FIG General Assembly
|
Minutes
23rd FIG General Assembly
22 and 26 May 2000 in
Prague, Czech Republic
Minutes
of the 23rd General Assembly held at the
National House of Vinohrady, Prague, Czech Republic on 22nd and
26th May 2000
Introduction
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under each item.
After distributing the minutes two amendments have been made
to the minutes. These are in item 21 Membership subscriptions (the Bureau's
goal to stabilise the membership fees) and item 27 The Future Governance of
FIG (suggestion during the discussion that someone from a member association
who had experience of organising a working week or congress should be
appointed to the Task Force). These amendments are highlighted in the text
with colour. 21
June 2000
Monday 22nd May
General Assembly, First Session, Monday 22nd May,
9.00 - 10.30 and 11.00 - 12.00
1. OPENING PROCEEDINGS
After the FIG fanfare Vice President Jerome C. Ives expressed
the greetings and apologies from President Robert W. Foster who was not able to
participate the General Assembly and Working Week in Prague due to illness in
his family. The General Assembly sent its best wishes to President and Mrs
Foster. The General Assembly honoured the past Honorary Member Herbert H. Ahrens
with a moment of silence. Vice President Ives then opened the 23rd
General Assembly and welcomed the all participants to the Czech Republic.
2. ROLL CALL
Secretary General Christian Andreasen took the roll call. A
list of those present at the sessions is attached as appendix to items 2 &
26: Roll Call.
Adobe Acrobat version (383 KB)
42 Member associations out of 76 were present that is more
than one third of the membership needed for the General Assembly to be
constitutionally valid.
Motion: That the delegates and observers attending the
General Assembly be entered in the records and that at the second session of the
General Assembly roll call will be made only for member associations while other
members and participants will be recorded only.
Decision: The motion was adopted.
3. APPOINTMENT OF TELLERS
Motion: That the General Assembly appoints two persons as
tellers following the principle adopted at the 22nd General Assembly
so that the tellers will represent member associations hosting the preceding
(South Africa) and the current General Assembly (Czech Republic).
Decision: The General Assembly resolved to appoint Mr.
Ken Lester (South Africa) and Mr. Milan Klimes (Czech Republic) as tellers for
the duration of the meeting.
4. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA
Motion: That the General Assembly adopts the previously
circulated agenda with following amendments:
-
Additional membership applications from Ordem dos
Engenheiros – Colégio de Engenheria Geografica (Portugal) as new item
6.1.3 and from Sociedad Colombiana de Topografos (Colombia) as new item
6.1.4 (discussed and decided at the meeting on 26th May)
-
Additional bid, from the Egyptian Committee of Surveying
and Mapping, to host the FIG Working Week 2005 (item 22).
-
Report of the Congress Director, FIG Congress 2002 (item
28) will follow immediately after item 9 Secretary General’s Report
-
Item 21 (Future Governance of FIG) will follow item 22
(Bids to host Working Week 2005)
-
List of additional papers that have been tabled at the
meeting.
Decision: The motion was adopted.
5. ADOPTION OF THE MINUTES OF THE 22nd GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
The minutes of the 22nd General Assembly held in
Sun City in 1999 have been circulated previously.
Motion: That the minutes be adopted.
Decision: The motion was adopted.
6. MEMBERSHIP
6.1 Acceptance of new members
6.1.1 Ordre des Géomètres-Topographes du Liban - Lebanon
The Ordre des Géomètres-Topographes du Liban (Lebanon) has
submitted a formal application to become a member association. The Bureau has
considered the application and believes that the association meets criteria for
membership of FIG as a member association.
Complete application form has been circulated with the
agenda.
Motion: That the General Assembly admits the Ordre des
Géomètres-Topographes du Liban as a member association of FIG.
Decision: The motion was adopted.
6.1.2 Czech Association of Certified Property Appraisers
(Česká společnost certifikovaných odhadců majetku) – Czech Republic
The Czech Association of Certified Property Appraisers has
submitted a formal application to become a second member association of FIG from
the Czech Republic. The Bureau has considered the application and believes that
the association meets criteria for membership of FIG as a member association.
The application is supported by the existing Czech member association, the Czech
Union of Surveyors and Cartographers.
Complete application letter and form from the Czech
Association of Certified Property Appraisers and a letter from the Czech Union
of Surveyors and Cartographers supporting the application has been circulated
with the agenda.
Motion: That the General Assembly admits the Czech
Association of Certified Property Appraisers as a member association of FIG.
Decision: The motion was adopted.
6.1.3 Ordem dos Engenheiros, Colégio de Engenharia
Geografica (Order of Engineers, College of Geographical Engineering) -
Portugal
The Ordem dos Engenheiros, Colégio de Engenharia Geográfica
from Portugal has submitted a formal application to become a member association
of FIG on 22nd May 2000. The Bureau has considered the application
and believes that the association meets criteria for membership of FIG as a
member association.
Appendix to item 6.1.3:
Application form from the Ordem dos Engenheiros, Colégio de Engenharia
Geográfica.
Adobe Acrobat version (17 KB)
Motion: That the General Assembly admits the Ordem dos
Engenheiros, Colégio de Engenharia Geográfica as a member association of FIG.
Decision: The motion was adopted.
6.1.4 Sociedad Colombiana de Topografos (Colombian Society
of Surveyors) – Colombia
The Sociedad Colombiana de Topografos from Colombia has
submitted a formal application to become a full member of FIG from Colombia on
24th May 2000. Currently FIG has an affiliate from Colombia (the
Instituto Geográfico Agustin Codazzi). The Bureau has considered the application
and believes that the association meets criteria for membership of FIG as a
member association. This application has also been discussed with the applying
association and the current affiliate member during the visit of the Director,
FIG office to Colombia in May 2000.
Appendix to item 6.1.4:
Application form from the Sociedad Colombiana de Topografos.
Adobe Acrobat version (17 KB)
Motion: That the General Assembly admits the Sociedad
Colombiana de Topografos as a member association of FIG.
Decision: The motion was adopted.
6.2 Expungements
The subscriptions of the following member associations are
more than three years in arrears
The General Assembly has powers to expel from the Federation
any member association whose fees are in arrears and shall under normal
circumstances expel any member association whose fees are three years in
arrears. (Article 4.3 of the Statutes).
The Bureau informed the General Assembly that further the
subscriptions of the Ikatan Surveyors of Indonesia are more than three years in
arrears. However this member association has informed the Bureau that it wants
to stay as a member of FIG and a plan of payments have been agreed between the
Bureau and the Ikatan Surveyors of Indonesia. If the association has not paid
its arrears by next General Assembly expungement of this association will be
decided in Seoul, Korea in 2001.
Recorded that neither reply nor payment has been received
from either the Nepal Surveyors Society or the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors
by time of the General Assembly.
Motion: That the General Assembly expels the
Decision: The motion was adopted.
6.3 Other membership matters
The Bureau wants to inform the General Assembly on the
following changes in the membership of FIG:
Affiliates
The National Survey Authority from Sultanate of Oman has
informed FIG 29th January 2000 that it has resigned its affiliate
membership of FIG from 1999 onwards.
The Bureau has admitted the Department of Lands & Survey
under the Ministry of Finance of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to become an
affiliate member of FIG 20th May 2000.
Correspondents
The Bureau has admitted M. Alain Bagré from Burkina Faso to
become a correspondent of FIG 20th May 2000.
Sponsors
The Bureau has admitted Josef Attenberger GmbH from Germany
and Blom ASA from Norway to become new sponsor members of FIG.
Academic members
The Bureau wants to inform the General Assembly that 19
academic members have joined FIG by 21st May 2000. They have joined
FIG before the launching of the new version of the FIG Surveying Education
Database and marketing campaign of the academic membership. The names of current
academic members are included in the roll call list.
Motion: That the General Assembly notes the actions that
the Bureau has taken with other membership matters.
Decision: The motion was adopted.
6.4 Appointment of Honorary President
The Bureau has received one nomination by its meeting 13th
March 2000. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), UK nominates
Prof. Peter Dale OBE for Honorary President of FIG.
The RICS’s letter of nomination of Prof. Peter Dale for
Honorary President of FIG has been circulated as an appendix to the agenda.
According to the Statutes (Article 3.1.6) a Past President of
FIG can be appointed as Honorary President when he has rendered outstanding
service to the Federation during his period of office. The appointment shall be
decided on a vote of the General Assembly (Article 3.2 of the Statutes).
The Bureau fully supports the proposal made by the RICS and
proposes to the General Assembly that it appoints Prof. Peter Dale as Honorary
President of FIG for his outstanding services to the Federation.
Motion: That the General Assembly appoints Prof. Peter
Dale as a new Honorary President of FIG.
Decision: The General Assembly appointed Prof. Peter Dale
as a new Honorary President of FIG. Prof. Dale was presented with his badge with
golden oak leaves and certificate of Honorary Presidentship.
6.5 Appointment of Honorary Members
The Bureau has received three nominations for Honorary
Members before its meeting 13th March 2000. These are:
-
Prof. Ian Williamson, nominated by the Institution of
Surveyors, Australia
-
Prof. Andrzej Hopfer, nominated by the Stowarzyszenie
Geodetów Polskich, Poland
-
Grahame Lindsay, nominated by the FIG Bureau.
Nomination letters for an Honorary Member have been
circulated with the agenda.
According to the Internal Rules (Article 7.1) nominations for
the appointments of an Honorary Member shall be made by a member association or
the Bureau, which will consider them and submit them to a vote of the General
Assembly. According to the Article 3.2 of the Statutes an individual who has
materially assisted the development and promotion of the surveying profession at
international level can be appointed to an Honorary Member.
The Bureau supports all three proposals for Honorary Members
of FIG.
Motion: That the General Assembly appoints Prof. Ian
Williamson, Director, FIG/UN Liaison, Prof. Andrzej Hopfer and Grahame Lindsay,
former Vice-President and Secretary General of FIG as Honorary Members of FIG.
Decision: The General Assembly appointed Prof. Ian
Williamson, Prof. Andrzej Hopfer and Mr. Grahame Lindsay as new Honorary Members
of FIG. Prof. Williamson and Mr. Grahame Lindsay were presented with their
badges with silver oak leaves and certificates of Honorary Membership.
7. REPORT OF THE OUTGOING UK BUREAU
A written report of the UK Bureau (1996-1999) for the period
from the 22nd General Assembly until the hand-over to the US Bureau,
November 1999 has been circulated with the agenda.
Motion: That the General Assembly adopts the report and
records its thanks to the UK Bureau for their extremely successful work and
contribution to the Federation.
Decision: The report was adopted as written. The General
Assembly recorded its thanks to the UK Bureau members for their outstanding work
and contributions for the Federation and its members. The main results of the
work of the UK Bureau were recorded as follows: developing FIG to a fully
international body, increasing the FIG profile in UN and its several agencies,
increasing FIG activities in general and last but not least the establishment of
the permanent office.
8. PRESIDENT'S REPORT
President's written report has been circulated with the
agenda. Secretary General presented the President’s report with additional
remarks from the President’s visits to member associations in Norway, Finland,
Estonia, Sweden, Malaysia and China, where he met with the organisations of
Chinese appraisers.
Motion: That the General Assembly adopts the President’s
report.
Decision: The report was adopted as circulated and orally
supplemented.
9. SECRETARY-GENERAL’S REPORT
The Secretary-General's report has been circulated with the
agenda.
Motion: That the General Assembly adopts the
Secretary-General's report.
Decision: The report was adopted as circulated.
10. REPORT OF THE CONGRESS DIRECTOR, FIG CONGRESS 2002
The Report of the Congress Director, FIG Congress 2002 has
been circulated with the agenda. The Congress Director made her supplementary
report and distributed the first announcement of the Congress 2002. Updated
information about the Congress will be available on the FIG web site:
http://www.fig.net.
Motion: That the General Assembly notes the report of the
Congress Director.
Decision: The motion was adopted.
11. REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR, FIG OFFICE
The report of the Director, FIG office has been circulated
with the agenda. In his supplementary report the Director informed the General
Assembly about his participation to the Steering Committee Meeting of the
Habitat Professionals Forum in Frankfurt in March, to the CLGE General Assembly
in Copenhagen in April, to the 1st International Conference on
Cadastral Systems in Bogotá, Colombia in May and to the 1st Session
of the Preparatory Committee for Istanbul+5 in Nairobi in May 2000.
Motion: That the General Assembly adopts the report of
Director, FIG office.
Decision: The motion was adopted.
12. REPORTS FROM CHAIRS OF COMMISSIONS AND AD HOC COMMISSION
ON CONSTRUCTION ECONOMICS AND MANAGEMENT
Reports from the all nine technical Commissions and the ad
hoc Commission on Construction Economics and Management have been circulated
with the agenda.
Motion: That the General Assembly adopts the reports and
records its thanks to the chairs and officers of the Commissions for their past
year’s work.
Decision: The motion was adopted.
13. REPORTS FROM THE DIRECTORS OF PERMANENT INSTITUTIONS
Reports from the permanent institutions
-
the International Office of Cadastre and Land Records
(Office International du Cadastre et du Régime Foncier OICRF
-
the FIG Multi-Lingual Dictionary Board
-
the International Institution for the History of
Surveying and Measurement, Permanent Institution of FIG
have been circulated with the agenda.
Mr. Jan de Graeve, Director of the International Institution
for the History of Surveying and Measurement presented the first numbered copy
of the reprint of the early book of land surveying, John Love’s Geodesia, 1st
edition of 1688 to the President. This reprint is produced to finance the Struve
Arc project.
Motion: That the General Assembly adopts the reports and
records its thanks to the Directors for their past year’s work.
Decision: The motion was adopted.
14. REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR, FIG/UN LIAISON
The report of the Director, FIG/UN Liaison has been
circulated with the agenda.
In his supplementary report the Director informed orally the
General Assembly on the actions arising from the United Nations activities and
the strategic commitments of FIG. Further he reported on the FIG participation
to the 15th UN Regional Cartographic Conference for Asia and the
Pacific in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, April 2000, to the UN Commission for
Sustainable Development meeting (CSD-8) in New York, April 2000 and to the 1st
Session of the Preparatory Committee for Istanbul+5 in Nairobi, May 2000.
Motion: That the General Assembly adopts the report of
the Director, FIG/UN Liaison, notes the strategic commitments of the FIG Bureau
on the United Nations activities and records its thanks to the Director, FIG/UN
Liaison for his past year’s work.
Decision: The motion was adopted.
15. THE UN/FIG BATHURST DECLARATION ON LAND ADMINISTRATION
FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND CO-OPERATION BETWEEN FIG AND THE UN AGENCIES
2000-2003 (THE FIG/UN ROUND-TABLE IN MELBOURNE)
FIG publications no 21 The Bathurst Declaration on Land
Administration for Sustainable Development and no 22 Co-operation between FIG
and the UN Agencies 2000-2003 have been circulated with the agenda. Prof. Ian
Williamson, Director, FIG/UN Liaison and co-organiser of the Bathurst Seminar
and Melbourne Conference presented the recommendations of the Bathurst
Declaration.
It was informed that all documentation from the Bathurst
Declaration and from the FIG/UN Conference in Melbourne is available on the FIG
home page and that the further responsibility of circulating the Declaration
belongs to the member associations. Recorded that some member associations have
been active in translating the Declaration to their own languages (e.g. into
Spanish) and that these will be linked from the FIG home page.
Motion: That the General Assembly notes the Bathurst
Declaration for information and adopts its recommendations and further notes the
FIG/UN Round Table report for information and gives its implementation to the
Bureau and Commissions.
Decision: The motion was adopted.
Further recorded that Prof. Williamson presented a cheque of
US$5,000 to the FIG Education Foundation as a result from the Melbourne
Conference and as an encouraging example for other FIG and its Commissions
events for the future and recommending that such a donation should be included
in the budget of all events. Prof. Holger Magel, President of the FIG Education
Foundation received the cheque on behalf of the Foundation.
16. LIAISON WITH INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS
The Memorandum of Understanding between UNCHS(Habitat) and
FIG for 2000-2003 and the report on the Co-operation between FIG and
International Organisations has been circulated with the agenda.
Motion: That the General Assembly approves the
FIG/UNCHS(Habitat) Memorandum of Understanding and adopts the report on the
co-operation between FIG and other international organisations and records its
thanks to all those who have contributed to the development of FIG liaison
activities during the past year.
Decision: The motion was adopted.
17. IUSM
The International Union for Surveys and Mapping (IUSM) held
its last meeting in conjunction to the 19th International
Cartographic Conference of the ICA in August. At this meeting IUSM was disbanded
accordingly to the decision of the 22nd General Assembly of FIG. At
the same meeting it was agreed that the future co-operation will be organised on
bilateral basis and that representatives of the member organisations will meet
informally during their congresses, for the first time during the ISPRS Congress
in Amsterdam, July 2000.
Motion: That the General Assembly records the dissolution
of IUSM and the actions that have been taken to establish bilateral agreements
with the sister organisations.
Decision: The motion was adopted.
18. FIG WORK PLAN 2000-2003
The draft FIG Work Plan 2000 – 2003 has been circulated with
the agenda as a draft FIG Publication no 20: FIG Work Plan 2000-2003. The FIG
Work Plan for 2000-2003 includes the goals and vision of the Federation adopted
at the 21st General Assembly in Brighton, the Bureau Work Plan for
2000-2003 and the Commission Work Plans 1998-2002. The Commission Work Plans
have been reconsidered by the Commissions in conjunction with finalising the
Bureau Work Plan and reflecting also the recommendations for the FIG/UN
co-operation for 2000-2003.
Ad Hoc Commission on Construction Economics and Management
has updated its terms of reference and work plan for 2000-2002 after the General
Assembly in Sun City. The Terms of Reference and Work Plan 2000-2002 of the Ad
Hoc Commission on Construction Economics and Management has been circulated with
the agenda.
After comments from the Member Associations the Bureau is
further proposing the following addition to the draft FIG Work Plan:
Further the Bureau wants to inform the Member Associations on
the responsibilities of the individual Bureau members and other FIG officers in
implementing the Work Plan.
The list of the responsibilities of the Bureau members is attached as
appendix to item 18 of these minutes.
Adobe Acrobat version ( 21
KB)
Motion: That the General Assembly
-
adopts the Bureau Work Plan for 2000-2003 as proposed in
the draft agenda and with addition 2.4.l and notes the list of
responsibilities of the individual Bureau members and other FIG
officers;
-
confirms the up-dated Commission Work Plans for
1998-2002 and further notes the establishment of a new Commission 2 and
9 joint working group on the Education of Valuers; and
-
adopts the terms of reference and Work Plan 2000-2002
for the Ad Hoc Commission on Construction Economics and Management.
Discussion: Iain Greenway (UK) questioned that the
Work Plan is too general and lacks specificity and proposed therefore that
specific goals and expected accomplishments should be developed. Acting
President responded that more specific goals could be developed and made
available through the FIG web site. Secretary General noted that many
organisations are developing business plans or work programmes to provide
specific goals for accomplishing near term goals supportive of the long-term
goals of their strategic plans. This entails significant work and can be started
during the term of office of the US Bureau but may not get implemented for the
entire organisation.
Decision: The motion was adopted.
19. FIG ACCOUNTS FOR 1999 AND AUDITOR'S REPORT
Auditor's Report, Income and Expenses Account for 1999 and
Balance Sheet at 31st December 1999 have been circulated with the
agenda as well as list of arrears for 1997-1999.
Treasurer Charles Challstrom presented the new structure of
the accounting system including the change that all income (subscriptions) are
accounted in the year they are due even if the payment will happen first in the
incoming year(s).
Motion: That the General Assembly adopts the audited
accounts for 1999.
Decision: The motion was adopted.
20. BUDGET, 2000 AND 2001
Up-dated FIG Budget for 2000 and proposal for the FIG Budget
for 2001 have been circulated with the agenda.
Motion: That the General Assembly notes the up-dated
budget for 2000 and adopts the budget for 2001.
Decision: The motion was adopted.
21. SUBSCRIPTION RATES, 2002
The General Assembly is required to set levels of fees for
member associations two years in advance of the year in which they become
payable. Fees are payable in respect of each individual member up to a maximum
of 4,000 members; member associations with more than 4,000 members pay fees in
accordance with a sliding scale (minute 23 of FIG(GA)M(98)1). Fees for 2000 and
2001 are
|
Per capita fee |
Minimum fee |
Maximum fee |
2000 |
Sw.frs. 4.75 per member up to a maximum of 4,000
members |
Sw.frs. 100.00 |
105 per cent of the fee payable by an association with
4,000 members |
2001 |
Sw.frs. 4.95 per member up to a maximum of 4,000
members |
Sw.frs. 100.00 |
108 per cent of the fee payable by an association with
4,000 members |
The Bureau has considered the FIG financial situation in the
perspective of five years to guarantee the continuity of the permanent office
and the change to the new governance structure. According to this study the
financial situation seems to develop positively but there is still need to
collect reserves for the transition period.
Treasurer Charles
Challstrom, however, informed the General Assembly that the goal of the Bureau
is to stabilise the membership fees and to increase the amount of other income
instead of continuing with annual increases with the membership fees. Amendment
21 June, 2000.
Motion: That the General Assembly adopts following
membership fees payable by member associations in 2002:
|
Per capita fee |
Minimum fee |
Maximum fee |
2002 |
Sw.frs. 5,20 per member up to a maximum of 4,000
members |
Sw.frs. 100.00 |
112 per cent of the fee payable by an association with
4,000 members |
Decision: The motion was adopted.
22. BIDS TO HOST THE FIG WORKING WEEK 2005
By 21st May the Bureau has received two bids to
host the FIG Working Week 2005. They are from The Institution of Surveyors,
Australia to host the Working Week 2005 in Sydney, Australia in September 2005
and from the Egyptian Committee of Surveying and Mapping to host the Working
Week 2005 in Cairo in April or May 2005.
Application letter from The Institution of Surveyors,
Australia has been circulated with the agenda and the
application letter from the Egyptian Committee of Surveying and Mapping is
attached to item 22 in these minutes.
Adobe Acrobat version (8 KB)
Motion: That the General Assembly receives brief
presentations from candidates willing to host the FIG Working Week 2005 and
notes that the selection of the venue will take place at the second session of
the General Assembly on 26th May.
Decision: The motion was adopted and each of the two
candidates were given 10 minutes to make their presentation how they planning to
host the Working Week 2005.
23. FUTURE GOVERNANCE OF FIG
The Task Force on the Future Governance of FIG has made its
recommendation on the future governance of the Federation. The recommendation
includes proposal for an elected administrative Council, changes in the roles
and titles of the Council Members etc. It further includes proposals for the
transitional period so that the new governance model should be fully operational
1.1.2007 if adopted.
The report of the Task Force with its proposals on the Future
Governance of FIG together with a list of frequently asked questions on the
consequences and implementation of the proposed future governance of FIG have
been circulated with the agenda. An updated version of the frequently asked
questions was tabled at the session.
Vice President Tom Kennie, Chair of the Task Force presented
the proposals of the Task Force (supported by the Bureau) to the General
Assembly. After the first session of the General Assembly there was an open
plenary session on this issue that allows debate on the issue. Decisions will be
made at the second session of the General Assembly.
Motion: That the General Assembly notes the report of the
Task Force and its recommendations and makes decisions on this topic at the
second session of the General Assembly.
Decision: The motion was adopted.
Monday 22nd May, 12.00 - 13.00
Plenary Session on the Future Governance of FIG
24. DISCUSSION AND QUESTIONS ON THE FUTURE GOVERNANCE OF FIG
The Task Force on the Future Governance of FIG has made its
recommendation on the future governance of the Federation. The recommendation
includes proposal for an elected administrative Council, changes in the roles
and titles of the Council Members etc. It further includes proposals for the
transitional period so that the new governance model should be fully operational
1.1.2007 if the proposal is adopted by the General Assembly.
This plenary session was organised to discuss this issue and
to clarify the implications of the new governance model. If the basic model will
be adopted at the General Assembly in Prague the changes to Statutes and
Internal Rules will be prepared for adoption at the 24th General
Assembly in Seoul, Korea 2001.
The amendments to Commission structure will be prepared for
approval at the 25th General Assembly in Washington 2002.
Discussion: The discussion on the proposals of the Task
Force on the Future Governance of FIG was held during the plenary session
following the General Assembly and are recorded in the supplementary report of
the Task Force under item 27.
Friday 26th May
Friday 26th May, 8.30 - 10.00
President's Meeting
25. PRESIDENT'S MEETING
45 Presidents and leaders of the delegations attended the
President’s Meeting where different aspects of the current problems of the
member associations and their relations to FIG were discussed. In the
discussion the FIG policy with UN was supported, question how to help
developing countries was raised (e.g. support to organise seminars and
improve education) and initiative of improving multicultural and
multilingual approach within FIG was introduced. In addition financial
topics like how to help developing countries and poor associations to attend
the working weeks and seminars and participate the work of FIG were
discussed. Separate notes from this meeting are circulated to the Presidents
and leaders of the delegations.
General Assembly, Second Session, Friday 26th
May, 10.00 - 11.00 and 11.30 - 13.00
26. ROLL CALL
Secretary General took the roll call according to the
decision made at the first session of the General Assembly so that the roll call
was made only for member associations. 46 member associations out of 78 were
present which is more than one third of the membership needed for the General
Assembly to be constitutionally valid.
A list of those
present at the session is attached as appendix to items 2 and 26.
Adobe Acrobat version (383 KB)
Motion: That the members present be entered in the
records.
Decision: The motion was adopted.
27. THE FUTURE GOVERNANCE OF FIG
The FIG Task Force on the Future Governance and Management of
FIG has considered the proposals made during the plenary session on 22nd
May and summarised the results to a supplementary report. This report includes
also some modified proposals that together with the original Task Force report
are suggested to be used as a basis for drafting amendments into the statutes.
The Bureau has considered the proposals of the Task Force and
suggests to the General Assembly that it approves the report and recommendations
of the Task Force. The recommendations include proposal of a Nomination Review
Group to manage the processing of nominations for positions as President, Vice
Presidents and perhaps Commission chairs to guarantee professional, geographic
and linguistic diversity of the candidates coming forward for election.
Further there is a proposal for the terms of reference and
members of the Task Force - Review of Commission, Task Force and Permanent
Institution Structure 2000-2002.
Appendix to item 27:
Supplementary report of the FIG Task Force on the Future Governance and
Management of FIG to the General Assembly.
Adobe Acrobat version (26
KB)
Motion: That the General Assembly notes the reports of
the Task Force and adopts the recommendations as follows:
-
that new Statutes be drafted for the General Assembly in
Korea and that these draft Statutes will be distributed in the 3rd
quarter of 2000 and also posted on the FIG web-site.
-
that the Statutes will be drafted to incorporate the
initial recommendations of the Task Force supplemented by the key
modifications outlined in the supplementary report. The details of the
voting procedures will follow.
-
in summary the package of recommendations will include:
-
that the term Bureau be replaced by the term Council
-
that the roles of Secretary General and Treasurer by
replaced by the term Vice President
-
that the Council shall consist of a President and
four (4) Vice Presidents,
30 October 2000
-
that a Nominations Review Group (NRG)
be established in order to manage the process of bringing forward to the
GA all of the candidates being considered for all elected positions and
for ensuring that a ‘balanced’ distribution of candidates is created.
The NRG will act under a set of internal rules established by the
General Assembly.
-
that the period of office for all posts will be 4
years
-
that no individual may sit for more than 2
consecutive periods on the Council and the period of office of the
President shall be limited to one period of four years
-
to ensure continuity the elections will take place on
a phased basis with elections every 2 years
-
that the Council shall have the ability to co-opt a
number of ex-officio members to assist with the work of the Council.
These co-opted positions will normally include the Director of the FIG
office, a representative of the ACCO and the Congress Director for the
next Congress.
-
that bids for hosting the Congress shall be open to one,
or more Member Associations.
That the General Assembly notes that the work of the original
Task Force on the Future Governance and Management of FIG is now almost complete
and records its thanks to the members and at the same time establishes a Task
Force - Review of Commission, Task Force and Permanent Institution Structure
2000-2002.
That the General Assembly endorses the terms of reference for
this Task Force as presented in the Task Force report and nominates following
members to this Task Force:
-
Dr Tom Kennie (UK) - Vice President, Chair of the Task
Force
-
Andreas Drees (Germany) - Incoming Secretary
General/Vice President
-
Matt Higgins(Australia) - Vice Chair, Commission 5 and
representative of ACCO
-
Gabriele Dasse (Germany) – Chair, Task Force on
Under-represented Groups in Surveying
-
Stig Enemark (Denmark) – Chair, Task Force on Mutual
Recognition of Qualifications and Past Chair, Commission 2)
-
Christian Andreasen (USA), Secretary General
-
Michel Mayoud (France), Chair, Commission 6
Discussion: Iain
Greenway (UK) pointed out that in the NRG there should not be members from the
current Council and suggested that someone from a member association who had
experience of organising a working week or congress should be appointed to the
Task Force – Review of Commission, Task Force and Permanent Institution
Structure 2000-2002. Amendment 21 June 2000.
Ernst Höflinger (Austria) suggested that the draft of
Statutes and Internal Rules should be circulated in advance so that the members
have possibility to make their comments before the final agenda will be
circulated. Dr. Kennie replied that the draft Statutes would be posted on the
FIG web site in September/October 2000 which allows comments from the members
before the Bureau meeting in December 2000.
Bernard Bour (OGE, France) asked if the proposal includes two
task forces, one working with the Statutes and the other one working with the
Commission structure. Dr. Kennie clarified the proposal so that the current Task
Force has almost concluded its work but will continue with drafting the new
Statutes based on the proposals by the Task Force. The new Task Force with new
members representing also Commissions is needed to study the Commission
structure, organising of FIG congresses etc.
During the discussion Dr Kennie proposed further an addition
to the Terms of reference to include a study how the multicultural aspects and
language issue can be solved in the Commission structure. In the discussion this
proposal was rejected and was therefore withdrawn from the final motion.
Decision: The motion was adopted.
28. AMENDMENTS TO STATUTES AND INTERNAL RULES
The recommendations of the Task Force on Future Governance of
FIG include a proposal that the posts of the Secretary General and the Treasurer
should be changed to that of Vice President already 1st January 2001.
This proposal means that the Statutes should be changed accordingly already now
although the other changes to the Statutes would be adopted first 2001. In
addition the responsibilities of the new Vice Presidents should be included in
the Internal Rules.
The proposal of the amendments to Statutes and Internal Rules
have been circulated with the agenda.
Motion: That the General Assembly adopts the proposed
changes to Article 5.3 in the Statutes and Article 9.5 in the Internal Rules and
to the Responsibilities of the Bureau members.
Decision: The motion was adopted.
29. REPORTS ON WORKING WEEKS 2001, 2003 AND 2004 AND
CONGRESS 2006
The General Assembly received brief supplementary reports
from the representatives of the organising committees of the forthcoming FIG
Working Weeks (Chungwoo Chon, Korea, Harry Greenberg, Israel, Chryssy Potsiou,
Greece and Hans Josef Platen, Germany).
-
Working Week 2001, Seoul, Korea 6-11 May 2001,
information is available on the Working Week web site:
http://www.fwww2001.or.kr.
-
Working Week 2003, Eilat, Israel 19-23 May 2003
-
Working Week 2004, Athens, Greece August 2004
-
Congress 2006, Munich, Germany, October 2006.
The reports have been circulated with the agenda except from
the Congress 2006 that is
attached as appendix to item 29 to these minutes.
Adobe Acrobat version (5 KB)
Motion: That the General Assembly notes progress with the
arrangements for each Working Week.
Decision: The motion was adopted.
30. REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE EDUCATION FOUNDATION
President of the FIG Education Foundation, Prof. Holger
Magel, made his report on the activities of the Foundation, its finances and
results of the Annual Meeting held on 23rd May 2000. The
supplementary report is attached to the minutes as appendix to item 30:
Report of the Annual Meeting of the FIG Education Foundation.
Adobe Acrobat version (9 KB)
Motion: That the General Assembly adopts the reports of
the FIG Education Foundation and decides to establish an FIG Foundation under
FIG administration by transferring the FIG Education Foundation from Australia
to Denmark and making the necessary legal actions and commitments and by keeping
the goals and principles of the FIG Education Foundation as long as possible.
That the General Assembly records its thanks to the Institute
of Surveyors of Australia for establishing the Foundation and records its
special thanks to John Curdie for being the Director and Secretary of the
Foundation.
Decision: The motion was adopted.
31. REPORTS OF THE CHAIRS OF THE TASK FORCES
The reports from Task Forces:
have been circulated with the agenda.
All Task Forces organised several meetings during the Working
Week and the Chairs of the Task Forces reported back to the General Assembly
from those meetings.
The main results from the meetings were:
Under-represented groups in surveying
-
At Congress 2002 there will be an evaluation of the Congress
registration on Commissions, gender and age groups
-
Sylvie Lacroux, UNCHS(Habitat) gave a paper on
Under-represented groups in urban development issues including the
professional practice
-
Task Force has produced proposal on the Commission structure
that will be passed to the Task Force on the Future Governance of FIG
Standards
Mutual recognition and qualifications
Sustainable development
-
The draft version of FIG Agenda 21 was introduced in Prague
-
The Bureau agreed on the framework and timetable for the work
so that the Task Force (supported by the Commissions) is able to produce the
next version to be posted on the FIG web site in October/November
-
The draft will be introduced at the 2nd Prep. Com
of Istanbul+5 and the final document approved in Seoul 2001.
Director FIG/UN Liaison
-
The Bureau and Commissions agreed on the FIG/UN liaison
strategy: it is an ongoing commitment, particularly in issues of land and
property, and more particularly in developing countries, and countries in
transition, post-conflict and re-construction; promotion through FIG-UN web
site; commitment to participate in UN Special Sessions Istanbul+5 and Rio+10;
and increasing focus on establishing professions (Commission 1) and education
(Commission 2)
-
Agreed to organise or co-sponsor several events in developing
countries jointly with UN and its agencies
Motion: That the General Assembly adopts the reports and
recommendations of the task forces on
and records its thanks to all task force chairs for their
past year’s work.
Decision: The motion was adopted.
32. REPORT FROM ACCO
Vice President Holger Magel, Chair of ACCO, made a report on
the Advisory Committee of Commission Officers (ACCO) meetings held on 21st
and 22nd May 2000. This report together with the main items discussed
at the Commission meetings during the Working Week are attached as
appendix to item 32.
Adobe Acrobat version (26 KB)
Motion: That the General Assembly adopts the report and
its recommendations and records its thanks to ACCO for its past year’s work.
Decision: The motion was adopted.
33. SURVEYING EDUCATION DATABASE AND ACADEMIC MEMBERSHIP
Prof. Stig Enemark made a presentation on the revised version
of the FIG Surveying Education Database that is now in function online on the
FIG web site. The promotion leaflet of the FIG Surveying Education Database and
Academic Membership of FIG was also circulated.
The FIG Surveying Educational Database is available on the
FIG home page (http://www.fig.net). It includes information about 200
universities and 400 surveying courses. The promotion material with access codes
and passwords to the SEDB will be distributed to universities and institutions
during the summer. With their individual password they are able to update their
own information directly into the database. Further there are additional
benefits to the Academic members and discussion groups for academics and
students.
Motion: That the General Assembly notes the new SEDB and
activities taken to promote the Academic Membership.
Decision: The motion was adopted.
34. SELECTION OF VENUE FOR WORKING WEEK, 2005
Motion: That the General Assembly makes its selection for
the venue of the FIG Working Week 2005.
Decision: On a secret ballot, Cairo, Egypt got the
absolute majority of the votes and was selected for the host of the FIG Working
Week 2005.
35. GUIDELINES FOR THE USE OF THE FIG LOGO
The Bureau has noted the increasing use of the FIG logo for a
wide range of applications. In the light of this it is felt that it would be
useful to develop a set of guidelines on this issue. Therefore the Bureau
informs the General Assembly that guidelines will be developed to outline the
process of reviewing any documents and the marketing design issues including
both not for profit and for profit use of the logo.
36. AD HOC COMMISSION ON CULTURES AND LANGUAGES IN FIG
OGE (France) seconded by AFT and other delegations made a
proposal for the creation of an Ad Hoc Commission on Cultures and Languages in
FIG. In its proposal OGE mentioned that "According to the FIG Statutes, Article
1, alinea c and d, FIG is a place to support international collaboration for the
progress of surveying in all fields and applications. We must admit that a large
number of countries (in Africa, South America, South Europe, Asia,…) do not
participate anymore and that the number of participants to the Congresses has
decreased significantly between Melbourne 1994 and Brighton 1998. The use of a
unique language, which leads to a unique culture, shows its limits. We are in a
hurry to react on that situation. Exchanges and communication must be rebuilt to
give FIG its full efficiency. It is necessary to encourage cultural and
linguistic diversities instead of limiting them. This important debate justifies
the creation of an ad hoc Commission, in full respect with the aims of FIG,
named "Cultures and languages". Considering the emergency and importance of the
situation, we ask for a vote during this session."
Discussion: During a lively discussion on this topic
several delegations showed support to the proposal although also questions on
the terms of reference and goals of the proposed ad hoc Commission were raised.
Further it was noted that perhaps a Task Force should be a better body to study
these issues when the aims of the proposal belong to all Commissions. After the
discussion the Bureau considered it would be best to start working with this
proposal as soon as possible and therefore agreed to make a proposal on
establishing the ad hoc Commission as proposed in the French proposal. According
to the Statutes the composition, chair, terms of reference and work plan of the
ad hoc Commission shall be approved by the Bureau.
Motion: That the General Assembly adopts to establish an
ad hoc Commission following the proposal of OGE (France).
Decision: The motion was adopted unanimously.
37. PRESENTATION OF CERTIFICATES OF APPRECIATION
The Acting President expressed thanks to the Organising
Committee and people responsible for the arrangements. A Certificate of
appreciation and the FIG table banner were handed over to the Czech Union of
Surveyors and Cartographers and Certificates of appreciation were delivered to
Petr Polák, President of the Czech Union of Surveyors and Cartographers and
Chair of the Organising Committee, Václav Slaboch, Jiři Vaingát, Milan Klimeš,
Josef Weigel, Pavel Hánek, Aleš Ohrablo, Miroslav Roule, Jiři Drozda and finally
Ingrid Vojteková and her team in the Guarant Ltd.
38. CLOSING PROCEEDINGS
On behalf of FIG the Acting President thanked all those who
had contributed to the successful organisation of the meeting. The Acting
President invited Mr. Chunwoo Chon, President of the Korea Confederation of
Surveyors and representatives of the Korean delegation and the organising
committee of the FIG Working Week 2001 to receive the FIG banner from Petr
Polák, President of the Czech Union of Surveyors and Cartographers and Mr Milan
Klimeš and Mr. Josef Weigel, representatives of the organising committee.
The Acting President formally closed the 23rd
General Assembly.
Frederiksberg
5 June 2000
Data supplied by the FIG Office.
Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that this data is
accurate errors might exist. Requests for updates and corrections should be
emailed to the FIG Office.
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