International Medical
LIMAV
International Medical League for the Abolition of Vivisection
Statute
I. Constitution and branch offices
1. It is constituted based in Milan the non-profit organization with international nature named “International Doctors – LIMAV International Medical League for the Abolition of Vivisection” hereinafter referred to as Organization.
2. The Organization may grant name and logo for the birth of corresponding autonomous national associations at the request of the members of their respected countries.
3. The Organization may establish delegations and offices in Italy and abroad, allowing the use of the name and logo. The delegations and offices are independent from the international head offices only from the point of view of the balance sheet.
4. The change of the legal head office within the same municipality may be decided from the Executive Council and does not leads statutory modification.
5. The Organization has unlimited period.
II. Organization’s purpose
1. The Organization is entirely nonpartisan, nondenominational and non-profit. The resources at its disposal are used to fulfil its statutory purposes and for the construction, even indirectly, of these goals.
2. The Organization’s purpose is to promote clinical and research methods for the prevention and treatment of diseases of the human species through the abolition of animal experimentation(1) to promote and develop research conducted with alternative methods that replace the use of animals for a better scientific advancement and through every kind of initiative intended to the diffusion of scientific culture that does not involve the use of animals and a non anthropocentric man-animals relationship.
3. The methods for the achievement of the corporate purpose are:
a) the organization and participation in congresses, conferences, conventions, seminars, symposia, meetings, debates and other public opportunity for discussion on the subject, useful to spread the Organization’s goals;
b) the publications of texts written by its members according with the purposes of the Organization;
c) to encourage researches that does not involve the use, direct or indirect, of animals;
d) to build contacts, collaborations and partnership with public or private entity, national or international which share the aims of the Organization;
e) to establish contacts and cooperation with authorities and public institutions, with national and local governments as well as representatives entities and governments;
f) every legal and legitimate action considered suitable.
III. The members
1. It may be admitted as members of the Organization the applicants who own a three-year university degree, masters or specialist degrees in scientific subjects such as Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Biology or other degrees in medical and biological field that have to be approved by the Executive Board.
2. For specific activities the Executive Board may admits as members the applicants who own other type of degrees.
3. The Executive Board shall examine the admission requests and deliberates on the admission of new members.
4. Members are admitted free of charge without any obligation to pay a fee, but can contribute with donations or contributions to the achievement of the statutory aims.
5. The Executive Board may elect honorary members being able to give them specific assignments and submitting these nominations to ratification by the National Assembly at its next meeting.
IV. Member’s duties and rights
1. Members have the right to attend meetings, to exercise their right to vote and stand (in writing or by any other means provided by this Statute) and withdraw from membership Organization.
2. Members are required to follow the rules of this Statute and to grant the work previously agreed.
3. Membership is lost by voluntary resignation by written notice, for disorderly conduct or violation of statutory obligation, for public statement in contrast with the purposes of this Statute and for death.
4. The expulsion of a member is decided by the Executive Board, which shall state the reasons.
5. The resigning or expelled member loses all rights on any payment made for any reason.
V. Internal Organization
1. Organization’s agencies are:
a) the International Assembly
b) the Executive Board
c) the President
d) the Secretary General
VI. International Assembly
1. The Assembly is established of all members enrolled in the Organization.
2. Every member can represent another one by having a regular written mandate.
3. The Assembly is called by the President or Secretary General ordinarily at least once a year and in extraordinarily session whenever the President or the Secretary General considers it necessary. The convocation take place through any means considered suitable, including written letters, computer resources (such as electronic mail etc.) and telematics resources (such as fax, etc.). The noticed must be at least thirty days before:
a) the date of the postmark in case the convocation letter have been sent
b) the date in the receive, in case the convocation letter have been deliver manually
c) the parcel date in case the convocation took place by email
d) the parcel date in case the convocation took place by fax
By urgency the notification time is of seven days reduced.
4. The convocation can take place also by written request of at least two third of the members. In this case the President or the Secretary General must provide the convocation within fifteen days from the delivered request with the procedure establish by the previous clause 3.
5. In the first convocation the Assembly is regularly constituted with the participation of a half plus one of the registered members, present on their own or in delegation. In the second convocation is regularly constituted whatever is the number of the presents registered members, on their own or in delegation. The registered members who cannot participate have the discretion to give their vote written, which can arrive with any method suitable considered, including the written letter, the computer resources (such as email, etc.) and telematics resources (such as fax, etc.), requested by the President or the Secretary General.
6. The President or in his absence the Vice President or the Secretary General chairs the meeting room.
7. The Assembly’s decisions are adopted in simple majority of the total voting: the votes given by the presents (including the possible delegation) added to those given in writing. In case of equality prevail the president’s vote or, in case of lack of his vote, prevail the one of who chair the Assembly.
8. It is prepared a memorandum about the Assembly’s decisions signed by the President or by who chair the Assembly.
9. The Assembly has got the following competences:
a) to analyse general problems and recommending guidelines about the Organization’s activities;
b) to decide about everything the law empower the Organization;
c) to elect every five years the members of the Executive Board including at least four Organization’s members and a Secretary General who can also be a honorary member of the Organization;
d) to name, in case of particular gratitude, or to revoke, also among the Organization’s honorary members, a Honorary President who will be part of the Executive Board until its decadence;
e) to approve the balance sheet;
f) to deliberate on statutory modifications;
g) to state every opinion on subject which is submitted to its examination.
VII. Executive Board
1. The executive Board is elected by the International Assembly and its constituted of the President, the Vice President, the Secretary General, one or more councillors and an eventually Honorary President for a total of four to nine members.
2. The Executive Board is elected every five years and is open-ended re-eligible.
3. The Executive Board elects is own President and Vice President.
4. In case of decay of a member position of the Executive Board the President or the Secretary General meets urgently the Executive Board that provides to name a new member (the first of the non-elected of the previous election).
In case of absence or refusal of the first of the non-elected of the previous election the Executive Board remains in office until the decay of the mandate if the number of the members is not less than four. If not it will prepares new elections of the Executive Board with the convocation of the International Assembly according to the previous article VI.
5. The Executive Board meets convened of the President or the Secretary General, at least once a year or when the President or the Secretary General claims it necessary.
The convocation takes place through every mean considered suitable, including a written letter, computer resources, (such as email etc.) and electronic means (such as fax, etc.). The convocation must be at least ten days before:
a) the date of the postmark in case the convocation letter have been sent
b) the date in the receive, in case the convocation letter have been deliver manually
c) the parcel date in case the convocation took place by email
d) the parcel date in case the convocation took place by fax
In urgency case the notification time is of five days reduced.
6. The convocation can take place also by written request of at least two third of the members. In this case the President or the Secretary General must provide the convocation within fifteen days from the delivered request with the procedure established by the previous clause 5 and establishing the procedures also according to the following clause 9.
7. On first convocation the Executive Board is properly constituted by the presence of half plus one of the effective members. On second convocation is properly constituted if the number of the members is not less than three. The president or, in his absence, the Vice President or the Secretary General chairs the meeting of the Executive Board.
8. The members who can not chair can delegate another member or can use the writing vote, that can arrive through any method considered suitable, including written letter, computer resources (such as email, etc.) and electronic means (such as fax, etc.) on request of the President or the Secretary General.
9. Meetings can also be performed remotely, through videoconference or other electronic means ensuring the simultaneous discussion.
10. The Executive Board’s decisions are adopted in simple majority of the total voting: the votes given by the presents added to those given in writing. The majority of the members adopt the decisions. In case of equality prevail the president’s vote or, in case of lack of his vote, prevail that of who chair the meeting.
11. It is prepared a memorandum about the meeting’s decisions signed by the President or by who chair the Assembly.
12. The Executive Board has got the following competences:
a) to establish the rules for the Organization’s activity;
b) to decide about the issues about the Organization’s activities and for the fulfilment of the goals expected by the article 11 of this statute;
c) to define the working program based on the guidelines in the program approved by the International Assembly, promoting and coordinating the activity and authorizing the
expenditure;
d) to submit for approval of the International Assembly the annual budget plan and the balance sheet;
e) to accept or reject the applications of the aspiring members;
f) to name a Scientific Coordinator according to the subject and the competence;
g) to name potential directors, consultants, representatives and specific commissions for determined works in the sphere of the social object;
h) to create or dissolve eventual working groups, offices or dependencies and allow them to use the name and/or the Organization’s symbol;
i) to name a potential Undersecretary and a potential Treasurer;
j) to ratify on the first successive session the measures of their competence adopted by the President or the Secretary General for necessity or urgency reasons;
k) to emanate the Association’s Guidelines;
l) to provide for refund of the payments, within the limits of availability, for the Organization’s members or for its appointed;
m) to deliberate on every exposed object on its examination.
VIII. The President
1. The President, who is also the Assembly and the Executive Board president, is elected by the Executive Board every five years and is re-eligible indefinitely.
2. The President can confer power of attorney to one ore more members both for single act and category of acts.
3. By necessity or urgency assumes the measures of competence of the Executive Board submitting them for ratification on the first successive session.
4. In case of temporary absence or hindrance, the concerning functions are carried on by the Vice President.
5. In case of definitive decay of the position, the Vice President or the Secretary General calls with urgency procedure the International Assembly to elect a new President.
IX. The Scientific Coordinator
1. The Scientific Coordinator expresses the Organization’s positions within the scientific community and supervises the diffusion and publication activities of the scientific information with the President and the Executive Board.
2. The Executive Board can ask such function according to the subject matters and the competence.
X. The Secretary General
1. The Secretary General can be also an honorary member of the Organization.
2. The Secretary General is the operative expression of the Executive Board’s decisions and of the whole Organization.
3. The Secretary General legally represents the Organization towards third party and in judgement and can confer power of attorney to one or more members both for single acts and category of acts.
4. The Secretary General can confer power of attorney for compliances of economic and/or administrative acts.
5. By necessity or urgency assumes the measures of competence of the Executive Board submitting them for ratification on the first successive meeting.
6. In case of temporary absence or hindrance, the concerning functions are carried on by the President.
7. In case of definitive decay of the position the President call with urgency procedure the International Assembly to elect a new Secretary General.
XI. The Honorary President
1. The Honorary President, if named by the International Assembly, is member of the Executive Board with voting right.
2. The Honorary President has not the representation of the Association nor managerial or administrative power.
3. The Honorary President can assume tasks on request of the Executive Board.
XII. The Undersecretary
1. The Undersecretary can be also an honorary member of the Organization and, if named by the Executive Board, assists the Secretary General and has got the following tasks:
a) it provides the endurance and the update of the enrolled members register;
b) it provides the fulfilment of the correspondence;
c) it is responsible for the redaction and the conservation of the meeting’s memorandums of the collegial body;
2. In absence of the designation, the Undersecretary’s functions will be unrolled by an Executive Board’s member or by a Organization’s member after the nomination by the Executive Board itself.
XIII. The Treasurer
1. The treasurer can be also an honorary member of the Organization and, if named by the Executive Board, has got the following tasks:
a) he prepares the framework of the project of the budget and the balance sheet that submits to the Executive Board;
b) he provides the management of the Organization’s registers and the accountability as well as the conservation of the related documentation, with the indication of the name of the payers;
c) he provides the income collections and the payment outcomes in accordance to the Executive Board’s decisions.
2. Without a proper nomination, the Treasure’s functions will be managed by a member of the Executive Board or of the Organization, after the designation by the Executive Board itself.
XIV. Third party liability
1. The Organization is bound toward third parties by the Secretary General’s signature.
2. The delegation leaders, offices and dependences are bound toward third parties only by their signature.
3. The independence of the delegations, offices and dependences concerns only property issues: the head office is not liable for debts of the delegations, offices and dependences and those are not liable for debts of the head office. The accounting administration of the delegations, offices and dependences is completely detached and is not liable for those of the head office.
4. Each delegations, offices and dependences must respect this Statute and also every guideline from the Executive Board or the President or the Secretary General.
5. In case the Executive Board, or the President or the Secretary General in his name, revokes the concession of the use of the denomination and the logo to an association of previous article I clause 2 this lose every right on the use of the name and the symbol of the Organization.
6. In case the Executive Board, or the President or the Secretary General in his name, dissolves a delegation, a office or a dependence of previous article I clause 3 this immediately stop to exist and lose every right on the use of the name and the symbol of the Organization. The funds at his disposal are taken from the Organization’s head office.
XV. Gratuity and term of offices
1. All the social offices are free. They last five years and can be confirmed.
2. The substitutions and the cooptations realized in the five years fall at the expiry of the same five years.
XVI. Economic resources
1. The Organization draws economic resources for the operation and implementation of its activity from:
a) participant’s contributions;
b) contributions from privates or associations, even foreign;
c) contributions of the State, bodies and of public institutions, even foreign;
d) contributions of bodies or private organisms national or international;
e) donations and bequest;
f) refund from agreements;
g) income from commercial and productive marginal activities;
h) chattel or real estate’s income reached from the Organization at any title.
2. The funds are settled down at the Credit Institute established by the Executive Board.
3. Each finance operation is organized with separated signature of the Secretary General, the President and the Treasurer.
XVII. Balance sheet
1. Every year must be drawn, by the Executive Board, the budget and the balance sheet to be submitted to the International Assembly’s approval, which will decide by majority vote of the presents members.
2. From the balance sheet must result the goods, the contributions and the bequests received.
3. The balance sheet must correspond to the calendar year.
XVIII. Statutory modification
1. The proposed modification of the Statute can be presented to the International Assembly by one of the agency or by at least two third of the registered members.
2. The related deliberations are approved by the International Assembly (called in extraordinary session) with the positive vote of the absolute majority of the presents registered members according to the procedures of the article VI.
XIX. Dissolution
1. The dissolution can be proposed only from the Executive Board.
2. The Organization can be dissolved by the deliberation of the International Assembly with the majority of the two third of the votes of the registered members.
3. In case of dissolution the funds and existent goods net will be devolved, according to the Executive Board’s decision, to other or others associations, which pursue the same aims of the Organization.
XX. Reference law
1. As regard not covered by this Statute it refers to the existing legislative dispositions.