The I.O.F.O.S. Constitution

(First adopted in 1987 and amended pursuant to resolutions adopted at the 2023 General Assembly held in Dubrovnik. The Organization was officially registered under the name I.O.F.O.S. on 14 February 2024)

1.Name :

The Organization shall be known as the lNTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR FORENSICODONTO-STOMATOLOGY, with the official abbreviation I.O.F.O.S. (It was officially registered on 14 February 2024)

2.Objects:

(a) To provide a liaison between societies of (legal) forensic odontology on a global basis.

(b) To promote goodwill, advancement and research in forensic odontology.

3. Membership:

(a) Any society may be given membership, provided its regulations are in accordance with I.O.F.O.S. objectives.

(b) The Executive may, by unanimous vote, accept new member societies; otherwise, the General Assembly delegates may accept new member societies by a simple majority vote.

(c) Member societies have the obligation to send to I.O.F.O.S. a yearly report of their activities in forensic odontology.

(d) Each member society shall have one vote at the General Assembly vested in their elected member delegate.

(e) Membership by a member society will terminate upon written notice from that society, or if that member society’s dues remain unpaid for one year. The General Assembly can revoke a member society’s membership in I.O.F.O.S. with a 2/3 majority vote.

4. Executive:

(a) Shall consist of a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Editor, Webmaster, and Newsletter editor

(b) May come from the same member society, but this is not mandatory.

(d) May arrange postal voting by the member societies if urgent and important questions are to be decided.

(e) Shall maintain contacts with other international societies or associations for conference cooperation

(f) Functional period is from one General Assembly to the next.

5. Banking:

The organization may establish accounts in its name only and shall have any two of the following as signatories: President, Vice-President, Secretary/Treasurer. All accounts must be audited prior to each General Assembly and a report included in the Secretary’s report tothat meeting.

6.Election Committee:

(a) Should consist of a representative from each of three member societies.

(b) The Election Committee shall receive candidacies for the President submitted by candidates nominated by member societies no later than six months before the General Assembly held in conjunction with the Triennial Congress.

(c) No more than one society nominated for the Executive may come from a society currently a member of the election committee.

(d) Member societies of the current Election Committee may be re-elected to the next Election Committee.

(e) An Auditor shall be nominated from a member society different than the Executive.

(f) The Election Committee for the succeeding three-year term shall be appointed by the President elected at the same General Assembly for that term. Voting may be by written secret ballot.

(g) The Election Committee shall verify the validity of all candidacies for President before they are submitted for election by the member societies at the General Assembly.

7. General Assembly:

(a) Should be normally held during the dedicated triennal International Scientific IOFOS meetings.

(b) A notice of meeting and call for agenda items should be sent to member societies six months before the General Assembly, and an agenda sent three months before that meeting.

(c) Shall consist of one delegate member from each member society who shall have one vote. The member society must, prior to the General Assembly, have notified the Secretary, in writing as to who will be its delegate. That delegate must be a regular member of that member society, Individual members from each member society may also attend the General Assembly and comment on Items under discussion, but only delegates representing member societies may vote.

(d) Receive and table for discussion and acceptance, reports from the President, Secretary/Treasurer and Editor.

(e) The Executive Board and the Auditor appointed by the President elected for the next three-year term needs to be approved by the General Assembly. Such approval may be conducted by written secret ballot.

(f) Elects an Election Committee consisting of three representatives, each from a different society. The Election Committee shall receive candidacies for the position of President of IOFOS from candidates nominated by member societies no later than six months before the next General Assembly.

(g) Determines the main elements of the policy for the next three year period.

(h) Determines the yearly fees for member societies, which shall be an equal amount for each member society.

(t) Discuss and determine upon business suggested for a member society preferably before the call for the General Assembly or suggested at that General Assembly.

8. Changes to the Regulations and Supplementary Instructions:

(a) These regulations shall only be changed with a 2/3 majority vote of delegates at a General Assembly provided that the motion relating to the suggested change is included in the agenda of the meeting circulated to the member societies three months prior to that General Assembly.

(b) The General Assembly may decide upon instructions supplementary to the regulations. These may be added to, revised, or deleted by a simple majority of votes by delegates at the General Assembly. Proposals may be introduced at the General Assembly.

9. Dissolution

(a) I.O.F.O.S. may be dissolved with a 3/4 majority vote of those delegates present at the General Assembly, provided that the recommendation for such dissolution Is placed on the agenda Of the meeting circulated to member societies three months prior to the meeting.