Rome Conference 1992: Standing rules

Also read ILGA's Constitution

ROME CONFERENCE
INTERNATIONAL LESBIAN AND GAY ASSOCIATION

STANDING RULES

These Standing Rules are those agreed for annual conferences in July 1992 by the World Conference of ILGA, as updated to reflect subsequent changes made to the Constitution.

Standing Rule 1: General

i. The International and Gay Association will convene one international conference at least every second year.

ii. The conference site and host will be agreed upon at a prior conference, and the location will take account of the wide geographic spread of members, and the location of previous conferences. If the host withdraws its invitation, the Executive Board shall select the conference venue.

iii. All plenary sessions of the conference will be non-smoking.

iv. The conference organisers will take into account the needs of differently abled members in location, access, facilities and duration of sessions, to the best of their ability.


Standing Rule 2: Agenda

i. The Executive Board will prepare a draft agenda and circulate it to all members at least 8 weeks prior to the conference.

ii. Members, Regional Boards or the Women’s Secretariat wishing to submit items for the agenda will do so in writing to the Coordinator of the Administrative Office before this date.

iii. Members Regional Boards or the Women’s Secretariat wishing to submit recommendations for consideration may also do so at this time.

iv. The agenda shall be approved at the first plenary session and may thereafter be changed at the discretion of the chairing pool.


Standing Rule 3: Chairing Pool

i. The conference will be managed by a chairing pool consisting of at least one person of each sex for each planned plenary session, and including one person from the host group.

ii. A meeting will be held prior to the first plenary session of the conference at which a chairing pool will be elected by simple majority of delegates of full member organisations. This meeting will be coordinated by the Executive Board and the host group. Any person attending the conference may be nominated to the chairing pool.

iii. Recommendations for membership of the chairing pool may be made by any delegate.

iv. The membership of the chairing pool is open to attendees of the conference and should reflect the balance of gender, race and region within the conference and will include persons experienced in chairing or familiar with the constitution and standing rules.

v. The chairing pool will be approved by conference at the first plenary session. Until this time, the conference will be managed by the host organisation.

vi. The chairing pool will ensure the smooth running of the conference to preserve order and to ensure that the business of the conference is completed.

vii. If a member resigns, the chairing pool may propose a replacement to the conference. If a member fails to attend two or more meetings without reasonable excuse, that person shall be deemed to have resigned.

viii. The chairing pool will select from within their number at least two persons to chair each of the plenary sessions.

ix. The chairing pool will select at least one minute taker for each plenary session.

x. The agenda for each plenary session will be decided upon by the chairing pool and will be managed by those members appointed to chair the relevant session.

xi. This agenda will be presented to the meeting as an 'Order of Business'. The chair will take into account the feelings of the meeting and alter the order of business as they see fit.

xii. The chair will use their judgement as to when to terminate a debate - taking into account the weight of the matter, the number of people wishing to speak, the general feeling of the meeting, and the conference time-table.

xiii. The ruling of the chair on an issue will be final unless challenged by a 'challenge to the chair's ruling' from the floor. If this occurs the meeting will immediately vote on the challenge without any discussion. If carried by a vote held in accordance with Standing Rule 6, then the chair will comply with the wishes of the meeting.

xiv. If a vote of 'no confidence in the chair' is requested by a delegate of a full member, this also will be put to the vote without discussion. If the vote is carried in accordance with Standing Rule 6, then the chairing pool will appoint others of their body to chair the rest of that plenary session. There will only be one such vote for each plenary session.

xv. The chair may call for a vote to expel frorn the meeting any person who, in their opinion, is disrupting the running of the meeting. Such a vote will be carried by a simple majority of more than 50% of the votes cast for and against.


Standing Rule 4: Workshops and Caucuses

i. The main discussion body of an ILGA Conference is the general workshop. Apart from the general workshop there are two other types of workshop: the experiential workshop and the teaching workshop. All these workshops may produce a report to be entered into the conference report. There are also caucuses.

ii. All workshops and caucuses will be chaired by a person acceptable to those present at the workshop or caucus. If no chair is agreed the workshop/caucus may not proceed. The chair of the workshop/caucus will ensure the smooth running of the meeting.

iii. Only general workshops may produce recommendations to the Conference.

iv. No workshop or caucus may change its status to a general workshop without giving prior notice of this to the Conference in a plenary session.

V. General Workshops

a. General workshops will appoint a minute-taker for the workshop. If no minute-taker is appointed, the workshop may not report or make recommendations to the Conference.

b. General workshops may make recommendations to be taken to the next plenary session for ratification by the ILGA. Usually recommendations will be agreed upon by consensus; but if this is not possible, the proposed recommendation must be approved by a simple majority of those voting for and against at the workshop. Voting totals will be noted in the minutes for the workshop. Any person registered to attend the Conference may attend and vote at a workshop except at agreed single sex workshops, where only persons of the relevant gender may attend and vote unless the workshop agrees otherwise.

c. The minute-taker primarily and the Chair are responsible for reporting back to the plenary session the proceedings of the workshop.

d. The minute-taker must ensure that the minutes of the meeting are available for circulation within 24 hours of the workshop.

vi. Experiential Workshops

a. Experiential workshops may appoint a minute- taker only if every member atteniding the workshop agrees.

b. An experiential workshop may not make recommendations to plenary session, but attendees may take recommendations back to general workshops for ratification.

c. An experiential workshop is a workshop where people share experiences rather than formulate policy. These workshops are intended as discussion and sharing sessions.


vii. Teaching Workshops

a. A teaching workshop will consist of one or more trainers making presentations to those attending and an ensuing discussion.

b. A teaching workshop may not make recommendations to a plenary session, but attendees may take recommendations back to general workshops for ratification.

viii. Caucus Meetings

a. Any collective body may meet together to discuss any subject of mutual interest. Such a meeting shall be a caucus.

b. A caucus may decide who shall and shall not be allowed to participate. it shall give advance notice of any restrictions on participation.

c. The running of these meetings will be wholly determined by those attending the caucus.

d. A caucus may make recommendations to a general workshop, but not to a plenary session.


Standing Rule 5: Proxy Votes

i. A full member not present at the conference who would otherwise be entitled to vote may nominate an individual participant or member or the Women’s Secretariat to represent their interests at the conference.

ii. A letter of authority provided by the full member organisation to the nominated representative must be presented before proxy voting cards will be issued.

iii. With the exception of the Women's Secretariat, no individual or member may exercise more than four (4) proxy votes.

iv. The Women's Secretariat may exercise up to ten (10) proxy votes provided that such have been nominated to it in writing.

v. The Women's Secretariat may nominate other individuals or members to exercise those proxy votes nominated to it, provided the absent member has agreed to this in advance in writing.


Standing Rule 6: Voting

i. Decisions made which are intended to be binding upon ILGA may be voted on only in plenary sessions.

ii. Wherever possible the conference will seek to reach consensus on issues.

iii. If the meeting fails to reach consensus, the chair will make a ruling as to whether to put the issue to vote or not. This ruling will take into account the weight of the matter, the level of interest amongst all members and the likely number of abstentions.

iv. A ruling to not vote made by the chair may be challenged from the floor. If this occurs, the ruling will be put to the vote immediately and without discussion. A decision to vote will be carried by a simple majority of votes cast for and against.

v. Only full members which have paid their current subscription are entitled to have a vote at conferences. This includes non-attending members who have nominated their proxy votes in accordance with Standing Rule 5.

vi, Member organisations will have two (2) votes each. In accordance with the Constitution, Delegations with female and male members will have two votes. Delegations of women’s organisations with two female delegates will have two votes. Delegations with only male members will have one vote.

vii. The Administrative Office will be responsible for the issue of voting cards.

viii. Four (4) counters will be nominated by the Chairing Pool from amongst members and agreed by the meeting.

ix. Voting will be by show of voting card, and members must remain seated during the vote.

x. Decisions in a plenary session shall be taken on the basis of a majority of the votes cast for and against, with the exception of amendments to the constitution.

xi. Member organisations who vote against a decision made at a conference may have their opposition noted in the minutes.

xii. Amendments to a recommendation will be voted on first, then the recommendation - amended or otherwise. Voting on amendments will be as for voting on recommendations.


Standing Rule 7. Elections

i. The Chairing Pool will be responsible for coordinating the election of the Secretaries General, and the Women’s Secretariat.

ii. The Chairing Pool will appoint two (2) Election Officers to organise the elections.

iii. If there is more than one candidate, the appointment shall be voted upon using the following procdure:

(a) If there are two candidates, the election will be decided by a simple majority of those voting for one or the other.

(b) If there are more than two candidates, there will be two rounds of voting. At the close of the first round the two candidates with the highest number of votes will stand in a second round in which the election will be decided by a simple majority of those voting for and against.


Standing Rule 8: Conference Procedure

i. Conference will consider only recommendations (a) which are made by general workshops, or (b) which were submitted in the pre-conference papers, or (c) which are submitted in writing and signed by delegates representing five full member organisations, or (d) which are submitted in writing by the Executive Board.

ii. Amendments to recommendations must be proposed by at least one delegate and seconded by two delegates. Amendments to recommendations will be voted on first, then the recommendation - amended or otherwise. Voting on amendments will be as for voting on recommendations.

iii. Reports of workshops will not be discussed at a plenary session except in the event of a disagreement amongst workshop participants over the report, in which case the report of the chair and minute-taker of that workshop will be accepted as the correct version.

iv. A time limit may be imposed by the chair on each speaker.

v. The chair may determine not to call speakers who have spoken previously or often and will attempt to include all interested members in discussions.

vi. The chair will attempt to call all speakers in order, but will take into account the flow of debate.

vii. All speakers will take into account the need for translation and should speak slowly and clearly.


Standing Rule 9: Miscellaneous

i. These Standing Rules or clauses within them may be suspended only by a vote taken and passed in accordance with Standing Rule 6.

ii. Amendments to these Standing Rules must be submitted in writing to the Chairing Pool by at least three full members or the Executive Board, and they shall be dealt with at the next plenary session after they are submitted. Amendments shall be passed only after a vote held in accordance with Standing Rule 6.