Constitution – International Council for Philosophy and Human Sciences

As accepted and confirmed January 18, 1949, in Paris, and as amended in Paris September 28, 1955, in Mexico September 21, 1963, in Rio de Janeiro September 14, 1973, in Dubrovnik September 23, 1975, in Montreal September 15, 1977, in Cairo November 21, 1986, in Beijing, December 8, 2015, and in Tokyo, August 22, 2023

ARTICLE I – NAME, SCOPE AND AIMS

The International Council for Philosophy and Human Sciences/Conseil International de la Philosophie et des Sciences Humaines, with the acronym CIPSH, was founded in Brussels in 1949, at the request of UNESCO and under its auspices, following a meeting organized by the Union Académique Internationale to bring together representatives of non-governmental organizations.
CIPSH is a non-governmental and non-profit-making organization comprised of international and regional member organisations as well as affiliated organisations that conduct and encourage research in philosophy and other disciplines belonging to the human sciences in the broadest sense of the term. CIPSH also has individual Honorary Members.
In addressing the concerns of the human sciences worldwide, CIPSH identifies as its principal aims:
1. To promote the international cooperation among non-governmental scholarly organisations that bring together scholars and scholarly communities specializing in the fields of philosophy and other human sciences and in the interfaces between these fields and the social and natural sciences, the arts, as well as in other endeavours that attempt to contribute to the understanding of human beings and their cultural expressions.
2. To promote the development of the relevant disciplines throughout the world, in order to enhance mutual understanding between scholars, and recognition of their different methods, and to share the most significant findings from their newest work. In this sense, the aim is to promote the advancement and dissemination of knowledge. This should also contribute to the recognition and respect of present and past cultural differences in all their diversity and specificity, and to answering the need for a genuinely equitable sharing of knowledge.
3. To advocate and promote all scholarly research, whether concerned with cultural production, or with the variety of organizational and functional patterns manifested by different societies, and envisaged in the broadest possible spatial and temporal frame. This goal can be achieved only through dialogue among the disciplines, especially to bring the human sciences and the social and natural sciences closer together. Their common concern is with human beings, groups, and corresponding contextual conditions, and encompasses the ways in which human societies organize their thoughts, actions, lives, and value systems.
4. To communicate the results of research on civil society and governance in ways that make it broadly visible. Human societies are in need of the kind of analyses, understanding and explanations that are provided by the human as well as the social sciences, in order for these societies to better face the challenges of the contemporary world.
In order to achieve these aims, CIPSH undertakes:
1. To encourage cooperation and interconnection among the human sciences, as well as between these and the social and natural sciences, since this cooperation and interconnection is indispensable for the analysis and understanding of the complexities inherent in the phenomena under study.
2. To support the development of international initiatives and cooperative efforts which comply with the aims of CIPSH, namely promoting the collaboration between its members and affiliates and by supporting and complementing their own initiatives.
3. To identify, suggest, and support projects and research programs, inter alia by way of CIPSH chairs and the awarding of CIPSH prizes, that can inspire scholars from different disciplines and different regions of the world to address themes of common interest as well as strengthen communities of scholars involved in research.
4. To hold a world academic conference every four years in conjunction with the CIPSH General Assembly
5. To sponsor, co-sponsor or in other ways encourage and support regional, sectoral and other ad hoc conferences hosted by member organizations or affiliates.
6. To publish and support its international and interdisciplinary journal Diogenes and other publications within the scope of CIPSH aims.
7. To take every action that can reduce, and in the long run eliminate, the many inequalities, e.g. in terms of gender and power, which structure the production, validation, and circulation, as well as international recognition and the acquisition of knowledge, in the fields of study concerned.

ARTICLE II – COMPOSITION

Members: CIPSH is an international Confederation whose member organisations are international or regional scholarly organisations (federations, societies, associations, unions).
1. Members pay a membership fee, have the right to be represented by two delegates each in the General Assembly and to designate one representative to the Executive Committee. Members are entitled to propose candidates to the eligible offices of CIPSH.
2. A scholarly organisation may only be elected as a member on the condition that it enjoys well-established authority, that it plays a significant scholarly role on an international or regional level, that it is fully representative of one or more independent branches of study, that it has permanent governing, executive bodies and authorized representatives elected following standard practices of transparency and fairness, and, finally, that it engages solely in work supervised by a general assembly of its members.
3. The International Union of Academies has a special status among the members due to its historical role in the activities of CIPSH. This is reflected in the number of delegates to the General Assembly and of representatives in the Executive Committee, as defined in the by-laws.
Affiliates: CIPSH also admits, as affiliates, international, regional, national and local research units and scholarly networks, as well as related organizations that support research in the Humanities.
1. Affiliates, paying a smaller fee than full members, have the right to be represented by one delegate in the General Assembly, with speaking rights but no voting rights.
2. Affiliates will have one representative in the Executive Committee, elected by the General Assembly, with speaking rights, but no voting rights.
New members and affiliates are admitted to CIPSH, upon application and on the recommendation of the Board or 30% of the members of the Executive Committee, and by the decision of the General Assembly upon a majority of two-thirds of the cast votes.
The General Assembly may also, on the recommendation of the Board or 30% of the members of the Executive Committee, and upon a majority of two-thirds of the cast votes confer the status of Honorary Member to specific persons for their relevant contributions to knowledge in the Humanities and for their relevant services to the CIPSH. Honorary Members may attend meetings with speaking rights but have no voting rights.

ARTICLE III – HEADQUARTERS AND LEGAL REGISTRATION

CIPSH is legally registered in France as an association under the law of the 1st July 1901 and the decree of the 16th August 1901 (“association relevant de la loi du 1er juillet 1901 et du décret du 16 août 1901”). A corresponding French version of the current Constitution, adapted to French national legal regulations, is approved together with this English version.
The headquarters of CIPSH are currently located in Paris, France. The General Assembly of CIPSH may change the location of the CIPSH headquarters upon approval of two thirds of its members.
The Executive Committee, upon proposal of the Board, may establish other delegations.
The administrative secretary of CIPSH is seated in the location indicated by the secretary-general.
The treasury of CIPSH is seated in the location indicated by the secretary-general, providing his/her access to the bank account is secured.
The archives of CIPSH will be kept by the secretary-general in function for the duration of the mandate and will be transferred to the following secretary-general. Archives of no longer daily needed documentation will be deposited in an official archiving institution, preferably the Archives of UNESCO.

ARTICLE IV – RESOURCES OF CIPSH

Each member and affiliate shall contribute each year to CIPSH according to a graded scale of fees for respectively members and affiliates determined by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Board and the Executive Committee. This will be included in the by-laws of CIPSH.
A member or affiliate that fails to pay the stipulated fee in due time may attend and intervene in the meetings of the Executive Committee and General Assembly, but without voting rights.
A member or affiliate who has not paid its membership fee for three consecutive years shall be considered suspended from its membership or affiliation to CIPSH.
The revenues of CIPSH are made up from:
1. Annual fees.
2. Research and project grants.
3. The revenue from the sale of publications, the organization of scientific events or the delivery of services.
4. Other subsidies, gifts and legacies; recognised by law and accepted by the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE V – DELIBERATIVE BODIES

The deliberative bodies of CIPSH are:
1. The General Assembly.
2. The Executive Committee.
3. The Board.
All deliberative bodies may meet and take decisions either in presence or online, except when stated otherwise in the Constitution.

ARTICLE VI – GENERAL ASSEMBLY

The members and affiliates of CIPSH, represented by a specified number of delegates and votes, form the General Assembly.
The General Assembly is chaired by the President of CIPSH.
The General Assembly:
1. Approves the strategy of CIPSH upon the recommendation of the Board and the Executive Committee.
2. Elects the Board.
3. Approves the budget and annual fees to be paid by members and affiliates.
4. Decides on structural options concerning the scientific, editorial and other outreach policies of CIPSH.
5. Admits new members and affiliates as well as individual Honorary Members on the recommendation of the Executive Committee or the Board.
6. Approves the creation of special projects and designates the persons responsible for them.
7. Decides on the exclusion of any member or affiliate for reasons pertaining to the failure to pay annual fees and for any other reason.
8. Has the ultimate power of decision on all matters concerning the functioning of CIPSH and the accomplishment of its mission, including the modification of its Constitution.
The General Assembly shall meet in ordinary session every four years as defined in the By-Laws. It may meet in extraordinary session upon the call of the Board or at the request of members who are all up to date with the payment of their membership fee and who altogether represent at least one third of the votes of the members of CIPSH.
The provisional agenda for ordinary sessions shall be drawn up by the Board and communicated to the members and affiliates of CIPSH not less than one month before the opening of the session.
The General Assembly may meet electronically and take decisions through electronic ballot, on all its obligations, except changes in the Constitution.
The functioning of the General Assembly, the admitted number of votes and delegates are fixed by the dispositions of the By-Laws.
The dispositions regulating proxies are included in the By-Laws.
The rules defined in the By-Laws shall establish a fair balance between the rights and duties of the members, as well as the rights and duties of the affiliates, and secure an appropriate status to the International Union of Academies.
Decisions shall be taken by a simple majority of votes cast, except when stated otherwise in the present Constitution.

ARTICLE VII – EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

The Executive Committee is the main decision-making body in-between sessions of the General Assembly.
The Executive Committee is composed of:
1. The elected Board;
2. Two scholars proposed by the International Union of Academies;
3. One scholar with voting rights designated by each member;
4. One representative without voting rights appointed by each affiliate society;
5. One representative without voting rights appointed by each of the strategic CIPSH projects and upon the recommendation of the Board.
Former Presidents of CIPSH automatically become Honorary Members of CIPSH and have the right to attend the meetings of the Executive Committee and General Assembly, without voting rights.
The terms of office of each member of the Executive Committee is decided by the members and affiliates who shall appoint their delegates/representatives. Normally, a member of the Executive Committee shall be appointed for the period between two consecutive General Assemblies.
The Executive Committee meets at least once a year: in between meetings of the General Assembly and before the meeting of the General Assembly, for:
1. Approval of minutes from the most recent meeting.
2. Approval of the annual report of activities.
3. Approval of the plan of activities for the following year.
4. Approval of the related specific budgets.
5. Approval of the reports, plans and budget of special projects.
6. Appointment of special and temporary committees.
7. Approval of the agenda prepared by the Board for the meetings of the General Assembly.
8. Endorsement of major projects in the field of the human sciences and award of grants for them.
9. Recommendation of new members and affiliates.
10. Approval of any other issues that may be considered relevant.
Following each of the meetings of the Executive Committee, the Secretary-General shall prepare, within 15 days, a first draft of the minutes of the meeting, including reports presented. After a revision of this draft of minutes by the Executive Committee, a final version will be adopted within 30 days from the meeting and the Secretary-General shall circulate it to all the members and affiliates of CIPSH.
The Executive Committee will make its decisions within the framework of the directives formulated by the General Assembly, especially where financial matters are concerned.
In case of justified need and upon approval of a majority of two thirds, the Executive Committee may meet via video-conference.
The Executive Committee may opt for an electronic ballot for the vote on any issues of its competence, except when stated otherwise in the Constitution, in the By-Laws or in deliberations of the Executive Committee itself.

ARTICLE VIII – BOARD

The Board shall exercise the functions of the governing body of CIPSH between sessions of the Executive Committee and consists of the President, who is also President of CIPSH, the Secretary-General, the Treasurer, the immediate Past President, two to four Vice-Presidents, a Deputy Secretary-General, and a Deputy Treasurer.
The officers of the Board are elected by the General Assembly.
The Board shall meet at least twice a year for the transaction of such necessary business as may arise between meetings of the Executive Committee. It shall also meet when the Secretary-General faces the need to make decisions related to activities unforeseen in the plan of activities, or whenever the President or any of its members identifies such a need.
Members of the Executive Committee of CIPSH, as defined in article VII, article 2, may be invited to attend Board meetings.
The Board shall recommend to the Executive Committee the names of three persons to serve as Nominating Committee for the election of the new Board.
The Board can if needed meet by video-conference.
The Secretary-General shall prepare and circulate the minutes of such meetings to the Board members. Following a preliminary adoption of the minutes, the Secretary-General shall send the minutes to the Executive Committee.
The officers of the Board of CIPSH are re-eligible to the same office twice, thus serving for a maximum of two terms of four years in one office. An officer may be re-elected for another office for a period of maximum one term of four years. At each election of a new President, the immediate past President continues as a member of the Board until his or her successor remains in charge.
A member of the Board may thus be elected for different function, but shall not be on the Board for more than all in all twelve consecutive years.
In electing members of the Board, the Assembly shall try to ensure both continuity and renewal, which are equally indispensable, and strive for fair representation of fields, gender and regions.
The President of the Board:
1. Is the President of CIPSH.
2. Presides over the sessions of the Executive Committee.
3. Represents CIPSH in all official relations with other institutions.
4. Coordinates with the Secretary-General the activities and agenda of the Board.
5. May delegate her or his powers to the Secretary-General or other members of the Executive Committee.
6. Shall have a quality vote, in case of a tie in the deliberations of the Board, the Executive Committee and the General Assembly, except in case of election of new officers of CIPSH.
The Secretary-General, acting under the authority of the Board:
1. Directs and conducts the daily business of the CIPSH Board in cooperation with the President and the Treasurer
2. Represents CIPSH in all ordinary business circumstances, with the assent of the President.
3. Makes up the minutes from the CIPSH business meetings, dispatches these and other correspondence, organizes meetings, and prepares and distributes the publications authorized by the Board,
4. May delegate her or his authority to the Deputy Secretary-General or another member of the Executive Committee.
The Treasurer:
1. Shall make the payments of the CIPSH in accordance with the agreed-upon budget and decisions of the Board, the Executive Committee, and the General Assembly
2. Shall monitor the accounts of members and the affiliates showing the use made of subsidies granted by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Board and the Executive Committee.
3. Maintains a regular correspondence with the Treasurers (or equivalent officers) of the member organizations and affiliates of CIPSH.
4. Shall draw up an annual financial report and a budget, which shall be submitted to the Executive Committee.
5. Shall propose to the Board, the Executive Committe, and the General Assembly the annual fees of respectively members and affiliated organisations.
6. Shall monitor and oversee the financial reports of CIPSH chairs, Diogenes and other projects of CIPSH.
7. Shall have the accounts of CIPSH audited by an expert accountant.
The Vice-Presidents will have special tasks and competences as defined by the Board. They may represent the President upon her/his request.
The Deputy Secretary-General and the Deputy Treasurer will assist, respectively, the Secretary-General and the Treasurer in the completion of their tasks.

ARTICLE IX – RELATIONS WITH OTHER ORGANISATIONS

CIPSH may conclude agreements with organizations other than its members and affiliates. Such agreements shall be drawn up under the authority of the Board and shall come into force when approved by the Executive Committee.
Such agreements may be amended or rejected by the General Assembly upon a decision adopted by a majority of the two-thirds of the members of CIPSH.
Agreements involving external financial funding shall be monitored by the Treasurer.

ARTICLE X – DISSOLUTION

A decision to dissolve CIPSH must be taken by a specifically summoned General Assembly and upon a resolution approved by a majority of two-thirds of the members of CIPSH.
In case of dissolution, the Assembly shall appoint three liquidators of different nationalities.
Diogenes and the other assets of CIPSH will, under such circumstances, be given to scientific associations chosen by the General Assembly.

ARTICLE XI – BY-LAWS

The detailed application of the present Constitution shall be governed by the By-Laws.
The By-Laws shall be drawn up by the Board, and approved by both the Executive Committee and the General Assembly.
Decisions as to matters not covered by this Constitution are left to the Executive Committee, who will inform the members of CIPSH of any decision concerning the functioning of CIPSH.

ARTICLE XII – IMPLEMENTATION AND AMENDMENT OF THE CONSTITUTION

This Constitution shall be governed by, and interpreted in accordance with, French law.
This Constitution shall be drawn up in two languages: English and French. After the approval of amendments to the Constitution in one of the languages, a complete version in the other language shall be prepared within one month.
This constitution shall be implemented from the moment of its approval by the General Assembly.
1. For the term initiated in 2023, in the case of the election of Vice-Presidents and Deputy Secretary-General and Deputy Treasurer, as established in article VIII, paragraph 1, the Board elected under the previous Constitution structure will prepare a proposal, within 30 days after the XXXVI General Assembly, to be submitted for approval of the elected Executive Committee within 60 days from the same date.
This Constitution shall not be amended except by a decision of the General Assembly taken by a two thirds majority of its members. Proposals for amendments shall be submitted to the paid up members and affiliates two months before the meeting of the General Assembly. I

BY-LAWS

I. On the offices of CIPSH

The CIPSH legal registered address is in Paris.
A main office may be established in a second city.
The board of CIPSH may establish other offices elsewhere, which will be dependent from the main office. A specific regulatory document will be approved by the board concerning the dependent offices’ rights and obligations.
The General Assembly may change the location of the main office and confirm or cancel any of the other offices.

II. The General Assembly

The General Assembly of CIPSH shall meet every four years.
The General Assembly has a quorum if 50% or more of the members are present in person at a meeting summoned as an in-person meeting, and the same rule pertains to a meeting summoned as a video-conference (electronic) meeting,
Besides representatives of CIPSH members and affiliates, the General Assembly may welcome other scholars or representatives of other organizations, invited by the Board as observers without voting rights.
The votes in the General Assembly will be distributed as follows:
1. The members will have a minimum of 70 % of the votes.
2. Within these limits:
  1. Each union, federation or equivalent member of CIPSH, except the International Union of Academies, shall have two votes.
  2. The International Union of Academies shall have a number of votes corresponding to the remaining 30% of the total number of votes.
  3. Affiliates have no voting rights but may be represented by each one delegate with speaking rights.
  4. Individual Honorary Members have no voting rights but may attend the General Assembly with speaking rights.
The delegates to General Assemblies will be as follows:
1. The members may send up to two delegates.
2. The International Union of Academies may send a delegation made up of as many delegates as the number of votes it has, as defined in these By-Laws.
3. The affilitates may send one delegate.
Each delegate may be accompanied by an alternate and by one or more observers serving as technical advisers. The alternate may not vote except when he or she replaces the official delegate. However, an alternate or observer may have the floor upon permission of the President of the Assembly.
1. Proxies are allowed among delegates. No delegate to the General Assembly can receive proxies from more than two other members
2. Members of the Board may not serve as delegates. They shall have the right to speak, but not the right to vote, on any matter.’

III. The Executive Committee

The Executive Committee has a quorum if 50% or more of the members are present in person at a meeting summoned as an in-person meeting, and the same rule pertains to a meeting summoned as a video-conference (electronic) meeting,

IV. The Board

The Executive Committee has a quorum if the President, the Secretary-General and the Treasurer are all present and in person, or, in the case of an online (electronic, video-conference), if the President or one of the two Vice-Presidents, the Secretary-General, and the Treasurer or Deputy Treasurer are participating.

V. On the General Assembly and Executive Committee discussions and procedure

The President of CIPSH shall be the President of the General Assembly. In case of absence, he or she shall be replaced by one Vice-President, to be named by the Board. In case of absence of all Vice-Presidents, the General Assembly shall designate an acting President of the General Assembly
The working languages of the General Assembly shall be English and French
The agenda and working papers of the General Assembly shall be sent to the participants a month before the opening of the session, unless stated otherwise in the Constitution
The Secretary-General may report to the General Assembly on any question submitted to him or her for discussion,
Draft resolutions, motions and amendments shall be submitted in writing to the Secretary-General.
1. After discussion, and before the submitted text is put to vote, the President shall read or have read aloud the text of the motion or resolution.
2. The President shall announce the result of all votes at the General Assembly.
3. The delegate who presents a motion shall have the right to speak first and last in the discussion concerning this resolution or motion. He or she may withdraw his or her motion with the permission of the General Assembly.
If several amendments to the same proposal are submitted, the President shall call first for a vote on the amendments that differ most from the original proposal.
The General Assembly may appoint any committee expedient for the work of CIPSH. It may delegate to the Board the responsibility for appointing a Committee.
The election of the Board by the General Assembly will be prepared by the Nominating Committee.
The Secretary General of CIPSH shall be responsible for organizing the General Assembly. She or he shall prepare the working papers, carry out the administrative work during the General Assembly, draw up the minutes and send them to the members and affiliates for correction.
The minutes, as approved by the members and affiliates of the General Assembly, shall be made public by the Secretariat.

VI. Voting procedure

Voting shall normally be by a show of hands.
A roll-call vote is obligatory when it is requested by at least one-fifth of the delegates or decided upon by the President.
At the request of the Board or of at least one-fifth of the delegates, voting may take place by secret ballot.
1. The vote concerning the elections of the Board shall always be taken by secret ballot.
2. The election of the Board as well as of the Executive Committee may if needed take place electronically.
Votes are assigned as follows:
1. Decisions are normally made by a majority of the delegates present and voting, except for the case where a qualified majority of members (and not of those present or participating in the meeting) is required by the Constitution.
2. Abstention is considered as a vote.
)If a motion receives a number of votes equal to half of the number of voters, that motion shall be considered rejected.

VII. Election of the Board

At least one year before each ordinary session of the General Assembly, the Executive Committee shall appoint three persons who, preferably, are not members of the Executive Committee and have attended the previous ordinary session or the General Assembly as delegates, to serve as Nominating Committee for the election of the new Board. These three persons will choose a chair amongst themselves. At least ten months before the next ordinary session of the General Assembly this chair shall issue a call for nominations. A valid nomination shall consist of a brief written statement of nomination from at least one member, an up to 1.500 characters Curriculum Vitae of the nominee, and a letter from the nominee confirming willingness to serve in the post for which she or he is nominated; it shall be received by the Nominating Committee no later than four months before the ordinary session of the General Assembly. The Nominating Committee shall use its best endeavors to ensure that it receives at least two nominations for each elective office, and that the nominations have regard to the principles of gender balance and cultural diversity. The Nominating Committee shall verify the validity of the nominations it receives and circulate them to all members through the Secretary General within a month of the deadline for reception of nominations.

VIII. Budget and Fees

At least one year before each ordinary session of the General Assembly, the Executive Committee shall choose four persons to serve as members of a Budget Committee that shall draw up a draft budget for the four following years and propose annual fees for members and affiliates, to be submitted to the General Assembly. The suggestion must take into account the special status of the International Union of Academies.
1. This committee shall consist of the Secretary-General, the Treasurer and two representatives of the member societies one of whom shall be designated as Chairperson, appointed by the Board.
2. The Committee may consult members where the budgets of members and affiliates organizations are concerned.

IX. Amendments of the By-Laws

A revision of the By-Laws may be adopted by the majority of the votes of the delegates at the General Assembly. Proposals for amendments shall be submitted to the Secretary General in time for her or him to circulate it to all members two months before the meeting of the General Assembly. If adopted a proposal shall take effect only after the meeting.