Statutes

Art. I Name and Legal Status
The name of this society shall be the International Society of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynaecology (ISPOG), hereinafter called “the Society”. This society has been established as a non-profit association according to Art. 60 of the Swiss Civil Code.

Art. II Interpretation
In these statutes, the singular shall include the plural and the masculine shall include the feminine.

Art. III Objectives
The purpose of the Society shall be to join together groups and individuals in an international organization in order to attain the following objectives:
a. to promote the study of psychobiological and psychosocial, ethical and cross-cultural, hereinafter called psychosomatic, problems in the fields of obstetrics and gynaecology, and related subjects such as andrology and sexuality.
b. to promote education and training in the management of psychosomatic problems in the fields of obstetrics and gynaecology, and related subjects.
c. to advance the knowledge and skills of the members of the society.
d. to organize international meetings and congresses on subjects of psychosomatic obstetrics and gynaecology, and related subjects.
e. to encourage the creation of national societies of psychosomatic obstetrics and gynaecology, and related subjects.
f. to promote and facilitate the dissemination of new information in the fields of psychosomatic obstetrics and gynaecology, and related subjects, including the Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Art. IV Powers
The Society shall have the right:
a. to own, lease and dispose of all kinds of property, wherever situated, real and personal.
b. to open and close bank accounts.
c. to hold meetings in any country.
d. to join and cooperate with all other bodies, associations or groups having objectives similar to or supporting those of the Society and to become a member of relevant international societies.
e. to receive and give grants to fulfil the objectives of the Society.
f. to have all the powers necessary or related to the above powers of the Society.

Art. V Membership

^{Section 1. Categories of membership:}

The Society shall include the following members:
a. Founding members: these are the individuals who established the Society and adopted and signed the original statutes of the Society on October 27, 1972.
b. Member Societies: professional associations (national or regional) with an interest in a part or the whole of the field of psychosomatic obstetrics and gynaecology, and related subjects such as andrology and sexuality. These associations should have regulations (statutes, by-laws, standing rules) indicating the objectives of the association, and a representative board.
c. Individual members: individuals not affiliated to an association as defined under (b.), with a professional interest in the psychosomatic and psychosocial aspects of obstetrics and gynaecology and/or related subjects such as andrology and sexuality.

^{Section 2. Application for membership:}

Members shall be eligible without relation to sex, race, language, religion, politics, or country of origin. Application for membership shall be addressed in writing to the Secretary General of the Society, stating the applicant’s intention to join the Society, to approve the objectives of the Society and to make financial contributions in such form and within such time limits as may be decided by the General Assembly. Member societies shall submit a membership list and a copy of their constitution, by-laws or statutes. Applications from member societies shall be approved or rejected by the Executive Committee. Applications for individual membership shall be approved or rejected by the Secretary General with the possibility of appeal of rejection by the Executive Committee. In both cases, notice of the decision shall be sent to the applicants.

^{Section 3. Termination of membership:}

Membership may be terminated by:
a. notice of resignation.
b. failure to pay membership fees for three (3) consecutive years.
c. the death of founding or individual members.
d. the dissolution of a member society.
e. expulsion, voted by the Executive Committee by a 2/3 majority. The member concerned shall have the right to lodge an appeal against the decision with the General Assembly.

^{Section 4. Membership fees:}

The membership fees shall be fixed by the General Assembly. Member societies shall pay fees in proportion to the number of their paying members. Members of the Society shall be exonerated from personal liability in respect of the financial commitments of the Society, which shall be guaranteed solely by the Society’s assets.

Art. VI Bodies of the Society
The Society shall have the following bodies:
a. The General Assembly.
b. The Executive Committee.
c. The Board of Fellows:

^{Section 1. The General Assembly.}
a. The General Assembly is the supreme authority of the Society. It consists of:
1. the representatives of member societies.
2. the members of the Executive Committee.
b. The General Assembly shall meet at least every three (3) years during the International Congress. An extraordinary meeting may be convened by the Executive Committee acting on its own request or in response to the Board of Fellows or one of the member societies, provided the request is made in writing and states the object of the Assembly as urgent. Such request shall be addressed to the Secretary General of the Society and brought before a meeting of the Executive Committee specially called for that purpose and it will be acted upon only if it is approved by a 2/3 majority of all the voting members of the Executive Committee.
c. A member society represented at the General Assembly may exercise their allotted number of votes. The scale to be applied shall be one (1) vote for 25 paying members up to a maximum of eight (8) votes. Each proportional vote shall give the right to the appointment of one delegate to attend and speak at the General Assembly. If the number of delegates present is less than the number of votes allotted, the delegates present will have the right to cast two (2) votes with a maximum of eight (8) votes per member society represented.
d. Members of the Executive Committee shall sit in a consultative capacity in the General Assembly and will be entitled to vote except when a vote is taken by the General Assembly on the approval of the office bearers’ reports.

^{Section 2. The Executive Committee.}
a. The Executive Committee shall be elected by the General Assembly every three (3) years during the International Congress. The Executive Committee shall consist of: The President, the Immediate Past President, the President-Elect, the Secretary General, the Treasurer, one (1) representative of the Board of Fellows and one representative of every member society that is not already represented by an officer (see under b). The Presidents of the past and the next international congress and the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology shall be ex-officio members of the Executive Committee without vote. All members of the Executive Committee must be voting delegates to the General Assembly
b. The officers of the Society will consist of the President, the Immediate Past President, the President-Elect, the Secretary General and the Treasurer. They shall be elected by the General Assembly for the duration of the term of office of the Executive Committee, i.e. the lapse of time between two international congresses (3 years). The President cannot be re-elected for another term. The President-Elect is elected for six (6) years of which he acts as President for the last three (3) years. The Secretary General and the Treasurer may be re-elected once. The other members and the representatives of the Board of Fellows can also be re-elected once.

c. The Executive Committee shall meet once yearly and whenever it is convened by the President or at the request of one third at least of its members. The Committee shall validly meet if five (5) members are present or represented. Decisions of the Committee shall be valid if accepted by a majority of member’s present. Voting shall take place by secret ballot if one member requests it. A member of the Committee may appoint another member of the Committee to represent him; the latter shall lodge a written proxy.

^{Section 3. The Board of Fellows.}
The Board of Fellows shall be composed of the Founding Members, the Past Presidents of ISPOG and the Past Presidents of ISPOG congresses. It will elect its own chairman. It will also elect one (1) representatives to the Executive Committee. The Board of Fellows will meet at its own discretion.

Art. VII Tasks of the General Assembly
The General Assembly shall fulfil the following tasks:
a. The election of the Executive Committee on the basis of a proposal drawn up by the previous Executive Committee.
b. The approval of the reports, the accounts and the budget.
c. The approval of committees as proposed by the Executive Committee.
d. The determination of the date and location of the International Congress.
e. The determination of the membership fees.
f. The alteration of the Statutes and/or Standing Rules of the Society when proposed by the Executive Committee or by one of the member societies.

Art. VIII Tasks of the Executive Committee
The Executive Committee shall exercise the widest powers for the management of the affairs of the Society. For this purpose, it shall fulfil the following tasks:
a. It shall establish the budget and determine the use to be made of the available funds.
b. It shall approve new members and strike off members.
c. It shall aid and advise in the preparation and organization of the International Congresses. It shall assume the final responsibility for the quality of these congresses and ensure that they do meet the objectives of the Society.
d. It shall aid and advise in the operations of the Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology and promote its dissemination.
e. It shall aid and advise in the operations of national and regional member societies and promote the creation of national Societies of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
f. It shall coordinate scientific and educational activities in the fields of psychosomatic obstetrics and gynaecology, and related subjects.
g. It shall, whenever deemed necessary, appoint committees with specific tasks.
h. It shall, whenever deemed necessary, seek the advice of the Board of Fellows on the above matters.
i. It shall implement and carry out the decisions of the General Assembly.
j. It shall otherwise act for and on behalf of the Society.

Art. IX Tasks of the Board of Fellows
The Board of Fellows shall fulfil the following tasks:
a. To advise the Executive Committee on its request or on its own initiative on matters concerning the objectives and functions of the Society.
b. To advise the Executive Committee in drawing up a proposal for the composition of the next Executive Committee.
c. To advise the Executive Committee in drawing up a proposal for the location of the next International Congress.

Art. X Alteration of statutes
Alteration of the statutes may be proposed by the Executive Committee, or one of the Member Societies, and shall be submitted in writing to the Secretary General of the Society no later than sixty (60) days prior to the opening of the next General Assembly. Such proposals shall have the support of at least three (3) voting members of the Executive Committee before they are brought before the General Assembly. They must be approved by two thirds of the delegates present.

Art. XI Signature in the name of the Society
The Society shall be bound in respect of all its banking transactions by the individual signature of the Secretary General or Treasurer. For all other actions of the Society, it will be bound by the joint signature of two officers. The Society shall have a seal or a rubber stamp containing the words “International Society of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynaecology” which shall be at the disposal of the officers.

Art. XII Address of the Society
The office of the Society shall be at the registered address of the Secretary General of the Society.

Art. XIII Liquidation of the Society
In the event that the liquidation of the Society’s affairs and property has been voted upon by a 2/3 majority of the General Assembly at a special meeting called for that purpose, then a liquidation or liquidators shall be appointed by the Executive Committee, and after payments of all debts, if any, the property shall be distributed to the constituent member societies in proportion to the amounts contributed in the preceding 3 years.