IVU GENERAL MEETING
MINUTES
Thursday 11 July
2002 and Friday 12 July 2002
Edinburgh, Scotland
SUMMARY
The General Meeting (GM) of member
societies of the International Vegetarian Union (IVU) was held to conduct
the business of IVU. It took place at the 35th World Vegetarian
Congress (WVC) on Thursday 11 July 2002 from 9 am to 11 am and Friday
12 July 2002 from 7:15 pm to 8:30 pm at Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh,
Scotland.
ATTENDEES
Member organizations numbered
26 with a total of 33 votes. Individuals numbered about 70 and included:
- International Council (IC) members
- Gerry Coffey, Saurabh Dalal, Tina Fox, Mitsuru Kakimoto, Claude Pasquini,
Kevin Pickard, David Pye, Jashu Shah, Paul Turner, and Marly Winckler.
- Elected to the IC at the 35th
WVC - Maxwell Lee, Francisco Martin
- IVU Webmaster - John Davis.
FACILITATOR
Kevin Pickard (IC Chair) chaired
the meeting and was assisted by Tina Fox (IC Deputy Chair), Saurabh
Dalal (IVU Secretary), and David Pye (IVU Treasurer).
SCRIBE
Saurabh Dalal as IVU Secretary
took the meeting minutes and was assisted by David Pye for a brief duration
in the meeting. (These minutes were prepared by Saurabh and reviewed
by IC.)
1. Welcome
Kevin Pickard chaired the meeting
and welcomed the attendees.
2. Meeting Procedures
The agenda was distributed to
the attendees, as were copies of the minutes from the previous meeting
of member societies and the agreement between IVU and the Vegetarian
Union of North America (VUNA). Kevin Pickard explained the general meeting
procedures. The voting system had been put in place just before the
beginning of the meeting for eligible member societies.
3. Apologies for Absence
Apologies for absence were sent
by Robert Fraser (IVU Regional Secretary for Australasia) and P.K. Jain
(IVU Regional Secretary for Africa).
4. Minutes of Previous Meeting
of Member Societies
The minutes of the previous meeting
of member societies, held at the 34th WVC in Toronto, Canada,
on 12 July 2000, were prepared by Saurabh Dalal. These minutes were
reviewed by IC in 2000 and circulated to the member societies via email
for comments. Since the minutes had been reviewed in detail, a motion
was made to accept the minutes as written. All but 2 voted in favor,
none voted against, and 2 abstained. Therefore the minutes of the meeting
of member societies held in 2000 were approved.
5. Secretary’s Report
Saurabh Dalal presented a brief
report on the affairs of IVU since the WVC in 2000. In this period,
minutes from the 34th WVC in Canada were produced, reviewed,
and circulated; the minutes from the meetings of the IC were produced
and reviewed; three issues of the IVU News magazine were produced; the
IVU website and email lists continue to generate tremendous interest
in IVU and vegetarianism; continuous discussions were held regarding
the current WVC in Scotland; potential bids for WVCs 2004 and 2006 were
sought with early discussion; proposals for refinements to the IVU bylaws
and one constitutional alteration proposal were made; the IVU Grants
program was created and launched; candidates were recruited for the
IVU’s elections in 2002 and their statements were circulated; an agreement
was reached between the IC of IVU and VUNA; the IVU had gained status
as a registered company in the UK; early progress was being made for
status as an NGO; general correspondences were made with many individuals
and organizations.
IVU’s sympathy was expressed
on the passing away of Arne Vindquist, a longtime friend and supporter
of IVU.
Saurabh concluded his report
by stating that more information regarding IVU would be included in
the Treasurer’s report and the Membership Secretary’s report.
6. Treasurer’s Report
David Pye handed out the
IVU Treasurer’s Report dated July 2002. David mentioned subscriptions
and donations were gradually increasing; the IVU News magazine is becoming
more sophisticated and costs were about 3150 GBP for printing three
issues; and the website is becoming very popular and attracts many people,
and while costing IVU about 2000 GBP in 2001-2, brings in revenue from
subscriptions, business supporters, and commission from book sales.
David showed income over
expenditure for 2000-1 to be about 4200 GBP whereas that number dropped
to less than 900 GBP in 2001-2. The total value of IVU’s assets was
69189 GBP at the end of March 2000 and rose modestly to 73278 GBP at
the end of March 2002.
David expressed that the
financial future of IVU is generally good, and although income is not
high, IVU should be able to support its planned work with this financial
base.
David explained that IVUs Gilt
fund investment worth 40,000 pounds brings in 2,434 pounds per annum.
Our dollar and sterling current accounts together have 32,000 pounds
but only brings in 660 pounds in interest per annum. David recommended
that IVU should invest up to 25,000 pound of this cash in Gilts or ethical
investment to increase the annual income.
Several questions and comments
came from the floor. These included: IVU having 10 times its expenditures
in reserves is high; what was the development fund and where did the
funds come from?; and that Lloyd’s may support greater third world debts
and we should consider a different ethical investment.
Responses were made as follows.
Higher reserves were needed to support the expansion of IVU’s work (the
grants program and establishing IVU as an NGO as two examples) and since
IVU’s income is not high, greater reserves were needed to create income.
David further explained that
the 40,000 pound invested in the guilt fund was made up of the old Mankar,
Mehta, and patrons funds.
Other concerns would be addressed
and deliberated by the IC.
The motion was put forth
to accept the accounts; the voting was all in favor with no objections
or abstentions.
7. Membership Report
Tina Fox (IVU Membership Secretary
and Deputy Chair) reported that IVU has about 300 members. About 100
of these are groups that promote vegetarianism around the world. The
remainder is comprised of business supporters or individuals (which
include Patrons). In the past year, business and internet supporters
are the largest area of growth.
Tina urged member organizations
to send any news to IVU for the IVU News magazine.
8. Elections for the IC
Kevin informed that there
were 10 individuals standing for election and 10 slots for the IC. The
names of the nominees were read and those in attendance were asked to
stand. The names were: Saurabh Dalal, Tina Fox, Maxwell
Lee, Francisco Martin, Claude Pasquini, Kevin Pickard, Jashu Shah, Paul
Turner.
With the same number of nominees
as open positions for the IC, voting was simplified by a motion to accept
all the candidates in a single vote. With all present but 1 in favor,
no votes against, and 1 abstention, the motion was carried.
All 10 candidates were declared
as elected to the new IC of IVU and congratulated. Those councilors
not continuing on the new IC (Richard Dimech and Mitsuru Kakimoto) were
thanked for their service to IVU and the greater vegetarian cause.
9. Governing Documents
a. Company Registration
David Pye explained that if
IVU became a registered UK charity and a registered UK company, the
status of IVU would increase, security to the organization would result,
and IVU would be allowed to hold a bank account and investments in
the UK without incurring tax. This would also help greatly in allowing
IVU to gain NGO status in the UK.
As the first step on this
path, IVU became a registered company on 10 May 2001. The decision
to register IVU was taken by the IC and is subject to ratification
by the general membership. As a registered company, the constitution
of IVU had to be divided into Memorandum of Association and Articles
of Association. This was completed without changing the meaning of
the constitution and is available on the IVU website.
A motion was made to accept
the decision of IVU being a registered company in the UK and to convert
the IVU Constitution to the Articles of the Company. All voted to
pass the motion with none against or abstaining.
b. Alterations / Amendments
One alteration to the IVU
Constitution (now the Articles of the Company) was proposed. It was
recommended by the IC to change Section 3.a. from:
‘Membership is open to any
non-profit organization that advocates vegetarianism and is governed
exclusively by vegetarians’
to:
‘Membership is open to
any non-profit organization whose primary purpose is to promote vegetarianism
and is governed exclusively by vegetarians’.
All but 1 were in favor
of the change, with none against and 1 abstention.
***
At this point in the meeting, the
allocated time was nearly exhausted. A motion was made to move to item
#14 of the agenda and allow the Vegetarian Society Singapore to make their
presentation for the WVC in 2004. Then the current meeting would be adjourned
and would reconvene at a suitable time during the WVC. All but 1 were
in favor of the motion, with none against and 1 abstention.
***
14. World Vegetarian Congresses
b. 2004: Representatives of the
Vegetarian Society Singapore (VSS) - Yeow Nguan Loh, Kau Wee Ngo, and
Haresh (Harry) Sakhrani - presented a bid for the 2004 WVC in Singapore.
Information was provided on the multi-cultural atmosphere, its large
number of hotels and meeting facilities, and suitability as a venue
for a WVC. A brief video from their tourist bureau was shown.
A number of questions and comments
arose from the floor regarding the potential congress facilities and
financial considerations. These were discussed and then the attendees
decided it would be best to have the IC in close contact with VSS to
understand and resolve any issues. (There were no other bids for the
WVC in 2004.)
A motion was made to accept the
VSS bid provisionally for 2004 and the IC to work with VSS to help ensure
a successful WVC. All voted in favor with no objections or abstentions.
***
The Meeting of Member Societies
was reconvened on Friday 12 July 2002 at 7:15 PM. About 50 people were
in attendance including 23 voting delegates.
***
10. Bylaws Amendments
The following bylaw amendments
were proposed and approved by the meeting.
a. Bylaw 7.h. be changed from:
"Voting on Bylaw amendments
shall be conducted by mail or electronic means."
to:
"Voting on Bylaw
amendments may be made at a General Meeting or by mail or electronic
ballot."
All voted in favor with
no objections or abstentions.
b. Bylaw 4.4p. contradicts 4.4.i.
Bylaw 4.4.p. would be deleted and Bylaw 4.4.i. would be changed from:
"The IC may fill any
vacancies which may occur on the Council between Congresses and may
co-opt up to two additional members who shall have full, voting rights."
to :
"The IC may fill
any vacancies which may occur on the Council between Congresses and
may co-opt up to three additional members who shall have full, voting
rights."
Questions arose on the
duration of the term of co-opted IC members and the removal process
for them. After some discussion, it was decided to make another proposal,
later in the meeting, to clarify such matters.
A motion was made to accept
the proposal as read. All voted in favor with no objections or abstentions.
c. Bylaw 4.3.d be changed from
(1st sentence only):
"The Secretary shall
mail or email a list containing the names of candidates to all voting
member organisations one month prior to a membership meeting."
to :
"The Secretary shall
mail or email a list containing the names of all candidates to all
voting member organisations one month prior to a membership meeting."
All but 2 voted in favor,
with no objections and 2 abstentions.
d. Bylaw 4.2.k. be changed from:
"Only delegates of
member organisations shall be entitled to vote at a General Meeting
or ballot, and all delegates must be vegetarians. ."
to :
"Only delegates
of member organisations shall be entitled to vote at a General Meeting
or ballot. All delegates must be vegetarians and a member of the society
for which they are a delegate."
All voted in favor with
no objections or abstentions.
e. To bring the Bylaws in-line
with a decision made at the Meeting of Member Societies at the 34th
WVC in Toronto, Canada, a new bylaw before Bylaw 4.2.c. would have to
be inserted:
"IVU will conduct
all communications with member societies using email. Email addresses
must be supplied by member societies as a means for them to take part
in IVU discussions and voting, other than at a General Meeting."
Minor changes would be
made throughout the Bylaws to make the document consistent for email
communications and removing ‘postal’ communications.
A concern was raised about
groups not having reliable email access and their ability to participate
in email discussions. The IC will work with such groups to help them
gain internet access and/or to participate in discussions.
The motion was made to
accept the proposal as read. All but 7 voted in favor with no objections
and 7 abstentions.
f. To clarify the term of co-opted
IC members and those elected to fill vacant IC positions as well as
any removal process, the following bylaw was proposed and would be inserted
at the end of Bylaw 4.4.i.:
"All such positions
shall be valid until the next General Meeting or such earlier date
as IC shall determine by a 2/3 majority."
The motion was made to
accept the proposal as read. All but 3 voted in favor with no objections
and 3 abstentions.
g. To clarify the term of Regional
Representatives and any removal process, the following bylaw was proposed
and would be inserted at the end of Bylaw 5.e.:
"All such positions
shall be valid until the next General Meeting or such earlier date
as IC shall determine by a 2/3 majority."
The motion was made to
accept the proposal as read. All but 3 voted in favor with no objections
and 3 abstentions.
11. Regional Organizations
- The regions of IVU were identified
and the current regional representatives were asked to stand if present.
They are:
Africa – P.K. Jain
Asia – Jashu Shah
Australasia – Robert Fraser
Europe – Claude Pasquini
Latin America – Marly Winckler
North America – Gerry Coffey
A comment from the
floor was made that a continent like Africa was so large and diverse
that IVU might want to split the region. The IC would look into such
possibilities as needed.
Since time was short,
it was suggested that regional reports be made via the IVU News and
email.
- The IC and VUNA had come to
a formal understanding and agreement in early 2001 on how the two parties
would work together. Copies of the agreement were available and also
on-line at www.ivu.org/members/vuna.html
After some basic questions,
a motion was made for IVU to adopt the IVU/VUNA agreement. All but 4
were in favor, with no objections and 4 abstentions.
12. Mankar Award
Some discussion was held about
the criteria the IC should use for selecting the recipient for IVU’s
Mankar Award.
13. IVU Communications
- IVU News/Magazine
Paul Turner, Editor of
IVU News, was thanked for his efforts with the IVU News magazine. It
was noted that the publication was an excellent means for IVU to communicate
to its members and others.
A comment was made
from the floor that IVU consider making IVU News quarterly.
- Website (www.ivu.org)
John Davis, IVU Webmaster,
was thanked for his efforts with the presence of IVU on the internet.
The tremendous growth in the number of website pages accessed and increasing
use of IVU email lists were a tribute to John’s diligence and resourcefulness.
14. World Vegetarian Congresses
- 2002: Tina Fox, Chief Executive
of the Vegetarian Society of UK (VSUK), made a few remarks regarding
the current 2002 WVC. Tina reported that 270 plus delegates representing
29 countries have attended the WVC. Financially the congress is likely
to just about break even and that she was very pleased with the excellent
atmosphere and facilities at Heriot Watt University.
Tina and the VSUK congress volunteers
were given heartfelt thanks from IVU for the fine job they had done.
- 2004: (Reported earlier in these
minutes, after agenda item 9.)
- 2006: The IVU is still looking
for bids for the WVC in 2006. Initial interest has been shown by 1 or
2 societies but nothing concrete has occurred.
- 2008: IVU will celebrate its
100th anniversary in 2008. The centennial celebration is
a tremendous opportunity to promote IVU and should be incorporated into
the 2008 WVC.
15. Other Business
IVU will send a statement advocating
vegetarianism to the UN World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg,
South Africa. This statement would be made available for all member
groups who required it for press and promotional efforts.
16. Vote of Thanks
Thanks were given to all for
attending IVU’s meeting of member societies at the 35th WVC
in Edinburgh, Scotland.
The meeting ended at 8:30 pm on
Friday 12 July 2002.
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