STRUCTURE OF THE ASSOCIATION

The structure of the Association is composed of :

1. COUNCIL
2. GENERAL ASSEMBLY
3. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
4. OTHER COMMITTEES

1. COUNCIL

a) All the Association¡¯s powers shall rest with the Council.

b) The functions exclusive to the Council are as follows:

i. definition of policies and programme of the Association;
ii. discontinuation of any members, appeals on membership applications, and disputes between any members of the Executive;
iii. election and termination of office of the Executive Committee
iv. establishment of internal rules and level of membership subscriptions;
v. modification of the Association¡¯s constitution and its dissolution.

c) The Council shall be composed of the following members:

i. the Country/Region Representatives;
ii. the Executive Committee Members

d) The Country/Region Representatives of the Association shall be by countries/regions in Asia. For this purpose a "country/region" shall be a territory wherein scientific matters are organized independently. Admission of a country/region to membership of the Association shall not constitute recognition of its political but only of its scientific status. In cases of doubt the advice of ICSU (International Council for Science) shall be sought. Each Country/Region Representative has the same rights and the same duties except as hereinafter provided. Where a country/region¡¯s GIS Association is a Full Member of the Association, it shall represent that country/region. If there is no GIS Association which is a Full Member of the Association, all Full Members of that country/region shall elect one Country/Region Representative amongst themselves. The Secretary-General shall be responsible for the general oversight of this process..

e) The term of the Council shall normally be two years.

f) Any member of the Council may resign by written notification to the Secretary-General.

g) When a position becomes vacant, arrangements can be made to fill the post for the remainder of term.

h) The Council shall meet at least once biennially and chaired by the President.

i) Special meeting of the Council shall be called on the request of at least five of its members.

j) The quorum of the Council shall be one third of the Council Members or a minimum of five (the lesser of the two), including at least three members of the Executive Committee.

k) Resolutions shall be carried on a simple majority, except in those special cases stipulated in this constitution. Where voting is evenly split, the President shall have the casting vote.

l) The Council¡¯s resolutions shall be recorded and signed by the President and be available from the Secretary-General for inspection by Full Members.

2. GENERAL ASSEMBLY

a) The General Assembly shall be the Association¡¯s formal means of consultation.

b) The General Assembly shall consider the activities, policy and administration of the Association on the basis of the reports presented by the Council.

c) The General Assembly shall be open to all membership categories.

d) The General Assembly shall meet at least once biennially and shall be chaired by the President.

e) The quorum of the General Assembly shall be one?third of Full Members or a minimum of five (the lesser of the two), including at least three members of the Executive Committee.

3.THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

a) The Executive Committee shall consist of the following members :

i. President, Vice-President, and Secretary-General.
ii. Past President in the preceding term.
iii. Three to Five Committee Members.

b) Members of the Executive Committee shall be nominated and elected by the Council.

c) The term of office of the Executive Committee shall normally be two years.

d) Unless otherwise provided herein, vacancies on the Executive Committee shall be filled by a person appointed by the President with the consent of other officers for the remainder of the term of office.

e) Should the President be prevented from carrying out his/her duties for whatever reason, he/she shall be replaced by the Vice-President or the Secretary-General.

f) By a two thirds majority, the Council may remove any member of the Executive Committee from office.

g) Duties and powers of the Executive Committee :

i. The Executive Committee is empowered to transact all routine business of the Association.
ii. The majority of the Executive Committee shall form the quorum.
iii. The Executive Committee shall meet at the call of the President or the majority of its members: notice of the meeting, date, time, and place shall be in writing, at least six weeks prior to the meeting, to each member of the Executive Committee.
iv. Appoints Committees and receives their report.

h). Duties of the President, Vice-President and Secretary-General :

i. President

(1) Chairs the Council, General Assembly and the Executive Committee.
(2) Interprets policy established by the Council or the Executive Committee.
(3) Coordinates activities of the members of the Executive Committee and committees.
(4) Prepares annual budgets for approval of the Council.
(5) May appoint advisors and honorary members in concurrence with the Executive Committee.

ii. Vice-President

(1) Arranges programs of meetings other than those for transaction of business.
(2) Undertakes special tasks assigned by the Executive Committee.
(3) Acts for the President in his absence or incapacity.
(4) Assumes the Office of President in the event the incumbent resigns or is otherwise unable to complete his term.

iii. Secretary?General

(1) Keeps records of membership including names and titles of responsible heads of schools and of those authorized to vote in the Association's meetings.
(2) Conducts correspondence of the Association.
(3) Keeps and distributes minutes of the Association and Executive Committee meetings.
(4) Maintains the homepage of the Association.
(5) Collects fees, keeps financial account, deposits funds.
(6) Approves expenditures, makes disbursements.

4. OTHER COMMITTEES

The Council and the Executive Committee may appoint any other committees with specific functions. Committees of the Association may include the following:

a) Membership: to interpret conditions for membership in the Association, to recommend needed changes in membership criteria, to receive applications for membership and submit them to the Executive Committee with recommendations.

b) Publication: to issue Newsletters and Journals of the Association when appropriate; to publish a report on specific issues of the Association's concern.

c) Such other committees as the Council or the Executive Committee may appoint.

Activities and budget executed by such committees as appointed by the Executive Committee shall be authorized at the upcoming Council meeting.