Bylaws passed by the 27th General Assembly of IUPAP (2011)

THE BY-LAWS OF THE INTERNATIONAL UNION OF PURE AND APPLIED PHYSICS
(as adopted by the General Assembly - 2011)

I. GENERAL ASSEMBLY

  1. Location
    1. The Council determines the site and date of a General Assembly and notifies the Members at least six months in advance.
  2. Agenda
    1. The Agenda of the General Assembly is to be sent to all Members at least three months in advance.
    2. The Agenda may be modified at the General Assembly by a majority of the votes of the Members present.
    3. All Commissions, Working Groups, Affiliated Commissions, and Inter-Union Committees shall make a written report. The Council shall designate any that are to make an oral presentation.
  3. Observers
    1. In addition to a Member's official Delegation, all other members of Liaison Committees may attend without vote.
    2. The President may invite Guest Observers without vote as deemed appropriate

II. COMMISSIONS

  1. Membership
    1. Commissions shall be composed of a Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and eleven other members.
    2. Normally, there shall be no more than one commission member from any Member. Some Commissions may believe their work would be hindered by this rule. They may ask the Council for an exception. If the Council believes the exception is warranted, it will propose an exception to the General Assembly for ratification before the election.
    3. Commissions may have important links to other Commissions, Scientific Unions or international organizations. Each Commission may propose to the Council up to four associate members. The Council will appoint associate members about one year after the election of regular members. Associate members do not vote at Commission meetings and are not eligible for IUPAP travel funds.
    4. To the extent practical, at least one member shall be from industry. If a Commission believes that this requirement is not practical, it shall inform the Council of its reasoning.
    5. When new Commissions are formed the Council will make ad hoc arrangements for membership by until the normal rotation of membership can be established.
  2. Terms of Office
    1. All elections are for a term of three years.
    2. Chairs may not be re-elected to any position on the Commission beyond their term as Chair, and Vice Chairs/Secretaries may not be re-elected to the same positions nor be re-elected as an ordinary member - except in extraordinary circumstances, and, in such circumstances, special approval by the General Assembly is required. Ordinary members may be elected twice.
    3. Normally the Secretary, Vice-Chair and Chair are to be chosen from among those who have served at least one term on the Commission.
    4. Service in all capacities shall not exceed three terms.

The General Assembly may grant exceptions for those Commissions that undertake long-term projects or where continuity is particularly important.

III. ELECTION

  1. Procedure
    1. Nominations
      1. A call for nominations to Commissions and the Council shall be sent to all Liaison Committees and Commissions at least six months before a General Assembly.
      2. Nominations from Liaison Committees must be received by the Secretary-General no later than four months before a General Assembly. Nominations from Commissions must be received no later than six weeks before a General Assembly. A statement of the candidate's qualifications sufficient to allow an evaluation of the candidate must accompany nominations. It is preferred that nominations be submitted electronically.
      3. The Council will prepare a slate of nominees for the Commissions and Council from the nominations and may itself suggest names (in which case a statement of qualifications will be prepared). Special consideration will be given to continuity, geographic distribution, and coverage of major sub-fields within the Commissions. Delegates will receive the slate of nominees at the start of the General Assembly.
      4. Liaison Committees may resubmit nominations at the General Assembly of persons not on the Council's slate, but these renominations must be supported by at least one other delegation. The Council then will prepare a final ballot with its recommendations and list any renominations for a position.
      5. It may be necessary because of unforeseen circumstances, such as the unavailability of a candidate, to make nominations at the General Assembly. If so, nominations can be made by the Heads of Delegations, Commission Chairs, or Members of the Council. Such nominations require a seconder.
    2. Elections
      1. If more names are included on the final ballot than there are positions, the election will be by secret ballot. Each Delegation Head will vote its block of votes.
      2. Two tellers appointed by the General Assembly count votes. Assistance may be provided, if desired, by Secretariat personnel

IV. CONFERENCES

  1. Sponsorship
    1. The Union may sponsor and contribute to the support of conferences related to its mission. The Council in consultation with the Commission Chairs grants sponsorship.
  2. Procedures
    1. The Council may set rules for sponsorship. Such rules should be clearly posted on the Union's website.
    2. Liaison Committees should be promptly informed of conferences proposed to take place in their territory.

V. STATEMENTS

  1. Authority
    1. Statements in the name of IUPAP may only be made by majority vote of the General Assembly.
    2. It may be necessary between General Assemblies for the Council to issue a statement on a pressing issue. The Council by majority vote may issue such statements in the name of the IUPAP Council.
    3. Commissions may issue statements in their area of expertise subject to approval by the President.