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From International Astronautical FederationIAF CONSTITUTION Article 1– Name The name of this association is the International Astronautical Federation. The Federation is an international non-governmental non-profit organization. The International Astronautical Federation may use the acronym IAF.
Article 2 – Purposes Recognizing that space activities provided and will continue to provide significant benefits to humanity; and Recognizing that there is a continuing need to foster and make apparent the benefits of such activities, the International Astronautical Federation founded in 1951 exists to: Foster space research, development and application of space activities for peaceful purposes and for the enlightenment, enrichment and challenges of all society, and strives to make apparent to society-at-large the enabling benefits of space activities to the quality of life. To those purposes, the IAF, with membership drawn from national and international institutions, industry, service providers, academia and professional societies, aims to be recognized and sought out as the worldwide, independent organization which, in cooperation with other organizations, develops and disseminates information on and supports advances in space activities. Specifically the IAF shall: a. Establish, maintain and further develop a global network for the benefit of its members; b. Foster and support the activities of the International Institute of Space Law; c. Organize international astronautical congresses, symposia, workshops, training and educational programs and other events; d. Assist its members to promote their space activities and products; e. Produce publications and position papers on space related matters; f. Cooperate and advise with appropriate international and national institutions, universities, commercial enterprises, service providers and individual experts on all aspects related to space activities; g. Use the various media to stimulate public interest in and support for the development of all aspects of space activities; h. Encourage, as appropriate, the development of entities related to space activities; i. Recognize individuals and IAF members for outstanding performance or achievements; j. Encourage the participation of students in events mentioned in Article 2(c).
CHAPTER II – LEGAL DOMICILE AND APPLICABLE LAW
Article 3 The legal domicile of the Federation and its headquarters are located in Paris (France). In its activities the Federation shall observe the French law on Associations of 1901. CHAPTER III – MEMBERSHIP
Article 4 – Eligibility (a) The International Astronautical Federation is an association of those organizations and institutions, duly established under national laws or international agreements, which share the purposes set forth in Article 2 and were elected in accordance with Articles 6 and 7 of this Constitution. (b) Main categories of IAF members for the calculation of membership dues are the following: 1. Space Agencies, Institutes and Space Research Centers; 2. Learned Societies, Professional Associations, Schools and Universities; 3. Space Manufacturers and Service Providers and Users; 4. Specialized law and consulting firms related to the purposes of the IAF.
Article 5 – Rights of members (a) Any member of the Federation is entitled to participate in all its activities, to receive its services, to be represented at plenary meetings of the General Assembly, to present there its opinions and intervene in discussions, to take part in endeavours to reach decisions by agreement and to take decisions by voting, if a decision by general agreement could not be reached, on any matter concerning activities of the Federation. (b) Only those members who are fully paid up can exercise their voting rights.
Article 6 – Application (a) An applicant for admission to the Federation shall submit to the Executive Director of the Federation two copies of its basic documents or other documentation of its qualifications for membership as defined in Article 4. The validity of such documentation shall be considered by the Bureau. (b) The Bureau shall determine the applicant's eligibility for membership and shall report its recommendation to the next plenary meeting of the General Assembly.
Article 7 – Election of new members New members of the Federation shall be elected by the General Assembly at its plenary meeting. Elected members of the Federation shall retain their full autonomy.
Article 8 – Continuing observation of membership conditions Whenever the aims and activities of any member, or its internal membership, are at issue, such a member shall, at the request of the Bureau, provide evidence of its continuing observation of membership conditions. If such evidence is not considered satisfactory, the Bureau may recommend to the General Assembly a temporary suspension of the rights of such a member.
Article 9 – Amendments of basic documents by members and registration of signatures (a) Whenever a member adopts substantive amendments to its basic documents, it shall immediately submit two copies of these documents as amended to the Executive Director of the Federation. (b) Each member shall register the signatures of its officers with the Executive Director of the Federation.
Article 10 – Termination of membership (a) Upon the recommendation of the Bureau, the General Assembly at its plenary meeting may decide on the termination of membership of any member when a serious reason requires such an action. (b) The Bureau shall make such recommendation if a member has not paid its contributions for more than two years, or has otherwise grossly failed to conform to the provisions of this Constitution. (c) In any case, the rights of the member will be suspended by the Bureau until the decision of the General Assembly is taken. The Executive Director of the Federation shall notify this to the member concerned.
Article 11 – Withdrawal from membership (a) All members of the Federation shall have the right of withdrawal from the Federation. (b) Any member may do so by a letter submitted to the Executive Director of the Federation in due time before the plenary meeting of the General Assembly, which will take note of it. However, any withdrawing member will remain obliged to remit all its contributions covering the period to the end of the year of its withdrawal.
Article 12 – Extinction of membership and its succession (a) In case of dissolution or other kind of extinction of a member the General Assembly shall declare, upon recommendation of the Bureau, the extinction of its membership in the Federation. (b) Upon the recommendation of the Bureau the General Assembly shall confirm the successor in membership of an extinct member if the conditions required in Articles 4 and 6 exist.
Article 13 – Changes in category of members Upon the recommendation of the Bureau, the General Assembly at its plenary meeting may decide the appropriate change in the membership category, as referred to in Article 4 ( c ), of any member.
Article 14 – Observers (a) Representatives of national as well as international organizations, societies, bodies and institutions interested in the development of space activities, which are not members of the Federation, may be invited to participate as observers in activities of the Federation. (b) Invitations for observer status shall be extended by the Bureau of the Federation. If observers are invited to attend a plenary meeting of the General Assembly, their observer status shall be confirmed by the Assembly at the beginning of its meeting. (c) Upon the recommendation of the Bureau the General Assembly may grant a permanent observer status to such organizations or other bodies whose cooperation will be considered as substantive for the development of space activities and the Federation.
CHAPTER IV – THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY Article 15 – Composition The supreme governing body of the Federation shall be the General Assembly. It shall be composed of delegates for each member of the Federation.
Article 16 - Powers and functions The General Assembly shall have the following powers and functions: (a) To examine and approve the credentials of the delegates. (b) To approve and modify the Agenda of its plenary meetings proposed by the Bureau. (c) To elect the new members of the Federation. (d) To suspend temporarily the rights of members as provided in Articles 8 and 10 (c), to terminate membership as provided in Article 10, to take note of the withdrawal from membership as provided in Article 11, to declare the extinction of and succession in the membership as provided in Article 12, and to decide the changes of category of members according to Article 13. (e) To approve the annual and special reports, statements, accounts, estimates of the budget and the disbursement of funds by the Bureau. (f) To decide upon the organization of events of the Federation, particularly the International Astronautical Congresses. (g) To appoint committees necessary for the performance of its functions. (h) To elect the officers of the Federation. (i) To adopt guidelines prepared by the Bureau according to which the Federation may encourage, as appropriate, the establishment and development of entities related to space activities. (j) To adopt guidelines prepared by the Bureau according to which the Federation should cooperate with national and international organizations in the field of space activities and the peaceful uses of outer space. (k) To adopt such rules and regulations prepared by the Bureau as it may be necessary. (l) To exercise such other powers and functions as it may be necessary or proper to carry out purposes of the Federation.
The General Assembly shall hold its plenary meetings annually or, if recommended by the Bureau and with the consent of a majority of members, as provided in Articles 18 and 20, less frequently. At each plenary meeting the General Assembly shall determine the place and time of its next plenary meeting.
Article 18 – Quorum and decisions (a) A quorum to enable General Assembly to be in session and to take decisions either by general agreement or by voting shall consist of one third of all members of the Federation. If such quorum could not be reached, the General Assembly would start its meeting thirty minutes later under the presence of any number of members. (b) The General Assembly shall first endeavour to take decisions on any matter concerning activities of the Federation by general agreement of all members present at the plenary meeting. (c) Unless otherwise specified in this Constitution, a majority of the members present at the plenary meeting of the General Assembly shall be required to pass any action of this organ on which a general agreement could not be reached. (d) Decisions taken by the General Assembly, either by general agreement or by voting shall be binding on all members.
Article 19 – Voting by proxy If no delegate of a member of the Federation is present, its vote in the General Assembly may be cast by a proxy signed by the President or other duly authorized officer of this member.
Article 20 – Voting by mail If necessary, whenever the Bureau so determines, or the General Assembly in advance decides, voting may take place by mail. In this case a ballot shall be sent by the Executive Director of the Federation to all Members. Such ballots must be accompanied by a full and clear statement in writing of the matters to be voted upon. The replies of at least one-third of the members shall be necessary and a majority of affirmative votes of those replying shall be required to pass any action thus voted upon. The results of a mail voting as stated by the President of the Federation shall be reported to all members as soon as possible after the voting takes place.
Article 21 – Policy Advisory Committee Founder Members (those member organisations which founded the IAF) and Senior National Members (those national member organisations which held voting rights up to the 22 September 2003), shall integrate the Policy Advisory Committee, an advisory body to the General Assembly, to deal with planning and policy issues. The roles and functions of the Policy Advisory Committee shall be established by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Bureau.
CHAPTER V – OFFICERS
Article 22 – Categories of officers (a) The Federation shall have Elective Officers and Appointive Officers. (b) Elective Officers shall be the President and the ten Vice-Presidents. (c) Appointive Officers shall be the General Counsel, the Honorary Secretary, and the Executive Director.
Article 23 – Eligibility, election and term of elective officers (a) No person may be an elective officer of the Federation who is not a representative of a member of this Federation. In the election of officers due regard shall be specially paid to candidates of members from those nations or international organizations which have reached a high degree of development in space activities and to the necessity of equitable geographical distribution. (b) The General Assembly shall elect the officers at its plenary meeting. The term of offices shall be two years or, if the next plenary meeting of the General Assembly be postponed according to Article 17, until their successors are elected. Officers shall not be elective for more than two successive terms.
Article 24 – Authority to sign documents In accordance with their competences, the officers shall have the exclusive authority to sign documents and letters on behalf of the Federation.
Article 25 – The President (a) The President shall be the chief executive officer of the Federation. He or she may succeed himself or herself only once. (b) The President shall represent the Federation in all public ceremonies or events in which it participates. When the President cannot participate on such occasions he or she shall authorize a Vice-President or a representative of a member of the Federation to represent the Federation. The President shall approve all public statements issued on behalf of the Federation. (c) The President shall preside at the plenary meetings of the General Assembly. When the President cannot preside, one of the Vice-Presidents designated by him or her or, if none is designated, one of the Vice-Presidents selected by the General Assembly or a delegate of any member represented at the meeting of the General Assembly elected for this function by the General Assembly shall preside. The President or his deputy in this function shall not act in the General Assembly as a delegate of any member and shall vote only in case of a tie. (d) The President shall preside at all meetings of the Bureau and report on its conclusions and recommendations to the General Assembly. When the President cannot preside at a Bureau meeting, he or she shall authorize a voting member of the Bureau to exercise the powers and to discharge the responsibilities of the President with respect to the meeting. If the President does not give such authorization, the voting members of the Bureau present at such meeting shall elect one of such members to exercise the powers and to discharge the responsibilities of the President with respect to the meeting.
Article 26 – Vice-Presidents (a) The Vice-Presidents shall be responsible to the President and according to Article 25 of the Constitution shall deputize for him or her. (b) One of the Vice-Presidents, as designated by the Bureau, shall be in charge of financial matters of the Federation. He or she shall be chairperson of the Finance Committee of the Federation, which is appointed by the General Assembly under Article 16 (g). (c) At least five Vice-Presidents shall be replaced at each election, in order to enable an adequate rotation of the Elective Officers of the Bureau. (d) The President of the Federation will assign to the Vice-Presidents their tasks in accordance with the needs of the Federation. (e) Vice-Presidents shall attend the issues assigned by the President and shall present the corresponding written report to him.
Article 27 – General Counsel (a) The General Counsel of the Federation shall be appointed by the Bureau and approved by the General Assembly and shall serve until he or she resigns or is replaced. When requested he or she shall furnish legal advice on all problems requiring such consideration. (b) Amendments to the Constitution, guidelines, rules and regulations, which are to be adopted for the achievement of the IAF purposes, shall be reviewed by the General Counsel prior to their submission for approval by the General Assembly. (c) Upon a request of the General Counsel, he or she may be assisted by a recognized lawyer or lawyers appointed by the President.
Article 28 – Honorary Secretary The Honorary Secretary shall accept all legal processes and certify all official documents, and shall discharge such statutory duties as may be required by French law. He or she shall be appointed by the Bureau and approved by the General Assembly and shall serve until he or she resigns or is replaced.
Article 29 – Executive Director of the Federation The Executive Director of the Federation shall act as secretary to the Bureau and the General Assembly and shall perform such duties as are assigned to him or her in a formal job description prepared by the Bureau. He or she shall be appointed by the Bureau and approved by the General Assembly and shall serve until he or she resigns or is replaced.
CHAPTER VI – THE BUREAU
Article 30 – Composition of the Bureau (a) The Bureau consists of the Elective Officers of the Federation as voting members. (b) The last-retired President of the Federation, the Presidents of the International Academy of Astronautics and the International Institute of Space Law, the General Counsel, the Honorary Secretary and the Executive Director of the Federation shall be non-voting members of the Bureau. (c) If necessary, chairmen of committees or their representatives appointed according to Article 16(g) and 33(j) may be invited, when the questions relating to their activities will be considered, to participate and report in the relevant meetings of the Bureau without the right to vote. (d) The President may invite distinguished persons or representatives of members to assist the Bureau meetings without the right to vote.
Article 31 – Meetings and Quorum (a) The Bureau shall meet at such times and places as are duly determined by a majority thereof. The meetings of the Bureau shall be convened by the President. (b) The presence at a meeting or written answers of six voting members of the Bureau shall constitute a quorum.
Article 32 – Decisions (a) Decisions of the Bureau on procedural questions shall be taken by a majority of its voting members present at the meeting. (b) Decisions on other than procedural questions shall be taken with unanimity of all voting members of the Bureau present at the meeting. (c) If necessary, and if the President so decides, voting may take place by mail. In this case a ballot shall be sent to all voting members of the Bureau, accompanied by a full and clear statement in writing of the matters to be voted upon. The decision shall be taken under analogous conditions as set forth in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this Article. The result of a mail voting as stated by the President of the Federation shall be reported to all officers of the Bureau, and if necessary to other officers, as soon as possible after the voting takes place. (d) In the event of a tie, the vote of the President shall be decisive.
Article 33 – Duties The Bureau shall: (a) Receive applications for admission and determine the applicant's eligibility for membership and report its recommendation to the next plenary meeting of the General Assembly. (b) Invite applicants for membership before their election to the plenary meetings of the General Assembly as observers. Subject to confirmation by the General Assembly the Bureau may also invite as observers to the plenary meetings of the General Assembly non-member organizations and bodies, which have a deep interest in the development of space activities. (c) Require a proof of declared space related character and internal membership of any member whenever it is at issue, and in case of a negative result, recommend to the General Assembly a temporary suspension of rights of such member. (d) Recommend to the General Assembly for consideration the termination of membership of any member under the conditions set forth in Article 10 of this Constitution, the declaration of the extinction of membership under Article 12, the confirmation of succession in membership according to paragraph (b) of the same Article and the change in the category of members according to Article 13 of this Constitution. (e) Recommend and supervise the arrangements for the plenary meetings of the General Assembly and, in cooperation with the entities mentioned in Article 2(f) and 16(j), for congresses, symposia and other such meetings of the Federation and to take all necessary steps for this purpose. (f) Prepare and submit an agenda of the matters to be considered at the plenary meetings of the General Assembly. All matters, which are to be decided by the General Assembly, shall be considered in advance by the Bureau. (g) Supervise the preparation of the accounts and the disbursement of funds, recommend an annual budget and present all pertinent information in the form of an annual report to the General Assembly. (h) Make recommendations to the General Assembly concerning annual contributions of each member of the Federation. (i) Accept on behalf of the Federation private donations or contributions from national or international organizations, or from governments. (j) Appoint interim committees to discharge tasks arising since the last plenary meeting of the General Assembly. (k) Take appropriate measures for developing the cooperation of the Federation with national and international organizations, societies, bodies and institutions in the field of space activities and the peaceful uses of outer space, on the basis of guidelines established by the General Assembly. (l) Perform such additional duties as may be directed by the General Assembly.
CHAPTER VII - DISSOLUTION
Article 34 – Procedure and transfer of assets The Federation may be dissolved with the approval of two thirds of all members. Any assets remaining after the discharge of all obligations shall be offered and transferred to an international institution having objectives similar to the purposes set forth in Article 2 of this Constitution. If this transfer to such an institution cannot be accomplished, it should be made to any international institution devoted to research as may be designated by the Bureau.
Article 35 – Winding up The Bureau shall be responsible for the winding up of the affairs of the Federation.
CHAPTER VIII - AMENDMENTS
Article 36 – Procedure of amendments (a) Amendments to this Constitution shall be made with the approval of two thirds of the members. All amendments shall, unless otherwise provided therein, take effect immediately upon such approval. (b) Notice of any proposed amendments shall be communicated to all members of the Federation by the Executive Director, by registered mail, at least three months in advance of the date fixed for the vote on such amendments.
CHAPTER IX - OFFICIAL LANGUAGES
Article 37 The English, French, German, Russian and Spanish languages shall be the official languages of the Federation. |
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