Reminder: Call for nominations for ICSU Executive Board members

The Nominating Committee met on 4 April to consider the nominations received for the positions of Officers of the Executive Board. It was decided to reissue the call for nominations for the positions of President-Elect; Vice-President for Scientific Planning and Review; and Vice-President for External Relations. Please visit the Documents for Delegates section of the General Assembly website for details and nomination forms. The deadline for nominations for these positions is 30 April.

Note: The Board members will be elected at the 30th ICSU General Assembly in September 2011. Only full Voting Members may submit nominations.

About the Executive Board

The Executive Board is responsible to the General Assembly. In addition to overseeing the operations of ICSU, it provides advice and direction on priorities to the General Assembly, taking into consideration the recommendations of the appropriate Committees. The Board also implements and communicates ICSU's policies and views between sessions of the General Assembly

The Terms of Reference for the Executive Board are contained within the ICSU Statutes and Rules of Procedure (as approved by the 28th Session of the General Assembly of ICSU Suzhou, China, October 2005).

From the ICSU Statutes and Rules of Procedure

VIII. EXECUTIVE BOARD

25. a) The Executive Board consists of:

i. six Officers, namely the President, the Past President or President-Elect, two Vice-Presidents, the Secretary General and the Treasurer (see Section IX);

ii. eight Ordinary Members, four from the Scientific Union Members (see Rule of Procedure 7.2) and four from the National Scientific Members (see Rule of Procedure 7 for the election procedure). The Ordinary Members of the Executive Board are elected in their individual capacities.

b) Each Officer and each Ordinary Member has one vote; in the event of an equality of votes the President has, in addition, a casting vote.

26. The Ordinary Members of the Executive Board shall normally hold office until the end of the ordinary session of the General Assembly following their initial election and are eligible for one additional term of office. A member appointed by the Executive Board to fill a vacancy occurring between sessions of the General Assembly shall initially hold office for the unexpired term only, but this shall not prejudice his or her eligibility for subsequent election for one or two full terms. Elections should, if possible, be so arranged that at each ordinary session of the General Assembly, two members from the Scientific Union Members and two members from the National Scientific Members are in their first term.

27. No person, except the President or Past President, may serve on the Executive Board for more than 9 consecutive years.

28. The Executive Board is responsible to the General Assembly. It oversees the operations of ICSU; recommends the directions and priorities of ICSU to the General Assembly, taking into consideration the recommendations of the appropriate Committees; and implements and communicates ICSU's policies and views between sessions of the General Assembly. It shall meet as often as is necessary and at least once a year. It can be convened by a decision of the President in case of particular urgency, provided at least 30 days' notice is given. Among its duties it shall:

a) prepare the Agenda for the General Assembly;

b) present, to each General Assembly, a report of the scientific and administrative activities of ICSU since the previous ordinary General Assembly;

c) propose, for consideration by the General Assembly, a draft budgetary outline of ICSU, and the scale of annual dues to be paid by Members of ICSU for the ensuing 3-year period;

d) appoint the Nominating Committee;

e) decide on the annual budget of ICSU;

f) admit new National Scientific Members and Scientific Associates (National, Regional and International) when such applications are received more than twelve months before the next session of the Assembly (Rules of Procedure 8 and 9); 7

g) when urgent action is needed, establish (with precise terms of reference for limited periods of time) or suspend ICSU bodies, subject to ratification by the next session of the General Assembly;

h) review the scientific activities of ICSU as carried out by its interdisciplinary bodies and make appropriate recommendations to the General Assembly;

i) review periodically the relationship with the International and Regional Scientific Associates and make appropriate recommendations to the General Assembly.

29. The Executive Board shall be assisted by a Secretariat responsible for the execution of the day-to-day work of ICSU. This Secretariat shall be directed by an Executive Director appointed by the Executive Board on the recommendation of the Officers.

30. In the event of a vacancy among the Ordinary Members of the Executive Board, the Officers shall have the power to fill the vacancy for the unexpired term.

IX. OFFICERS

31. a) The Officers of ICSU are:

i. The President

ii. the Vice-President for Scientific Planning and Review

iii. the Vice-President for External Relations

iv. the Secretary-General

v. the Treasurer

vi. the Past-President or President-Elect

b) The Officers are responsible for the day-to-day affairs of ICSU between meetings of the Executive Board. They shall meet as often as is deemed necessary, normally twice a year.

c) The President shall hold office for one term of 3 years*, non renewable.

d) The Vice-Presidents shall hold office for one term of 3 years*, non-renewable;

e) The Secretary General and the Treasurer shall hold office for terms of 3years*, renewable once;

f) The immediate Past President shall serve as an Officer for a period of 18 months* following the termination of the period of office held as President, to be succeeded until the end of the next General Assembly by the President- Elect.

g) Should any Officer be appointed initially to fill a vacancy arising from the inability of his or her predecessor to complete a full term, this shall not prejudice his or her eligibility for subsequent election for a full term or terms as specified in Statute 32 c), d), and e) above.

* The words  ‘3 years ‘ with reference to the periods of office of all elected Officers and Ordinary Members of the Executive Board are interpreted as meaning  ‘until the end of the ordinary session of the General Assembly following his or her election ‘.

32. The Executive Board shall decide which of the two Vice-Presidents, or, failing this, the Past President shall fulfil the duties of the President should he or she become unable to discharge them. If none of these is able to fulfil the duties of the President, the Executive Board shall decide who is to undertake these.

33. The Executive Board shall also decide who shall undertake the duties of any of the other Officers if they are unable to discharge their duties.