IGCA : Introduction Constitution

Article 1:

General Provisions

The Association established hereby shall be called the International Gastric Cancer Association (IGCA), (hereinafter referred to as the Association), founded on March 29, 1995 by the members of the International Preparatory Committee.

Article 2:

Objectives

The objectives of the Association are:

(1)	To provide an international forum for the advancement of research into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of gastric cancer.
(2)	To facilitate the eradication of gastric cancer worldwide.

Article 3:

Section 1 (Qualifications for membership)
Active members shall be individuals who have distinguished themselves by well-recognized professional and/or scientific achievements in the field of gastric cancer. At least one Council member must sign the application form and send an accompanying letter of recommendation in support of the nominee.
Honorary Presidents and Honorary members shall be recommended by the Council of the Association from individuals who have contributed enormously to the Association.

Section 2: (Membership, Fees)
The acceptance of members and matters concerning membership fees are under the jurisdiction of the Council of the Association.

Article 4:

Governing Bodies

Section 1: (Structure)
The President represents the Association.
The governing structure consists of an Executive Committee, Council and General Assembly.

Section 2: (Officers)
The officers of the Association shall be:

	President	1
	President-Elect	1
	Past President	1
	Secretary General	1
	Treasurer	1
	Editor(s) of the Journal	2
Section 3: (Executive Committee)
(1)	(Members) The members of the Executive Committee shall be:
	President	1
	President-Elect	1
	Past President	1
	Secretary General	1
	Treasurer	1

(2)	(Meeting of the Executive Committee) The Executive Committee shall be convened at the invitation of the President at each Congress and between two Congresses.

(3)

(Chairman and Resolutions)
The President shall chair the meeting of the Executive Committee. (The President of the Association shall preside at all meetings).
In the absence of the President, the President-Elect will act as proxy. If the latter is also unable to preside, any other officers or members of the last Executive Committee, selected by majority consent, may preside.
The Secretary General shall be secretary of the meeting. Resolutions shall be passed with the approval of a simple majority of those present. In cases of an equal division of votes, the decision shall be made by the chairperson.

Section 4: (Council)

(1)

(Members)
The Council consists of members who are representative of a country or a region.

(2)

(Meeting):
The Council shall meet in regular session every two years, preferably during or close to the time of each Congress of the IGCA.

(3)

(Authority):
The Council, in which the President shall serve as Chairperson may delegate such authority as it may determine to the Executive Committee except for the following:

(a)	Nomination of candidates for officers for approval by the General Assembly.
(b)	Initiation of recommendations on policy.
(c)	Review of the financial needs of the IGCA and determination of the annual subscriptions.
(d)	Amendment of the Constitution.

Section 5: (General Assembly)
The General Assembly shall consist of those fee-paying members who attend the Business Meeting at the Congress. A simple majority of any given General Assembly is necessary for approval of candidates for offices recommended by the Council.

Section 6: (Congress)
The Association hosts the world-wide scientific meeting called the International Gastric Cancer Congress (IGCC) in order to achieve the objectives of the Association.
The Congress shall be held every two years.
The President-Elect of the Association will be the President of the Congress. The Congress President and Congress site must be recommended by the Council and approved by the General Assembly four years in advance.

Section 7: (Organ Journal)
The Association publishes the organ journal.
Detailed by-laws concerning the publication of the journal are established separately.

Article 5:

Method of selection of officers

(1)	President: After the incumbent President's term expires, the President-Elect automatically assumes the office of President.
(2)	President-Elect The President-Elect is elected by the Council and approved by the General Assembly and assumes the office of President-Elect.
(3)	Past President The President shall automatically be the Past President after the incumbent President's term expires. The President, on taking office, shall appoint these officers nominated by the Council and approved by the General Assembly.
(4)	Secretary General
(5)	Treasurer
(6)	Editor(s) of the Journal
(7)	Council members shall be elected by the members. The number of Council members shall be around 20-30 for the present.

Article 6:

Term of Office

(1)	The term of office of President shall be from the end of Congress to the end of next Congress. The president shall not be eligible for re-election to this office.
(2)	The term of office of President-Elect shall be from the end of Congress to the end of next Congress. The President-Elect shall not be eligible for re-election to this office.
(3)	The term of office of Past President shall be from the end of Congress to the end of next Congress. The Past President shall not be eligible for re-election to this office.
(4)	The term of office of all other officers shall be four years, but they shall be eligible for re-election to their office.
(5)	The term of Council members shall be four years, but they shall be eligible for re-election to their office.

Article 7:

Standing Committees

The Executive Committee is empowered to establish Committees deemed necessary to facilitate the functioning of the Association.
The President shall appoint chairperson(s) of the standing committee(s) on the recommendation of the Executive Committee.

Article 8:

Finance

(1)	The expenses of the Association will be met by the annual subscriptions of members, by contracts, grants and donations. Membership fees and contributions shall be used to subsidize the Association.
(2)	(Fiscal year) The fiscal year of the Society shall be from January 1 to December 31.

Article 9:

Office

The office of the Association is located at the Cancer Institute Hospital, Tokyo, Japan, and can be changed on the decision of the Executive Committee.

Article 10:

Amendment to Constitution

Amendments to the Constitution can be proposed by the Council and adopted if approved by the General Assembly.

Article 11:

Administration of by-laws

Detailed by-laws concerning the enforcement of this Constitution can be passed by the Council, which shall have jurisdiction over the establishment, revisions and voiding of all such rules.