STATUTES
Denomination
First article
The International Confederation of General and Heraldry is an association
organized in accordance with articles 60 and following of the Swiss Civil Code.It is endowed with the
legal personality.
Article 2
The seat of the Confederation is at the seat of the Swiss Society of Heraldry.
Article 3
The duration of the Confederation is unlimited.
Article 4
The goals of the Confederation are:
Article 5
The confederation does not pursue for profit and forbids
any political or religious position.It is also forbidden
any integration in the organization and the own activities of its members;she
can not act on their behalf only for their express permission.The members
undertake to pursue any activities contrary to the goals, interests and
good renown of the confederation;They can not commit it or act on his behalf.
MEMBERS
On a national basis, or possibly international, the Confederation
can only bring together legal persons, or collectivities that do not have
the legal character of association, which pursue an object similar to those which
are defined above in the first point of article 4.
It is made up of ex officio members, active members and corresponding members.
Article 6 - Ex officio members
Are ex officio members of the Confederation, the federations and
associations having signed the act of confederation of 13 November 1971 as well as the
federations or associations having organized an international congress in accordance with
regulations of the standing convention bureau.They participate in general assemblies
with deliberative voices.
Article 7 - Active members
Are considered as active members federations or associations
regularly constituted and endowed with the legal personality who pursue the
same goals as those of the members of right and who subscribe to the present statutes.They
also take part in general meetings with votes.
Article 8 - Federations
In principle, only one federation per country is allowed.She is then
qualified as national.
However, if the associative situation allows it, it is possible that a country is
represented by more than one federation, provided that these federations have among themselves a
clearly distinct object or characters.The criteria authorizing the candidacy of
different federations in the same country are left to the sovereign discretion of the
Board of directors.
Any federation which becomes a member of the Confederation succeeds to the rights of its
own members who were formerly members without being able to designate more than
three delegates to general meetings.
Article 9 - Communities without legal personality
Communities that do not have the legal character of association
and working in the fields referred to above in the 1st point of Article 4, may, as
exceptional, be admitted as corresponding members.
The corresponding members have a consultative voice at the General Assembly.
Article 10
Any federation, association or community deprived of the
legal personality, who wishes to become a member of the Confederation must address to the
President of the latter an application file comprising, in addition to a reasoned written request,
a copy of its statutes or its founding act, a list of member associations for
the federations, two distinct specimens of his publications if they have any and, in a way
general, any information on its activities likely to enable the Board of Directors
to validly propose his candidacy to the general assembly.
The requests examined and approved by the Board of Directors are submitted to the most
near general assembly.
General Assembly
Article 11
The supreme organ of the confederation is the general assembly
formed by all federations and member associations.Members of
Law and Federations may decide three delegates to the general assembly;
Each association echoes a delegate.
Any general assembly regularly convened sitting validly, whatever
the number of delegates and represents;no delegate can repress
more than two others.
Article 12
The powers of the general assembly are as follows:
Article 13
The general assembly meets every two years on the occasion
of the International Congress of General and Heraldic Sciences. She can also,
At the initiative of the chairman, be convened on the occasion of conferences organized by
the Academies that are members of the Confederation.
An extraordinary general meeting may be called whenever the Council
administration deems necessary or when a third of the members so request in writing.
Any general meeting is convened by the Board of Directors in writing or
message to each member. They inform their delegates if they have more than one.
The items on the agenda as well as the proposals are mentioned in the invitation.
of the Board of Directors or members who have requested the convening or registration of a
subject to the agenda. In the latter case, the proposal of the object (s) to be registered
must reach the President, or his replacement in case of absence, at least two and a half months.
advance. The convocation must be sent at least six weeks before the scheduled date.
Article 14
The general assembly only validly deliberates on its agenda.His
Decisions are taken by a simple majority of the delegates present and represented, with the exception of
the admission of new members and the processing of articles 23 and 24 of these statutes
where two thirds of the votes are required.
Board
Article 15
The executive body of the Confederation is the Board of Directors made up of
president, two vice-presidents, the secretary general, the treasurer and at least two
advisers.The members of the Board of Directors are elected, for each position, on proposal
of the president and secret bulletins.The president cannot remain in office beyond 75 years.
Article 16
The members of the Board of Directors are elected for a period comprising
two consecutive congresses. At the end of the said period, they may, in whole or in part, request
the renewal of their term of office if new candidates for the Board of Directors are not
not present.
In the event of the resignation, incapacity or death of the chairman, he is replaced as of right by
one of the vice-presidents chosen by secret ballot by the other members of the Board of Directors
and the latter then has the same powers as those of the replaced president and uses them in the same
conditions.
If it is the secretary general or the treasurer, the Board of Directors provides
best time to vacancy until the nearest general meeting.
A member of the Board of Directors who ceases to be a delegate of a
federation or a member association.
Article 17
The Board of Directors is responsible for the management of the business
currents of the Confederation;it meets, when convened by the president, as often
as required by the interests of the Confederation.He is responsible for relations with the Bureau
standing of the congresses and sets the agenda of the general assemblies.
It instructs and approves, or even rejects, applications for admission of new members.
Those that it approves are subject to the decision of the general assembly.
Article 18
All acts committing the Confederation are signed by the president
and the secretary general.If the chairman is unable to attend, they are signed by a
vice-president;in the event of a financial commitment, the treasurer signs instead of the secretary general.
Correspondence addressed to the authorities of an international organization, or to the authorities and
official bodies of a given country, may be validly signed by the president, or a
vice-president, and by a member of the Board of Directors.
Article 19
The Secretary General is responsible for keeping the acts of the General Assembly
and the Board of Directors, for their dissemination and the execution of their decisions.
Article 20
The task of the treasurer is to centralize contributions and receipts as well
than to pay the expenses authorized by the president or, in the absence of the latter,
by his replacement.
Whenever the opportunity is given, he presents to a general meeting the accounts of the
of the years elapsed as well as the balance sheet and has them approved by the assembly.
Article 21
The Board of Directors establishes the committees it deems useful for
To study or settle any question relating to the pursuit of the aims of the Confederation or the
relations between its members, except matters relating to international congresses.He
designates the people called to sit on these committees.Commissions make
account of their work to the Board of Directors without the latter being bound by their conclusions.
Article 22
The general assembly can confer the honorary title of their functions
to former members of the Board of Directors.The Board of Directors may invite these
To attend meetings of the Confederation in an advisory capacity.
MODIFICATION OF THE STATUTES, DISSOLUTION
Article 23
The statutes can only be changed by decision of an assembly
specially convened, deciding by a majority of two-thirds of the votes of
Delegates present and represented.In case of modification of the statutes, the changes
will be explained in detail in writing when the general meeting is called.
Article 24
The decision to dissolve the Confederation can only be taken by
the general meeting specially convened and ruling by a majority of two thirds of the
Delegates present and represented.The decision must include attribution of property and
archives of the Confederation to a single body or association with similar goals.
CONTESTATIONS
Article 25
All disputes between members or between members and the Confederation
itself will be decided as a last resort, and after exhaustion of the means of conciliation,
by an arbitral tribunal established in accordance with Swiss legal procedures and sitting in Switzerland.
The present statutes have been approved by an extraordinary general meeting
held in Besanon (France) on May 3, 2000.