SECTION 1 – Elaboration on matters in the Articles of the Constitution of the IFAA

In relation to Article 5(2C) of the Constitution of the IFAA:

The duties of a member Association of the IFAA that define an Association’s engagement with the IFAA include:

• Payment of fees as required in Article 5 of the Constitution.
• Providing information concerning the Association’s President (or equivalent), Treasurer (or equivalent), and delegates to the IFAA.
• Responding to official requests from members of the IFAA Executive Committee.
• Responding to official requests from the IFAA’s Federative International Programmes and Committees
• Participating in IFAA referenda.
• Providing evidence that the Association’s Committee of Management (or equivalent) has, on its business agenda, ‘International Affairs’ that include matters relating to the IFAA.

In relation to Article 5(3B) of the Constitution of the IFAA

The following table summarises the differences in benefits received by (Full) members and Associate members

Benefits of Membership

Benefits	Full	Associate
Eligible to nominate members to serve on the Programmes and Committees of the IFAA	Y	N
Permitted to hold office on Executive Committee	Y	N
Permitted to hold office on Federative International Programmes or Committees	Y	N
Permitted to be an ordinary member of a Federative Programme or Committee	Y	Y
Entitled to vote on Federation business	Y	N
Oral participation in the General Assembly and other Federation business	Y	Y
Receive regular IFAA communications	Y	Y
Eligible for discounted conference registration fees (if available)	Y	N
Eligible for discounts on selected IFAA publications (if available)	Y	N
Entitled to apply for scholarships/awards (if available)	Y	N
Fees	Full	50% discount

In relation to Article 8(2) of the Constitution of the IFAA:

The Executive Committee agreed that Associations with more than 500 members recognised for payment of dues to the IFAA are entitled to four votes (which may be split) while balloting on IFAA matters, that Associations between 101 and 500 members recognised for payment of dues to the IFAA are entitled 2 votes (which may be split) while balloting on IFAA matters, and Associations with 100 or less members recognised for payment of dues to the IFAA are entitled to 1 vote while balloting on IFAA matters.

Where an Association is granted more than 1 vote, these are available for balloting whether at the General Assembly (as indicated in the IFAA Constitution) or at IFAA referenda carried out between Congresses.  

In relation to Articles 11 (2) and 24 (2) of the Constitution of the IFAA:

Three months before an appropriate General Assembly of the IFAA, the Secretary-General should have received notifications in writing from an association that is applying for consideration (or voting) by the General Assembly to organize a Federative International Congress.

The written application should be signed by the President (or similar officer) of the association seeking organization of a Congress and should include the proposed site and name of the President of the prospective Congress. There should also be a statement that the Executive Committee (or similar body) of the association has approved the application.

In order to allow delegates at the General Assembly to approve (or vote on) an association bidding for a Federative International Congress, that association must provide a brief document (no more than 4 sheets of A4 paper) outlining the main reasons for the General Assembly approving/supporting the bid.

At the General Assembly, an association seeking approval of a bid to host a Federative International Congress shall have 10 minutes to give a PowerPoint presentation (maximum 10 slides) to provide information on the organization of their prospective Congress.

No association applying for hosting a prospective Federative International Congress is allowed to contact other constituent member associations, or representatives of the association or delegates to the General Assembly to canvas for their bid prior to the Congress at which the General Assembly is to consider bids for future Congresses. Furthermore, while an association bidding for a Congress at the General Assembly may provide a stall at the Congress where the General Assembly meets in order to provide further information, no inducements or gifts shall be offered. Social functions shall also not be organized PRIOR to the voting. Failure to abide by this provision will result in the IFAA Executive Committee excluding an association from bidding for a Congress.

Where the General Assembly is voting to decide on a venue for a Federative International Congress, the association bidding to host Congresses shall not be able to cast votes (nor shall other associations deemed by the IFAA Executive Committee to be directly related to the bidding association).

In relation to Articles 12(2) and 30 of the Constitution of the IFAA

Ballots are conducted on behalf of the IFAA by the Secretary-General and/or the President and Immediate Past President. In the case of ballots conducted at a meeting of the General Assembly, the IFAA Secretariat can assist in gathering delegates’ votes. The results of ballots, where concerned with issues of policy and not with election of officers or matters relating to named member associations, can be shared with members of the Executive Committee in order to assess the effects of policy decisions. Such partial disclosure will nevertheless be designated as being highly confidential and the information will not be disclosed to other individuals or bodies.

In relation to Article 13 of the Constitution of the IFAA

“The Executive Committee administers the IFAA.”

There are many provisions in the IFAA Constitution that specify the role of the Executive Committee (e.g. Article 20 and all articles concerned with the roles of officers). In the main, given that the Executive Committee functions through the Federative International Programmes (FIPs) and Federative International Committees (FICs), Article 20(n) is explicit in stating that the Executive Committee’s role is to “receive, and debate, reports, resolutions, action plans and proposals from Federative International Programmes and Committees”. In addition, Article 22(1) states that the Executive Committee proposes FIPs and FICs (to be approved ad referendum of the General Assembly: Article 10(d)). From Article 10(d), the General Assembly approves the rules and reports of FIPs and FICs. This normally takes place every 2 or 5 years when the General Assembly meets at an IFAA Congress and once the Executive Committee have also debated and approved the rules and reports (Article 20(n)).

Also from Article 10, all members/associates of FIPs and FICs are RECOMMENDED by the Executive Committee and ultimately approved by the General Assembly. Clearly, membership is suggested by the Chair of a FIP or FIC (after appropriate consultation) but these suggestions have to be approved and recommended to the General Assembly by the Executive Committee. In this context, the IFAA Constitution is also clear about the membership of FICs and FIPs in that they serve for a term (usually 5 years) that begins at the time of a Federative International Congress. Members/associates are eligible for reinstatement. As for the Officers of the IFAA’s Executive Committee, Chairs of FIPs and FICs are normally only eligible for re-election once (exceptions might be granted by the Executive Committee under exceptional circumstances (see endnote[i]). A FIP or FIC shall initially nominate its Chair and Secretary. Such nominations shall be considered for approval by the Executive Committee and then by the General Assembly (ad referendum if necessary). Concerning membership of a FIP and FIC, it is also clear from the Constitution (Article 22(2)) that FIPs and FICs shall be comprised of representatives of as many Anatomical Associations as possible, provided they are members of IFAA.

The ‘authority’ of the Executive Committee is also demonstrated by Articles 5(2C) and 14(6) which outline the committee’s responsibility to require the resignation of an officer or a constituent member association of the IFAA that is not ‘sufficiently engaged’ in matters pertaining to the IFAA. Since the Executive Committee ‘administers the IFAA’ (Article 13), it has oversight of the IFAA Constitution and it has responsibility for interpreting the provisions of the Constitution. Should there be any disagreement about the Constitution from outside the Executive Committee, the matter should be debated by the Executive Committee who, if they agree that there is ambiguity or a need to refine aspects of the Constitution, may put to the General Assembly ad referendum a recommendation for change (Nota Bene, a 2/3^rd majority is required for a change to the Constitution: Article 29).

Finally, Article 30 should be noted where it is written: “cases not considered by this Constitution shall be DECIDED by the Executive Committee and, when deemed necessary, ad referendum of the General Assembly”.

The Executive Committee works with the IFAA’s General Assembly under specific Constitutional provisions.The General Assembly’s primary role is to elect and approve members of the Executive Committee (Article 10(a)), vote on admission of Anatomical Associations to the IFAA (Article 10(g)), vote on venues for the IFAA Congresses (Article 10(h)), ratify Constitutional matters where not previously approved ad referendum (Article 10(b)), approve the reports concerning IFAA and FIP and FIC activities (Article 10(c)), and consider the budget and balance (Article 10(e,f)).

Article 10(i) indicates that the General Assembly can deliberate (but not decide) on matters submitted by the Executive Committee or by any member association of the IFAA. Accordingly, it is the responsibility of the Executive Committee to consider the views of the General Assembly although, in relation to the prime responsibilities of the General Assembly, the Executive Committee must implement resolutions approved by the General Assembly (Article 20(i)). It is the role of the Chair of the General Assembly (normally the President) to rule on whether an issue is for deliberation or resolution.

Article 7 of the IFAA Constitution states that “the General Assembly shall represent the universality of the members of the IFAA and its decisions shall be final’. Some common-sense gloss has to be added to this statement. First, the General Assembly can only represent the universality of IFAA members if ALL representatives are present at the face-to-face General Assembly. It is for this reason that Constitutional issues are voted upon ad referendum and that matters brought to the attention of the IFAA at the face-to-face meeting of a General Assembly should be acknowledged but resolved subsequently by communication (and, if need be, following a vote) with ALL members of the IFAA. Second, the General Assembly (as all Administrative organs and officers in the IFAA) are not granted infallibility. Therefore, the word ‘final’ does not mean that a decision has to be ‘for all time’. And common-sense would indicate that a decision of the General Assembly has considerable authority that can only be overturned by reasoned argument and by agreement of the General Assembly (if need be by voting ad referendum).

In summary: both the General Assembly and the Executive Committee are administrative organs of the IFAA where day-to-day administration is provided by the Executive Committee. The General Assembly has specific responsibilities in electing officers, member associations and Congress venues and, voting ad referendum, deciding on matters such as the Constitution. The Executive Committee works essentially by following General Assembly’s decisions and by deliberating on issues brought up by the General Assembly that need to be communicated to the universality of IFAA members. The Executive Committee largely functions by ensuring the proper running (and membership) of its FIPs and FICs.

In line with Article 10(a) and 14(5) of the Constitution of the IFAA:

Vice-Presidents of the IFAA are appointed from the Presidents of the IFAA Congresses and therefore are not reinstated for a second term of office.

In order for the Vice-president to have a period of office overlapping her/his Congress, in order to provide advice and guidance to the organisers of the Congress after her/his Congress, the following Convention applies:

When a constituent member association of the IFAA gains the support of the General Assembly to hold an IFAA Congress in 5 years time, the member association (in accordance with the IFAA Constitution) will elect a President for the Congress. This President will become a Vice-President on the last day of the IFAA Congress preceding her/his Congress and will continue as Vice-President through the period of her/his Congress until the first day of the next Congress. This arrangement ensures a 5-year period of office with the Vice-President being able to provide advice and guidance to the IFAA Congress after the Congress held by her/his constituent member association.

The following diagram provides further explanation of how this would work:

In relation to Article 14(4) of the Constitution of the IFAA:

Either the President or the Secretary-General of the International Symposium on Morphological Sciences (ISMS) will be regarded as a regular observer at meetings of the Executive Committee.

In relation to Article 14(5) of the Constitution of the IFAA

The process of nomination for positions on the IFAA Executive Committee

Every five years, according to its Constitution, the IFAA holds elections to fill vacant positions on the IFAA Executive Committee.  Outlined below is the process that is undertaken to fill such positions:

1. The Secretary General of the IFAA contacts all designated “representatives” of member associations to elicit nominations for membership of the IFAA Nominating Committee (NC) (±18 months prior to General Assembly [General Assembly]). The Nominating Committee is set up by the nomination of a representative from all six continents (not individual countries or associations). The nominations are reviewed by the IFAA Executive Committee and the final Nominating Committee is approved by the IFAA Executive Committee (±15 months prior to General Assembly).

• The Nominating Committee consists of the following members:
• A Chair (either the President of the IFAA or the Past-President, dependent on whether the President’s position is up for re-election)
• A secretary
• One representative from each of the following continents: Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Oceana and Africa.  These are individuals who will act on behalf of a “continent” and not on behalf of an Association.

• Nominations are then requested by the Secretary/Chair of the NC from the members of the Nominating Committee. These nominations must be made from both their own continent as well as other continents. (±12 months prior to General Assembly).  This is to provide an international, non-partisan panel of nominees.
• The Secretary General will simultaneously request nominations from all member associations of the IFAA through their official “representatives”.  The Secretary General will request nominations both internal and external to the member association’s own association. In addition, the Secretary General requests biographical information on nominees from the member associations, to allow for background information with which the NC can screen all nominees. Biographical information is essential for a well-informed election of officers of the IFAA. A template for nominations is available.  It is also important that member associations understand that the nominations of “their” member who has been nominated to serve on the NC, is totally independent of the member association and is not nominating on their behalf.
• The consolidated list of nominations (i.e., NC nominations and member association nominations together) is then sent to the NC for scoring (± 10-12 months prior to General Assembly). The NC is requested to be non-partisan and to be as inclusive of widespread representation of international anatomists, in their voting.
• Following receipt of the scores of the members of the NC, the consolidated scoring list is then circulated to members of the NC for checking, information and transparency.
• The final list of nominees for election consists of the two highest scorers in each category plus a reserve.  The reserve is the next highest scorer in each category.
• The two nominees who have received the highest scores in their category (and the reserve(s)), are placed before the IFAA Executive Committee for discussion (±9 months prior to General Assembly).  Should a person on the list NOT be approved then the nominations committee will be reconvened. Reconsidered lists of names will be placed before the IFAA Executive Committee until such time that the full list is approved.
• Each nominee will then be asked whether they will accept nomination. In the case where a nominee does not accept nomination, the reserve nominee for that category is then contacted. In the unlikely event that the reserve nominee does not accept nomination, the IFAA Executive Committee should again meet to consider further a list of reserve nominees.
• Once the list has been approved and the nominees have accepted nominations, each nominee is requested to produce a summary curriculum vitae and a manifesto.  A copy of the IFAA portfolio descriptions (see Conventions of the Constitution) should be sent to each nominee to illustrate the requirement of the position for which the nominee has received nomination.
• The Secretary General sends out the list of nominees plus CVs and manifestos to the representatives of the member associations at least 6 months prior to the General Assembly who will be delegates at the General Assembly.
• Voting takes place at the General Assembly of the IFAA Congress in the 5^th year of a cycle. Voting is carried out by the designated “representative” of each member association.

In relation to Articles 15(1) and 23 of the Constitution of the IFAA:

In the event of the indisposition of the President of the IFAA, because the responsibilities are to be undertaken by a Vice-President who is not an elected member of the Executive Committee, the Vice-President to act as the President will be chosen by the Executive Committee but will serve temporarily until the next General Assembly when there will be an election of President from names put forward by the Nomination Committee following receipt of recommendations from the member associations of the IFAA.

In relation to Article 19 of the Constitution of the IFAA:

The Executive Committee will normally hold twice-yearly meetings (either face-to-face or by telephone/video conferencing). At the start of an Executive Committee meeting, members will be asked to report upon any conflicts of interest. Issues of confidentiality will also be signaled on the agenda papers of the Executive Committee. Members of the Executive Committee are required to keep all discussions confidential with respect to the opinions of members of the committee.

In relation to Article 20(n) of the Constitution of the IFAA:

FICs and FIPs report to EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE who ‘administers the IFAA’ (Article 13). Therefore, minutes of meetings of FICs and FIPs are NOT ‘confirmed’ until they have been approved by the FIC and FIP at a subsequent meeting and until, as written in the Constitution, they have been approved and debated by the Executive Committee.

In relation to Article 29 of the IFAA Constitution:

Should the General Assembly propose a change to the Constitution of the IFAA then, to allow all constituent member Anatomical Associations of the IFAA to deliberate on the issues involved, the Executive Committee of the IFAA must provide a document outlining the proposed change (together with reasons for the change and the advantages and disadvantages), so that representatives of the Associations can be advised by their Association about voting intentions in a subsequent referendum.

SECTION 2 - Descriptions of the portfolios of Officers of the IFAA Executive Committee (including general expectations) (see also the Constitution of the IFAA)

Officers of the Executive Commitee are expected to meet at least once a year for an Executive Committee Meeting at any place worldwide (preferentially associated with an Anatomical Meeting or Congress) and in addition to perform one or two telephone or Skype Conferences a year. Personal participation in these meetings is mandatory and expected. It should be stated that the participation in the Executive Committee is associated with a workload that is voluntary.

1. The duties of the President shall be:

(a) To provide leadership to the IFAA by fostering its main aims and objectives and its traditions and by ensuring strategic development to enhance anatomy’s national and international reputation (Article 15 (1a) of the Constitution of the IFAA).

(b) To represent the IFAA at all events (Article 15 (1b) of the Constitution of the IFAA)

(c) To preside over the sessions of the General Assembly and of the Executive Committee (Article 15 (1c) of the Constitution of the IFAA).

(d) To chair the Nomination Committee for the election of Officers of the Executive Committee (Article 15 (1d) of the Constitution of the IFAA).

 (e) To seek out Anatomy Associations and encourage membership of the IFAA.

 (f) To initiate activities which will strengthen the discipline of anatomy.

 (g) To draw up the agenda (together with the Secretary General) for the General Assembly and the Executive Committee meetings.

2. The duties of the Immediate Past –President shall be:

 (a) To maintain the IFAA Constitution and make written changes agreed ad referendum and at the General Assembly. 

(b) To advise Officers, Constituent Associations and the Executive Committee of the IFAA of their responsibilities and activities as specified in the IFAA Constitution.

 (c) To act in an advisory capacity to the President and the Executive Committee, particularly in relation to past IFAA activities

 (d) To advise the Vice-President responsible for maintaining the historical archive of the IFAA.

3. The duties of the Vice-Presidents shall be:

(a) To carry out the functions of the President in her/his absence in line with Article 15(1) and Article 23 of the Constitution of the IFAA


(b) To liaise with future Congress Presidents to pass on organisational knowledge regarding an IFAA Congress, in order to achieve continuity

(c) One Vice President shall act as a regular communicator between the IFAA (including its Executive Committee) and it’s member Associations. This responsibility will be assisted by ONE of the Secretaries of the Executive Committee as outlined in Article 17 of the Constitution of the IFAA.

(d) One Vice President shall collect and collate information for, an archive related to the history of IFAA. In addition, she/he should:

1. Maintain the historical description on the IFAA webpage
2. Maintain a database of IFAA activities in a chronological context.

4. 
The duties of the Secretary-General shall be:


(a) To substitute for a Vice-President in her/his absence (Article 16 of the Constitution of the IFAA).


(b) To ensure that the decisions of the General Assembly and the Executive Committee are executed (Article 16 of the Constitution of the IFAA). 


(c) To monitor the daily routine activities of the IFAA, i.e. correspondence between the Executive Committee and member societies, correspondence with member societies, etc.


(d) To prepare the report of the activities of the IFAA (Article 16 of the Constitution of the IFAA). Note, this will be achieved together with the President.


(e) With the President, to set the agenda for meetings of the IFAA (i.e. General Assembly and Executive Committee) (Article 16 of the Constitution of the IFAA).

(f) With the Treasurer, to maintain a list of contacts (e.g. representatives) for constituent Anatomical Associations that are full members of the IFAA (Article 16 of the Constitution of the IFAA) and to be a second signatory for the IFAA’s financial accounts.

(g) To monitor the activities of a Nomination Committee set up to provide names for election for the Executive Committee (Article 16 of the Constitution of the IFAA).

(h) To care for, and monitor, the content of the IFAA webpage.

(i) To prepare and organize all matters that are related to the election process of new member societies and Executive Committee positions before and during IFAA Congresses (General Assemblies).

(j) To liaise with the Secretary responsible for drawing up distribution lists for the IFAA.

(k) To collect and store relevant information about IFAA (to be “the IFAA brain”).

5. 
The duties of the Secretaries (who are not Chairs of Federative International Programmes) shall be to record and prepare the minutes of the sessions of the General Assembly and of the Executive Committee as well as to substitute for the Secretary-General and/or the Treasurer in cases of absence. The Secretaries shall also register the attendance of representatives of national associations that are members of the IFAA at the General Assembly and shall organise the voting at the General Assembly (Article 17 of the Constitution of the IFAA).

 In addition, pertaining to the tasks of the three individual Secretaries:

• ONE of the Secretaries shall assist ONE of the Vice-Presidents in ensuring good liaison with member Associations of the IFAA in line with Article 15(2)

• ONE of the Secretaries shall maintain in good order, the contacts for the following IFAA distribution lists (togetherwith the Secretary-General and Treasurer):
• Presidents, Secretary Generals and Treasurers of Member Associations of constituent Anatomical Associations/Societies that are full members of the IFAA
• Representatives (delegates) of Member Associations

• ONE of the Secretaries shall assist the Secretary General with obtaining information and news to populate the IFAA Website and ensuring information on the website is up to date.

• ONE of the Secretaries shall take the minutes of each Executive Committee Meeting and of the General Assembly during IFAA congresses.

6. The duties of the Treasurer shall be:

(a) To take responsibility for the resources of the IFAA and shall be a signatory for the
 IFAA’s accounts (the second signatory being the Secretary-General).

(b) To collect and deposit the income into bank accounts of the IFAA.

(c) To maintain the financial records of the IFAA (including the bank accounts, all records of deposits, expenditures and withdrawals, and any and all costs relating to maintaining such records).

(d) To advise the Executive Committee of the membership status of national Anatomical Associations/Societies.

(e)  To pay such sums of money that are authorized by the Executive Committee to individuals and/or organisations (in line with the aims of the IFAA).

(f) To liaise with the Secretary responsible for drawing up distribution lists for the IFAA.

(g) To present the IFAA accounts at each annual meeting of the Executive Committee and at the General Assembly at the IFAA’s International Congress.

(h) Three months prior to the General Assembly of the IFAA, to appoint a certified public accountant to perform a review procedure on all of the IFAA’s accounts and financial statements.

7. The duties of the Editor of the IFAA Newsletter will include:

• Production of an official Newsletter at least twice a year for distribution to Member Associations
• Liaising with Member Associations to obtain information and articles for the Newsletter
• Submission of an annual report to serve before the IFAA Executive at it’s mid-year meeting

8. Duties of Chairs of Federative International Programmes (FIPs) and Committees (FICs)


The duties of the Chairs of FIPs shall be to take responsibility for coordinating the daily activities of their Programmes or Committees. In addition, the Chairs of the respective FIP or FIC are responsible for:

• Creation of a five-year strategic plan at the beginning of a cycle
• Submission of an annual report to serve before the IFAA Executive at it’s mid-year meeting.

In addition, the duties of ALL members of EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE should include:

• Seeking out Anatomy Associations and encouraging membership of the IFAA.
• Initiating activities which will strengthen the discipline of anatomy.
• Ensuring that the decisions of the General Assembly and the Executive Committee are executed.

SECTION 3 - Guidance for Code of Conduct for IFAA Meetings and Communications

1.The Chair of the meeting, in consultation with the Secretary and Chairs of subcommittees, shall agree the dates and timings of meetings and their agenda;

2. The Chair shall call the meeting to order and can, at any point, declare suspension of business;

3. All members who wish to speak should do so through the Chair - that is, they catch the chair's eye (such as through raising their arm) and wait to be invited to speak. Should a speaker talk directly to a member of the committee other than the Chair, the Chair may deem this inappropriate without needing to provide explanations;

4. Normally, members may speak only once on one motion or amendment and for a period not exceeding 10 minutes. For this purpose, points of order and information are not classified as speaking. However, the Chair might allow this rule to be waivered;

5. Members should show respect for each other and for each other’s views, even when there are marked differences of views that are strongly held;

6. Where following a debate there is no clear consensus, the Chair might agree to a request for a vote. Voting is usually carried out by a show of hands. The Chair will normally decide whether the voting numbers are counted and recorded, but any member can ask that this be done.

7. In addition to voting against a motion, any member who strongly opposes the motion may ask that their dissent be recorded in the minutes. This will then be recorded in the minutes along the lines of this example: "Dr X asked that her dissent be recorded.

8. Provided that the committee's constitution/conventions provide for it, the Chair can exercise a casting (extra) vote in the event of a tie in voting numbers. Traditionally (but not necessarily) in cases where the vote is between the status quo and an alternative, the Chair votes in favour of the status quo.

9. Unless there is agreement by the committee and/or the Chair, the deliberations of the committee shall remain confidential and all records of the meeting shall be written under the principle of anonymity;

10. The results of the committee’s work may be deemed by the Chair to be the property of the committee and of the IFAA and therefore not for reporting elsewhere. This applies particularly to results of the committee that will be published in the public domain (e.g. articles in learned journals).

11. Where the rules of debate and reporting are flaunted, the Chair can ask for the person(s) involved to desist, make a public statement correcting errors or loss of confidentiality, and/or request that they are no longer members of the committee.

Addendum to Clause 11 of the Rules of Debate

1. Should there be a request that a person should no longer be a member of a committee (or programme), the request will be put to the IFAA’s Executive Committee who will hear the reasoning and will vote on the matter. Should the person under consideration be a person who was elected by the General Assembly then, in accordance with Article 14(6) of the IFAA Constitution, a two-thirds majority within the Executive Committee is required to exclude the person from a committee. For persons appointed or not elected by the General Assembly, a simple majority is required. Should a person be excluded from membership of a committee (or programme), in line with Article 14(6) of the IFAA Constitution, the Executive Committee shall appoint a replacement member to serve for the remaining term of office if that term is greater than 6 months.

2. Where a matter is considered to be disruptively disputatious, and unresolvable in the short-term, the Chair of a committee may request that there is a moratorium on further discussion. The request has to be presented to the President of the IFAA who, if in agreement, will pass on the request to the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee, on hearing the reasons for the request for a moratorium, will vote on the issue, a two-thirds majority being required to instigate a moratorium. A moratorium shall have the following features and conditions:

(a) A moratorium involves the cessation of discussion on a disputatious matter, within and without the structures of the IFAA, by specified members of the committee involved in the dispute and by members of the Executive Committee approving the moratorium. The cessation of discussion is both directly and indirectly related to an individual in that there shall be no commissioning of others to continue the dispute.

(b) The Executive Committee will fix a time-limit to the moratorium, which should
not normally exceed 2 years.

(c) The moratorium may be extended beyond the time-limit should the issues causing
the dispute not be resolved and if this be approved by a two-thirds majority of the Executive Committee.

(d) Should a person break the moratorium, the Executive Committee shall deliberate and, given that the moratorium had reached the threshold of a two-thirds majority voting, shall be empowered to sanction the person(s) breaking the moratorium in whatever way the Executive Committee deems fit (including exclusion from IFAA activities) with a simple majority of votes.

(e) When a moratorium is approved by the Executive Committee, this will
announced (with a brief description of the situation) to the General Assembly as a matter of report.

SECTION 4 – Governance of FIPAT

(1) Decision-making bodies 

Deliberation and judgement regarding terminology should initially be made within the appropriate working group or subcommittee.  Depending on the business under consideration, this could be considered by the FIPAT Management Committee (i.e. Convenors of working groups and Chairs of sub-committees, and Chair and Secretary of FIPAT). In some cases, this will mean that successful motions in working groups and any sub-committees will be passed up to the FIPAT Management Committee for advice or resolution. Final decisions rest with the IFAA EXCO and the General Assembly.

(2) Executives and Duties

The Executives are made up of the following:

(2.1) The Chair of FIPAT oversees and is the caretaker of FIPAT and is the person who communicates and provides reports to the IFAA Executive Committee (EXCO). 

(2.2) The FIPAT Secretary supports and reports to the chair of FIPAT and communicates with the remainder of FIPAT. A nomination of Secretary is made by the chair of FIPAT and submitted to the IFAA EXCO for approval.

(2.3) The Convenors of working groups and Chairs of sub-committees should lead and encourage participation within their groups. The Convenors of working groups and Chairs of sub-committees report directly to the chair of FIPAT.

(3) The FIPAT Management Committee

This group is composed of the executives (Chair and Secretary of FIPAT and Chairs and Convenors of all sub-committees and working groups, respectively). It is a planning group that allows for more efficient communication within FIPAT.  Occasionally input from the Committee of the Whole may be required (i.e. working groups and their Convenors, any sub-committees and their Chairs, and Chair and Secretary of FIPAT). Convenors of working groups and Chairs of sub-committees will schedule regular meetings of their groups.  Under normal circumstances there will be regularly scheduled meetings (yearly face-to-face, and electronically on a quarterly basis) of the FIPAT Management Committee, arranged by the Secretary.

(4) Membership in FIPAT 

(4.1) The Chair of FIPAT is first nominated by the FIPAT Management Committee following consultation with all members of FIPAT. The nomination is then considered by the IFAA‘s EXCO and requires final approval by the IFAA’s General Assembly

(4.2) The Chair of FIPAT proposes new Convenors and members of working groups, as well as Chairs and members of any sub-committees to the IFAA EXCO for approval. The Chair of FIPAT can take nominations from the relevant working group or sub-committee, or from their Convenor or Chair, respectively. Working groups should strive for at least 10 members with suitable diversity and multinational representation. This would include diversity of age, gender, language and ethnicity as well as geography and the member societies of the IFAA.

(5) Roles of FIPAT and its Parts

The primary purpose of FIPAT is to produce the IFAA’s anatomical terminologies.

(5.1) A working group is charged with generating a draft of the relevant terminology. The working group comprises a convenor and its members.  There must be regular meetings (whether electronic or face-to-face) of the working group. On completion of a draft terminology, the Convenor of the working group will provide the draft to the FIPAT Management Committee.

(5.2) The Management Committee, after a period of review by individual members, prepares a set of internal comments for the original working group.  Following changes (if and where necessary) by the working group, the draft terminology will be circulated to all FIPAT members for comment, before being approved by the Chair of FIPAT and then sent by the Secretary for consideration to the IFAA EXCO.  The IFAA Secretary General is responsible for sending draft terminologies to the representatives of the General Assembly for comment and consideration. On return of comments from the Representatives of the General Assembly, the working group will complete the draft for return to the Chair of FIPAT

(5.3) The Chair of FIPAT sends the finalized terminology to the IFAA EXCO for approval so that they can be published online “pending adoption by the next IFAA General Assembly.” Interim changes can be approved by referendum.

(5.4) Sub-committees advise FIPAT on issues related to their purview to support the activity of the working groups. 

(5.5) Where there is a major change in policy or practice, in the first instance the recommendation of FIPAT should be presented to the IFAA EXCO for consideration.

(6) Terms of appointment

Members/Convenors and Chairs of any sub-committees will serve five-year terms that may be renewable for an additional five-year cycle on the basis of recommendation by the Convenor and approval by the Chair of FIPAT. Members/Convenors who are unresponsive/disruptive/behave unprofessionally or whose contributions are significantly delayed will be considered for suspension/dismissal following consultation with the president of the IFAA (see sections 10 and 11 below).

Consultants, who may be appointed to advise the Chair of FIPAT or the Convenors and Chairs of working groups and sub-committees respectively, must be approved by the IFAA EXCO.

(7) Rules of Practice

(7.1) Members of FIPAT must abide by the governing rules of FIPAT. All members must be in good standing with their institutions and associations. Members who display unprofessional behavior or are disruptive or unresponsive will be suspended and/or dismissed following consultation with the President of the IFAA (see sections 10 and 11 below).

(7.2) The Guidance for Code of Conduct at IFAA meetings (see Conventions of the IFAA)  (see 1-11 below) will be used for FIPAT meetings both electronically and in person.

1. The Chair of the meeting, in consultation with the Secretary and Chairs of any sub-committees, shall agree to the dates and timings of meetings and their agendas.

2. The Chair of the meeting shall call the meeting to order and can at any point declare suspension of business.

3. All members who wish to speak should do so through the Chair; that is, they must catch the Chair's eye (for instance by raising their hand) and wait to be invited to speak. Should a speaker speak directly to a member of the committee other than the Chair or without being invited, the Chair may deem this inappropriate without needing to explain and move the discussion forward.

4. Normally, members may speak only once per motion or amendment and for a period not exceeding 10 minutes. For this purpose, points of order and information are not classed as speaking. However, the Chair can allow this rule to be waived.

5. Members should show respect for each other and for each other’s views, even when those views differ markedly and are strongly held.

6. When there is no clear consensus following a debate, the Chair can agree to a request for a vote. Voting is usually carried out by a show of hands. The Chair will normally decide whether the voting numbers are counted and recorded, but any member can ask that this be done.

7. In addition to voting against a motion, any member who strongly opposes that motion may ask that their dissent be recorded in the minutes. It will then be duly recorded.

8. Provided that the committee’s constitution/conventions allow it, the Chair can exercise a casting (extra) vote in the event of a tie in voting numbers. Traditionally (but not necessarily), in cases where the vote is between the status quo and an alternative, the Chair votes in favor of the status quo.

9. Unless there is agreement by the committee and/or the Chair, the deliberations of the committee shall remain confidential, and all records of the meeting shall be written under the principle of anonymity.

10. The results of the committee, sub-committee or working group’s work are the sole property of the IFAA and not for reporting elsewhere. This applies particularly to any results of the Chair, Secretary, committee or working group that are to be published in the public domain (e.g., articles in learned journals).

11. Where the rules of debate and reporting are flouted, the Chair can ask the person(s) involved to desist, can make a public statement correcting errors or loss of confidentiality, and/or can request that the person(s) no longer serve as member(s) of the committee (see sections 10 and 11 below).

(8) FIPAT Protocol

The traditional best practice in relation to producing or modifying a FIPAT document is as follows:

1. The primary working group produces a draft through internal [or other] communication.
2. Once the final working group draft is produced, it is circulated to the Convenors of the other FIPAT groups and to the FIPAT Chair for consideration (ie to the Management Committee).
3. The Convenor of each working group sends feedback to the Convenor of the primary working group.
4. The Convenor of the primary working group determines the definitive output from the group.
5. Following any modification, the document is circulated to all FIPAT members then to the IFAA EXCO for final consideration as to whether it will be posted as the official FIPAT version. Final approval has to be provided by the General Assembly.

(9) Resignations

If a FIPAT member resigns, the Chair of FIPAT will consult with the appropriate convenor in a timely manner regarding nominations for a replacement.

(10) Suspensions

If members are found to be derelict in their duties within FIPAT, not representative of FIPAT, or to operate outside the constraints of diplomacy and fellowship as perceived by fellow members, Chairs, Convenors or by the IFAA EXCO, the Chair of FIPAT will inform the President of IFAA and request suspension of said member, Chair, or Convenor. The member will be informed of the decision. Any such suspension will continue until the concerns are rectified. If the member does not rectify the concerns in a timely manner, steps toward dismissal of the member will be taken (see below).

(11) Dismissals

Members who have been suspended per section 10 above and are unable to rectify the issues related to complaints regarding their service to FIPAT may be recommended for dismissal from FIPAT by the Chair of FIPAT. If dismissal is considered, the Chair of FIPAT, after consultation with the President of the IFAA, will bring the issue forward to the IFAA EXCO. The IFAA EXCO will then vote on the recommendation. The member will be informed of the final decision by the Chair of FIPAT.

(12) Publications

Any publication from FIPAT which is primarily concerned with terminology must be approved by the Chair of FIPAT.  In the case of a publication from the Chair, he should seek approval from the President of the IFAA. Members of FIPAT, who are considering publication on anatomical terminology topics must consult the Chair of FIPAT prior to submission of the manuscript.  In the case of the Chair, he must consult the President of the IFAA. Communications from members of FIPAT which openly criticize FIPAT should first consult with the Chair of FIPAT for review and approval of the proposed publication. The Chair of FIPAT will seek approval from the IFAA EXCO for any publication on the anatomical terminologies that openly criticize FIPAT. If the member publishes said document without approval, then the Chair will proceed to section 11 above for dismissal. Publications by members that criticize FIPAT or its individual terminologies, or publications that do not secure prior approval from FIPAT will not be tolerated and will result in suspension and/or dismissal of such members. The IFAA EXCO will oversee suspensions/dismissals of the Chair of FIPAT.

Publications resulting from work undertaken in FIPAT by a member of FIPAT must acknowledge the IFAA/FIPAT.

(14) Translations

Translations of FIPAT terminologies are welcomed. Inquiries should be made to the Chair of FIPAT, who will then inform the IFAA President for confirmation by the IFAA EXCO. The translation must attribute the document to the IFAA and its FIPAT.

(15) Meetings

Regular meetings must be held by the individual working groups and sub-committees by whatever means are available. FIPAT management meetings must also occur at regular intervals. Meetings of FIPAT under normal circumstances will be held each year and should be face-to-face.

SECTION 5 – Procedures for financial awards relating to the ‘Emergent Anatomists Project’ (registration only for attendance at designated IFAA Congresses)

The IFAA Executive Committee supports ‘Emergent Anatomists’ (academic staff and postgraduate students) to attend designated IFAA Congresses. Registration costs only are offered and will be paid directly to the Congress Organisers. Travel, accommodation and subsistence costs cannot be supported. Only 10 academic staff and 10 postgraduate students can be supported for each Congress. A maximum of one academic and one postgraduate student will be supported from a single country.

The following ‘Emergent Anatomists’ are eligible to apply:

1.  Individuals who have held an academic position in anatomy for less than ten years.
2. Postgraduate students undertaking a PhD. Part–time students who are employed in other positions will not be considered.
3. Applicants must intend to present a communication at the Congress.
4. Applicants must be from countries designated as low or low-middle income by the World Bank. See:

https://datahelpdesk.worldbank.org/knowledgebase/articles/906519-world-bank-country-and-lending-group

In order to ensure that the selection of participants is fair and equitable, a panel of four members of the IFAA Executive Committee will consider applications.  Applicants will submit:

1. A completed IFAA Application Form (this will be posted on the Congress Website approximately 9 months before the Congress)
2. A brief curriculum vitae
3. A letter of support from the IFAA member association to which the ‘Emergent Anatomist’ belongs.
4. The title and abstract of the applicant’s proposed presentation.

Notification of provision of an incentive will be provided to successful applicants prior to the closure of the “early bird” registration for the Congress.

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[i] However, in the event that the Executive Committee considers by a two-thirds majority of its members that a Chair of a programme or committee should continue to ensure successful completion of important tasks, such a Chair might be allowed to continue beyond a two-term period of office but shall NOT have voting rights in the Executive Committee of the IFAA. This requires approval of the General Assembly.

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