|
| STATUTES |
| |||
|
STATUTES OF THE WORLD ASSOCIATION FOR SEDIMENTATION AND EROSION RESEARCH STATUTES 1. Name The Association shall be known as the World Association for Sedimentation and Erosion Research, hereinafter called “the Association”. The official abbreviation will be WASER. 2. Style The Association shall be an independent non-governmental, non-political, non-profit organization, at all times free of racial, gender or national prejudice. 3. Objectives The objectives of the Association shall be: 1) to promote the study and development of the science of erosion and sedimentation interpreted in its widest sense; and 2) to foster the application and dissemination of knowledge and technology in the field of erosion and sedimentation. 4. Mission 4.1 The mission of the Association is to promote international co-operation in pursuing its objectives. The Association will aim to further understanding and its application in the field of erosion and sedimentation, through international contacts among scientists, engineers, organizations, institutions, and governments. 4.2 To achieve its mission the Association may: (1) Organize international or regional seminars, conferences, and meetings. (2) Organize research and training programmes on theoretical and practical aspects of erosion and sediment transport; (3) Foster the evaluation of techniques and models in the field of erosion and sedimentation; (4) Publish scientific periodicals and books, reports and newsletters, independently or in cooperation with other organizations; (5) Collaborate with other bodies with similar objectives. 5. Organs The principal organs of the Association are: 5.1 The Council; 5.2 The Secretariat; 5.3 The Officers. 6. Membership 6.1 Members of the Association comprise both individuals and corporate bodies. 6.2 Any individual, who has been actively engaged in research and engineering practice in the field of erosion and sedimentation interpreted in its widest sense, shall be eligible for approval as an individual member by the Council or by the authorized Secretariat, after application and payment of the required membership fee. 6.3 Any institution, organization or agency that has been engaged in research and engineering practice in the field of erosion and sedimentation interpreted in its widest sense, shall be eligible for approval as a corporate member by the Council or by the authorized Secretariat, after application and payment of the required membership fee. 6.4 An individual who has performed special services to the Association or to sediment studies more widely may be nominated for honorary membership. The Council shall determine whether a nominee is to receive honorary membership. 6.5 Benefactor member are those individuals or organization who give major donations to the Association. The Council shall define the required size of a “major donation”. 6.6 Membership may be terminated by the Council for just cause or at the request of the member, or if the membership dues have not been paid for two years in succession. 6.7 All members are entitled to all customary rights and privileges including preferential treatment when attending international meetings to be organized by the Association and purchase of publications at a preferential price. 7. The General Assembly 7.1 The members of the Association shall meet every three years at the General Assembly held during the International Symposium on River Sedimentation (hereinafter called “the ISRS”). 7.2 The Council Members will be elected by the members of the Association either at the General Assembly or through an election involving a mail or postal vote. Each individual member has one vote. 7.3 Any decisions deemed by the Council to require approval by the Assembly shall require a majority vote of the Assembly to be approved. 8. Council 8.1 The Council shall consist of: (1) The President of the Association; (2) The Vice-Presidents; (3) The Secretary General; (4) Ordinary members of Council. 8.2 The Council shall be presided over by the President of the Association or, in case of the President's inability to attend, by a Vice-President designated by the President. In the event of a tie during voting on decisions, the President or the Vice-President presiding over the meeting shall cast the deciding vote. 8.3 The Council shall define the general policy of the Association and shall debate and approve the activities and other matters proposed by the President. 8.4 The Council shall meet every three years during the ISRS. An extraordinary meeting can be called, if requested by three or more Council members. The Council may make decisions by postal communication on questions put to it by the Secretariat with the approval of the President. The Council may set up temporary standing and ad hoc committees and working parties with specific objectives and whatever names, powers and terms of reference it may decide. The institution of Permanent Committees and Divisions should be made in the framework of a specific By-Law to be preliminarily approved by the General Assembly. 8.5 The Council shall determine with the advice of the Secretariat, the membership dues and approve the budget of the Association. 8.6 The Council elected by the members of the Association shall comprise 12 members. No more than 5 additional Council members may be co-opted by the elected members. In addition the current Secretary-General and Executive Secretary-General of the Association, the current Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Sediment Research (IJSR), and a representative nominated by the Ministry of Water Resources of China are 'ex-officio' members of the Council with the same status as the elected and the co-opted members. The procedure for the election of the Council shall be defined by the Council. The term for a Council member is three years. Council members can be re-elected for a maximum of three consecutive terms, but no less than 1 / 3 of the Council members for each term should be new members. No more than three council members shall be from the same country. To ensure continuity, the President and Vice Presidents will remain co-opted members of the council for one term after their retirement as Officers. 9. Secretariat 9.1 The Secretariat is based in the International Research and Training Center on Erosion and Sedimentation (hereinafter called “IRTCES”), Beijing, China, which is the administrative headquarters of the Association. The Secretariat is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Association. 9.2 The Secretariat is under the leadership of the Secretary-General and is responsible for the routine work and for the execution of the decisions of the Council and related work assigned by the President. 9.3 The Treasurer is designated by the Secretary-General to support the financial management of the Association. 10. Officers 10.1 The Officers of the Council comprise the President, the Vice-Presidents and the Secretary-General. The Presidents and Vice-Presidents shall be elected by the members of the Association. The Secretary-General shall be nominated by the IRTCES and appointed by the Council. The maximum term of office of the President and Vice Presidents should be 6 years. 10.2 The President shall represent the Association on all official occasions and shall preside over the General Assembly and the Council meeting and shall have general responsibility for the execution of the policies and decisions of the General Assembly and the Council meeting. 10.3 The Vice-Presidents and Secretary-General shall assist the President. 10.4 The Secretary-General shall be responsible for the day to day operation and organisation of the Association under the guidance of the President. 11. Nomination Committee of Council In order to ensure the regular rotation of Council members, a Nomination Committee will be established to coordinate the nomination of the new Council members and the Officers of the Association. The committee should be chaired by a past-President or the retiring President, and comprise 5-6 members, including former or retiring Council members and the Secretary General. The composition of the Nomination Committee should normally reflect the geographical and disciplinary composition of the Association. 12. Finances The financial resources of the Association shall consist of contributions from conference fees, membership dues, conference and course receipts, publication royalties, gifts and legacies, grants from public or private bodies, and receipts from other sources. 13. By-Laws The Council shall have power to draw up By-Laws regulating permanent activities of the Association, e.g. for Divisions or Permanent Committees of the Association, with the assistance of the Secretariat. The By-Laws of the Association shall not contain any regulation, which contravenes the statutes. 14. Amendment of the Statutes and By-Laws 14.1 Proposals to amend the Statutes and By-Laws may be made in writing to the President by any three members of the Council or by any twenty members of the Association. 14.2 An amendment to the Statutes shall take effect if it is approved by at least two thirds of the members of the Council. 14.3 The approved amendments shall be published in the website of the Association. 15. International Symposia 15.1 The ISRS is one of the main forums of the Association and the IRTCES. 15.2 The Permanent Secretariat of the ISRS is responsible for studying, inspecting and recommending potential venues upon receipt of proposals for hosting the ISRS. The venue and organizer of the ISRS will be jointly decided by the Association and the IRTCES. 16. Journal The International Journal of Sediment Research will be the journal jointly sponsored by the Association and the IRTCES. 17. By-laws for the Council Election (1) The election should be made through unidentified ballots (e.g. double envelop: one envelop with no external mark, enclosed in the one with the member’s signature. Or, alternatively, an electronic procedure with a password) (2) The Nomination Committee will propose to the members of the Association 12 candidates, including the President and Vice Presidents. (3) The ballot will indicate the candidates recommended by the Nomination Committee, but will provide the possibility for other persons to be listed and supported. (4) The election can be held at the General Assembly or it can be undertaken by mail. (5) A Council member designated by the President shall be responsible for the overseeing the election and vote counting with assistance from the Secretariat.
Download: Statutes of WASER approved by the Fifth Council in 2016 The updated Statutes of WASER approved by the second Council in 2009 The original statutes of WASER approved by the first Council in 2004
|
|
