THE INETERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF PUBLIC LAW – ICON•S
GEORGIAN CHAPTER
The Georgian Chapter of the International Society of Public Law (hereinafter: ICON•S) is established to create a diverse and interdisciplinary academic forum to discuss contemporary Public Law challenges, including administrative law, constitutional law, international law, and related fields such as political science, political theory, jurisprudence, and political history. It will be an intergenerational working space that will include both established scholars and junior academics. It will seek to provide an academic space for scholars using diverse methodologies and coming from different legal education backgrounds. It will also serve as a link between the Georgian academia and the international forum that the Society offers. In its composition, the Chapter will promote the following principles: regional and political diversity, gender balance and academic excellence.
Article I. The Mission
1. The aim of the Georgian Chapter is to pursue the mission of ICON•S within Georgia.
2. The Chapter is established in order to:
a) Promote the values of ICON•S, including a commitment with an interdisciplinary approach to public law, and the values associated with human rights, democratic constitutionalism, and the rule of law.
b) Promote the expansion of ICON•S in Georgia, collaborate with other ICON•S chapters and with Georgian academic organizations that share the values of ICON•S, but remain distinct from them.
c) Promote early-career scholars, especially but not exclusively, from underrepresented groups.
2. The Chapter shall:
A) Be organized in a way that reflects its commitments to gender balance, inter-generational dialogue, regional and political diversity.
B) Regularly disseminate notice of its events and activities via ICONnect and communicate an annual summary of its activities to the ICON•S Executive Committee.
C) Be subject in its scope, governance and membership, to periodic reviews by the members of the ICON•S Executive Committee.
D) Promote joining ICON•S and paying the ICON•S annual membership fee.
Article 2. Governance of the Chapter
1. The Chapter is governed by three institutions: the Co-Chairs, the Executive Secretaries and the Advisory Board.
2. The Co-Chairs, executive secretaries, and the board members’ identities, as a whole, shall reflect the Chapter’s commitment to gender balance, academic excellence, and age diversity.
3. The Chapter has two Co-Chairs elected on the basis of gender equality (50/50 male and female). The Co-Chairs cannot be affiliated to the same academic institutions, and the Board should be composed of members coming from at least five separate institutions.
Article 3. The Co-Chairs
1. The Advisory Board appoints the Co-Chairs among members of the Chapter. The Advisory Board is authorized to commence a meeting if 2/3 of the total number of the Members are present. The Advisory Board elects the Co-Chairs by the majority of the total number of the Members.
2. The Co-Chairs have a three-year tenure and they can be reelected only once. If one of the Co-Chairs resigns, the Board appoints a replacement for the remainder of the term.
3. The Co-Chairs make decisions by agreement. They create administrative positions and appoint an executive secretary. If necessary, the Co-Chairs may appoint one additional executive secretary. Also, the Co-Chairs may establish working groups of the Chapter to organize events and other activities.
4. The Co-Chairs inform the Board about the appointments and working groups they create. The Co-Chairs can decide that the Chapter supports workshops, symposia, and colloquia as considered appropriate.
5. The Chapter may also organize conferences, webinars, workshops, mooting, essay competitions, or similar activities as deemed appropriate by the Co-Chairs.
6. Each year, the Co-Chairs will communicate an annual summary of their activities to the ICON•S Executive Committee, the Advisory Board, and the Chapter members.
Article 4. The Advisory Board
1. The number of members of the advisory board shall not exceed 15. The Board members will hold office for three years and they will be elected by the members of the Chapter. A member of the board can be re-elected for an additional term or terms.
2. The first Advisory Board will be appointed among the founding members based on: excellence in public law scholarship, research interests, gender and age equality, institutional and regional representation, and availability to assume the basic obligations of the Georgian Chapter.
3. The Electoral Rules will be proposed by the Co-Chairs and approved by the Board members. The Board is authorized to commence a meeting if 2/3 of the total number of the Members are present. The Advisory Board adopts the Electoral Rules by the majority of the total number of the Members. The rules have to include a mechanism to ensure that at least a third of the Board’s members is replaced. The Electoral Rules should also reflect the Chapter’s commitment to gender balance. Elections are to be held by email, online survey, or similar electronic means.
4. Only members of the Georgian Chapter are eligible to stand for and vote in elections for membership of the Advisory Board. Only members that have an active ICON•S membership can vote and be elected as members of the Board and as co-chairs. Providing an invoice of an active membership status of ICON•S will be a sufficient condition to exercise these rights.
5. The Board votes for the Co-Chairs after its installment. If necessary, the previous Co-Chairs continue to perform their functions until the new Co-Chairs have accepted their appointment. A retiring Co-Chair automatically becomes a member of the advisory board for a term of three years.
6. The Board will meet at least once every year at the time decided by the Co-Chairs. The Board approves the proposals made by the Co-Chairs, the electoral procedures, and defines the Chapter’s general policies. The Board also reviews the new membership applications. In general, the Board is authorized to commence a meeting if 2/3 of the total number of the Members are present. The Board makes a decision by the majority of the total number of the Members, unless stated otherwise in these Rules.
Article 5. Executive Secretary:
1. The Georgian Chapter of ICON•S has an Executive Secretary appointed by the two-Co-Chairs for a term of three years with one possible reelection. Co-Chairs may appoint one additional Executive Secretary according to the needs of the Chapter.
2. The Executive Secretary assists the two Co-Chairs to fulfill the objectives of the Georgian Chapter.
3. The Executive Secretary keeps the register of all members admitted to the Chapter.
Article 6. Rights and duties of the members of the governing bodies
All members of the governing bodies have the following rights and duties:
a) Join ICON•S and pay the ICON•S annual membership fee.
b) Promote the mission and values of ICON•S.
Article 7. Chapter Membership
1. Membership is not limited by nationality. All members should have an interest in Public Law academia, including all the related fields.
2. The Chapter will start with the following members: the first co-chairs, the Board members, and the list of founding members informed to ICON•S.
3. Society members should become:
a) Public law scholars and lecturers.
b) Ph.D., Ph.D. student, Masters, Master’s degree student who has an interest in public law.
c) Students of the final year of the undergraduate educational program from any institution operating in Georgia or abroad, who express interest in public law and Georgia.
4. A candidate should submit an application to co-chairs. They join the Chapter following one of the procedures:
a) A candidate with the endorsement of both co-chairs and five members of the Board will be added as members of the Chapter. The endorsement will be given by email, and it needs to incorporate a letter from the applicant. The co-chairs will need to inform the Board members.
b) A candidate’s membership is approved by a majority of the Board members present at a Board meeting.
5. Chapter membership is free. All applicants must show an interest in Public Law academia or in at least one of the related fields. Even though the applications will be merit-based, early-career scholars will be especially welcomed (Amendment #1, 18.11.2022)
Article 8. Working groups and committees
The co-chairs may establish working groups of the Chapter to organize events and activities they consider relevant to support the Chapter’s administrative and academic tasks.
Article 9. National Conference
1. The Georgian Chapter will organize a national conference each year, based on a call addressed both to junior and senior scholars
2. For this purpose, it can work with existing national and regional organizations. 3. The annual conference will be held during a different month than that in which the ICON•S annual meeting is held, preferably before it.
Article 10. Amendments
1. An amendment to the Rules of the Chapter may be proposed by a co-chair or one third of all members of the Board.
2. The Board is authorized to discuss amendments to the Rules of the Chapter if 2/3 of the total number of the Members are present. The Rules can be amended by the majority of the total number of the Members of the Board. Amendments need the approval of both Co-Chairs. Voting can be conducted via email, online survey, or similar electronic means.