Committees

NOMINATING COMMITTEE (2026-2027)

Terms of Reference

Purpose
The function of the Nominating Committee is to select and to nominate candidates for the IUGG Bureau (President-Elect, Secretary General, Treasurer, and three members at large) and the Finance Committee (three members) to be elected by the IUGG Council at the forthcoming General Assembly of the Union.

Membership
At least 18 months before a General Assembly, the IUGG President shall appoint a Nominating Committee with the advice and approval of the Executive Committee. The Nominating Committee shall comprise a Chair and three other members who are not also members of the Executive Committee or of the Finance Committee (By-Law 9.1). Normally the Past President of the Union is asked to be Chair of the Committee. Decisions in the committee should be made by simply majority.

Responsibilities

• The Nominating Committee shall, after soliciting nominations from the Adhering Bodies of the Member Countries, the Officers of the Union, and the Scientific Associations, propose either one or two candidates for each position in the Bureau, seeking to achieve a balance of gender, experience, scientific discipline, and geographical distribution (By-Law 9.2 a).
• The Nominating Committee shall, after soliciting nominations from the Adhering Bodies of the Member Countries, the Officers of the Union, and the Scientific Associations, propose either one or two candidates for each of the three positions on the Finance Committee: one position from among the current members of the Finance Committee, and two positions from among the accredited Council Delegates at the current or any previous General Assembly. If there are insufficient candidates from the current Finance Committee, then an additional candidate shall be nominated from among the Council Delegates (By-Law 9.3 a, b).
• The list of candidates proposed by the Nominating Committee shall be sent to the Bureau, the Scientific Associations, and the IUGG National Committees at least eight months before the General Assembly at which the election will take place (By-Law 9.2 b).
• The Bureau, the Scientific Associations, and the IUGG National Committees may nominate additional candidates for the Bureau and Finance Committee, provided they are (i) received at least three months before the General Assembly at which the election will take place, (ii) supported by at least three Association Presidents or equivalent officers of IUGG National Committees, and (iii) each is accompanied by the candidate’s written acceptance of nomination together with a resumé (By-Law 9.2 c).
• The combined list of nominations shall be sent to the Bureau, the Scientific Associations, and the IUGG National Committees no later than two months before the General Assembly at which the election will take place (By-Law 9.2 d).
• The Chair of the Nominating Committee should present the report on nominations and the candidates for the IUGG office to the Council at a General Assembly.
• A Bureau Member previously nominated at a past General Assembly may be re-nominated during the 48 hours following the close of the first meeting of the Council at a General Assembly. Such nominations must be submitted to the Secretary-General, be supported by at least three members of the Council, and be accompanied by the same documentation as required of the other nominees. Council Delegates shall be informed of any such nominations together with the nominee’s resumés at least 24 hours before the elections (By-Law 9.2 e).
• The Council may add to the list of nominations for the Finance Committee during the General Assembly until three days before the elections (By-Law 9.3 d).

Term of Office

The term of office of the Nominating Committee shall be until the closure of the IUGG General Assembly following after the appointment of the Nominating Committee.

Chair:
Michael G. Sideris (IAG), CANADA

Members:
Sergio Barrientos (IASPEI), CHILE
Monika Korte (IAGA), GERMANY
Marilyn Raphael (IAMAS), USA

RESOLUTIONS COMMITTEE (2026-2027)

Terms of Reference

Purpose
The function of the Resolution Committee is to prepare draft resolutions of a General Assembly of the Union to be presented to the IUGG Council for approval at the General Assembly. The Resolutions must be approved by both the Bureau and the Executive Committee before being presented to the Council.

Membership
At least 6 months before a General Assembly, the IUGG President shall appoint a Resolution Committee with the advice and approval of the Executive Committee. The Resolution Committee shall consist of a Chair and at least three other members. The Immediate Past President is normally asked to Chair the Resolution Committee. At least one of the Resolution Committee members should be a native French speaker. Decisions in the committee should be made by simply majority.

Responsibilities

1. The Resolution Committee normally works during the General Assembly of the Union at which the resolutions would be approved. Any Association or Member Country is invited to submit resolutions, which must be received by the designated deadline. Each resolution should be submitted in English and French.
2. After receiving resolutions, the Resolution Committee meets at the General Assembly and prepares a set of resolutions following the format of IUGG resolutions. The Resolution Committee edits the language of the resolutions (both English and French).
3. The resolutions should be presented to the Bureau and Executive Committee at respective meetings of the bodies.
4. The Chair of the Resolution Committee presents resolutions to the Council before it votes on them.

Term of Office
The term of office of the Resolution Committee shall be until the closure of the IUGG General Assembly following the appointment of the Resolution Committee.

Chair:
Kathy Whaler (IAGA), UK

Members:
Andrew Harris (IAVCEI), FRANCE
Harald Schuh (IAG), GERMANY
Dmitry Storchak (IASPEI), UK
Tirusha Thambiran (IAMAS), SOUTH AFRICA

SITE COMPARISON COMMITTEE (2026-2027)

Terms of Reference

Purpose
The function of the Site Comparison Committee (hereinafter “SC Committee”) is to evaluate all invitations (bids) to host an IUGG General Assembly. The bids should be received 6 months before the General Assembly (By-Law 3.4 a). The Guidelines on proposals to host an IUGG General Assembly are placed on the IUGG website:
https://iugg.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Invitation_Host_IUGG_GAs.pdf
https://iugg.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Guidelines_IUGG_GAs-1.pdf

Membership
At least 12 months before a General Assembly, the IUGG President shall appoint a SC Committee experienced in the logistics of convening Union or Association Assemblies, with the advice and approval of the Executive Committee. The SC Committee shall consist of a Chair and at least three other members. Decisions in the committee should be made by simply majority.

Responsibilities

1. The SC Committee should establish criteria for assessment of the bids. The criteria should be based on (but not limited by) the following basic statements:
   – Who are the inviting body/bodies (e.g., the official host body; other supporting institutions; government support to assure free circulation of scientists, consistent with the ISC “Principle of Universality.”)?
   – What is the quality and space of the venue/venues, including:
   (i) Maximum number of participants who could attend;
   (ii) Meeting facilities: number of halls; rooms of various sizes and technical equipment; poster facilities, etc.
   (iii) Space and facilities for the Bureau, Finance Committee and Association offices;
   (iv) Rooms for meetings of the Council, the Executive Committee, the Bureau and the Finance Committee;
   (v) Possibility to hold virtual and hybrid meetings (e.g., technical equipment, pricing etc.);
   (vi) Accommodations: range of lodging types and costs; distance from and travel arrangements to meeting facilities;
   (vii) Safe security situation near the meeting facilities and accommodations;
   (viii) Child and health care facilities at the venue and nearby;
   (ix) Proposed dates for an Assembly of ten days in length, taking into account availability of facilities and suitability of weather.
   – What is the financial obligation of the host? IUGG expects that the host will take full responsibility for the financial affairs of a General Assembly. However, it is desirable to assess:
   (i) Resources available for the preparations leading up to the General Assembly and for preparing the Comptes Rendus following the Assembly;
   (ii) Possibilities for support from governmental, industrial, and commercial bodies in order to minimize registration fees;
   (iii) Possibilities for fund-raising to support young scientists from low- and middle-income countries to attend the Assembly.
   – Which sustainable practices does the venue offer?
   Considering Resolution 1: Reducing the Carbon Foot Print by the Research Community of the IUGG General Assembly 2019, the host should outline how the venue can contribute towards realizing a sustainable event (e.g., reductions of greenhouse gas emissions, use of plastic, food/paper/energy waste etc.). Does the venue follow any codes of sustainability or best practices? Is the venue certified to hold green meetings?
2. In the case of a single bid, if the SC Committee decides that an on-site assessment of the venue is required, the Chair of the Committee should submit a report to the Bureau explaining the difficulties in assessment of a bid without on-site assessment. The Bureau will consider the report and, if it agrees, financial support to one of the SC Committee members will be provided for an on-site assessment. If approved, the SC Committee member will prepare a report on the site visit with the advantages and disadvantages of the venue, to be discussed by the SC Committee. The Committee will submit a report to the IUGG Secretary General not later than 3 months before the General Assembly. The Bureau will decide whether the bid is of sufficient quality to be presented to the IUGG Council.
3. In the case that more than two bids are submitted, the SC Committee should prepare a ranked list of the invitations and a report on the ranking explaining all the advantages and disadvantages of each bid. The report should be submitted to the IUGG Secretary General not later than 3 months before the General Assembly. The Bureau will decide on two potential candidates to host the next General Assembly. The two candidates will be invited to the Council meeting to give a presentation.
4. The Chair of the SC Committee should present a report to the IUGG Council before their final vote. The IUGG Council votes on which bid to accept.

Term of Office
The term of office of the SC Committee shall be until the closure of the IUGG General Assembly following after the appointment of the SC Committee.

Chair:
Eduard Petrovsky (IAGA), CZECH REPUBLIC

Members:
Fiona Darbyshire (IASPEI), CANADA
Jürgen Müller (IAG), GERMANY
Stefania Sparnocchia (IAPSO), ITALY
Martin Streck (IAVCEI), USA
Hans Volkert (IAMAS), GERMANY
Virendra Tiwari (IUGG, ex-officio), INDIA

STATUTES AND BY-LAWS COMMITTEE (2024-2027)

Terms of Reference

Purpose
The Statutes and By-Laws Committee (“SBL Committee” in the following) prepares modifications of the Statutes and By-Laws of the Union based on the proposals for changes submitted by a Member Country, the IUGG Bureau, or the Statutes and By-Laws Committee. The proposals must reach the IUGG Secretary General at least six months before the date of the Council meeting at which the changes are to be considered (Statute 7.1 c). Decisions in the committee should be made by simply majority.

In particular, it has the following role and responsibilities:

1. The SBL Committee, after receiving the proposal for changes of the Statutes and By-Laws of the Union from the Adhering Bodies of the Member Countries and from the Bureau, shall prepare a consolidated report for presentation to and consideration by the IUGG Council, which shall include
   – name of the proposer;
   – intention of the change;
   – explanation of the change;
   – the changes proposed in the Statutes and By-Laws (current text versus revised text);
   – comments to the Council (if appropriate)
2. The report of the SBL Committee should be submitted to the IUGG Secretary General not less than four month and one week before the announced date of the Council meeting.
3. The Chair of the SBL Committee should present the report at the Council meeting when the relevant topic of the Agenda is considered.

Chair:
Charles Barton (IAGA), AUSTRALIA

Members:
Zuheir Altamimi (IAG), FRANCE
Neil Holbrook (IAMAS), AUSTRALIA
Jan Lindsay (IAVCEI), NEW ZEALAND
Johannes Schweitzer (IASPEI), NORWAY
Mioara Mandea (IUGG, ex-officio), FRANCE