Statutes
Statutes and definition of the mandate of the Executive Board
(modified version after the vote on Dec 6, 2024)
These statutes can only be modified by a favorable vote of at least three quarters of the members of the Bureau in office.
Functions of the EMF Executive Board
The scientific symposiums of the Espace Mathématique Francophone (EMF) are a series of symposiums organized under the auspices of the International Commission on Mathematical Education (ICMI) as affiliate regional organization. The working language of these international scientific symposiums is French.
The primary function of the EMF Executive Board (hereafter the Board) is to promote the realization of the EMF scientific symposiums every four years in a spirit consistent with the initial vocation of these scientific symposiums, namely to promote, within the French-speaking community of teachers and researchers, exchanges and reflections on the lively issues of mathematics education at the primary, secondary and higher levels.
For each EMF scientific symposium, the Bureau is in charge of:
· select the host country from the applications received;
· establish the composition of the Scientific Committee, in collaboration with the Chairman;
· to assist the Scientific Committee in ensuring a balanced North-South and gender balance for plenary sessions, working groups, special projects and programmed discussions.
· define and implement the evaluation procedures for the symposium.
The designation of a Scientific Committee for an EMF scientific symposium must be completed within six months of the previous scientific symposium.
The principle of recurrence every four years, as well as the alternation between North and South for the scientific symposium venues, is an important feature of EMF scientific symposiums. Thus, a symposium will be organized in a Northern country each year 2018+8N and in a Southern country each year 2021+8N.
Composition and mode of designation of the EMF Executive Board
The Board consists of eight members appointed for a single eight-year term. Half of the Board is renewed every four years. New members take office after the process of nominating the host country and the Scientific Committee has been completed.
The outgoing Bureau is responsible for proposing the list of its new members for validation by the ICMI Executive Committee. In the selection of its new members, the Bureau shall respect principles of balance between representatives from the South (Africa, Asia) and the North (Europe, North America) on the one hand and women and men on the other, as follows.
· The Bureau must include at least three members from the North (Europe, North America) and at least three from the South (Africa, Asia). With a few exceptions, no two members may work in the same country.
· The Bureau must include at least three women and at least three men. Neither of the two sub-regions can be composed of only men or only women.
· The outgoing President of the Scientific Committee becomes ex-officio one of the 8 members of the Executive Board for a term of 8 years.
· Among the three other new members, at least one, from a country other than the President, comes from the outgoing Scientific Committee.
The new members must commit themselves to participate as far as possible in the EMF scientific symposiums held during their mandate.
It is during the scientific symposium of year N that the Board chooses the location and the President of the Scientific Committee of year N+4 and appoints the 3 new members of the Board (in addition to the President of the outgoing Scientific Committee).
At each renewal, the President of the Bureau is elected by the members of the Bureau for a four-year term on the principle of alternating between countries of the South and of the North.
Annex 1 - Rules for the candidatures of countries wishing to organize an EMF scientific symposium
Within 6 months before the holding of an EMF symposium year N, the executive committee must make diffuse by all the possible networks a call for candidature for the symposium year N+4 and give the rules of constitution of the files which will have to reach the members of the executive committee via their president at the latest one month before the beginning of the EMF symposium year N. Let us recall here that the principle of alternation between the North and the South leads to solicit candidacies for a country of the North in the years 2018+8N and for a country of the South in 2021+8N.
This file must include at least the following elements:
- A name for the chair of the scientific committee and a different name for the chair of the organizing committee. The chair of the organizing committee must have a local presence and be a member of the scientific committee.
- A detailed argumentation on the scientific and geopolitical relevance of the choice of the conference venue, which takes into account the particularities of the EMF conferences and their history and states the advantages of the candidacy in terms of:
o impact and attractiveness for the country or region;
o Accessibility to as many potential EMF participants as possible (including locally);
o The dynamism and quality of the organizing team, particularly in its relationship with the EMF.
- An inventory (backed up by letters of support) of the scientific, administrative and institutional support on which the organizing team can rely.
- A forecast on the material infrastructures (conference venue, rooms and equipment, housing, local transportation, social and cultural activities).
- A provisional budget detailing the costs and subsidies envisaged.
- The dates envisaged for the holding of the scientific symposium with an argument.
The Bureau reserves the right to request additional documents and to meet with the project leader(s) to obtain information.
Once the project has been chosen,
· The constitution of the scientific committee is the responsibility of the president of the scientific committee who will have been designated, in consultation with the Bureau.
· The president of the Scientific Committee of the conference of year N is ex-officio member of the Scientific Committee of the conference of year N+4.
· No other member of the Bureau may be a member of the Scientific Committee.
· The Scientific Committee of the conference of year N+4 must be decided and approved by the Board of Directors no later than six months after the end of the conference of year N.
· The new Bureau (half of which is renewed) is appointed as soon as this stage is completed according to the terms agreed upon during the scientific symposium of year N.