ARTICLE I
NAME
The official name of this Organization shall be in English, French and Spanish language as follows:

• International Federation of Women Lawyers
• Fédération Internationale Des Femmes Juristes
• Federation Internacional de Abogadas.

In abbreviated form, the organization may be referred to as FIDA in all languages.

ARTICLE II
OFFICIAL HEADQUARTERS
Section 1

• The official headquarters of the organization shall be located at the office of the Incumbent President for her respective term of office.

Section 2

• There shall be a permanent office of the organization for the filing and preserving of the permanent records of the organization, in New York City or its immediate vicinity within reasonable accessibility to the United Nations.

Section 3

• The official secretariat shall be the permanent office. (Added 1975 at Hamburg.)

 

ARTICLE III
NATURE OF ORGANIZATION

• The Organization shall be a non-political and a non-profit organization.

 

ARTICLE IV
OBJECTS
Section 1
The objects of this organization are:

• a) To establish friendly international relations on a basis of equality and mutual
• respect of all peoples;
• b) To promote the study of comparative law;
• c) To promote the principles and aims of the United Nations in their legal and social aspects;
• d) To enhance and promote the welfare of women and children, realizing that in the women’s and children’s well-being depends the happiness of the home and the strength of society;
• e) To consider socio-economic condition which affect women and children; (added 1990 at Cartagena).

Section 2
To realize these objects the Organization will:

• a) Further the dissemination of knowledge of the laws of the various countries;
• b) Advance the opportunities for women in the political, civil and educational fields as well as in industry, business and the professions, particularly the legal profession;
• c) Seek the passage of legislation for the advancement of women and the protection of women and children;
• d) Work for equal rights of women under the law and human rights for all in every country possible;
• e) Provide and open forum for the discussion of all matters affecting women and children;
• f) Promote the organization of national associations of women lawyers wherever necessary;
• g) Cooperate with organized juridical associations in order to create better relations in the legal profession;
• h) Affiliate with other legal organizations upon recommendation of the Executive Council and upon approval of the majority of members in General Convention assembly.

 

ARTICLE V
MEMBERSHIP
Membership in this organization shall consist of individual members, affiliate organizations, student members, patrons and honorary members.

Section 1

• a) individual members shall be women:
  1) admitted to the practice of law in their respective countries;
  or
  2) they shall have the right to vote in accordance with the by-laws.
• b) Affiliate organizations shall be organizations of women lawyers affiliating with the federation. Affiliates shall have the right to vote. Affiliate organizations must be non-political and non-profit and must be independent of and not subject o the control of any government. (Amended 1975 at Hamburg.).
• c) Student members shall be women law students who expect to practice law. They shall be non voting but may be admitted to individual membership with the right to vote upon being admitted to practice;
• d) Patrons shall be either men or women interested in the advancement of women in the legal profession. Women patrons who are duly qualified and admitted to practice of law shall have voting rights. Non-lawyer patrons shall not be entitled to vote;
• e) Honorary members shall be outstanding women lawyers whom the organization desires to honour. They may or may not have voting rights, according to the terms of the resolutions conferring such honour upon them. Section 2
• In countries having no affiliates, individual members may form a local branch or branches of FIDA, as the numbers of members and geographic conditions require, for the purpose of more effective cooperation with each other in furthering the aims of FIDA.

Section 3
Individual members and patrons may become Life Members of Life Patrons upon payment of requisite dues.

ARTICLE VI
OFFICERS

Section 1

• a) The Executive Officers of the Organization shall consist of a President, First Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, United Nations Representative, and six Directors. The First Vice President shall be from the same region as the President. (Amended 1975 at Hamburg and 1982 at Caracas.);
• b) Regional Officers: There shall be in addition, nine regional officers known as Second to Tenths Vice Presidents, who shall be elected as far as possible from these geographic areas: Africa, Central America, including the Caribbean Islands, North America, South America, Asia, Australasia, Europe and the Middle East;
• c) Country Vice Presidents: There shall also be a Vice President for each country in which the Federation has membership;
• d) Editors: There shall be an Editor-in-Chief, Associate Editor and eight regional editors from the geographic areas enumerated in sub-division (b) as far as possible, who shall be appointed by the President (Amended 1982 at Caracas.);
• e) There shall also be a Parliamentarian and a Historian.

Section 2 – Term of Office

• All officers shall serve for two years or until their successors shall have been duly elected and qualified or appointed. For the purposes of rotations for the office of President, the countries in which FIDA has membership shall be divided into five regions as follows (Amended 1982 at Caracas.):

1. Africa, which shall include Middle East;
2. North America, which shall include the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean countries;
3. South America, which shall include Central America;
4. Asia, which shall include Australasia, and
5. Europe.

• All officers, except the President, shall be eligible for re-election for a subsequent term, but in no case, shall be any executive officer serve for more than two consecutive terms in the same office. The office of the President shall be filled by rotation among the regions and within the regions by rotation among the various countries within that region. No country, having once had the honour of having the Presidency and a general Convention may again have such honour unless there is no member in any other country in that region, qualified, ready and willing to undertake the Presidency. When there is no qualified person in any country in that region, qualified, ready and willing to undertake the Presidency, it shall go to the next region in line therefore. No region offering a qualified President may be by-passed out of consideration for the preference of any member. (Amended 1979 at Santa Fe.)

Section 3 – Election of Officers

• The Executive Officers, the Historian, the Parliamentarian, the Regional Vice Presidents shall be elected Viva Voce or by secret ballot as may be decided upon by the Convention, at the last business meeting of the General Convention, by plurality vote of the country delegations present, duly registered and accredited. (Amended 1982 at Caracas). The outgoing international President, if possible, shall serve as Parliamentarian for the next ensuing term.

Section 4 – Selection of Country Vice Presidents

• In those countries where an affiliate organization exists or where there are organized local groups or chapters in individual members, the affiliate in good standing and/or the local groups or chapters of individual members, shall nominate to the President within 60 days, a suitable person to serve as Country Vice President chosen by vote of the affiliate membership or by vote of the individual members comprising the local group or chapters. (Amended 1982 at Caracas)
• If the affiliate or the group or chapter of individual members fails to make the nomination requested within the time limit, the President shall appoint the Country Vice President.
• In countries where neither an affiliate nor an organized group or chapter of individuals exists, the President shall appoint an appropriate Country Vice President, but may take into consideration, but no be bound by, the choice of the members in such country.

Section 5 – All other officers shall be appointed by the President.

Section 6 – Vacancies

• In the case of the absence or inability of the President to act, the First Vice President and then the Regional Vice Presidents, in their order, shall perform the duties of the President.
• Vacancies occurring in any other office, shall be filled for the balance of the unexpired term by the Executive Council.
• Should an elected officer be incapable of discharging the duties of her office, the Executive Council shall designate a replacement for the duration of the incapacity.

Section 7 – Only members in good standing may hold office, elective or appointive, in the organization.
 

ARTICLE VII
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

Section 1

• There shall be an Executive Council to be comprised of the following: The President, the First Vice President, the Secretary, the Treasurer, the United Nations Representative, and six Directors, at least three of whom shall be, when possible, former Presidents or Executive Officers of FIDA, if any. (Amended 1967 in Monrovia). (Further amended 1982 at Caracas.) During the lifetime, the Honorary Life President upon whom the honour was conferred with voice and vote at the 1964 Convention, shall be one of these Directors.

Section 2

• The Executive Council shall conduct the affairs of the organization in accordance with this Constitution and By-Laws and the policies that may be adopted by the organization from time to time.

Section 3

• The Executive Council shall have regular meetings before or after the General Convention as shall be determined by the Council itself. Special meetings may be called at any time by the President and must be called by her upon written request of any three members of the Executive Council. Six members of the Council shall constitute a quorum at any meeting. (Amended 1982 at Caracas)

Section 4

• Voting by correspondence shall be allowed on all matters that call for decision by the Executive Council and may take the place of special meetings. Proposals may be coursed on the initiative of and by any member of the Executive Council to all other members thereof. All members of the Council shall submit their votes in writing within the time requested, to the initiator of the proposal, who in turn shall report the result of the voting to the President and the Secretary. Copies of all papers and correspondence in connection with the proposal and the voting record thereon shall be sent to the Corresponding Secretary and the Administrative Office in New York and shall become part of the permanent record of the Federation and termed “Minutes of the Special Meeting by Correspondence” and be dated as of the time specified for receipt of votes. (Amended 1975 in Hamburg and 1982 in Caracas)

Section 5

• Past Presidents shall be entitled to attend meetings of the Executive Council which are held at any time of a general convention but shall have no voting rights. (Amended 1990 at Cartagena)

ARTICLE VIII
CONVENTIONS AND MEETINGS
Section 1

• General Conventions shall be held every two years, and unless circumstances dictate otherwise, in the country of the current President. The President shall choose the date and the place subject to review by the Executive Council. Should it become necessary to hold the Convention in other than the country of the current President, the Executive Council shall decide the time and place. (Amended 1982 at Caracas)

Section 2

• Regional Conventions and seminars or meeting in cooperation with other associations may be held at such place and date as may be determined by the Executive Council upon recommendations of a Regional or Country Vice President, to discuss a limited program on specified subjects. No Regional Convention may be held less than 6 months before the General Convention. (Amended 1982 at Caracas)

• Proposals and programs and all financial arrangements including registration fees and hotel reservations shall be submitted for approval to the Executive Council, well in advance and such meetings shall be open to all members, although in a regional meeting only members of the particular region may vote. Financing therefore shall not involve any expenditure from the International treasury.

• All members of the Executive Council shall be an ex-officio members of the Committee for such a meeting. All rules adopted by the Federation for its General Conventions shall be binding on such meetings. Resolutions adopted at such meetings shall be advisory only and not binding on the Federation but may be affirmed and/or modified or rejected by action at the next General Convention. (Amended 1975 at Hamburg)

Section 3

• Meetings during General or Regional Conventions may be Plenary of otherwise, as the particular activity of the specific subject under discussion may demand.

Section 4

• A majority of the members and affiliates in good standing duly registered and accredited, and present at a General or Regional Convention shall constitute a quorum at all regular business meetings.

Section 5

• Voting shall be by delegation of the different countries duly represented at the Convention. Only countries having independent status shall be recognized for purposes of voting. Territories and possessions shall not have separate vote, but shall vote collectively with the parent country as set forth in Article VIII. Sec. 4 of the By-laws. Only members and affiliates in good standing may vote. (Corrected 1975 at Hamburg)

 

ARTICLE IX
COMMITTES
Section 1 – There shall be three classes of Committees.

1. Administrative Committees, as hereinafter enumerated;
2. Standing Committees as set forth in the By-Laws, which may be changed from time to time as the need arises, by action of the Executive Council, without constitutional amendment; and
3. Special Committees to be appointed by the President for particular needs and problems.

Section 2 – The Administrative Committees shall be as follows:

• A) Committee on Language Coordination;
• B) Committee on Protocol;
• C) Nominations Committee;
• D) Credentials Committee;
• E) Resolutions Committee.

Section 3

• The Committee on Language Coordination shall be comprised of the Country Vice Presidents. It shall be their duty to appoint one or more members in good standing from their respective countries to translate into the language of the country all proceedings of meetings Regional or General, reduce same to writing and circulate among their own members. It shall also be the duty of these coordinators to translate important proceedings taken in their own countries or at Regional Conventions into one or more of the three official languages and submit same to the Executive Council.

Section 4

• The Committee on Protocol shall be composed of not more than eleven members, two of whom shall be appointed by the President from members of the country in which the General or Regional Conventions are held, the other nine to be the Regional Vice Presidents. This Committee shall study the customs of the various countries relative to public functions, make permanent record of same and see that they are observed. No function of the organization shall be planned or take place without the assistance and supervision of this Committee or a member thereof.

Section 5

• All nominations for elective office shall be made by a Nomination Committee of not less than five and not more than seven members, not more than two of whom may be from the Executive Council and not more than one of whom shall represent the same country. They shall be appointed by the President as far in advance as feasible, and all appointees shall signify their acceptance in writing. (Amended 1977 in Lagos)

• Vacancies on the Nominating Committee by failure of a member thereof to attend the General Convention may be filled by the President at the Convention.

Section 6

• The Credentials Committee shall be formed as soon as feasible before the General Convention. It shall consist of the Treasurer who shall act as Chairman, and two members representing different geographic regions to be named by the President. It shall examine the standing and credentials of members, members of delegations, and nominees for office and shall report its finding to the Convention without delay prior to the meeting of the Nominations Committee and the voting by General Assembly. (Amended 1977 at Lagos)

Section 7

• The Resolution Committee shall be appointed by the President on the first day of the General Convention. It shall be comprised of three members from three different geographic areas and shall prepare in final form the resolutions submitted to it by the working committees to be presented at the final business session of the Convention. It shall also work with the Language Coordination Committee to translate these resolutions into the three official languages.

 

ARTICLE X
AMENDMENTS

• The Constitution may be amended at a General Convention of the organization by a two-thirds vote of the members in good standing duly registered and accredited, and present, provided that the amendment or amendments to be voted upon have been mailed in writing to each member of the organization in good standing, at least 60 days prior to the date of such Convention. But nothing here in contained shall prevent the General Convention from making additional changes in the Proposed Amendments, as they see fit.