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II SÉRIE-A — NÚMERO 33

the membership of the member be suspended or rescinded.

c) If within three months of the notification of this proposal the member does not inform the director general of its opposition, the member is considered to haver withdrawn from membership of the Union. If the member does oppose the proposal, the director general shall submit the proposal together with the arguments of the member to the voting members of the relevant category, which shall decide on the proposal at the next session or the general assembly, by a two-thirds majority of the votes cast by those members present and entitled to vote.

Payment of membership dues

15 — Membership dues for any year become due and payable on the first day of January of that year. The voting rights of a member shall ipso facto be suspended when the dues of that member are one year in arrears. If the dues of a member are two years in arrears, the matter shall be referred to the general assembly which may decide to suspend all the remaining rights of the member concerned. Such suspension shall be lifted if the member concerned pays all arrears of membership dues.

Withdrawal

16 — Any member may withdraw from membership of IUCN at any time by giving notice in writing to the director general to that effect. The member withdrawing shall not be entitled to any refund of membership dues paid. If such a member seeks readmission to membership all membership dues outstanding at the time of withdrawal shall be paid before the member is readmitted.

Voting rights

17 — Only members in categories A and B have the right to vote.

18 — Whenever a formal vote, other than in a multiple-choice election, is to be taken pursuant to article iv, paragraph 10, or by mail ballot pursuant tc article v, a simple majority (unless otherwise specified by these Statutes) of affirmative votes cast by each category of member shall be required for a motion to be carried; abstentions shall not be counted as votes cast. In a multiple-choice election the rankings obtained by a separate count of the votes of each category shall be added to produce one combined ranking, as prescribed in the rules of procedure.

19 — Governmental members shall have voting rights as follows;

a) Each State member shall have three votes, one of which shall be exercised collectively by the agency members (if any) from that State provided this is consistent with the constitution of the State concerned; and

6) Agency members from a State that is not a State member shall collectively have one vote.

20 — Non-governmental members shall have voting rights as follows:

a) National organizational members shall each have one vote: provided that the total value

of the votes of such members from one State shall not exceed ten per cent of the total voting rights of the members in the ^on-governmental category; and

b) International organizational members shall each have two votes.

ARTICLE III Organization

IUCN shall consist of:

a) The general assembly;

b) The council;

c) The bureau;

d) The commissions; and

e) The director general.

ARTICLE IV The general aseembly

Composition

1 — The general assembly, the highest policy organ of IUCN, shall consist of the duly accredited delegates of the members of IUCN meeting in session.

2 — The council may invite to the general assembly observers without the right to vote.

Functions

3 — The functions of the general assembly shall be:

i) To elect the president of IUCN;

if) To elect the regional councillors;

Hi) To elect the chairmen of cornmissions;

iv) To elect such honorary officers of IUCN as

it deems appropriate;

v) To determine the general policy of IUCN^

vi) To consider and approve a draft triennial

programme;

vii) To make recommendations to governments

and national and international organizations on any matter related to the objects of IUCN:

viit) To determine the dues of members;

ix) To approve the estimates of income and

expenditure for the next triennium and the auditors' report on the accounts of IUCN;

x) To appoint one or more auditors;

xi) To perform such other functions as may be

conferred on it by these Statutes.

Procedure

4 — The general assembly shall meet every third year in ordinary session.

5—An extraordinary session of the general assembly shall be convened:

a) If requested by at least one-fifth of the

members of either category A or category B; or

b) If the council considers it necessary.

6 — The council shall, after considering suggestions of members, determine the time and location of each ordinary and extraordinary session of the general