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Amendments to the IFUW Constitution and By-laws
Adopted by the 28th IFUW Conference
Perth, Western Australia, 4-10 August 2004

(Amended text appears in blue.)

 

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Article I - PURPOSE
 
1. The International Federation of University Women (IFUW) shall:

  • promote lifelong education for women and girls;
  • promote international cooperation, friendship, peace and respect for human rights for all, irrespective of their gender, age, race, nationality, religion, political opinion, gender and sexual orientation or other status;
  • advocate for the advancement of the status of women and girls; and
  • encourage and enable women and girls to apply their knowledge and skills in leadership and decision-making in all forms of public and private life.

2. To achieve these aims, IFUW shall:

  • provide an interdisciplinary approach to issues;
  • enable graduate women to use their expertise to effect change at all levels;
  • represent and advocate the views of graduate women in international fora; and
  • promote cooperation, networking, support and understanding among graduate women.

Article II - MEMBERSHIP

  1. A national federation or association of graduate women comprising at least fifty individual members who fulfil the membership requirements stated in Article III, may become a member of the IFUW as provided in Article II.2.
     
  2. (1) The Membership Committee shall examine the constitution and by-laws of a national federation or association applying for membership and report to the Council of IFUW. If the Council finds such constitution and by-laws to be consistent with those of the IFUW, it shall decide upon the admission of such national federation or association to membership.

    (2) Only one federation or association in each country shall be admitted to membership, unless a special situation is recognized by the Council.
     
  3. A group of at least twenty graduate women meeting the academic requirements for membership stated in Article III, who have come together in coalition, may become an associate member of IFUW. The Membership Committee shall examine the group’s application for membership for its consistency with the Constitution and By-laws of IFUW and report to the Board of Officers. The Board shall decide upon the admission of an associate member for a period of three years; subject to triennial review by the IFUW Membership Committee, the Board may extend associate membership for one or more three-year periods.
     
  4. In the case of associate members in small countries, such associate members may join together to form a federation. Such federations shall comprise at least 50 members and shall have the same status, rights and obligations as national federations and associations.
     
  5. A national federation or association of graduate women comprising twenty to ninety-nine members and having been admitted to associate membership of IFUW by the 82nd Council or by any earlier Council shall be entitled to retain associate membership on the terms on which it was admitted.
     
  6. Individual members of IFUW are paid-up members of national federations and associations, associate national federations and associations and associate members who meet IFUW’s eligibility criteria as set out in Article III.
     
  7. The Board of Officers may admit as individual members eligible graduate women living in countries where no IFUW national federation or association can be formed by reason of lack of sufficient numbers or from circumstances beyond their control. These women shall be known as “independent members”. The Board shall report such action to the Council.
     
  8. Membership is lost if

    (1) in the opinion of the Council a national federation or association, an associate national federation or association or an associate member ceases to meet the requirements for membership as laid down in the Constitution;

    (2) a national federation or association or an associate national federation or association or an associate member has allowed arrears in the payment of annual dues to accumulate over a period of three years, except in the case of circumstances beyond control; or

    (3) an independent member has accumulated arrears of one year in the payment of dues.


By-law 3 - REPRESENTATION

  1. Delegates of a national federation or association may vote at the Conference, as defined in Article VII.3(2), only if their federation or association has paid its dues up to and including the year of that Conference or has made arrangements for the payment of these dues.
     
  2. In cases of unforeseeable financial difficulties the Board of Officers shall have discretion to grant the right to vote conditional upon the national federation or association endorsing a schedule providing full payment of dues, in accordance with the provisions of By-law 33, on or before 31 December of the year immediately following the Conference.
     
  3. The national federations and associations may accredit an alternate delegate for each voting delegate.
     
  4. The national federations and associations shall notify the Secretary General of the names of the voting delegates and alternates and of the members designated in Article VI.6 of the Constitution. They shall provide such delegates and alternates with credentials which must be presented at the latest on registration at the Conference.
     
  5. If a national federation or association is unable to send the full number of delegates which it is entitled to send, the delegates whom it accredits may cast the full number of votes to which the national federation or association concerned is entitled.
    (Note: In this paragraph, the words "provided, however, that no delegate shall
    cast more than two votes" have been deleted.
     
  6. No member of the Conference may vote in more than one capacity.
     
  7. Each associate national federation or association or associate member may appoint a representative to the Conference. Such representative shall have the right to speak, but not to vote.



By-law 4 - VOTING

  1. Except where otherwise provided in the Constitution or By-laws, the decisions of the Conference shall be taken by a simple majority of the members of the Conference entitled to vote and voting. If there is a tied vote, the proposal shall be deemed to be rejected.
     
  2. In the case of voting on resolutions, any national federation or association eligible to vote and unable to send any delegates to a conference, shall have the right to designate another voting delegate present to cast votes on its behalf as its proxy, according to a procedure to be determined by the Council on the recommendation of the Board of Officers.
     
  3. Elections are by ballot. The election of the President shall take place first, followed by the election of the Vice-Presidents and the Treasurer, in that order. The three elections shall be conducted according to preferential voting. The method of preferential voting shall be determined by the Council at the request of the Board of Officers. There shall be a single ballot for all vice-presidential positions, conducted according to preferential voting.
     
  4. Any national federation or association eligible to vote and unable to send any delegates to the Conference, shall have the right to vote by postal ballot for the elections of the President, Vice-Presidents and Treasurer, according to a procedure determined by the Council on the recommendation of the Board of Officers.
     
  5. The quorum at the Conference shall be one third of the registered members having the right to vote and representing one third of the national federations and associations, together with two members of the Board of Officers.

By-law 9 - REPRESENTATION

  1. Each national federation or association shall appoint to represent it on the Council a member qualified to do so by her knowledge and experience of the work of her own federation or association and of the activities of the IFUW.
     
  2. Each national federation or association may accredit an alternate Council Member.
     
  3. A Council Member shall be eligible to receive a travel grant for attendance at an IFUW Council Meeting and to vote only if her national federation or association has paid its dues up to and including the year of the Council or has made arrangements for the payment of these dues.
     
  4. In cases of unforeseeable financial difficulties the Board of Officers shall have discretion to grant the right to vote conditional upon the national federation or association endorsing a schedule providing full payment of dues, in accordance with the provisions of By-law 33, on or before 31 December of the year immediately following the Council.
     
  5. One Council Member of each national federation or association shall be eligible to receive a travel grant for attendance at an IFUW Council meeting.
     
  6. Each associate national federation or association and associate member may appoint a representative to the Council. Such representative shall have the right to speak, but not to vote or to receive a travel grant.

 

By-law 13 – NOMINATIONS (for Board)

  1. One year before the Conference, IFUW national federations and associations shall be informed by the Secretary General which members of the Board of Officers are ineligible to stand for re-election. Each national federation or association shall be invited to send to the Secretary General, nine months before the Conference, nominations for the offices of President, the Vice-Presidents and Treasurer; nominees may be either existing Board members eligible for another term or new names.
    (Note in this paragraph the word "unwilling" has been removed.)
     
  2. In the case of failure on the part of the national federations and associations to nominate candidates for election to the Board of Officers, or in the case of withdrawal of candidates, the Council may propose to the Conference the names of candidates for election to the Board.
     
  3. In the case of a vacancy occurring between Conferences, the Board is empowered to make temporary appointment to fill such vacancy.


By-law 23 - MEMBERSHIP OF STANDING COMMITTEES

  1. Unless otherwise provided, the members and Conveners of standing committees shall be elected by Council Members during the Conference. No person may serve on a committee for more than two consecutive terms, except to serve as Convener for one term. The Convener shall be eligible for re-election for one term, unless she has previously served two consecutive terms as an ordinary member.
     
  2. One year before the Conference, IFUW national federations and associations shall be informed by the Secretary General which members of standing committees are ineligible to serve another term. Each national federation or association shall be invited to send to the Secretary General nine months before the Conference, nominations for membership of standing committees, either existing committee members eligible for another term or new members. National federations and associations may propose as many names for committees as there are vacancies but among these not more than one from any one national federation or association for each committee. A candidate may be nominated for one committee only.
     
  3. In the case of failure on the part of the national federations and associations to nominate at least as many candidates as there are openings on standing committees, the Board of Officers is empowered to nominate candidates for election or appointment in accordance with By-laws 23.1, 26.2 and 27.2(2).
     
  4. The President of the IFUW shall be an ex officio member of all standing committees. The Board of Officers shall nominate one of its own members to serve on each standing committee.
     
  5. In the case of a vacancy occurring among the Conveners or members of the standing committees, the Board of Officers is empowered to make temporary appointment to fill such vacancy.
     
  6. Any member of a committee who, without giving a satisfactory explanation, fails to exercise her functions for a period of one year, shall be considered to have resigned.
     
  7. The Board of Officers, after discussion with each standing committee, may invite on a voluntary basis one or two consultants to complement the expertise of the members of each committee where indicated by the work expected of the committee. Such consultants shall be non-voting members of the committee and shall be invited for a term not exceeding the remainder of the triennium in which they are invited.

 

By-law 33 - DUES

  1. The annual dues payable by the national federations and associations, associate national federations and associations, and associate members to the IFUW shall be fixed on a per capita basis by the Conference, on the advice of the Council and the Finance Committee, subject to the special provision in paragraph 2. They shall be expressed in the currency of the country in which the Headquarters of the IFUW is situated.
     
  2. The per capita basis for any national federation or association with more than 5000 members shall be fixed on a scale providing full capitation fee for 5000 members of that federation or association, 50% of the full capitation fee for the next 5000 members, 20% of the full capitation fee for the next 20 000 members, 16.7% of the full capitation fee for the next 70,000 members and no capitation fee for membership in excess of 100,000. Any national federation or association paying on this basis shall not be entitled to the alleviation provided for in By-law 33.5.
     
  3. National federations and associations in countries with a very low per capita GNP may apply for reduction. The Board of Officers may grant reduction of up to 60% of the full dues using a formula approved by Council and reviewed on a regular basis. The Board shall report the matter to the Council.
     
  4. Associate members may apply for a reduction of 50% of the annual dues for a maximum of three years dating from admission to associate membership.
     
  5. In the event of an appreciable change in the rate of exchange between the currency of the Headquarters country and the currency of the country of a national federation or association, the Board of Officers may grant alleviation of full dues based on the percentage of depreciation between the two currencies during the year. This alleviation shall not exceed 60% of full dues. The Board shall report the matter to the Council.
     
  6. Any proposal affecting the rate of the annual dues shall be sent out to national federations and associations nine months before the meeting of the Council held immediately before the Conference at which a vote on the proposal is taken.
     
  7. The total amount of the dues payable annually by each national federation or association, associate national federation or association and associate member shall be calculated on the basis of the number of members of that federation or association at the date of the close of its financial year immediately preceding the beginning of the financial year of IFUW.
     
  8. Independent members shall pay annual dues at a rate to be determined by the Board of Officer