INTERNATIONAL AMATEUR RADIO UNION – REGION II STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES

PROCEDURES FOR THE NOMINATION AND ELECTION OF THE MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. THE ELECTORAL COMMITTEE

1. At the afternoon session of the First Plenary of the General Assembly, the delegates shall elect a member of any accredited delegation to serve as President of the Electoral Committee (E), which will be in charge of all matters concerning the election of the members of the Executive Committee. The Assembly will then elect two other members, one of them as Secretary, from the list of accredited delegates and observers to assist the President in the process.

The election of the committee members will be by show of hands of the head delegates.

Nomination of Committee Members will come from the IARU R 2 President or from any of the head delegates.

2. The members of the Electoral Committee (E) cannot themselves be candidates for any position on the Executive Committee. Their terms as members of the Electoral Committee will expire at the close of the Assembly at which they perform their duties.

3. After he reads his report at the beginning of the afternoon session of the First Plenary, the President of the Credentials Committee (F) shall distribute a nominations form to all head delegates for nominating candidates to the Executive Committee. The form shall be accompanied by a written explanation of the geographical distribution of members of the Executive Committee as outlined in Section 7(b) of the By-laws. This document shall also describe the nomination and election procedures and will encourage delegates not to make up their minds about candidates until right before the nominations close. Nominees shall be members of the Member Society in the country where they reside.

4. During the afternoon session of the First Plenary, the outgoing Executive Committee shall submit to the Assembly an information document that lists those of its members who are willing to continue to serve on the Executive Committee. The Electoral Committee shall take note of this document and those candidatures will be automatic.

5. Nominations close at the beginning of the Second Plenary, on the third day of the General Assembly. Head Delegates will turn in the nominations form to the Electoral Committee at the entrance to the Plenary Hall, before the Second Plenary is called to order.

6. A Second Plenary Session will be held at 5:00 p.m. on the third day of the General Assembly. At this Session each nominee will give a presentation of not more than two minutes to the delegates. This will allow the delegates to become acquainted with the nominees and allow them to talk with the nominees between the time of the presentation in the Plenary and the election at the Third and final Plenary Session.

7. Each nominee for a position on the Executive Committee must agree in writing to accept the nomination; he shall provide a copy of his curriculum vitae and declare in writing his willingness and ability to serve, indicating that he has the time available to devote to Region II activities.

8. The Electoral Committee shall prepare a document with the names of the candidates and the respective positions for which they are candidates. This document shall be delivered to each Head Delegate’s pigeonhole on the evening of the fourth day of the Assembly.

9. During the afternoon session of the Third and Final Plenary, the Electoral Committee shall first conduct the election of officers of the Executive Committee, distributing to and collecting the secret ballot from each head delegate, counting the votes and announcing the name of each person chosen as President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. In the case of a tie for the first place, a further vote between the tied candidates shall be taken for the position in question only.

10. Also during the Final Plenary and after the election of the officers as set forth in paragraph 9 above, the Electoral Committee shall conduct the election of the Area Directors of the Executive Committee, distributing to and collecting the secret ballot from each head delegate, counting the votes and announcing the name of each person elected as an Area Director. In the case of a tie, a further vote shall be taken for the position in question only.

GUIDELINES FOR THE NOMINATION OF AREA DIRECTORS.

In considering the nomination for Area Director, the Member-Society should consider the following criteria. Each nominee should:

  1. Be an active amateur radio operator with an adequate background in amateur radio and an understanding of the issues facing amateur radio and shall be a member of the Member Society of the country where he resides.
  2. Have participated previously in his or her own Member-Society’s governing board.
  3. Have sufficient free time to attend the meetings of the Executive Committee, the Assembly of Delegates, exhibitions, conferences and other amateur radio related activities.
  4. Be familiar with the International Radio Regulations, especially those relating to amateur radio.
  5. Have an understanding of the procedures and practices of local telecommunication authorities regarding amateur radio related matters.
  6. Be willing to meet with telecommunication authorities on amateur radio related matters.
  7. Be in regular communication with Member Societies in the area.

THE DUTIES OF THE AREA DIRECTORS.

The duties of the various Area Directors are as follows:

  1. To attend all Executive Committee meetings and Assembly of Delegates.
  2. To act, when requested to do so, as a representative of Region II at telecommunications conferences and to assist member societies in dealing with telecommunications administrations.
  3. To participate, when requested to do so by the IARU officers, in forums related to amateur radio such as EXPOCOM, TELECOM, ARCs, etc.
  4. To have available at least one telephone line and access to electronic mail, which should be checked daily and respond to EC messages
  5. Keep correspondence up to date with the Secretary of Region II and the other members of the Executive Committee.
  6. Work to create cooperation between Member-Societies within the designated geographical area.
  7. Conduct at least one Area Meeting per year with the Member Societies in the Directors designated Area. If a meeting is not possible, the Director should visit the member societies in his Area at least once between Assemblies of Delegates.
  8. Participate in the Region II amateur radio Net on a regular and continuing basis.
  9. Promptly answer all correspondence addressed to the Area Director.
  10. Prepare a status report every six months (June and December) to the Executive Committee providing details about the status of amateur radio within the Director’s designated Area.
  11. Prepare a report to the Assembly of Delegates for each triennial conference providing details about the status of amateur radio within the Director’s designated Area for the three years since the last General Assembly.

GUIDELINES AND TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR THE IARU LIAISON OFFICER

The primary objective is to ensure regular contact between the member society and the Region 2 Executive Committee and its Area Directors. Accordingly, the IARU Liaison should:

  1. Be well informed on amateur matters, both domestic and international, as well as on the overall workings of the IARU.
  2. Carry out assignments from the member society in the field of international relations.
  3. Whenever directed and authorized to do so, represent the member society at meetings of IARU Region 2.
  4. Communicate routinely with the member society on matters pertaining to amateur radio, with particular reference to those involving external relations, and monitor the fulfillment of the society’s obligations toward the IARU.
  5. Work with the Area Director and cooperate with the liaisons of other member societies in the Area and with the Executive Committee in achieving the objectives of the Union.
  6. When directed by the member society’s governing body, maintain regular contact with officials of their respective telecommunications administration.
  7. Encourage the growth and strengthening of the IARU, its member societies and amateur radio worldwide.
  8. Coordinate and monitor the implementation of IARU strategy for improving international frequency allocations to the Amateur and Amateur-Satellite Services in the context of the preservation and promotion of amateur radio.
  9. Assure the continuous and appropriate flow of information between the member society and the Area Director, the Region 2 Secretariat and the International Secretariat by means of correspondence, electronic mail (Internet), telephone and telefax.
  10. Remain in touch with the Executive Committee by participation in the weekly informal “IARU Region 2 Net”.
  11. Send information regarding Member Society activities to the Editor VE6DXX of Region II News (Spanish or English) by email to iaru-r2-news@attcanada.net or fax 780- 922 0881

PROCEDURES FOR VOTING BY E-MAIL OR REGULAR MAIL.

a) Concerning Executive Committee Voting Procedures by Electronic Mail.

It is important now that we have the facility of fast electronic mail intercommunication between members of the Executive Committee that this method of seeking opinion should be the first line of communication between EC members,

If the opinion of the President or other Region II Officer that a matter requires a vote or decision by the Executive Committee between scheduled meetings, the President shall instruct the Secretary to circulate an explanation of the matter and a specific proposal, via electronic mail, to each member of the Executive Committee.

The following timetable shall be observed:

Day 1 Proposal is sent by e-mail to each member of the EC.

Days 2-15 EC members consult informally among themselves and others; no votes are cast.

Days 16-22 The EC Members, with the objective of achieving consensus, may offer Amendments to the original proposal; no Votes are cast.

Days 23-29 Secretary summarizes proposals for amendments, restates the proposition, and solicits votes.

Days 30-36 Voting takes place

Day 37 Secretary announces the result.

*****Exception:
Circumstances often require that a decision be taken more expeditiously on a particular issue, and the Secretary (or other R2 Officer) will then request a priority decision, shortening or eliminating the periods for consultation and the offering of amendments, if the situation warrants.

Affirmation by a majority of the Executive Committee members is required for adoption. .

It is important to note that every member of the Executive Committee has a responsibility to maintain a current email address and check at least once daily for messages, and respond promptly.

5 b) Concerning Member Society Voting Procedures by Electronic Mail

If in his opinion a matter requires a vote or decision by the Member Societies between scheduled meetings, the President shall instruct the Secretary to circulate an explanation of the matter and a specific proposal, via electronic mail, to each official representative of the Member Societies.

The following timetable shall be observed:

Day 1 Proposal is sent by e-mail to the official representative of the MS.

Days 2-29 MS officers consult informally among themselves and with their members; no votes are cast.

Days 30-60 Amendments to the original proposal may be offered by any Member Society, with the objective of achieving consensus; no votes are cast.

Days 61-90 Secretary summarizes proposals for amendments, restates the proposition, and solicits votes.

Days 91-120 Voting takes place.

Day 121 Secretary announces the result.

*****Exception:
The Secretary may request a priority decision, shortening or eliminating the periods for consultation and the offering of amendments, if the situation warrants.

Affirmation by a majority of the Member Societies is required for adoption. Should two or more member societies object to consideration of the matter by e-mail, action shall be deferred until the next official meeting.

The timetable allows for regular mail to be sent to the few member societies that do not have e-mail.

ASSEMBLY WORKING COMMITTEES. (AWC)

The Assembly Working Committees are as follow:

Committee A Administrative Matters
Committee B HF and below
Committee C VHF and above
Committee D Finance
Committee E Electoral
Committee F Credentials

A) TERMS OF REFERENCE OF THE ASSEMBLY WORKING COMMITTEES

Committee A
This committee will deal with all administrative and organizational matters of the Union.

Committee B
This committee will deal with all technical and operational matters related to HF frequencies and below.

Committee C
This committee will deal with all technical and operational matters related to VHF frequencies and above.

Committee D
This committee, which is presided by the Treasurer, will deal with all the union’s financial matters.

Committee E
This committee will be in charge of the Executive Committee election process. It shall base its work on the report of Committee F, which will determine those MS’s, which are in good standing and therefore are accredited and can propose candidates and vote.
Before the beginning of the Second Plenary, it shall receive from each Head Delegate the nominations form, a document given to each accredited Head Delegate by the President of Committee F at the afternoon session of the first plenary, after Committee F presents its report. After Committee E receives the candidate nominations forms, before the beginning of the Second Plenary, nominations will be closed.

Committee F
This is a special AWC formed by three persons, which has as its sole purpose that of determining the validity of the credentials presented by each head delegate and the right to vote of each Member Society present or represented at the Assembly.

It is chaired by the Treasurer; the Secretary of the Union is its Secretary. Both are members by default. The Assembly from among the head delegates designates a third member.

B) PROCEDURES FOR THE ASSEMBLY WORKING COMMITTEES

During the morning session of the first Plenary of the Assembly, the third member of the Credentials Working Committee (Committee F) will be designated by the Assembly. The President will call for proposals of names and the designation will be by a majority of votes. The vote will be by a show of hands.

During the afternoon session of the first Plenary of the Assembly, the President will call for nominations for the designation of the following Assembly Working committees: A, B, C, D and E.

The President will call for proposals of names for each committee individually from the Head Delegates, and may himself propose names to the Assembly. Committees E and F have special procedures for the designation and vote of its members: Committee E in SOP one and Committee F in this SOP.

The Secretary shall register the proposed names. Candidates shall be present in the Assembly Hall.

When there are no more nominations and the nominees have accepted the nomination by not excusing themselves, the committee shall be considered as duly formed.

On the second and third days of the Assembly, the members of Committees A to E will meet in the rooms assigned.

They will designate, from among themselves, a President and a Secretary. The Secretary of the committee will necessarily be bilingual in order to write the minutes of the meetings in both official languages.

The President shall chair the meeting and the Secretary will take notes in order to write the minutes of the meetings.

The committee will work primarily with the documents assigned to it by the Secretary of Region II and may also deal with other documents not specifically assigned to it, if it is considered adequate and necessary.

The President and the Secretary of the committees shall submit to the Union’s Secretariat the Minutes of the committee no later than midday on the fourth (usually Thursday) day of the Assembly, so that the Secretariat may process it into official stationery and distribute it to the delegates by the night of the fourth day.

The Presidents and Secretaries of the AWCs will share the use of a computer at the secretariat, so they will have to coordinate with the Secretariat and among themselves the use of that machine.

The internal working of the committees is up to the members.

Committee F, the credentials AWC has a special procedure for its composition and work, as the results of its work will validate the right to vote of each Head Delegate.

This committee is formed by three members: The Treasurer of the Union, who shall be its President; the Secretary of the Union, who shall act as Secretary of the committee; and a representative of the Assembly, who shall be designated from among the Head Delegates in an open nomination and by an open vote by a show of hands, before the end of the morning session of the first plenary.

This Committee will meet immediately after the end of the morning session of the First Plenary and shall present its report at the beginning of the afternoon session of the First Plenary.

PROCEDURES FOR THE PERMANENT WORKING COMMITTEES

The permanent working committees are as follow:

HF Committee
Emergency Communications (EMCOR)
A.R.D.F.
E.M.C.
Monitoring System
Beacons System

TERMS OF REFERENCE
IARU REGION II HF COMMITTEE

COMPOSITION: Chairman, Vice-Chairman and up to one member from each of the seven geographical areas of Region II, appointed by the Executive Committee.

QUALIFICATIONS: Active licensed and concerned radio amateur, and an IARU Member-Society Member. With a general technical and operational background and an understanding and appreciation of the political implications involved in the band planning process.

TERM OF OFFICE: Three years, coincident with the term of the Region II Executive Committee.

FUNCTION: To deal with all matters relating to frequencies below 30 MHz, such as band planning, general HF operating standards and practices, and to act as adviser to the Region II Executive Committee on all aspects of HF operations. Work in close cooperation, and exchange information with similar HF Committee activity in Regions I and III. Chairman reports periodically as required by the Executive Committee, and tables an annual committee report, which shall include the most up-to-date Region II Band plan.

COMMUNICATION: Normally by correspondence, but in the following order of preference:

1. E-MAIL. All Committee members should all have access to some E-Mail system.
2. Regular airmail.
3. Facsimile

EXPENSES: No specific budget provision. The responsibility for any nominal expenses involved shall be that of the individual Member-Societies, whose representative is a committee member, and in the case of the Chairman, the responsibility of the Region II Executive Committee.

TERMS OF REFERENCE
IARU REGION II EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE

GENERAL:
The IARU Region II Emergency Coordinator (abbreviated as EMCOR) is an international coordinating, planning and organizational position, requiring knowledge of emergency communications procedures and organization, as well as technical competence and awareness regarding amateur radio transmission modes, equipment and techniques.

The EMCOR should be familiar with the international organization of emergency management and communications, and at least the emergency communications structure of his/her nation of residence. He/she shall familiarize himself/herself with the emergency communications structure and resources of the Region II countries through continuing liaison with the Member Societies.

He/she should create and maintain a data-base for all Region II Member Societies together with the necessary up-to-date contact information: that shall include: Telephone, fax, E-Mail, together with such other pertinent data about the capacity and capabilities of emergency facilities of each Member Society.

OBJECTIVE:
To develop compatible international norms and standard operating procedures and ensure their acceptance and adherence by all Region II Member Societies.

FUNCTIONS:

  1. To act as the overall coordinator of individual Region II Member-Societies in order to achieve a common and effective emergency organization in this hemisphere.
  2.  To develop and implement norms and standardized operating procedures, to be established in a Region II International Emergency Communications Plan (to he abbreviated as R2IECP).
  3.  To be in charge of receiving input from each emergency operation in order to revise and improve it once the plan is approved and put into effect. The Region II International Emergency Communications Plan shall state clearly the international norms and standard operating procedures to be used and followed to facilitate the flow of emergency communications traffic, be they official, or health and welfare messages.
  4. To maintain and continually revise and improve techniques based on actual experience under disaster conditions.
  5. To ensure that wherever possible common standards and operating procedures are followed in order to handle all emergency communications in a disciplined and professional manner.

APPOINTMENT:
The position of EMCOR, the appointment and the Terms of Reference are created, appointed and approved by the Executive Committee at its discretion, and shall last for the same period as the currently elected Executive Committee.

EXPENSES:
While at this time there is no specific budget for this activity, subject to prior approval of the President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer of IARU Region II, provisions will be made for certain nominal expenses.

SUPPORT:
The position of EMCOR is to be supported by an Emergency Coordination Advisory Group (ECAG), which shall have a representative from each of the Areas of Region II. The EMCOR, in consultation with the appropriate Area Director, shall propose to the Executive Committee the name of each such individual ECAG member. This group shall maintain continuing contact by E-Mail, regular airmail or an HF Emergency radio net, to exchange ideas, information and to give knowledgeable advice to achieve a better international organization and a more effective plan.

The purpose of this group is to aid and support the EMCOR in his/her work program and to represent him/her as liaisons within each group member’s Area, in order to support the emergency organizations of the Member Societies and integrate them into the R2IECP, as well as to aid in the development and implementation of the Region II International Emergency Communications Plan. The ECAG Members shall report to the EMCOR details of each emergency communications operation executed in his/her Area.

TASKS:
The EMCOR shall report to the Region II Executive Committee every three months on the progress of his/her work program and activities of the ECAG.

The EMCOR shall submit a Work Program for at least one year, within two months of his/her appointment. The work program shall aim to achieve specific goals within the overall objective. Upon completion of the Region II International Emergency Communications Plan it shall be submitted to the Region II Executive Committee for its consideration.

TRIENNIAL REPORT:
The EMCOR shall submit to the next Triennial General Assembly of Region II a complete and detailed report on his/her activities and that of the ECAG, and may make recommendations for future action.

TERMS OF REFERENCE
IARU REGION II ARDF COMMITTEE

1. ARDF, the activity. Amateur Radio Direction Finding is a technical, sport activity within the framework of the amateur radio service. It deals with the taking of radio bearings and finding hidden transmitters, constructing direction-finding equipment, and the training of amateurs involved in and with the organizing of relevant sport and social events.

2. Qualifications. The IARU Region 2 ARDF Coordinator shall be a licensed amateur radio operator, shall reside in Region 2 and shall be a member of the national society where he resides. The ARDF Coordinator shall have the necessary and appropriate qualifications to make recommendations to the Region 2 Executive Committee regarding ARDF promotion, activities and events within Region 2.

3. Appointment and Term of Office. The IARU Region 2 ARDF Coordinator shall be appointed by the Region 2 Executive Committee and shall serve until the end of the next Region 2 Conference. The ARDF Coordinator may serve more than one term and may be re-appointed to serve successive terms.

4. ARDF Coordinator Duties.

(a) The Region 2 ARDF Coordinator shall become aware of, and shall encourage and support, ARDF activities within Region 2 and shall report on such activities from time to time to the Region 2 Executive Committee.

(b) The Region 2 ARDF Coordinator shall, in general, be aware of ARDF activities in IARU regions 1 and 3 and shall report on such activities from time to time to the Region 2 Executive Committee. The Region 2 ARDF Coordinator shall also cooperate with the ARDF coordinators from Regions 1 and 3 for the purpose of promoting ARDF activities worldwide.

(c) The Region 2 ARDF Coordinator shall make any such recommendations as are reasonably necessary and appropriate to the Region 2 Executive Committee to promote ARDF activities within Region 2.

Partnership for Amateur Radio Societies

Procedure for Implementation of PARS Program

1. A Member Society (MS) within Region 2 determines the MS wants to participate in the Region 2 Partnership of Amateur Radio Societies (PARS) program. This MS shall be designated as the “requesting Member Society” or “requesting MS” for purposes of the PARS program.

2. The requesting MS shall notify its IARU Liaison of this decision and shall inform the IARU Liaison of the specific request of the MS. The MS should be as specific as possible as to whether it is seeking equipment donations, technical assistance, assistance with operational matters of the MS, monetary donations for a specific purpose, etc. or some other form of assistance.

3. The IARU Liaison shall notify the Region 2 Area Director for the area where the MS is located that the MS is requesting assistance. The Area Director and the IARU Liaison shall consult with one another regarding the specific needs of the requesting MS.

4. The Area Director shall notify the Region 2 Secretary of the specific needs of the requesting MS.

5. The Region 2 Secretary shall contact an appropriate Region 2 Member Society (“assisting” MS) that may be of assistance to the requesting MS. The Secretary shall at the same time inform the Area Director for the area where the “assisting” MS is located of the request. The Area Director and the Secretary shall jointly work with the assisting MS to try to fulfill the specific needs of the requesting MS.

6. The Secretary shall keep the requesting MS, the assisting MS and each of the Region 2 Area Directors advised of the status of the request and any assistance by the assisting MS.

Approved by the Extraordinary Assembly of Delegates in Guatemala, Guatemala, on September 30, 2001.

Amended October, 2003.