IFSM

Constitution of the International Federation
of Societies for Microscopy

STATUTES / BY-LAWS

STATUTES

I. Name and Domicile
The Federation shall be called the International Federation of Societies for Microscopy (IFSM).

The legal domicile of the Federation shall be at the business address of the General Secretary.

II. Objects of the Federation
II.1 The objects of the Federation are:

1. To contribute to the advancement of Microscopy in all its aspects.

II.2 For this purpose the Federation shall have the power:

1. To hold and International Congress of Microscopy every four years
2. To sponsor regional meetings and conferences
3. To sponsor International publications in the field of microscopical research
4. To set up committees and other bodies
5. To initiate, promote an co-ordinate microscopy research and/or nomenclature requiring international cooperation
6. To participate in joint committees with other scientific bodies in matters of interest to the Federation

III. Membership
III.1 The Federation shall be composed of such organisations, representing the Microscopists of a region, a Nation or a group of Nations, as have been admitted to membership in accordance with the By-Laws.

III.2 Membership in the Federation shall be in one of four groups with corresponding voting powers and a financial contribution as set out in the statutes. The group to which a member of the organisation belongs shall be determined by the General Assembly and shall reflect the International contribution of that organisation to Microscopy. New and/or small organisations representing the majority of Microscopists of a region, a Nation or a group of Nations are eligible for associate membership of the Federation. Such membership shall be without voting power and without financial contribution but shall in other respects be equal to membership in one of the four groups with votes. Application for associate membership shall follow the same rules as specified for membership in the By-Laws.

III.3 Any member organisation may withdraw from the Federation, provided that it has fulfilled its obligation up-to-date. An organisation which withdraws, or one whose membership is cancelled in accordance with the by-laws loses all rights in connection with the Federation.

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IV. Administration
IV.1 The work of the Federation shall be conducted by:

1. The General Assembly
2. The Executive Committee and any other Committee which may be set up by it or by the General Assembly

IV.2 All contracts and agreements involving the Federation shall be signed by the General Secretary and by the President, or in the absence of either of the above, the Vice-President shall have signing authority.

IV.3 In all other civil and legal occasions and in dealing with other organizations, the President shall be the official representative of the Federation. He or she may, in this respect, delegate his/her power to the Vice-President, the General Secretary or an ordinary member of the Executive Committee.

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V. General Assembly
V.1. The ultimate authority of the Federation resides in the General Assembly which is composed of delegates appointed by the member organisations.

V.2 The Executive Committee is responsible to the General Assembly and shall participate in its deliberations.

V.3 The President shall serve as chairman of the General Assembly, or in his absence, the Vice-President or the General Secretary shall serve. In the absence of the three above mentioned members of the Executive Committee, the General Assembly will elect a Chairman.

V.4 Each member organisation shall have voting power in the General Assembly, in accordance with the group to which it belongs, as follows:

GROUP	I	II	III	IV
Number of Votes	1	2	3	4

No person shall serve as a member of more than one delegation. A member of the Executive Committee shall not be a member of any delegation nor have any voting power.

V.5 No meeting of the General Assembly shall have the power to make valid decisions unless a quorum of two-thirds of the total votes possible is represented. Except where otherwise provided in the statutes or by-laws, decisions of the General Assembly are taken by a majority of the votes cast. In the event of an equal division of votes, the Chairman shall make the final decision.

V.6 The General Assembly shall:

1. Take action on the admission or organisation to membership
2. Elect the President, Vice-President, General Secretary and the other Officers of the Federation
3. Receive the reports of the activities of the Federation and of its committees
4. Elect two auditors and receive the audited accounts for the years elapsed since the previous meetings of the General Assembly
5. Receive the budget for the normal expenditures for the period to the next meeting of the General Assembly
6. Determine the unit contribution for the period to the next meeting of the General Assembly
7. Determine the general policy and time table for the period to the next meeting of the General Assembly
8. Determine the site of International meetings

V.7 The General Assembly shall have the power

1. To amend the statutes
2. To formulate and amend by-laws,
3. To set committees or other bodies and to determine terms of reference of these
4. To decide on all other questions falling within the competence of the Federation

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VI. Executive Committee

VI.1 The Officers of the Federation constituting the Executive Committee are:

1. President
2. Vice-President
3. General Secretary
4. 8 Ordinary Committee Members
   The above Officers are elected by the General Assembly. There shall not be more than two of these Officers at any one time from any one member organisation, nor shall any one person hold two offices simultaneously
5. An ICM Member
   The ICM Member is to be nominated by the member organisation which is to host the next ICM, and is to hold office for four years from the 1st January following the General Assembly at which the next venue of the ICM is decided.
6. A Trade Member
   The Trade Member is to be nominated by the IFSM Trade Group member and is to hold office for four years from 1st January following the General Assembly at which he/she was elected.

VI.2 The Executive Committee shall carry out the decisions of the General Assembly.

VI.3 During the periods between meetings of the General Assembly the Executive Committee shall have full power to carry on the business of the Federation. If necessary it may make ad interim arrangements in all matters assigned by the Statutes and By-laws.

VI.4 The Executive Committee shall report on its activities to the General Assembly.

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VII. Finances
VII.1 The Executive Committee shall be responsible to the General Assembly for all the financial affairs of the Federation. The General Secretary shall act as Treasurer of the Federation.

VII.2 Each member organisation shall pay before the 1st of March of each year an annual subscription in accordance with the group to which it adheres, excepting that the IFSM Trade Group shall have its own annual subscription.

VII.3 The contribution of each group, stated in terms of currency to be designated by the Executive Committee, shall be determined by the General Assembly for the period to the next meeting.

VII.4 The Executive Committee shall prepare an estimate of the budget for the period between the next meeting of the General Assembly and that following it.

VII.5 The monies of the Federation shall be used to further the purposes of the Federation as expressed in this Constitution. Such uses may include the payment of expenses incurred by Officers in carrying out the business of the Federation.

VII.6 In the event of dissolution of the Federation, the General Assembly shall appoint a special committee for the liquidation of the assets of the Federation. The net assets shall be given to one or more International organisations.

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VIII. Duration of the Federation
The duration of the Federation is not limited. The Federation shall not be dissolved except on a motion presented at the General Assembly. Such a motion shall be put to a vote of the General Assembly without amendment and at least three fourths of the votes shall be required for dissolution. In the event that a quorum is not present or in the event that less than three fourths of the full number of the votes is not realised a postal ballot should be demanded and in such a postal ballot three fourths of the full members of the votes of all member organisations shall be required for dissolution.

IX. Amendment and Interpretation of the Constitution and By-Laws
IX.1 Amendment of the Constitution and By-laws requires action at the General Assembly. At least two thirds of the votes represented at the General Assembly are required.
The Executive Committee may propose amendments at the General Assembly or by postal ballot. Proposed amendments submitted to a postal ballot shall be accepted if two-thirds of the total number of all member organisations accept it. During the General Assembly, any member organisation shall have the right to propose amendments.

IX.2 The present English text of the Constitution shall be considered the authoritative text for the interpretation. Where disputes arise concerning the interpretation, the matter shall be decided by the General Assembly or, during the period between meetings of the General Assembly, by ruling of the President of the Federation. Such a ruling shall be reported by the President of the General Assembly at its next meeting.

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X. Emergency Provisions
If the normal procedure for holding elections cannot be followed owing to circumstances beyond the control of the Federation or the Executive Committee, such as war or natural catastrophes, the Officers and Committee Members shall remain in office and the business of the Federation shall be carried on by them until such time as a new election can validly take place. These Statutes have been ratified the 2nd of September 1986 by the General Assembly of the International Federation of Societies for Microscopy. Amendments to 111.2, VI.1 (d) and (e) have been ratified by the General Assembly on 4 September 1998. The entire document was amended by the General Assembly on 4 September 2002 to excise the word Electron from the name of the Federation, and to allow for a Trade Member of IFSM.

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