ISI Statutes

Statutes, By-Laws and Definitions

The International Statistical Institute (“ISI”) is established under Dutch Law and governed by its Statutes. The Statutes, By-Laws and Definitions are available in English. 

Article 1 – Name and Registered Office

The name of the Society is the International Statistical Institute. Hereafter, the Society shall be referred to as the ISI. The official seat of the ISI is in The Hague, the Netherlands.

Article 2 - Objectives

The objectives of the ISI are to promote and support the understanding, advancement, and good practice of Statistics, its profession, and the statistical and data sciences worldwide. The ISI shall strive to achieve these objectives by:

  1. Promoting and supporting the development and dissemination of statistical science through events, publications, education, advocacy and capacity development;
  2. Supporting the international statistical community in providing the core global network for statisticians;
  3. Promoting excellence in statistical research, education, and practice;
  4. Supporting the international statistical community in the establishment and maintenance of sound statistical and data practice, and professional standards of ethics and conduct;
  5. Fostering the appreciation by governments, organisations, other disciplines and the public at large of the value of Statistics, statistical thinking, and data literacy in all aspects of human endeavour; and
  6. Facilitating international collaboration among and across the range and diversity of statistical interests, including ISI members, other professional and statistical societies and other national and international organisations.

Article 3 – Types of Membership

3.1 Types of Membership

There shall be two types of members:

  1. Individual members;
  2. Organisational members.

3.1.1 Individual Memberships

a) There are three types of individual membership

  1. Regular members;
  2. Elected members;
  3. Ex-officio members

b) Apart from Ex-officio members, all other individual members must pay an annual individual membership fee, as determined by the Executive Committee. 

c) All individual members have voting rights.

d) Regular and elected members are eligible to be considered for any officer position in the ISI provided all membership fees have been paid.

3.1.1.1 Regular Members

Any individual who shares the objectives and values of the ISI can become a regular member of the ISI by registering for membership.

3.1.1.2 Elected Members

Individuals who share the objectives and values of ISI and are established in their statistical careers are eligible to be considered for elected membership. Elected membership is recognition of professional standing in one or more of the following areas: statistical research, practice, education, administration of statistical service, or the promotion of the profession. All elected members are nominated and elected following the processes outlined in the By-Laws and made available publicly.

3.1.1.3 Ex-officio Members

A person designated as an ex-officio member by an organisational member, who will have all the rights of individual membership except eligibility to stand for ISI officer positions.

3.1.1.4 Termination of Individual Membership

a) Regular and elected membership ends by: 

  1. Death of the member;
  2. Resignation by member; or
  3. Termination of the membership by ISI.

b) Termination by the ISI Executive Committee can be executed in the following circumstances:

  1. a member has been acting in a way that contravenes the Statutes or is detrimental to the objectives and values of the ISI;
  2. non-payment of the fees by the member during the preceding year; or
  3. other reasons that may be prescribed by the Executive Committee in the By-Laws 

3.1.2 Organisational Membership

a) There are three categories of organisational membership: 

  1. Institutional, for, but not limited to, national statistical offices;
  2. Corporate, for, but not limited to, central banks and universities;
  3. Affiliate, for, but not limited to, national and regional statistical societies.

b) All organisational members must pay an annual membership fee. The fees shall be determined by the Executive Committee.

c) Each organisational member is entitled to designate one person as an ex-officio member, subject to article 3.1.1.3. 

d)Employees of Organisational members can join as Regular members, or be considered for Elected Membership.

3.2 Termination of Organisational Membership

a) Organisational Membership shall be terminated in case of: 

  1. Withdrawal by the organisation itself;
  2. Ending of the membership by ISI in case of:
    1. Non-payment of the fees during the preceding year (see also 3.3 Membership fees);
    2. The Executive Committee determines that an Organisational Member has been acting in a way that contravenes the Statutes or is detrimental to the objectives of the ISI;
    3. Other reasons that may be prescribed by the Executive Committee in the By-Laws.

b)Where the member is a legal entity, the membership ends when the entity no longer exists, also when this is the result of a merger or splitting up unless the Executive Committee decides otherwise.

3.3 Membership Fees

a) The Executive Committee sets the Membership Fees for all types of Members prior to the start of the Calendar Year.

b) Members who have not paid their fees for the preceding year may have their membership terminated by the Executive Committee.

3.4 Dispute Procedure

a) If the Executive Committee determines that an individual or organisational member has acted in a way that contravenes the Statutes or is detrimental to the objectives and values of the ISI according to article 3.1.1.4 b), the Executive Committee may terminate the membership. 

b) The member may appeal the decision to terminate their membership within four weeks of receipt of the decision by writing to the Council, who will review the case and advise the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee will make the final decision.

Article 4 – By-Laws

a) The By-Laws of the ISI are rules to support the effective operation of the ISI. They are established and adopted by the Executive Committee after consultation with the Council.

b) No By-law shall be in contravention with the Law and/or these Statutes.

c) The Executive Committee will report on updates to the Bylaws at the following General Assembly meeting.

Article 5 – Organisational Bodies

The organisational bodies of the ISI include:

  1. The General Assembly;
  2. The Executive Committee;
  3. The Council;
  4. The Associations;
  5. The Committees;
  6. The Permanent Office.

Article 6 – General Assembly

6.1 Responsibilities and authority

a) The General Assembly is the highest authority within the ISI and has the following responsibilities and authority:

  1. Decisions for any changes to the Statutes;
  2. Appointment and discharge, or when necessary, dismissal of members of the Executive Committee, including the President and President-elect;
  3. Appointment or, when necessary, dismissal of elected members of the Council;
  4. Establishment of Associations to promote the mission and objectives of the ISI in particular areas of statistics and data science;
  5. Establishment of Standing Committees;
  6. Approval of the annual report;
  7. Decisions relating to the dissolution of the ISI.

b) The General Assembly shall be composed of all individual members of the ISI including the designated representatives from the organisational members.

c) The General Assembly shall be convened by the Executive Committee at least once a year. There shall be a meeting of the General Assembly at the ISI biennial World Statistics Congress.

6.2 Special Meetings

a) The Executive Committee may convene special meetings of the General Assembly whenever it is deemed necessary.

b) A special meeting may also be convened by a request of at least one tenth of the individual members.

c) If a special meeting is requested by members, it shall be announced within two months of receiving the request. 

6.3 Meeting Procedures

a) Members shall be informed of the date and place of the meetings at least two months in advance. 

b) Members wishing to propose any agenda items must submit them to the Director at least three months in advance to a General Assembly meeting. 

c) The agenda and meeting documents shall be made available by the Director one month prior to the meeting.

d) The President shall chair the meetings of the General Assembly.

e) If the President is unable to chair the meeting, the President-elect shall chair the meeting of the General Assembly. If the President-elect is unable to chair the meeting as well, the Executive Committee shall appoint the meeting chair.

f) The members of the Executive Committee will be present at the General Assembly meetings and will provide advice in the meetings.

6.4 Decision Making other than Amendments to Statutes

a) Except for amendments to the Statutes, decisions by the General Assembly shall be made according to an electronic voting prior to the General Assembly meeting, or voting at the meeting itself.

b) In all cases, where a member has positions, functions and/or personal or financial interests regarding to a topic for decision, which position, function and/or personal or financial interest can influence the decision in such a way that the independence, objectivity or integrity with regard to a weighing of interests are compromised to such an extent that the ISI can be disadvantaged and lose trust or legitimacy, the member must make a Conflict-of-Interest statement. The member may give a presentation at the General Assembly meeting or electronically but will refrain from decision making, including voting. The conflict-of-interest statement(s) will be recorded in the minutes. The minutes will also record the names of any members not eligible to participate in the discussion and voting.

c) Irrespective of whether voting is carried out prior to the General Assembly or during the meeting,

  1. Each individual member of the ISI shall have one vote;
  2. Voting by proxy is not allowed, unless the provisions in article 17 of these Statutes apply.

d) The process for the voting through a proposal prior to the meeting shall be organised as follows:

  1. Members can initiate a proposal for consideration by the General Assembly. The proposal must be submitted to the ISI Director for consideration by the Executive Committee. The proposal must be supported by at least 2% of the ISI members with voting rights from a minimum of 3 different countries.
  2. The Executive Committee or Council may also initiate proposals for consideration by the General Assembly.
  3. The Executive Committee shall send all proposals to all individual members of the ISI by email and/or upload on a secured webpage.
  4. There shall be a period of at least one month between the distribution of proposals and the date when voting can commence.
  5. The ISI Director is responsible for organising the voting.
  6. The voting period shall be 30 days maximum.
  7. Decisions shall take effect with a simple majority of the votes cast in favour.
  8. For the purpose of declaring a majority, abstentions and spoiled votes shall not be counted. In the event of a tie, the chair shall cast a tie-breaking vote.
  9. The Director shall deliver a report on the outcome of the voting to the General Assembly.

Article 7 – Executive Committee

  1. The Executive Committee shall be composed of
  2. a President;
  3. a President-Elect; and
  4. four Vice Presidents.

The Director of the ISI shall serve as the Secretary to the Executive Committee and will attend the meetings of the Executive Committee.

b) The President-Elect and Vice Presidents shall be elected according to the provisions in the By-laws. The President-Elect shall serve a two-year term and become President at the end of this term. The Vice Presidents shall be elected to four-year terms.

c) The President is responsible for the execution of the policies of the ISI and decisions of the General Assembly and the Executive Committee. 

d) The ISI Executive Committee shall be responsible for the proper management of the affairs of the ISI and its associations in accordance with the Dutch law, these ISI statutes and By-Laws and General Assembly decisions. Individual Members of the ISI Executive Committee shall act in the interest of the ISI and its associations.

e) The Executive Committee shall have the following responsibilities and authority:

  1. Develop in consultation with the Council the policies and programmes of the ISI.
  2. Implement the policies and programmes of the ISI together with the Permanent Office.
  3. Administer ISI financial matters.
  4. Determine membership fees for individual and organisational members.
  5. Determine the financial arrangements with the Associations.
  6. Take all final decisions on application for membership.
  7. Enter into partnerships.
  8. Take any action as described in Article 7 where it determines that an Association has contravened the values, objectives and interests of the ISI , including internal disputes within Associations.
  9. Convene the General Assembly meetings.
  10. Establish and adapt the By-laws of the ISI after consultation with the Council.
  11. Appoint the Director.
  12. Submit an annual report that covers the ISI’s activities and finances to the General Assembly.
  13. Take any decision relating to the acquisition, sale and mortgaging of real estate.
  14. Establish, restructure, suspend or abolish Operational Committees, Outreach Committees and Special Interest Groups, after consultation with the Council.
  15. Establish Taskforces to advise or report on issues, or to implement agreed strategies, plans and activities.
  16. Appoint Event committees.
  17. Appoint awards and prizes committees.

f) In the event that the President cannot perform their duties (inability to act) or resigns, the President-Elect shall assume the responsibilities.

g) If, for any reason, position of the President-Elect or any of the Vice-Presidents becomes vacant or the officer has the inability to act, a substitute officer from the Council shall be appointed, on the nomination of the President and with the approval of a majority of the Executive Committee.

h) Should all members of the Executive Committee resign or are unable to act, a special meeting on the General Assembly will be called to elect new members of the Executive Committee. The ISI Director will act as chair of this special General Assembly.

i) In the event that the Executive Committee is in a 2/3 majority of the opinion that the performance of the current President contravenes the interest of ISI, a special meeting of the General Assembly will be convened in order to vote on the dismissal of the current President, appointment of the President-elect as President, and appointment of a new President-elect.

j) In all cases, where a member of the Executive Committee has positions, functions and/or personal or financial interests regarding to a topic for decision, which position, function and/or personal or financial interest can influence the decision in such a way that the independence, objectivity or integrity with regard to a weighing of interests are compromised to such an extent that the ISI can be disadvantaged and lose trust or legitimacy, the member must make a Conflict-of-Interest statement. The member will refrain from decision making, including voting. The conflict-of-interest statement(s) will be recorded in the minutes. The minutes will also record the names of any members not eligible to participate in the discussion and voting.

Article 8 – Council

a) The Council has an advisory role to the ISI Executive Committee on the ISI policies and programmes. This may include, but not be limited to:

  1. Advice, feedback and input when consulted by the Executive Committee;
  2. Initiation of discussion on matters or issues relevant to policies and programmes of the ISI;
  3. Participation in the implementation of ISI policies and programmes when appropriate.

b) The Council shall be composed of:

  1. The members of the ISI Executive Committee;
  2. The Presidents of the ISI Associations;
  3. The Immediate ISI Past President;
  4. A number of ISI members who are elected to four-year terms.
  5. The Director of the ISI, who shall be an ex-officio member without voting rights;
  6. The Director General of Statistics Netherlands, who shall be an ex-officio member without voting rights; and
  7. Any additional members as deemed necessary by the General Assembly.

c) The Council shall be convened by the President at least twice a year. There shall be a meeting of the Council at the ISI World Statistics Congress.

d) In all cases, where a member of the Counsel has positions, functions and/or personal or financial interests regarding to a topic for decision, which position, function and/or personal or financial interest can influence the decision in such a way that the independence, objectivity or integrity with regard to a weighing of interests are compromised to such an extent that the ISI can be disadvantaged and lose trust or legitimacy, the member must make a Conflict-of-Interest statement. The member will refrain from decision making, including voting. The conflict-of-interest statement(s) will be recorded in the minutes. The minutes will also record the names of any members not eligible to participate in the discussion and voting.

Article 9 – Associations

a) An ISI Association may be established by the General Assembly to promote the mission and objectives of the ISI in particular areas of statistics and data science. An Association shall have:

  1. Its own members;
  2. Its own organizational bodies;
  3. Its own membership fees;
  4. Its own Association Statutes;
  5. Its own By-laws if desired.

b) Each Association’s objectives and values must be in harmony with those of the ISI. 

c) An Association’s statement of objectives, its rules of admission to and termination from membership, its statutes, and amendments to the foregoing must be endorsed by the ISI Executive Committee, after consultation with the Council.

d) Associations share the operational expenses of the ISI & the Permanent Office, with the distribution of the expenses determined by the ISI Executive Committee in consultation with the Associations Officers.

e) The Presidents of the Associations shall be ex-officio members of the ISI Council (see Article 9).

f) The Director of the ISI shall be an ex-officio member of the Association Executive Committee.

g) The Association shall not undertake any action that contravenes the objectives and interests of the ISI. 

In case the activities of an Association seriously contravene the objectives or statutes of the ISI:

  1. the Executive Committee will discuss the matter with the Association Officers;
  2. If the matter has not been resolved, the Executive Committee, following consultation with the Council will propose a resolution process to the General Assembly;
  3. If this is not successful, the Executive Committee, after consultation with the Council, may decide to recommend to the General Assembly to terminate the Association with the ISI. The Association concerned shall be given an opportunity to appeal to the General Assembly by providing information on reasons to reconsider the decision. The General Assembly shall make the final decision on any appeal.

h) In case of an internal dispute within an Association unable to be resolved by the Association Executive Committee, then

  1. Three or more Association Officers can together escalate the matter to the ISI Executive Committee for resolution and/or making binding final decision in coherence with the ISI and the relevant Association Statutes;
  2. The ISI Executive Committee will discuss the matter with the Association Executive Committee, and the relevant officer(s) that the dispute concerns;
  3. The ISI Executive Committee will determine the most appropriate action for the benefit of both the Association and the ISI and can make decisions that the Association Executive Committee will be bound to adhere to.

Article 10 – Standing Committees

a) The following Standing Committees are part of the ISI organisational structure:

  1. Nominations Committee;
  2. Membership Election Committee.

b) New Standing Committees are installed by the General Assembly at the proposal of the Executive Committee after consultation with the Council.

c) Standing Committees are required to submit an annual report on their activities to the Executive Committee. 

d) Each Standing Committee needs to comply with the Terms of References for that Committee as endorsed by the ISI Executive Committee.

Article 11 – Other ISI Committees and Special Interest Groups

a) Other than the Standing Committees, the ISI has: 

  1. Operational Committees;
  2. Special Interest Groups;
  3. Outreach Committees.

b) The Operational Committees, Outreach Committees and Special Interest Groups, together with their objectives and terms of reference, shall be established by the Executive Committee after consultation with the Council. 

c) Members of the ISI may propose the formation of new Operational and Outreach Committees and Special Interest Groups. 

d) The proposal for establishing an Operational or Outreach Committee or Special Interest Group shall include a clear statement of the objectives, the operational structure and a list of potential members. 

e) All Members of Operational and Outreach committees must be individual members of the ISI.

f) All Members of Special Interest Groups must be individual members of the ISI or one of its associations. In addition, the chair and management committee members, must be individual members of the ISI.

g) Operational and Outreach Committees and Special Interest Groups are required to submit an annual report on their activities to the Executive Committee. 

h) The Chair of an Operational or Outreach Committee or Special Interest Group shall serve a maximum of four years. 

i) In case an Operational, Outreach Committee or Special Interest Group is inactive, the Executive Committee may decide to replace the chair and/or members, or abolish the Committee. This can be done on its own initiative or after consultation with the Council.

j) Each Committee or Special Interest Group needs to comply with the Terms of References for that Committee or Special Interest Group as established by the ISI Executive Committee.

Article 12 – Permanent Office

a) The Permanent Office shall be composed of a Director and a number of staff members as approved by the Executive Committee.

b) The Director manages the Permanent Office and reports to the Executive Committee. The Director shall serve as Secretary/Treasurer of the ISI. 

c) The Director does not have to be an individual member of the ISI and/or associations.

d) In order to prevent conflicts of interest, the ISI Director and Permanent Office staff shall not become an Officer of the ISI or one or more of the ISI associations. 

Article 13 – Partnerships

The ISI may enter into partnerships with other entities which share the objectives and values of the ISI.

Article 14 – Representation

The ISI shall be represented in legal and other relevant matters by the Executive Committee. The Director can be authorised by the ISI Executive Committee to represent the ISI on its behalf in accordance with the power of attorney lodged with the Chamber of Commerce.

Article 15 – Finances

a) The fiscal/financial year of the ISI is the calendar year.

b) The sources of the ISI’s finances are:

  1. Fees of the individual and organisational members;
  2. The revenues from ISI publications;
  3. Grants from international organizations, governments and other bodies;
  4. Endowments and gifts;
  5. Income from any investment portfolio;
  6. Income from other sources.

c) The members of the Executive Committee, except the ISI Director, Council, Committee members and Special Interest group Members, shall serve without salary, fee and/or gratification. They can get reimbursed for travel costs and other expenses.

Article 16 – Reporting

The Executive Committee shall present an annual report to the General Assembly (in accordance with Dutch Law). This report shall be presented within six months after the end of the calendar year. The report will be signed by the members of the Executive Committee and the Director.

Article 17 – Amendment to the Statutes 

a) Amendments to the ISI Statutes can be decided only at a General Assembly Meeting.

b) Proposals for amending the Statutes can be submitted by the Executive Committee, after consultation with the Council.

c) Proposals can also be submitted by individual members and must be signed by at least 2% of the ISI members with voting rights from a minimum of 3 different countries. 

d) The delivery of the proposal must respect the processes and time schedule in Article 6.

e) The President shall ask the Director to transmit the proposal(s) and the views of the Executive Committee and Council to all members of the ISI at least 12 weeks before the General Assembly.

f) The members will have the opportunity to give their opinion to the Director on the proposal(s) until 12 weeks before the General Assembly.

g) The Director, after consultation with the Executive Committee and the Council, will prepare the final version of the amendment of the statutes, which version will be submitted for an electronic voting procedure. 

h) The process for the electronic voting and the official approval of the amendment of the statutes shall be organised as follows: 

  1. The ISI Director is responsible for organising the voting on amendment of the statutes and shall send the final version of the amendment to all individual members of the ISI by email and/or upload on a secured webpage;
  2. There shall be a period of 2 weeks between submitting the amendment and the date when voting by the members can commence;
  3. The voting period shall be 2 weeks maximum and will end at least 2 weeks before the General Assembly;
  4. The amendment will be approved by the members if a simple majority of the votes is in favour of the amendment;
  5. The Director shall deliver a report on the outcome of the voting to the General Assembly.
  6. The outcome of the electronic voting procedure will be communicated to the members during the General Assembly and will be confirmed in a formal decision of the General Assembly.
  7. After the formal decision of the General Assembly, the amendment is officially approved.

Article 18 – Dissolution

a) The ISI can be dissolved only by a decision of the General Assembly. The procedures shall be in accordance with Article 17 except that a two-thirds majority of all individual ISI members voting in favour is required for the dissolution to be successful.

b) A liquidation of the ISI shall follow the procedures described in the By-laws.

c) The balance after liquidation will be disposed in accordance with the objectives of the ISI.

Final Provisions

The Statutes, By-Laws and Definitions of the ISI are subject to Dutch Law.