The Federation agrees direction for The Union’s 98th year
The General Assembly is held in conjunction with the Union World Conference and is attended by the Federation – the governing body of The Union. It is an opportunity for Union members to review the past year and the plans for the coming one, elect new members and officers to the Board of Directors, and to conduct other business.
The General Assembly 2017 was held in Guadalajara, Mexico, on Friday, 13 October. Dr Chakaya Muhwa, The Union President, welcomed heritage, organisational, honorary and individual members, and scientific section chairs to the proceedings.
The President’s Report
The President emphasised the need for The Union to function as one entity that embraces regional and sectional priorities. He reported that the Board of Directors has committed to harmonise activities across the organisation and between the Institute and the Federation. The Board of Directors has created several committees to further those objectives, covering finance, governance, membership, journals and affected communities. He presented The Union’s six strategic goals and shared highlights and achievements from each one, placing particular focus on the need for The Union to increase efforts in lung health activities.
Elections
The Nominating Committee received seven applications for the three vacant seats for individual member representatives on the Board of Directors. This year’s elections included electronic voting for both organisations and individuals in an effort to increase voter turnout. This voting method proved effective, seeing the highest participation in many years (with 12-14 percent of the total membership voting). The Union will continue to work towards improving member participation in this regard.
The General Assembly elected the following individual member representatives: Jeremiah Chakaya Muhwa (Kenya), Rick Shepro (USA) and Ivan Solovic (Slovakia).
The General Assembly validated the nomination of two regional representatives: Victoria Cook (Canada) for the North America Region and Ral Antic (Australia) for the Asia Pacific Region.
Resolutions
The General Assembly unanimously approved the Annual Report, treasurer’s report and audited accounts for the period of 1 January to 31 December 2016 and the budget for 2018.
The General Assembly approved the renewal of the auditor’s mandate for a period of six years, and the addition of an amendment to Article 6 of the Bye-Laws and Article 8 of the Constitution allowing members of the Bureau and the Board to participate in meetings and vote via teleconference.
Discharge and Power
The General Assembly, having read the reports, gave full discharge to the President and the Board of Directors for the management of that period.
The Assembly gave power to the Board of Directors or its President by delegation, to fulfil all the formalities of distribution/diffusion relative to the aforementioned adopted resolutions.
Union World Conferences 2018 and 2019
The Union World Conference locations for 2018 (The Hague, The Netherlands) and 2019 (Hyderabad, India) were selected through an open bid process and approved by the Board of Directors. Bids for the 2020 location have been received and a decision will be confirmed at a later date.
Awards and Honours
Dr Joseph Amolo Aluoch, Kenya, was made an Honorary Member of The Union.
Dr Dean Schraufnagel announced the winners of the 2017 Christmas Seals Contest:
1st Prize: Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association
2nd Prize: Korean National Tuberculosis Association
3rd Prize: The Hong Kong Tuberculosis, Chest and Heart Diseases Association
Thank you
Dr Chakaya Muhwa thanked the General Assembly and adjourned the meeting.