IDEA General Council
The IDEA General Council meets approximately once every 18 months. It is usually held during an IDEA (supported) international conference between our 3-yearly IDEA World Congresses, to enable as many of our members to take part in the decision-making processes of IDEA.
The General Council is the supreme authority of IDEA and is made up of all IDEA's national associations, represented by one appointed voting delegate of each Ordinary member. Here we offer an overview of the General Council's powers and how it operates, taken from our Constitution. For further details, please read the IDEA Constitution.
Powers of the General Council
1. To elect the members of the Executive Committee, the General Meeting Committee and the Accountancy Committee;
2. To determine the principles of action for IDEA and empower the Executive Committee accordingly;
3. To consider the reports of the President and the Treasurer;
4. To determine the host countries for IDEA world congress;
5. To determine the host countries for the IDEA-Secretariat;
6. To vote on the IDEA budget;
7. To fix the amount of members fees.
Creating IDEA Policy
Key issues concerning the policy and future of IDEA are dealt with only at meetings of the General Council during the IDEA World Congress, to enable as many members of IDEA to participate. General Council meetings also have the authority to amend the Constitution and to take final decisions about the affiliation or disaffiliation of Ordinary and Associate members.
Decision-Making and Voting Proceedure
IDEA's General Council aims to take all its decisions through consensus, and to only use formal voting proceedures when necessary. Any member of the General Council has the right to call a vote, in which case a vote shall be taken. In such cases, a decision is reached by a simple majority of votes. The quorum is defined as one half of the total number of delegates entitled to vote.
The delegates of each country within IDEA have the number of votes defined by the vote-proportion of the meeting, itself determined in relation to the number of national associations present. Voting is exercised by one delegate to the General Council. This delegate is appointed by each country through an its own internal decision-making processes. Each member association must send the Executive Committee in writing the name of its delegate to the General Council (who must be a member of that member association), preferably two weeks before the General Council meeting, except in emergency situations.
All persons present in the IDEA international conference or World Congress that is hosting a General Council meeting, and all members of IDEA, have the right to attend and may speak with the approval of the President. All sessions of the General Council are open to the public, except for such agenda items where protection of person-related data requires the exclusion of the public. Only voting delegates from national associations (Ordinary members) may vote.
Proposals for resolutions shall be sent to the members of the General Council, at least one month before the General Council meeting, or later with the permission of the General Council.
Decision-making between General Council meetings
Between meetings of the General Council, decisions will be made by means of a postal referendum or teleconference of the members associations' delegates to the General Council.
Special General Council decision-making meetings between meetings of the General Council may be called by the President or Secretary after deliberation with the IDEA President. Such meetings can also be called on written request by at least 10% of the member associations' delegates to the General Council.
If you have any questions about the organisation and running of the General Council meeting, please contact Robert Corbeil, our General Meeting Committee Secretary rcorbeil@ccepirss.com