(modified and accepted in Cancun, Mexico, 2024)

General Provisions

Paragraph 1

  1. The World Association for Buiatrics (WAB) is an independent international association and legal entity.

  2. At the time of adoption of these Statutes, the World Association for Buiatrics is incorporated as a private company limited by guarantee in England and Wales – Company Number 9978397.

  3. Seal of the WAB: a cow-horn silhouette with a link above it and with the legend “World Association for Buiatrics”.

  1. The official organ of the WAB is the WAB website (www.buiatrics.com). The information about the WAB should be published in international and national veterinary journals.

  2. The WAB is responsible for selecting the site of the World Buiatrics Congress (WBC) which is the main event of the organization.

Paragraph 2

  1. The official working language of the WAB is English

  2. To encourage the international flow of information to members of the WAB other world-wide languages may be used as well.

  3. Local organisers are required to provide simultaneous translations at World Buiatrics Congresses in at least three auditoriums because during the World Buiatrics Congresses the official languages are the following: English, French, German and Spanish.

  4. The World Association for Buiatrics has a legal identity and as such can acquire rights and assume obligations in its own name.

  5. The World Association for Buiatrics is an open, democratic, non-party non-governmental, non-profit organization.

Objectives of the WAB

Paragraph 3

  1. To organise meetings on diseases and production of cattle (buiatrics) in order to report the results of research work and other practical experiences in buiatrics.

  2. To discuss these topics in an international forum and thus promote all aspects of buiatrics in both science and practice.

  3. Even though the emphasis is on buiatrics, small ruminants and other “non-domestic” ruminant species (such as zoo and exotic animal species) are also considered as species of interest to the association.

  4. To provide an organization for qualified individuals who dedicate a significant part of their professional activities to research, educational or clinical aspects of buiatrics to exchange ideas.

  5. To issue, in compliance with the pertinent regulations, occasional or regular publications (circulars, conference proceedings, reminders, periodicals, newsletters) including materials of the topics outlined above.

  6. To promote international research on ruminant animals and to keep veterinary practitioners and all interested agricultural specialists informed about the results achieved around the world.

Affiliation to Other Bodies

Paragraph 4

  1. The WAB may be affiliated to the World Veterinary Association (WVA) or to any other Association as an independent associated member. The Secretary General of the WAB may liaise and correspond with the WVA on behalf of the WAB and will inform the WVA of the date and venue of upcoming meetings at least three years in advance.

  2. In order to attain its objectives, the WAB may conclude an agreement (not necessarily attaining membership status) with other organizations. The President of the WAB is authorized to conclude an agreement if such is approved and passed by the Board of Governors (Board).

Members of the WAB

Paragraph 5

  1. All Buiatrics or Veterinary Associations who have a bona fide structure within their country or region have an opportunity to become members of the WAB.

  2. The membership categories of the WAB are:

    1. Full Membership: national buiatrics associations

    2. Associate Membership: multi-national associations or federations

    3. Observer Membership: where no national buiatrics association exists, veterinarians or scientists working with cattle may apply for Observer Membership. Applications must be made to the Secretary General and will be decided by the Board.

  3. The General Assembly of the WAB will approve all Full or Associate Memberships of the WAB.

  4. National buiatrics association members of the WAB at the time these statutes are adopted shall be deemed members of the WAB.

  5. Full Members will appoint one to three representatives or correspondents whose responsibility will be to liaise with the WAB Secretary General, reporting on their national activities and relevant events and to be the national contacts for the Secretary General.

  6. Each Full Member association will have one vote at the General Assembly. The spokesperson for the member organisation should be one of the contact people registered with the secretary general or another person nominated by the respective organisation and recognised by the executive committee.

  7. National buiatrics associations should keep the WAB Secretary informed about the activities and other relevant events in their associations in order to enable the WAB Secretariat to maintain an up-to-date flow of information to all WAB members.

Establishment of membership

Paragraph 6

Any Buiatrics or Veterinary Association wishing to join the WAB should submit their applications to the Secretary General of the WAB. Such applications will be considered for eligibility for membership by the Board and the General Assembly of the WAB held at the time of the WBC. Decisions will be by majority vote. In the case of the votes being equal the President will have a casting vote. The individual membership of national buiatrics associations applying for full membership must be predominantly veterinarians.  

Rights and liabilities of the member associations

Paragraph 7

  1. Each Full Member through its representation at the WAB has voting rights in the General Assembly

  2. Individual members of national buiatrics associations which are Members of the WAB:

    1. may participate in all programmes organized by the WAB;

    2. shall have access to all publications issued by the WAB.

  1. All individual members of national buiatrics associations which are Members of the WAB are expected to:

    1. abide by the rules specified in the statutes of the WAB and the decrees passed by the General Assembly and the Board;

    2. support with voluntary work the activity of the WAB in order to attain its objectives.

Bodies of the WAB

Paragraph 8

  1. The administrative bodies of the WAB are:

    1. the General Assembly;

    2. the Board of Governors;

    3. the Executive Committee;

    4. the Auditing Committee;

    5. the Membership and Nomination Committee;

    6. other committees.

  1. The WAB is administered by the Board of Governors (Board) consisting of 10 – 20 members elected from individuals who have been endorsed by their national buiatrics associations which are Full Members of the WAB.

  2. The members of the Board should also be broadly representative of the different regions of the world.

  3. Terms of office, for all bodies of the WAB, begin and end at the close of a General Assembly meeting.

  4. The Board is elected by the General Assembly, which is convened on the occasion of the WBC.

  5. The term of office for members of the Board is two inter-Congress intervals, with an option to be re-elected for one additional term. In exceptional cases a Board member may be elected for a third term, but no member of the Board shall serve more than 3 terms.

  6. The Board will elect the following Officers, which will constitute an entity termed the Executive Committee, from its current and former membership:

    1. President,

    2. President Elect,

    3. Secretary General,

    4. Treasurer.

  7. It is expected that the President Elect:

    1. will have served on the Board for at least one term before being elected

    2. will serve for one inter-Congress interval as President Elect, then become President, serving through the next two inter-Congress intervals and then become Past President for one inter-Congress interval.

  8. It is expected that the Secretary General and Treasurer

    1. are current Board members,

    2. will serve for two inter-Congress intervals, with an option to be re-elected for one additional term. In exceptional cases the Secretary General or the Treasurer may be elected for a third term.

  9. All Officer positions are to be ratified at each WBC by the Board.

  10. A representative of the organising committee of the next WBC shall become an Observer of the Board if the organising country is not already a member of the Board.

  11. The Auditing Committee and the Board report to the General Assembly, either virtually or in person.

The General Assembly of the WAB

Paragraph 9

  1. The supreme body of the WAB is the General Assembly, to which the representative of all Full and Associate Member buiatrics associations are entitled to submit any matters concerning the WAB. All proposals and submissions should be presented to the Secretariat in writing at least 3 months before the WBC.

  2. The General Assembly must approve any reports presented and any of the following at each meeting:

    1. the report of the President;

    2. the report of the General Secretary;

    3. the report of the Treasurer;

    4. modification of the statutes;

    5. changes to the attendance fee;

    6. election of the Board and the Auditing Committee;

    7. foundation of orders, distinctions, memorial medals etc. that can be conferred by the WAB, and determination of the conditions under which they are awarded;

Paragraph 10

  1. The General Assembly will be convened during each WBC and at least 30 days notice will be posted on the official web page of the WAB. All Full and Associate Member buiatrics associations and observer members will be notified.

  2. Any meeting of the General Assembly may be conducted entirely virtually, entirely in person, or a combination of the two meeting formats.

  3. In the General Assembly, each Full Member present has one vote.

  4. An extraordinary General Assembly (EGA) will be convened if the Board or if more than 25% of the Full Member associations put a motion in writing to the Secretariat at least 3 months before the EGA is called, explaining the reason and object of the motion. Voting on the motion will be made by each Full Member after due consideration. The motion will be carried if two-thirds of Full Member associations vote for the motion. Voting is via a representative from the Full Member, by proxy or by an e-mailed ballot paper.

  5. The place, time and agenda of a general assembly shall be made public at least one month before the appointed date.

Paragraph 11

  1. The General Assembly is capable of making a decision and the required quorum is present if more than 50% of the representatives of the Full Members are present.

  2. If half of the representatives as specified in paragraph 11, clause 1, fail to attend a convened general assembly, a second general assembly shall be convened with the same agenda within 30 minutes. This repeated general assembly will be capable of making a decision irrespective of the number of representatives attending.

  3. The General Assembly passes its resolutions by a simple majority vote; in the case of an even number of votes being cast, the President has the casting vote.

  4. Subclauses c. and d. of clause 2 of paragraph 9 require at least a two-thirds majority vote of the Full Member buiatrics associations present.

Paragraph 12

  1. The General Assembly is presided over by the President of the WAB.

  2. There is open voting at the General Assembly.

  3. The minutes of the General Assembly shall be kept and shall be signed by the President of the WAB and the keeper of minutes, and confirmed by two individuals appointed by the General Assembly.

  4. The attested minutes shall be kept for 5 years.

Board of Governors

Paragraph 13

  1. The Board is responsible for the general orientation and the strategic planning for the WAB according to the mission, vision and values of the WAB.

  2. The Board shall be convened as required but at least at every World Buiatrics Congress.

  3. The President may convene the Board at any time. The President, through the Secretary General, convenes the Board in writing, publishing the agenda at least thirty days before the date of the Board meeting. A Board meeting can be held without a written invitation, if all the members of the committee are present.

  4. The Board is capable of making decisions if the majority of the members are present. Resolutions are passed by simple majority.

  5. Members of the Board shall avoid and state any situations that would compromise the principles of the organization or lead to the perception of compromise.

  6. It is expected that Members of the Board will;

    1. always act primarily in the best interests of WAB according to our code of ethics

    2. be available to be contacted

    3. respond to communications from the President and Executive Committee,

    4. contribute to discussions either in person or online

    5. attend every Congress except under exceptional circumstances that are acceptable to the Board

Paragraph 14

  1. The Board will be required to meet at each WAB congress.

  2. The Board is authorized to make a decision on issues concerning the activity of the WAB, except issues mentioned in clause 2 of paragraph 9. Among other responsibilities, the Board:

  1. determines the venue of the World Buiatrics Congresses and elects the Congress Organiser at least 4 years in advance. Local Congress Organisers shall take full responsibility for organising the World Buiatrics Congress and ensuring full financial viability. Lecturers get no fee for their papers but expenses may be paid at the discretion of the Organising Committee;

  2. supervises the execution of resolutions passed by the General Assembly;

  3. consents to the Statutes and Rules of the WAB;

  4. determines the rules of management and finance;

  5. is regularly given a full account of the finances by the representatives of the WAB Auditing Committee. This finance report should be made available and presented at each WBC;

  6. takes measures and passes resolutions in all matters which have not been assigned to some other body or organ by the Statutes;

  7. accepts the budget to cover the expenses of the secretariat until the next WBC. If this contribution is insufficient, the Board may decide upon subscriptions to be received from the affiliated members.

  1. The Board shall pass its resolutions by a simple majority vote; in the case of an even number of votes being cast, the President has the casting vote.

  2. The Board will nominate and select an Auditing Committee to oversee the finances of the WAB.

  3. The Board will nominate and select a Membership and Nomination Committee to oversee membership of buiatrics associations to WAB and make recommendations on new members of the Board.

  4. All Board meeting minutes will be retained by the Secretary General, signed by the President and the Secretary General. These minutes will be distributed to the Board and confirmed at the next meeting.

  5. The Board can make recommendations to the General Assembly for their approval.

Executive Committee

Paragraph 15

  1. The role of the Executive Committee is to perform the functions and duties of the Board in the period between meetings of the Board, with the exception of those functions and duties reserved exclusively to the Board and be operationally responsible for running the WAB.

  2. The Officers of the WAB, for the duration of their term, may be required to hold statutory appointments as Directors (or equivalent) of any company formed to undertake the activities of The World Association for Buiatrics.

  3. The Executive Committee may meet on an as-needed basis, either virtually or in person. Meetings are usually done virtually, except for one meeting at each WBC (approximately every two years) that will be scheduled in presence of all the Officers.

The President

Paragraph 16

  1. The President:

  1. shall act as chair at the General Assembly, Board and Executive Committee meetings and ensure that the resolutions passed by the Board and the responsibilities of the bodies of the WAB are carried out.

  2. shall be the official representative and spokesperson for the WAB.

  3. shall sign the resolutions.

  1. The President shall be supported by members of the Board. If the President is unable to chair a meeting, then the President Elect or the Past President will chair that meeting.

  2. The President shall be an ex-officio member of every committee of WAB

The President Elect or Past President

Paragraph 17

  1. The President Elect or Past President:

    1. shall perform functions delegated by the President

    2. shall perform the duties of the President when the President is unable to perform them.

    3. at the request of the President, may serve as the chair of a committee.

The Secretary General

Paragraph 18

  1. The Secretary General:

  1. shall be responsible for drafting the minutes of the General Assembly, Board and Executive Committee meetings. The minutes are to be presented at the next meeting for approval;

  2. shall be responsible for the running of the secretariat and liaise with the Treasurer regarding financial transactions associated with the appointment;

  3. takes part in the preparation and forwarding of the WAB Newsletters containing any relevant information about the WAB, in order to make this information known to the Members and their respective Groups or Bodies;

  4. shall exercise the employer’s rights over employees of the WAB;

  5. shall exercise distance meeting of the General Assembly and voting, based on electronic media, if needed.

  1. The Secretary General is responsible to the General Assembly and, in the period between two general meetings, to the Board.

  2. If the Secretary General is unavailable then the President may appoint one of the Officers or one other member of the Board as acting Secretary General.

The Treasurer

Paragraph 19

  1. The Treasurer:

  1. shall take responsibility for all financial transactions associated with the association including:

    1. all accounts, documents and inventories relating to the administration of assets and funds of the WAB

    2. the final accounts and the budget prepared for the next two-year period

    3. providing all the information as required by the Auditing Committee, and

    4. reporting the audited accounts to the President and the Secretary General, the Executive Committee, the Board, and the General Assembly.

  2. shall undertake other duties as assigned by the Executive Committee

Auditing Committee

Paragraph 20

  1. The Auditing Committee consists of two members and is elected for two inter-Congress intervals by the General Assembly. During the period of their mandate, they shall not hold any other offices in the WAB. The Chairperson of the Auditing Committee is elected by the Committee itself.

  2. The Auditing Committee may check all accounts, documents and inventories relating to the administration of assets and funds of the WAB at any time they wish to. The Committee is liable to do so at least once a year.

Membership and Nomination Committee

Paragraph 21

  1. The Membership and Nomination Committee consists of three members and is elected for a mandate spanning two inter-Congress intervals by the Board. The members of this Committee can be nominated for a second term. The Chairperson of the Committee is elected by the Committee itself.

  2. The Membership and Nomination Committee is responsible for making recommendations to the Board only

  3. The Membership and Nomination Committee is responsible for the auditing of all applications from buiatrics associations who wish to apply for membership of the WAB

  4. The Membership and Nomination Committee is responsible for consideration of the membership of the Board to ensure fair and equable representation of skills and characteristics.

Sub-Committees

Paragraph 22

  1. For the time of its mandate, and in order to attain the objectives of the WAB, the Board may form sub-committees to specify and discuss the tasks to be undertaken and to make proposals. When necessary, outside specialists may also be invited to join these sub-committees.

  2. The function and sphere of activity of the sub-committees are specified by the Board and their working order is decided upon by sub-committees themselves.

  3. The sub-committees shall submit their proposals to the Board for decision-making. The resolutions may be carried into effect only after having been passed by the Board. 

The Assets of the Association

Paragraph 23

  1. The assets of the Association consist of the congress participation fees provided by the national Organising Committee of the World Buiatrics Congresses and the donations and contributions of the members and other persons. To accept the donations, the endorsement of the Board is necessary.

  2. The Association can carry out supplementary business activity in accordance with its objects. The Association can use any surplus funds only to achieve the objectives mentioned in the statutes.

Dissolution of the Association

Paragraph 24

  1. The World Association of Buiatrics ceases to exist either by:

    1. dissolution with the agreement of the General Assembly or

    2. merger with another non-governmental organisation with similar objectives.

  2. In event of the dissolution by the General Assembly the assets of the Association can be used only for similar objectives as the Association has in its statutes.

Attendance fees

Paragraph 25

An attendance fee of 15 EUR per two-year period will be collected by the respective Organising Committee of each Biennial World Buiatrics Congress from each full registrant attending the congress. Single full day registration will be 5 EUR per each day. When justifiable, the Board may grant an exemption from paying the attendance fee. A change to the attendance fee can be proposed by the Board and approved by the General Assembly.

Accepted by the General Assembly, Cancun, Mexico on May 23rd 2024.