AM1-Rules Associate Membership-Oct2024

Last revised October 2024 AM1/Oct2024
Original: English
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WORLD MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
Rules Applicable to WMA Associate Membership
amended by the
34th
World Medical Assembly, Lisbon, Portugal, September/October 1981
126th
Council Session, Jerusalem, Israel, May 1990
50th
WMA General Assembly, October 1998
53rd
WMA General Assembly, Washington 2002
54th
WMA General Assembly, Helsinki 2003
65th
WMA General Assembly, Durban 2014
67th
WMA General Assembly, Taipei 2016
68th
WMA General Assembly, Chicago 2017
73rd
WMA General Assembly, Berlin 2022
and the
75th
WMA General Assembly, Helsinki 2024
CONTEXT
1. The following rules for the Associate Membership must be applied in accordance with the
WMA Articles and Bylaws, Procedures and Operating Policies and the Rule of Procedure for
all deliberative bodies.
MANAGEMENT
2. The Secretary General shall administer all matters relating to Associate Members.
3. The Secretary General may forward membership applications for review by the Council. The
Council may reject any application for Associate Membership without cause.
MEMBERSHIP
4. Associate members shall be limited to physicians, as that term is defined in the WMA Bylaws
(Section 1c (i) of Chapter I), and medical students who are properly enrolled in a medical
school, listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools of the World Federation for Medical
Education, who have applied for such membership and who have paid the amount of dues
prescribed for such members. Associate membership is available to such individual physicians
and medical students whether or not their National Medical Association is a Constituent
Member of the World Medical Association. The Associate Membership shall include
individual members in good standing, consisting of Independent Members, Student Members,
all members of the Past Presidents and Chairs Network and all members of the Junior Doctors
Network.
5. Applications for Associate Membership shall be obtained only from the WMA directly, or from
a National Medical Association that is a Constituent Member of the WMA. The application
should be returned, with the proper amount of membership dues, to the WMA or to a National
Medical Association that is a Constituent Member of the WMA.
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6. Associate members shall receive confirmation of membership, a subscription to the World
Medical Journal (WMJ) and such other benefits as the Council may approve. Associate
members may attend meetings open to all membership of the WMA General Assembly upon
payment of the registration fee therefor, and upon request and approval. Associate Members
may attend open meetings of the WMA Council. Attendance at all such meetings shall be at the
expense of the Associate Member.
7. Medical students and junior doctors (on graduation as physicians for a period of five years) will
be granted Associate Membership in the WMA without a membership fee, but no products,
services or publications (except electronic publications) will be provided to these members.
8. Past Presidents and Past Chairs of Council will be granted life Associate Membership in the
WMA. No membership fee will be charged. They may be included in the Past Presidents and
Chairs of Council Network (PPCN). Further details of PPCN are defined in Terms of
Reference.
9. Associate Members in good standing who are medical graduates within ten (10) years of
graduation may be members of the Junior Doctors Network (JDN). Further details of JDN are
defined in Terms of Reference.
10. Associate Members in good standing who have graduated from medical school, and who are
neither members of the Past Presidents and Chairs of Council Network (PPCN) nor members of
the Junior Doctors Network (JDN) shall be known as Independent Members.
11. All Associate Members must comply with the Associate Membership Rules.
12. All Associate Members in good standing shall have the right to vote at plenary meetings of the
Associate Membership.
TERMINATION FOR CAUSE
13. The Council may terminate the membership of any Associate Member for cause. Cause for
termination of membership shall consist of any action by the member that is inconsistent with
WMA purposes and objectives, or action that tends to bring the WMA or the medical
profession into disrepute, or any action harming the reputation of the WMA. Prior to
terminating the membership of an Associate Member for cause, the Council shall invite the
member to respond in writing to the complaints alleged against the said member. The Council
shall consider the member’s response, if any, in making its decision, which can be conducted by
correspondence or virtual meeting.
CHAIRPERSON OF ASSOCIATE MEMBERS
14. The Associate Members shall elect a Chairperson from their own number present and in good
standing at the plenary meeting immediately preceding the WMA General Assembly. The
Chairperson shall preside over meetings of the Associate Members.
15. The Chairperson shall serve for a term of two years, and shall be eligible for re-election at the
pleasure of the Associate Members, for no more than a total of three two-year terms. In the
event of the death, inability to serve, resignation or if the Chairperson´s membership is
terminated, the next Plenary Meeting shall elect a Chairperson to serve the unexpired portion of
the term. In the interim period, the Immediate Past Chairperson will serve as Chair or if he/she
Rules Applicable to WMA Associate Membership AM1/Oct2024
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is not available, the Steering Committee shall make other provision as it may deem expedient
for the discharge of the duties of the office concerned.
16. The first two-year term referred to in 15 will begin at the end of the term in force when these
Rules are first adopted, notwithstanding possible revisions.
STEERING COMMITTEE
17. There shall be a Steering Committee of the Associate Membership, which shall include:
17.1 the Chairperson of Associate Members
17.2 the Immediate Past Chairperson of Associate Members
17.3 the Chair of the Junior Doctors Network (or the designee of the Chair of the JDN))
17.4 the Chair of the Past Presidents and Chairs of Council Network (or the designee of the
Chair of the PPCN)
17.5 the two (2) Associate Member Representatives to the WMA General Assembly.
17.6 an Independent Member-at-large to be elected by the Independent Members
17.7 a Student Member-at-large to be elected by the Student Members
18. No person may hold two positions on the Steering Committee.
19. The Steering Committee shall meet at least every two months either virtually or in person
unless otherwise agreed by a majority of the Steering Committee.
20. The Steering Committee shall
20.1 review and propose activities of the Associate Membership,
20.2 make and implement internal Associate Membership decisions between scheduled
plenary meetings of the Associate Membership,
20.3 give advice to the Chairperson on decision making,
20.4 recommend leadership and membership of task forces and workgroups,
20.5 discuss potential changes in internal Associate Membership governance and process,
20.6 foster voluntarism to support the work of the WMA, and
20.7 represent the collective interests of the Associate Membership.
PLENARY MEETINGS
21. Within one week prior to each meeting of the WMA Council, there shall be a plenary meeting
open to all Associate Members in good standing. Meeting attendance may be in person and/or
virtual, following the existing WMA rules. The Secretary General or designee shall be
available throughout the meeting to advise, assist and counsel the members.
22. Additional meetings may be scheduled at the request of twenty (20) Associate Members in
good standing, or by at least 2/3 of the members of the Steering Committee, or by the
Chairperson of the Associate members. At least two weeks’ notice of special meetings shall be
given to the members. The notice shall state the place and purpose of the meeting. No business
shall be dealt with by an additional meeting other than that for which it has been specifically
convened.
ELECTIONS
23. Nominations for candidates for available leadership positions included on the Steering
Committee can be made for any Associate Member in good standing.
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24. A call for nominations shall be sent to all Associate Members at least six (6) weeks before the
Associate Member plenary meeting during which the election shall occur. Nominations can
also be made during the plenary meeting.
25. Nominations shall be submitted according to the current requirements determined by the
Associate Membership and will include, at a minimum, a curriculum vitae, a description of the
candidate’s reasons for wishing to occupy the leadership position, a photograph of the
candidate if applicable, and any additional documentation as required by the Steering
Committee. These materials, if available in advance, will be distributed with the meeting
materials.
26. Elections for the following positions shall normally occur concurrent with the October Meeting
of the Associate Membership that precedes the Council Meeting and the General Assembly;
elections follow the existing WMA rules.
26.1 If the term of the Chairperson is expiring, there shall be an election of the new
Chairperson, conducted by the Secretary General. The elected Chairperson shall
conduct the rest of the meeting.
26.2 Two (2) Representatives to the WMA General Assembly, who shall serve also as
members of the Steering Committee for a one-year term.
26.3 One (1) Independent Member-at-large for a one-year term on the Steering Committee.
26.4 One (1) Student Member-at-large for a one-year term on the Steering Committee.
26.5 The election of the Student Member-at-large may take place virtually.
REPRESENTATION TO THE WMA GENERAL ASSEMBLY
27. Only those motions approved and adopted by a majority of the Associate Members in good
standing participating in a meeting of the Associate Membership may be presented for
consideration to the WMA General Assembly in the name of the Associate Membership.
28. The representatives to the WMA General Assembly elected by the Associate Members shall
have the right to speak in the WMA General Assembly and the right to introduce policy or
proposals passed at meetings of the Associate Membership, but shall not have the rightto
introduce additional business, nor to make a motion, nor to vote.
EXTERNAL REPRESENTATION
29. Associate Members may not represent the WMA in any capacity without the expressed prior
authorization of the Council or by the Chair of Council, or by the Secretary General on their
behalf. The active use of this affiliation to promote or give a misleading impression of an
official WMA endorsement of a third-party event is not permitted.
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