the appointment of members.

7.2  The President shall designate a chairperson pro tem of any new standing committee who shall convene the first meeting, at which the members shall elect a chairperson or two co-chairpersons.[xxii]  The chairperson or a co-chairperson of each committee shall report on its work to the Board as often as necessary and at least once every three months, and at any time that he or she considers it useful to inform the Board or seek its guidance. The chairperson or co-chairpersons of standing committees shall prepare an annual report for publication in the Bulletin prior to the annual meeting of the Assembly.[xxiii]

7.3   The Board may also establish ad hoc committees to address specific and time-limited issues.  The President shall appoint members of such committees from the membership of the Board and of the Association.

7.4  Committees shall establish their own quorums and other rules as appropriate.[xxiv]

7.5  The President, at his or her initiative or upon the advice of a committee’s leadership, may remove a member from a committee if it is deemed that his or her behaviour is detrimental to the purposes of the Committee or the Association.

7.6  The Board may dissolve a committee if it deems it is no longer necessary or has ceased to serve its purpose.

8.  Amendment or suspension of the Rules of Procedure

8.1  These Rules of Procedure may be amended or suspended by a decision of the Annual Assembly. Board. 



[i]   By-Laws, Article V, paragraphs 1, 2 and 3.
[ii]   Ibid., Art.V, 1.
[iii]   Ibid., Art.V ,1.
[iv]   Ibid., Art.V, 1 (a).
[v]   Ibid., Art.V, 1 (b).
[vi]   Ibid., Art.V, 1 (b).
[vii]   Ibid., Art.V, 2.
[viii]   Ibid., Art.V, 2.
[ix]   Ibid., Art.V, 3.
[x] Ibid., Art.V, 8.
[xi] Ibid., Art.V, 9.
[xii] Ibid., Art.V, 4.
[xiii] Ibid., Art.V, 4.
[xiv] Ibid., Art.V, 4.
[xv] Ibid., Art. IV, 1.
[xvi] Ibid., Art. IV, 3.
[xvii] Ibid., Art.V, 2 and 3.
[xviii] Ibid., Art. IV, 2 and 4 (c).
[xix] Ibid., Art.VI.
[xx] Ibid., Art.VI, 1.
[xxi] Ibid., Art.VI, 2.
[xxii] Ibid., Art.VI, 3.
[xxiii] Ibid., Art.VI, 4.
[xxiv] Ibid., Art.VI, 5.



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