IUGG XXI
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INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF METEOROLOGY
AND ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCESSTATUTES
I - Objectives of the Association
1. The objectives of the International Association of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences are:
1.1. to promote the study of all problems on the Sciences of the atmosphere;
1.2. to initiate, facilitate, and coordinate, in this field, those researches which require international cooperation;
1.3. to stimulate discussion and provide for publication of the results of researches.
II - Membership of the Association
2. The International Association of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences is one of the constituent Associations of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics. All countries which adhere to the Union are Members of the Association (IAMAS) and are qualified to appoint delegates to the Association's General Assemblies.
2.1. Member countries may participate in the Association through a number of mechanisms, e.g., directly through their National Committee for the Union, or they may appoint a National Correspondent for the Association or they may appoint a National Committee for the Association.
III - Organs of the Association
3. The International Association of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences comprises:
1) the Bureau
2) the Secretariat
3) the Executive Committee
4) the General Assembly of Delegates
5) the Special Scientific Commission
6) the Joint Scientific Committees3.1. The members of the Bureau and of the Executive Committee shall be chosen, as far as possible, from those who are from Adhering Countries on the basis of competence, experience, and geographical coverage.
IV - Time Schedule of the Association
4. The Association shall meet in Ordinary General Assembly at the time and place of the Ordinary General Assembly of the Union.
4.1. The Association arranges General Assemblies, composed of National Delegates of the Adhering Countries, to conduct the business of the Association. Scientific Assemblies are arranged for the exchange of scientific information.
General Assemblies are normally arranged on the occasion of Scientific Assemblies.
4.2. The Bureau shall have the responsibility for deciding on the schedule of business during the General Assembly. In general, however, an opening Plenary Session should be scheduled during which the President may announce business matters, appoint appropriate committees to function during the General Assembly (such as the Finance Committee and a Nominating Committee), and may call for such reports as may be appropriate at this first Plenary. A second Plenary should in general be arranged towards the close of the General Assembly, during which the financial reports shall be made, reports of the Commissions heard, resolutions or recommendations adopted, nominations for Officers and Members of the Executive Committee presented, elections held, and other appropriate business conducted.
4.3. Extraordinary and Scientific Assemblies may also be called, as outlined in appropriate Articles below.
4.4. For the purposes of discussions in these Statutes of the terms of offices of the Bureau and members of the Executive Committee, and Commission officers, etc., a period is defined as the interval elapsing between the final Plenary Session of one Ordinary General Assembly and the termination of the final Association Plenary Session of the succeeding General Assembly.
V - The Bureau
5. The Bureau of the Association shall direct and coordinate all scientific and related activities of the Association, and shall function on a continuing basis, as required, in the interval between Ordinary General Assemblies. It shall consist of a President, two Vice-Presidents, and a Secretary General (who is also a Treasurer), elected by the General Assembly.
6. The President shall be elected at the final Plenary Session of the General Assembly; his term of office shall be for one period following his election, and he shall not be eligible for immediate re-election.
7. The Vice-Presidents shall be elected at the end of an Ordinary Session of the General Assembly. Their terms of office shall be for one period. They shall be eligible for immediate re-election but only for one additional period.
8. The Secretary shall be elected at the final Plenary Session of the General Assembly. His term of office shall be for two periods. A retiring Secretary General shall be eligible for immediate re-election, but only for one additional period.
9. If the office of the President becomes vacant between two Ordinary General Assemblies, the senior Vice-President shall become President. In the event that the two Vice-Presidents are equal in seniority (i.e., each having been elected for the first time at the same General Assembly), the Executive Committee shall decide which Vice-President shall become President.
10. If the office of the Secretary General becomes vacant under the same circumstances, a Secretary General shall be nominated by the President to occupy the office until the next Ordinary or Extra-Ordinary General Assembly. In the event of election at an Extraordinary General Assembly, the initial term of the office will consequently be somewhat shorter than two full periods.
VI - Secretariat
11. The Secretary General shall expedite the current business of the Association in agreement with the President. He shall be responsible for: 1) the administrative and scientific correspondence; 2) the management of the resources at the disposal of the Association; 3) the preparation, printing, and distribution of the publications; 4) the arrangements for the General Assembly, Extraordinary, and Scientific Assemblies; 5) the execution of the decisions of the Association at the General Assembly.
The management of resources shall be understood to include the right to open a banking account in the name of the Association, to authorize the borrowing or the purchase of moveable properties and to dispose of them, in whole or in part, to the benefit of the Association.
12. The Executive Committee may, at its discretion, appoint an Assistant Secretary General, normally resident in the same general area as that of the Secretary General, who shall:
1) become familiar with the routine operations of the Secretariat;
2) have signing authority (together with the President and Secretary General) for cheques on Association bank account, to be used on instruction from the President or Secretary General;
3) assist the Secretary General as appropriate.
VII - Executive Committee
13. The Executive Committee shall be composed, in addition to the Members of the Bureau, of five elected members from five different countries. They shall be elected at the final Plenary Session of the General Assembly, and their term of office shall be for two periods. They shall not be eligible for immediate re-election.
14. The Executive Committee shall also include, ex-officio, the Presidents of the Commissions and the retiring President of the Association. The President of a Commission may delegate to the Secretary of that Commission the right to participate in a meeting of the Executive Committee if the President cannot do so.
15. If a vacancy occurs among the elected Members of the Executive Committee, a replacement shall be chosen by the General Assembly in the course of the next appropriate Plenary Session, for a period which shall expire at the time when the Member so replaced would have terminated his office.
16 The Executive Committee shall be consulted by the Bureau, by correspondence, on every new question of importance, administrative or scientific, which arises between two General Assemblies.
17. Meetings of the Executive Committee may be convened by the Bureau in the interval between two General Assemblies.
18. All decisions of the Executive Committee shall be taken at simple majority vote of those voting. If the votes are equally divided, that of the President shall decide.
VIII - General Assemblies
19. The General Assembly of the Association shall be composed of Delegates appointed by the National Committees of the Adhering Countries. These appointments shall be brought to the notice of the Bureau officially before the opening of the first Plenary Session of the General Assembly. The National Committees shall designate the Delegate who, in case of voting by countries, shall hold the right to vote for his country.
20. As given in the Article 4.1, the Association shall meet in Ordinary General Assembly at the time of the Ordinary General Assembly of the Union.
21. If the need should arise, the Association may also meet in Extraordinary General Assembly during the interval between two Ordinary General Assemblies of the Union.
21.1. The President of the Association, with the concurrence of the Executive Committee, may convene an Extraordinary General Assembly of the Association, which shall have the same powers and be subject to the same rules as the Ordinary General Assemblies.
21.2. An Extraordinary General Assembly must also be convened by the President upon the request of at least half of the Adhering Countries.
21.3. If the date and place of such an Extraordinary General Assembly have not been agreed upon during the preceding Extraordinary or Ordinary General Assembly, that shall be determined by the Executive Committee of the Association and communicated to the Adhering Countries at least six months in advance. The date and time shall likewise be communicated in good time to the Bureau of the Union and to those of the other Associations of the Union.
22. The Ordinary and Extraordinary General Assemblies shall be open to the public. All interested scientists may participate in the discussions, and may take the floor if recognized by the President or Presiding Officer, whether those scientists be formally accredited Delegates or not, or whether they are from Adhering Countries or not. However, voting shall be conducted according to the procedures outlined in Article 23 below.
23. At the General Assemblies, the Delegates present shall have individually the right to vote on questions of scientific interest.
23.1. In the elections mentioned in Articles 6, 7, 8 and 13, the vote shall be by country and each country shall have one vote.
23.2. On administrative matters, without financial implications, voting within the Association shall be by country and each country shall have one vote, always subject to the condition that the country shall have paid its subscription up to the end of the year preceding the voting.
23.3. On financial questions, voting within the Association shall likewise be by country, provided that the above-mentioned condition is satisfied. The number of votes assigned to each country shall be one greater than the number of its category of membership in the Union.
23.4. In case of doubt as to which class a question belongs, and in all cases of equality of votes on a question, the decision shall rest with the President or Presiding Officer.
23.5. In the event that a Chief Delegate cannot be present for voting, he may designate a Delegate from another country, to cast the votes on behalf of the country of the aforementioned Chief Delegate.
23.6. No Delegate shall represent more than two countries.
23.7. An Adhering Country not represented by a Delegate may forward by post its vote on any specific question of the agenda, that has been distributed in advance. The postal ballot must be received by the Bureau in advance of the Plenary Session in which the voting takes place.
23.8. The decision on all voting matters shall be by simple majority of those Delegates or those countries present, including postal ballots, counting for the purpose of determining a majority only those votes cast for or against a particular matter. In case of a tie vote, that of the President or Presiding Officer shall decide.
24. The agenda of a Plenary Session of a General Assembly of the Association shall be determined by the Bureau, which shall have previously invited the National Committees of the Adhering Countries to submit proposals. This agenda shall be agreed upon and communicated to the Committees at least four months before the opening of the General Assembly.
24.1. Questions not contained in the agenda may be considered during the sessions only with the previous agreement of at least half of the countries represented, or of the Delegates present at the General Assembly, accordingly, as the question is administrative (including financial) or scientific.
25. At Ordinary Sessions of the General Assembly the Secretary General shall present a report comprising in particular:
1) a statement of receipts and expenditure of the Association for the period from 1st. January, prior to the preceding Ordinary General Assembly, to 31st. December, prior to the current General Assembly (the financial year being from 1st. January to 31st. December).
2) an approximate estimate of expenses for the financial years up to that of the next Ordinary General Assembly.
IX - Scientific Assemblies
26. The Association may, upon decision taken at an Ordinary or Extraordinary General Assembly, conduct Scientific Assemblies at times other than the General Assemblies. These Scientific Assemblies may be arranged by the Association alone, or they may be held jointly with other Associations of the Union, or with other bodies of the International Council of Scientific Unions. Plans for such Scientific Assemblies shall be communicated to the Bureau of the Union and to those of the other Associations in good time.
X - Financial Arrangements
27. A Finance Committee, nominated by the President and approved by the General Assembly at its first Plenary Session, shall verify the accounts for the preceding years and examine the provisional estimates, both of which having been prepared by the Secretary General. The Committee shall approve the financial statements which the Secretary General prepares prior to the submission of these reports, by the Secretary General, to the General Assembly at the Final Plenary Session.
The accounts shall have been audited by a qualified accountant.
28. The Association shall draw its resources from that part of the subscriptions of the Adhering Countries which is allotted to it by the Union. To this main income may occasionally be added other receipts from the sale of publications, interest on bank accounts, contributions made by other interested organizations to support symposia or other meetings, etc.
29. The income shall be assigned in the first place for the payment of the expenses of the Secretariat, namely:
a) all costs of publications;
b) office equipment, expenses of correspondence, shipping;
c) payments to the President and the Secretary General for traveling expenses at the time of the General Assemblies;
d) if necessary, the rents of the Secretariat, costs of purchase and maintenance of equipment, and incidental expenses.
29.1. Traveling expenses may be paid by the Secretary General, but only:
a) in connection with meetings on specific Association business, and
b) when those concerned represent the Association and not Adhering Countries or other organizations, and
c) in cases where those concerned cannot draw proper allocations from their own national sources. Such payments may cover traveling costs and a reasonable contribution to other expenses while attending such meetings.
29.2. The balance of receipts shall be devoted to grants for scientific activity, e.g., to Commissions and to Joint Committees (in this case subject to the provisions of Statute 44) for conduct of symposia or special scientific meetings, and to participants as far as possible, to Association General or Scientific Assemblies, who cannot obtain adequate travel allocations from other sources. In general, it will be expected that such participants will obtain partial support from the Association's funds, the balance coming from national or other sources.
XI - Commissions
30. Commissions for the study of particular questions may be constituted by the General Assembly.
30.1. The objectives of the Commissions will be reviewed every four years by the Executive Committee. This will make appropriate recommendations at a Plenary Session of each Ordinary General Assembly, which decides in the continuation of the research and works of the Commission or on its termination.
31. The Members of these Commissions shall be recognized and interested scientists.
31.1. The Commission may elect new Members by a simple majority vote of the Members voting in the election. The Members may be from Adhering or non-Adhering Countries. Due regard should be paid to geographical representation in the composition of the Commissions. The terms of Commission Members shall normally be for two full periods. The results of membership elections shall be reported to the General Assembly.
32. Each Commission shall elect a President and a Secretary from among their membership; their terms of office shall normally be for one period, but (see Article 37 below) for special circumstances that could change the actual length of the terms of office of Officers and Members. They shall be eligible for re-election.
32.1. In view of the fact that each Commission President will also be, ex-officio, a Member of the Executive Committee, the Presidents of Commissions should generally be re-elected for only one additional period, in order that their terms of office shall be consonant with those of the elected Members of the Executive Committee.
33. When a new Commission is constituted, the first President will be appointed by the Executive Committee. The Commission President shall invite appropriate scientists to be Members. These appointments shall be voted upon by the Commission at its first meeting.
34. The Commission should, in general, conduct their elections of Officers and Members at the times of the Ordinary General Assemblies of the Association. These elections should be held prior to the final Plenary Session of the General Assembly so that the results, along with other business conducted by the Commissions, may be reported to the General Assembly. The General Assembly shall have the right to comment on the work and elections of the Commission, in an advisory capacity only, which the Commissions may wish to consider at subsequent business sessions and elections.
35. The Commissions may meet when convened by their President outside the meetings of the General Assemblies, on condition that the Bureau of the Association is advised beforehand. Such symposia may be arranged jointly between interested Commissions, or jointly with other appropriate bodies of the International Council of Scientific Unions, or with other relevant organizations (e.g., the World Meteorological Organization).
36. The President of a Commission may request the Bureau to sanction an election by postal ballot, or by holding an extraordinary election at the time of a Commission meeting held outside the time of an Ordinary General Assembly, as in Article 35 above, if the Commission President feels that a satisfactory election cannot be held at an Ordinary General Assembly.
36.1. A postal ballot should be held prior to the Ordinary General Assembly so that the results could be reported to that Assembly.
36.2. An extraordinary election at a Commission meeting outside the time of the Ordinary General Assembly should preferably be held in the year prior to or following the Assembly in question.
36.3. For elections held outside the General Assemblies, the terms of office shall last until that General Assembly which would result in the closest approximation to a full term.
36.4. The results of such extraordinary elections shall be reported to the Bureau and to the following Ordinary General Assembly.
37. A Commission may, at the discretion of its President, appoint Sub-Commissions, Committees, or Working Groups, to undertake special studies or to devote specialist attention to a part of the general area of concern. The Members of such sub-bodies need not be Members of the Commission. They should be appointed by the President of the Commission, after due consultation with Members of the Commission. Findings or recommendations of such sub-bodies must be approved by the parent Commission before promulgation.
38. All decisions of Commissions shall be taken by a simple majority of votes of the Members voting (individual votes). In case of equal votes for and against, that of the President shall decide.
XII - Joint Committees
39. Joint Committees between the Association and other Associations on scientific questions of mutual interest may be constituted by the Associations concerned. In the case of IAMAS, formal approval shall be given by a General Assembly, although approval in principle may be granted at an earlier date by the Executive Committee.
40. The Members of the Joint Committee shall be appropriate scientists nominated by the respective Associations, each of which shall normally nominate the same number of Members.
41. The Joint Committees may propose new Members whose nomination must be ratified by the respective Association at the occasion of their General Assembly. The term of office of Members shall be for one period. They shall be eligible for re-appointment.
42. Each Joint Committee shall elect a President and Secretary who shall not both have been appointed by the same Association, and whose term of office shall be for one period. They shall be eligible for re-election.
43. The Joint Committees shall formulate their program of work and shall organize their meetings, insofar as possible, during the course of the sessions of the General Assembly of the Union. The proceedings of the Joint Committees shall be published in the minutes of the Associations concerned.
43.1. The Joint Committees may meet when convened by their President outside the meetings of the General Assemblies, on condition that the Bureaus of the respective Associations are advised beforehand. They may meet at the same time as related Commissions or Joint Committees constituted by other Associations of the Union or by other Unions, in order to study and resolve together problems which interest more than one Association of the Union or more than one Union.
44. Requests from a Joint Committee for subsidies must be presented and supported by the Associations concerned.
45. Every Joint Committee may refer in a consultative capacity to experts who are not Members of the Joint Committee.
46. All decisions of Joint Committees shall be taken by a simple majority of votes of the Members present (individual votes). In case of equal votes for and against, that of the President shall decide.
XIII - Dissolution of the Association
47. If the Association should ever be dissolved, its financial assets will revert to the Union to be used for the continuation of scientific and educational activities, such as the organization of scientific meetings and symposia, the dissemination of scientific information, and the coordination of international research activities.
XIV - Changes in the Statutes of the Association
48. Changes of these Statutes shall be decided by the General Assembly, which shall also decide on the date when such changes shall take effect.
XV - Official Languages of the Association
49. The Association shall observe the official languages recognized by the Union, namely French and English. Abstracts or reports may be submitted in either of these languages for publication.
50. For the interpretation of the Statutes, the English text and the French text shall both be considered authoritative.
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