ARTICLE 5: ADMINISTRATION
(i) The Council
The Council shall be the supreme body of the Federation.
It shall consist of the Executive Committee and one member
each from the member societies. Honorary, sponsoring and
associate members may also attend the Council meetings as
observers, but they will have no voting rights. The Council
shall meet at least once every three years, to coincide with
major meetings of the Federation or at other times as may
be necessary. The quorum for the Council meetings shall be
the next whole number above one third of its membership.
The affairs of the administration shall be conducted by the
Council. The Council shall consist of the Executive Committee
(President, Vice President, Secretary General, Treasurer
and Meetings Counselor) and one member nominated by each
member society. Elections to the posts of President, Secretary
General, Assistant Secretary General, Treasurer and Meetings
Counselor shall be conducted by the Council. The period of
tenure for these officers shall be three years, renewable
once. All elections shall be carried out by secret ballot.
A Council member shall not be eligible for more than two
consecutive terms in the same capacity, but may seek the
same or any other position after an intervening period of
three years. None of these officers may be a delegate from
a member society, but shall be a person with voting rights.
(ii) Executive Committee
The Executive Committee shall consist of the President,
Vice President, Secretary General, Treasurer and Meetings
Counselor. The Executive Committee shall meet at least once
every three years, to coincide with major meetings of the
Federation or at any other times as may be necessary. The
term of office of the elected Office Bearers shall start
on the First of January in the year subsequent to the Congress.
Not less than three members shall form a quorum. The Executive
Committee shall have the powers to act for the Federation
between meetings of the Council, but always subject to the
decisions and directions of the latter. The administration
of the Federation shall be vested in the Executive Committee.
(iii) Publications Committee
There shall be a Publications Committee composed of three
members. This Committee shall serve for a period of three
years, renewable once. The members to this committee and
its chairperson shall be appointed by the Council. Due regard
shall be given to the geographical distribution and fields
of interest of the proposed members. The terms of reference
of the Publication Committee shall be:
(a) To formulate the publication policies of the Federation
and to recommend the same to the Council;
(b) To advise the Executive Committee on all matters related
to FASBMB publications;
(c) To nominate the editors for the various publications;
(d) To negotiate with prospective publishers regarding
publications and make recommendations to the Council.
Publications of the Federation shall be made available to
member societies who shall in turn pass on the same to their
members. Each member society shall also publicize the activities
of other societies among its members in order to encourage
contacts among scientists across the African continent.
(iv) Education Committee
The Education Committee shall consist of three members.
This committee shall serve for a period of three years, renewable
once. The members of this Committee and its Chairperson shall
be appointed by Council.
The terms of reference of the Education Committee shall
be to improve the teaching and learning of biochemistry in
Africa and to facilitate the education and development of
biochemists with skills and interests relevant to improving
the quality of life in Africa by:
(a) Planning and coordinating training activities in biochemistry
and molecular biology on a regional or continent-wide scale;
(b) Reviewing and recommending new developments in biochemistry
and molecular biology for possible incorporation into the
curricula at Universities;
(c) Organising seminars and workshops to run alongside FASBMB conferences;
(d) Facilitating knowledge of and access to relevant biochemistry
resource materials such as affordable text books, literature,
etc;
(e) Promoting research in biochemical education aimed
at understanding difficulties with and improving the quality
of student learning in biochemistry;
(f) Promoting interaction, liaison and collaboration with
other science education bodies in Africa and the world.
(v) Ad-hoc Committees
The Council may appoint an ad-hoc committee to carry out
a specific set of tasks. The terms of reference and composition
of such committees shall be defined by the Council. Reports
of such committees shall be made to the Council.
ARTICLE 6: DUTIES OF OFFICERS
(i) The President
The President shall be the Chairperson of all meetings of
the Council and of the Executive Committee. In his/her absence,
the Vice President shall undertake the responsibilities of
the President. If both are absent then the Executive Committee
shall elect one of its members to act as Chairperson.
The Chairperson shall not vote, except in the case of a
tie vote, in which case the Chairperson shall cast the deciding
vote.
The Chairperson may, after consultation with other members
of the Executive Committee, make decisions in order to ensure
the smooth running of day-to-day activities of the Federation.
Such decisions shall be reported to the next meeting of the
Executive Committee.
In the case of resignation or death of the President, the
Vice President will become President until the next General
Meeting where the vacancy of President will be filled.
(ii) The Vice President
The Vice-President shall assist the President in all his/her
duties and shall act as Chairperson of all General Meetings,
meetings of Council and of the Executive Committee in the
absence of the President.
In the case of resignation or death of the Vice President,
the office will remain vacant until the next General Meeting
where the vacancy will be filled.
(ii) The Secretary General
The Secretary General shall be Chief Executive of the Federation
and shall be responsible for its day-to-day management. He/she
shall prepare the minutes of all Council meetings in a timely
fashion and be responsible for liaison with members of the
Federation and other organizations on matters relating to
the purposes and activities of the Federation. The Secretary
General shall maintain an updated register of member societies
in which shall be entered the full name, mailing address,
category of membership and date of admission.
(iv) The Treasurer
The Treasurer shall be responsible for all moneys and valuable
effects of the Federation and full and accurate accounting
of receipts and disbursement in books belonging to the Federation.
The Treasurer shall, acting upon the direction of the Council,
open a bank account for the Federation and be a signatory
on such an account. He/she shall also have the power to disburse
the funds of the Federation as approved and sanctioned by
the Council, and the power to issue receipts for funds received
by the Federation. The Treasurer shall render to the Council
at its regular meeting or at any other time as may be demanded
by the Council, an audited annual account of the financial
transaction(s) and status of the Federation’s accounts.
The Treasurer shall serve on all committees or sub-committees
dealing with the finances of the Federation.
The accounts and books referred to above shall be held in
custody of the Treasurer and shall be made available at reasonable
notice for inspection by member societies.
(v) Meetings Councillor
The main duty of the Meetings Councillor shall be to advise
members of the local organizing committees on all matters
relating to the holding of the Federation meetings. He/She
shall act as the liaison person between the local organizing
committee and the Council. To this end, he/she shall:
(a) Study the organization of every meeting and transmit
the experience gained to future organizers.
(b) Provide general consultation in connection with meetings.
(c) Keep the Council fully informed about the status of
preparations for a given meeting.
(d) Convene workshops for future organizers of FASBMB meetings
after each major FASBMB meeting.
(e) Advise the Treasurer on matters related to the financial
involvement of FASBMB in such meetings.
ARTICLE 7: RULES AND CONDUCT
Member societies of FASBMB shall contribute
towards the achievement of the Federation objectives (outlined
in Article 3) in conformity with the following principles:
(i) The Federation is committed to the principle of equal
treatment of all its member societies;
(ii) Member societies shall fulfill, in good faith, their
obligations to the Federation as stated in this constitution;
(iii) Member societies shall refrain from any actions
that may be injurious to the reputation of the Federation
or those that may, in any way, hinder its smooth operation;
(iv) The Federation shall not be involved in the internal
policies of member societies, unless such policies are
contrary to the objectives of the Federation.
ARTICLE 8: DISCIPLINE
(i) Member Societies
Subject to rules and conduct (Article 7), the Council may
by resolution:
(a) Suspend a member society from the Federation if it
is of the opinion that the society has acted in a manner
prejudicial to the interests of the Federation. Such suspensions
shall be for a period not exceeding one year.
(b) Expel a member society from the Federation.
Where the Council passes a resolution under sub-clauses
(a-b) above, the Secretary General shall within two months
cause to be served on the society a notice in writing stating
clearly the resolution of the Council and the grounds on
which it is based. The Council shall give due consideration
to any written statements submitted by the society in defense
of the resolution. Expelled societies may apply for readmission
to the Federation.
(ii) The Federation Officials
The Council shall have the power to remove any of its members
from office. Such removal could arise from gross misconduct,
neglect of duties or involvement in any activities contrary
to the objectives of the Federation. The motion to remove
any member of the Council or Executive Committee from office
shall be approved by a two-thirds majority of members present.
The Executive Committee shall have the power to suspend a
delinquent official from office until final ratification
by members present at the next Council meeting. The Secretary
General shall be required to inform all member societies
about the removal from office of any Council or Executive
Committee member as soon as such decisions are made.
ARTICLE 9: RULES FOR NOMINATION OF OFFICE-BEARERS
(i) For purposes of administration, the year shall refer
to the calendar year, starting January 1st and ending on
the 31st December.
(ii) The Secretary General shall send notification of elections
to member societies at least six months prior to the meeting
of the Council requesting nominations, which must be received
at least three months prior to the election. Each nomination
shall be signed by a nominator and a seconder, both of whom
must be voting members of the Federation.
(iii) After discussing the merits of the persons proposed
by the member societies, the Executive Committee shall, where
possible, nominate more than one candidate for each office,
trying to achieve a balanced geographic representation. The
names of the nominated candidates shall be circulated by
the Secretary General to member societies at least two months
prior to the elections.
(iv) Should the post of the Treasurer fall vacant for any
reason, the Executive Committee shall nominate a member of
the Council to act in the vacant capacity for the remainder
of the term. The Secretary General shall inform all member
societies of such appointments within two months of the decision
being taken.
ARTICLE 10: ELECTION PROCEDURE
(i) The Council shall appoint the returning officer and
an election observer both of whom shall be non-voting members.
(ii) All elections shall be conducted by secret ballot and
the rule of simple majority shall prevail.
(iii) The final election results shall be announced by the
returning officer immediately after the voting process.
(iv) The returning officer shall be verbally informed of
any disputes that may arise during the election process.
A written notification (signed by at least two voting members)
of such objections shall also be made to the returning officer
not more than 24 h after the election process.
(v) All disputes that may arise from elections shall be
resolved by the Council who shall have the final judgment
on such matters. The Council shall be expected to make their
judgments immediately after the elections.
ARTICLE 11: MEETINGS OF THE FEDERATION
(i) FASBMB Scientific Meetings
The main scientific meeting of the Federation shall be held
at least every three years. Such meetings shall be held at
least three months before the end of the term of office of
the Council. Other meetings of the Federation shall be organized
to coincide with this meeting.
(ii) Local Meetings
Member societies shall organize scientific meeting at times
and places that will be determined by their own officials.
The Federation’s Secretary General shall be kept informed
whenever such meetings are planned. The Federation shall
inform other member societies about such meetings.
(iii) Special FASBMB Meetings
The Council shall seek funds for special lecture(s), possibly
annually on a rotating basis in member countries of FASBMB on
matters of interest to the Federation. The sources for such
funds shall be companies, Academies of Sciences, Foundations
and other societies.
ARTICLE 12: THE FEDERATION FINANCES
(i) Revenue
The revenue of FASBMB shall consist of:
(a) Membership subscriptions (including sponsoring memberships)
as shall be decided by the Council from time to time.
(b) Donations, gifts and subsidies.
(c) Funds accruing from FASBMB conferences and
other meetings.
(d) Revenue from FASBMB publications.
(ii) The Federation Bank Account
The Federation shall open its bank account at a location
that shall be determined by the Council. Once the decision
is made, member societies shall be notified of the location
and particulars of the account as soon as practicable by
the Secretary General. The Federation shall not be responsible
for the finances of constituent member societies.
(iii) Financial Declaration
"The income and property of the Federation, whencesoever
derived shall be applied solely towards the promotion of
the stated purposes of the Federation, and no portion thereof
shall be paid or transferred directly or indirectly by way
of dividend, bonus or otherwise howsoever, by way of profit
to the members of the Federation.
(iv) Appointment of Auditors
The Council shall appoint a firm of reputable auditors to
audit the Federation’s accounts for each financial year.
The reports of such audits shall be made available to member
societies upon request.
(v) FASBMB Financial Arrangements
(a) The Federation shall have discretion to extend financial
assistance to member societies, if requested, towards the
expenses of scientific meetings.
(b) Reimbursement of expenses incurred in the course of
duties on behalf of the Federation will only be made to
office bearers and other members where prior approval has
been given either through general policy guidelines or
an ad hoc consent.
ARTICLE 13: AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION
The Constitution may be amended, by notice or at the meeting
of the Council, provided that approval is given by two thirds
of all Council members. Members must give at least one year
prior written notice of the proposed amendment to the Constitution.
Such amendments shall be duly incorporated into the constitution
and circulated to all member societies. The amendment shall
be dated appropriately.
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