A. Name, headquarters, objectives, and ways of achieving the Association’s objectives.
Article 1. The name of The Association shall be “The International Association for Aerobiology” (IAA), hereafter referred to as “The Association”. The domicile of The Association is Wageningen, The Netherlands. The Association shall be established for an indefinite period of time.
Article 2. The Secretariat of The Association shell be in the home country of the Secretary-General.
Article 3. Aerobiology is the scientific discipline focused on the study of the passive transport of organisms and particles of biological origin in the atmosphere. Attention is given to the source of organisms or materials, release into the atmosphere, dispersion, deposition, and impact on animal, plant, or human systems. The general objectives of The Association shall be to promote the development of aerobiology and to facilitate international co-operation towards this end.
Article 4. Association shall be affiliated with the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS) and the International Federation of Palynological Societies (IFPS).
Article 5. To achieve its objectives The Association shall:
a. Sponsor International Congresses of Aerobiology, hereafter referred to as “The Congresses”, and other international meetings;b. Establish sections, commissions, committees and working groups for special subject areas or problems of aerobiology, to encourage exchange of views, to stimulate international collaboration, and to disseminate results of such activities; c. Publish at intervals a newsletter and other communications for members; d. Publish in the year of the Congress a directory of the membership of The Association; e. Use other means, beneficial to the objectives.
When appropriate, The Association shall carry out these activities in consultation or collaboration with international, inter-governmental, governmental or non-governmental organizations.
B. Members, organizations, bodies.
Article 6.
1. The Association consists of the members:a. Individual Members;b. Honorary Members; c. Associated Members.
2. The Association further recognises: a. Associated Societies; b. Supporting Organisations; c. Affiliated Organizations. These societies and organizations do not have a vote.
Article 7. Individual Members shall be individuals who are engaged in aerobiological research and its applications and those who are interested in the promotion of aerobiology.
Article 8. Honorary Members shall be those who have made outstanding contributions to aerobiology or to the aims of The Association. They shall be elected by the General Assembly on the recommendations of Council.
Article 9. Associated Members are members of Associated Societies, who are not Individual Members of The Association. Associated Members have no vote.
Article 10. Associated Societies are national or regional organizations, recognized by Council, which have the objective of promoting interest and research in aerobiology in all its aspects.
Article 11. Supporting Organisations are institutions, universities, departments, corporations, industrial firms and other organisations that wish to support The Association. They shall receive all notices and general information provided to Individual Members.
Article 12. Affiliated Organisations are regional or international organisations interested in but not primarily concerned with aerobiology, and recognised by Council for affiliation. Affiliated Organisations are not subject to payment of fees.
Article 13.
1a. Individual Members, Associated Societies, and Supporting Organisations shall enjoy the rights and privileges accorded to them by The Association so long as their annual fees are paid. The rights and privileges will be withheld from 31 December of the year in which the fees are not paid. Members will stay on the membership list for the whole period between two Congresses. However in order to retrieve their rights and privileges after non payment of fees, a member must pay all past fees.
1b. Honorary Members, who enjoyed the rights and privileges accorded to them by The Association, will not pay fees from the date of election to Honorary Membership. 1c. Associated Members shall enjoy the rights and privileges accorded to them by The Association so long as the associated society, of which they are a member, pays its annual fee. Associated Members have no vote.
2. Membership shall be concluded:
a. On death of a member;
b. By resignation in a letter to the Secretary-General before the end of the official year. The official year shall coincide with the calendar year;
c. After four consecutive years in which no membership fee has been received; d. By expulsion following a resolution passed by the General Assembly.
Article 14. The Council may invite intergovernmental organisations to designate persons to observer status with the Council. No fees are required for observers. Observers have no vote;
C. Structure of The Association.
Article 15. The constituent bodies of The Association are:a. A General Assembly, consisting of the members meant in article 6, first paragraph, sub a. and b.; b. A Council; The members of the Council are nominated by the Associated Societies in accordance with the Rules of Procedure. The members of the Executive Committee are also additional members of the Council. In addition, the Executive Committee may nominate up to five more members coming from countries or regions not already represented by Associated Societies or in the Executive Committee. The Council shall not exceed 40 members. Council members are appointed by the General Assembly; c. An Executive Committee, appointed in accordance with the Rules of Procedure.
The Officers of the Association are the President, Vice-President, Past-President, Secretary-General and Treasurer.
Article 16. The General Assembly shall determine the general policy of The Association.
Article 17. The Council shall organise and manage The Association.
Article 18. The Executive Committee shall conduct the business of The Association in accordance with general instructions from the Council.
Article 19. The Association has a Secretariat. The Secretariat shall conduct the day-to-day work of The Association and shall assist the committees and working groups.
Article 20. The technical work of The Association shall be carried out by the Committees and Working Groups.
D. The Congresses.
Article 21. The aim of the Congresses shall in the advancement of aerobiology by plenary sessions; symposia and other scientific meetings; meetings of sections, commissions, committees and working groups; exhibitions, excursions; or in other ways determined by Council.
E. Finances.
Article 22. The funds of The Association shall come from: a. Fees of Individual Members as mentioned in article 6. 1a, Associated Societies and Supporting Organisations; b. Proceeds from the sale of publications; c. Gifts, legacies and grants; d. Other sources.
Article 23. The Executive Committee will draw up an instruction signed by the President and Secretary-General, stating those financial commitments that require only the signatures of the Treasurer and those that require the signatures of the Treasurer and the Secretary-General, or in the absence of the latter, the signatures of the Treasurer and the President.
F. Other regulations.
Article 24. The President and Secretary-General represent The Association in legal matters according to the laws of the country in which the Secretariat is based. They may also represent The Association in other matters.
Article 25. The President and the Secretary-General may commit The Association by their joint signatures in carrying out decisions of the Council. In special circumstances the Council may authorise another member of the Executive Committee to act in place of either of them.
Article 26. The administrative year of The Association shall be the calendar year.
Article 27. The procedures for nominating and electing Council members and for voting are defined in the Rules of Procedures, which need the approval of the General Assembly.
Article 28. Alterations and additions to the Statutes need the agreement of two-thirds of the members of Council; such additions and alterations must be ratified by the next General Assembly.
Article 29. A resolution to dissolve The Association can only be passed by the General Assembly with at least two-thirds of the valid number of votes of members present and voting. This meeting must be convened for this special purpose. Convocations for this meeting must be sent to the Individual and Honorary Members at least one month before the meeting.
Article 30. On dissolution of The Association the Council will be responsible for settlement of accounts and disposal of the property of The Association unless the General Assembly appoints a liquidation committee for these purposes.Legalised by Dutch order of Council nr. 53, dated November 27, 1974. Alterations approved by Council 2 September 1998. Re-legalized by Dutch order of Council 10 September 1999.
International Association for Aerobiology
Rules of Procedures
A. The General Assembly.
Article 1. The General Assembly shall, in accordance with Article 16 of the Statutes:
a. Consider, approve, or amend reports in the work of The Association submitted by the Council;
b. Consider approval of audited accounts of The Association submitted by the Council;
c. Determine fees payable by Individual Members, Associated Societies and supporting organisation;
d. Decide on additions and alterations to the Rules of Procedure implemented by the Council in the period between two Congresses, and to those submitted by individual or Council members of The Association, as set out in Article 2 of the Rules of Procedure.
Article 2. The General Assembly shall meet at least once during each Congress; the President of The Association shall preside at each meeting. If he cannot do so, the Vice-President or a member of Council nominated by Council will preside. Proposals relating to Statutes or Rules of Procedure must be sent to the Secretary-General at least 6 months before the next Congress; they will be considered only if signed by at least 20 Individual and Honorary Members, or by accredited representatives of three or more Associated Societies .
B. The Council.
Article 3.
a. The term of office of a Council member shall be from the end of one Congress to the end of the next. All Council members must be Individual Members of the Association. The officers of The Association constituting the Executive Committee shall be members of the Council. The Council shall meet at least once in its term of office, at each Congress;
b. The Council shall consist, inter alia, of members nominated by Associated Societies paying their annual fees. Those with 10 to 49 members shall nominate one Council member; those with 50 to 99 members shall nominate 2 Council members; those with 100 or more members shall nominate 3 Council members. Associated Societies with fewer than 10 members may, with the agreement of Council, combine with other Associated Societies, to nominate one member if their joint numbers are 10 to 25, and two members if their joint number exceed 25;
c. Six months before a Congress, Associated Societies will be asked to submit to the Council the names of their nominees for the next Council, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure sub b. of this article. Members of the Council may be renominated. Nominations for the next Council by the Associated Societies and by the Executive Committee, according to the Statutes Article 15, sub b., will be submitted for approval to the General Assembly meeting at the end of the Congress
Article 4. The functions of the Council relating to Article 17 of the Statutes shall be:
a. To execute the policy of The Association as determined by the General Assembly;
b. To recommend to the General Assembly the place and date of the next Congress;
c. To recommend to the General Assembly the election of Honorary Members of The Association;
d. To recognise Associated Societies and Affiliated Organisations in accordance with Article 10 and 12 of the Statutes;
e. To elect the members of the Executive Committee and to compile their instructions in accordance with chapter C of these Rules of Procedures;
f. To establish sections, commissions, committees and working groups, and to approve the appointment of their officers;
g. To approve, and if necessary amend, reports prepared by the Executive Committee, before they are submitted to the General Assembly for approval;
h. To approve a budget for the term of office of the next Council;
i. To appoint two auditors to audit the accounts of The Association; these shall be members of the Council but not of the Executive Committee;
j. To direct the Executive Committee in matters of policy and management;
k. To submit additions and alterations to the Statutes for approval by the General Assembly in accordance with Article 28 of the Statutes.
Article 5. Only members of the Council may vote at meetings of Council. Each member of Council shall have one vote. In the event of an equality of votes in a ballot or otherwise, the President of The Association shall have a second, casting vote.
Article 6. The Council may admit non-members to its meetings.
C. The Executive Committee.
Article 7.
a. The term of office of the Executive Committee shall be from the end of one Congress to the end of the next. Its officers shall be elected by the Council holding office during the Congress. The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, the Vice-President, the immediate Past-President (or a second Vice-President in lieu thereof), the Secretary General, the Treasurer, the Newsletter Editor, the Webmaster, two Individual Members and the Chairman of the next Congress Organising Committee, ex officio. The offices of the Secretary-General and Treasurer may be held simultaneously by one person. The members of the Executive Committee must be of as many nationalities as is practicable. The Executive Committee shall meet at least once during each Congress; three members shall form a quorum for each meeting. The Executive Committee may admit others to its meetings.
b. The candidates for the Offices of President, Vice-President, Secretary-General, Newsletter Editor, Webmaster and Treasurer plus two at large members should be nominated by individual members of the lAA. Candidates should be nominated, in writing, by one member of the lAA and seconded by at least two other members of the lAA. Requests for nominations should be sent out to the membership approximately 6 months before the next Congress (via the newsletter and website). The nominations should be sent to the Nominating Committee 3 months before the next Congress. Nominations should consist of a brief curriculum vitae for the nominee, and written consent by the nominee. Individual members would only be able to nominate or second one candidate for each Office. In the event of no candidate being nominated for a given Office, the Nominating Committee should nominate a suitable candidate. The Nominating Committee should decide on a person for each position and forward the slate of nominees to the President to present before the General Assembly. The slate of candidates will be announced in the newsletter prior to the congress. The Officers would then be elected by the individual members, in person, during the General Assembly at the Congress. The Nominating Committee shall consist of 3 members; the current Past-President, the current President, and one lAA member elected by the membership at the prior General Assembly.
Article 8. The Executive Committee in accordance with Article 18 of the Statutes shall, inter alia:
a. Conduct the business of The Association according to the general instructions of the Council; be responsible to the Council for the activities of The Association and expenditures of available funds, and implement decisions and resolutions of the Council and the General Assembly;
b. Submit to the Council annual reports on the activities and finances of The Association, and prepare a budget for the term of office of the next Council;
c. Establish or provide for the continuation or termination of committees and working groups;
d. Submit to Council matters for consideration and decision; prepare agenda for meetings of Council and the General Assembly.
D. The Secretariat.
Article 9. The Secretariat shall consist of the Secretary-General and any Administrative Staff appointed by him according to instructions from the Council. The Secretariat shall work under the direction of the Executive Committee.
E. Committees and Working Groups.
Article 10. The members of these bodies shall be appointed by the Council following nomination by members of Council, Associated Societies, or by Individual or Honorary Members of The Association. Their continued existence and membership shall be approved by the new Council at each Congress.
Article 11. The Committees and Working Groups in accordance with Article 20 of the Statutes, shall inter alia:
a. Organise meetings and symposia on special subjects;
b. Propose for approval by the Executive Committee the establishment and membership of working groups to study specific problems;
c. Encourage and arrange exchange of research workers and other experts;
d. Submit biennially to the Executive Committee reports on their own activities, those of their working groups and accounts of their own plans for the future.
F. The Congresses.
Article 12. Congresses will normally be held every four years and at most every six years.
Article 13. Congresses will be open to all persons on payment of Congress fees.
Article 14. Each Congress shall be organised by an Organising Committee, appointed by the sponsoring organisation(s), which must be Associated Societies, Supporting Organisations or Affiliated Organisations, as defined in Articles 10, 11 and 12 of the Statutes. The Organising Committee should consist of a Chairman and a Treasurer, together with at least six other members unless otherwise agreed by Council. A member of Council from the country or region in which the Congress is to be held should be a member (full or ex-officio) of the Organising Committee. Members of the Organising Committee shall be appointed, if possible, within one year of the last Congress and shall serve until completion of their duties in connection with the Congress for which they are responsible.
Article 15. The general plan for the Congress shall be submitted in its bid to Council for the right to hold Congress at least six months before the previous Congress, for approval. A simple majority of Council members is sufficient for approval.
Article 16. Financial responsibility for the Congress shall rest with the organising committee of the host country and not The Association.
G. Voting.
Article 17. Voting at meetings of The Association shall be by show of hands unless a meeting decides that a ballot shall be taken. In the event of an equality of votes, the chairman of the meetings shall have a second, casting vote.
H. The Finances of The Association.
Article 18. Fee charges by The Association shall be: a. Fees for Individual Members and Associated Societies for the period until the next Congress will be fixed by Council and approved by the General Assembly. b. Individual Members who are also members of Associated Societies will receive a discount of approximately 10% in their membership fee. c. Associated Societies will pay a per capita fee for each member of the society. d. Supporting Organisations will pay, per annum, a fee at least 20 times greater than the individual member fee or its equivalent. e. Affiliated Organisations are not required to pay fees. f. Students, by sending with their renewal application a copy of their university registration, can become members by paying 50% of the individual member fee.
I. Other Regulations.
Article 19. International Aerobiology Newsletter will be the official publication of The Association to inform the membership, Associated Societies, Supporting Organisations and Affiliated Organisations of the activities of the Association and to provide a forum for news and views on aerobiology. Subscription rates for other individuals and organisations that wish to purchase the Newsletter will be determined by the Council. Other publications may be issued by The Association, which may be purchased at a cost determined by the Council.
Article 20. The business of The Association may be conducted by correspondence.
Accepted by the Council, 12 September, 1974.
Alterations accepted by the Council, 13 August, 1978; 28 August, 1990; 2 September, 1998; 8 August 2002; 26 August 2006.