Consultative Process on the Revision of the ISC Statutes and Rules of Procedure 2023–2024

The ISC Governing Board tasked a Working Group on Constitutional Revision in December 2022 to review and advise on the revision of the ISC Statutes and Rules of Procedure, with a view to making them fit for purpose for the ISC’s role and ambition in a changed and changing world.

📣 Read the message from the ISC President and the Chair of the Working Group

✅ The working group met first in January 2023 and a subgroup met in February over two days to review the statutes and identify the core matters that needed consideration. This was followed by further meetings of the Working Group to produce a discussion paper that was presented at the Midterm Meeting of ISC Members in Paris on 10–12 May 2023.

✅ Based on feedback at the Midterm meeting, the Working Group developed a ‘zero draft’ of statutes in August 2023. The Secretariat also produced a dedicated discussion document on membership categories and related issues. Between August and October the ISC Members were consulted on the ‘zero draft’ and the membership discussion paper, in consultation meetings in September and through written feedback by 8 October.

✅ The Working Group thereafter produced Draft #1 of the Statutes and Rules of Procedure (dated 31 October) and a paper proposing two options for the transition to staggered Governing Board terms of office (dated 22 October), for another round of consultation:

• Members were invited to a dedicated meeting for each membership category (1, 2 and 3) on 13 and 14 November to discuss primarily the proposed paragraphs related to membership.The draft statutes and rules of procedure proposed two options for the means of selecting/electing the officers and the ordinary members of the Governing Board. All ISC Members of all categories were invited to participate in an informal poll to give the Working Group a broad indication of the preferences of the membership.

➡ A clear majority of Members which expressed an opinion was in favour of the option of greater choice in candidates for officers and ordinary members of the Governing Board.

• The Working Group had considered how the current Governing Board could transition to staggered terms of office and identified two main routes that were outlined in the paper linked above. All ISC Members of all categories were invited to submit written feedback on the two options for transitioning to staggered Governing Board terms of office.

➡ A clear majority of Members which expressed an opinion was in favour of the second option, namely that half the current Governing Board members, including the current president, be invited to stay on until October 2026 to beginning the staggering.

✅ The Working Group met for the last time on 4 December to finalize its recommendations to the Governing Board, in the form of (1) a near-final version of the Statutes and Rules of Procedure and (2) a proposal for the introduction of staggered Governing Board terms of office.

✅ In parallel, the Governing Board, with the particular input of the Committee for Freedom and Responsibility in Science, had revised Section I and II of the Statutes.

✅ An updated (pre-) final draft of the Statutes and Rules of Procedure dated 12 December and the Proposal for transition to staggered Governing Board terms of office (dated 13 December) were shared with Members.

✅ Proof-reading and legal review of the Statutes and Rules of Procedure took place from December 2023 – January 2024.

✅ The revised proposed text of the Statutes and Rules of Procedure was shared with ISC Members on 2 February 2024.

✅ Q&A sessions took place on 20 and 26 February.

✅ Two virtual sessions of the extraordinary General Assembly took place on 28 February.

✅ The final proposed text of the Statutes and Rules of Procedure was shared with ISC Members on 29 February 2024.

✅ Voting was open from 29 February to 6 March 2024.

✅ The results were shared on 8 March 2024.

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