Provisional Charter
URANTIA Association of Canada

Amended 1 March 2003


Downloadable version (PDF)

Article1 - Statement of purpose Article2 - Structure Article3 - Membership Article4 - Financial

Article5 - Incorporation/Bylaws Article6 - Amendements Article7 - Dissolution Appendix - Tasks of IUA

IUA is composed of five interdependent organisational service components: an International Service Board, a Representative Council, a Judicial Commission, National Associations, and Local Associations.

The International Service Board, the Representative Council, and the Judicial Commission shall constitute the Central Administration of IUA and shall be responsible for the international affairs of IUA by integrating and coordinating the functions of the Associations of IUA worldwide. The internal affairs of the National and Local Associations shall be administered by their respective Governing Boards.

2.1 The IUA International Service Board (Board)

2.1.1  The Board, which is the executive branch of IUA, executes resolutions made by, and is accountable to, the Representative Council. The Board may initiate budgets, strategic plans, policies, and resolutions which, if passed by the Board, shall be referred to the Representative Council for their consideration. The Board shall not execute any decision that has not been previously approved through budgets, policies, or resolutions passed by the Representative Council, except as specifically authorised in the IUA Charter and Bylaws¹. It shall be responsible for managing the international activities of IUA and the international administrative, financial, and legal affairs of IUA, and shall exercise the legal powers and authority of IUA, subject to the limitations set forth in this Charter and the IUA Bylaws.

Until new IUA Bylaws have been ratified, this includes the Provisional Operating Procedures. (See footnote 5 in 5.2 for further explanation.)

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Note 1 - Until new IUA Bylaws have been ratified, this includes the Provisional Operating Procedures. (See footnote 5 in 5.2 for further explanation.)

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2.1.2  All members of the Board shall be elected by a sixty percent majority vote of the Representative Council².

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Note 2 - The Board serving immediately prior to the adoption of this Provisional Charter shall appoint the first Board.

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2.1.3 The Board shall have a minimum of seven and a maximum of seventeen members. The officers of IUA shall be a President, Vice President, Secretary, Chief Financial Officer, Membership Chair, Education Chair, and Communications Chair, all of whom shall be members of the Board. Other positions on the Board may include, but shall not be limited to, the Chairs of the following committees: Dissemination, Conference, Translation, and Charter and Bylaws. The duties of the officers and committee chairs shall be set forth in the IUA Bylaws.

2.1.4 The IUA officers shall constitute the "Executive Committee" of the Board and shall also be the officers of the Representative Council. The President of the Board shall preside over the meetings of the Representative Council and the Secretary shall be responsible for the preparation of the minutes. Members of the Executive Committee may be present as observers at the meetings of the Representative Council but they may not participate unless invited to do so and they may not vote.

2.1.5 The terms of office for all Board members shall be four years; no member may serve for more than two consecutive terms, after which the member must be off the Board for at least two years. In order to allow continuity on the Board, terms shall be staggered and elections shall be held every two years.

2.1.6 Any full member in good standing in IUA who meets the necessary qualifications for the position shall be eligible for election to the Board. A Board member may not simultaneously hold any other office in the Central Administration or on any Governing Board of any National Association.

2.1.7 The Representative Council may, by a two-thirds majority vote, add additional Board members up to the maximum of seventeen.

2.1.8 All Board committees shall be chaired by a Board member. Committee members shall be appointed by each Committee Chair subject to confirmation by the Board.

2.1.9 Voting: Unless otherwise specified in the IUA Charter and Bylaws, all Board decisions shall be made by a sixty percent majority vote of all Board members.

2.1.10 The Board shall have responsibility for all personnel decisions, subject to policy and budget decisions by the Representative Council.

2.2 The Representative Council

2.2.1 The Representative Council is the legislative branch of IUA. The purpose of the Representative Council shall be to represent the members of IUA in the Central Administration. The Representative Council shall legislate, by resolution, regarding policies, international level projects and programs, and any other matters not inconsistent with this Charter or the IUA Bylaws.

2.2.2 The sitting President and Vice President of each National Association shall, by virtue of the office, be a voting member of the Representative Council. The term of each member shall be contemporaneous with his term of office as President or Vice President of his National Association.

2.2.3 The President of the Board shall call the Representative Council into a formal session at least once a year. Sessions may be held by any means that reasonably allows all members equitable participation, but the Representative Council must provide for continuous sessions by email or other available technology. It would be preferable that a face-to-face meeting of the Central Administration is held at the time of an IUA conference. This meeting would count as the annual meeting for that year. Advance notice of all sessions is required in the manner prescribed in the IUA Bylaws.

2.2.4 Votes. The sitting Presidents and Vice Presidents of the National Associations shall be entitled to cast one vote each. Unless otherwise specified in the IUA Charter or Bylaws, all elections and resolutions shall be passed by a sixty percent majority of the Representative Council.

2.2.5  Resolutions. All matters submitted to the Representative Council for a decision shall be in the form of a resolution.

2.2.6 If any resolution fails to pass it may be submitted at a later date, with the exception of the budget, which, if not passed within a reasonable period of time, shall be sent to an ad hoc budget committee. The Board shall appoint three of its members, one of whom shall be the Chief Financial Officer who shall chair the committee, and the Representative Council shall elect four of its members to serve on the budget committee. Each member shall have equal votes and the budget committee shall have authority to resolve all issues relating to the budget.

2.2.7 All duly passed resolutions shall be binding on all constituent Local and National Associations unless the resolution violates the laws of the Association's country, in which case the Executive Committee may authorise a partial or total exemption. If a resolution appears to conflict with the laws of a country of a particular National or Local Association, that Association may apply to the Executive Committee for review of the conflict and, if necessary, an exemption.

2.3 The IUA Judicial Commission

2.3.1 The IUA Judicial Commission shall be the judicial branch of IUA, consisting of a minimum of three and a maximum of seven Commissioners. The Representative Council may, by a two- thirds majority vote, add additional Commissioners up to the maximum of seven Commissioners. Each Commissioner shall serve for six years; the terms shall be staggered. Commissioners may serve a total of three terms, whether or not the terms are consecutive³.

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Note 3 - The IUA Board serving immediately prior to the adoption of this Provisional Charter shall appoint the first three members to serve as Judicial Commissioners.

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2.3.2 The members of the Judicial Commission shall be nominated by the Board and shall be elected by a sixty percent majority vote of the Representative Council. Any full member in good standing of IUA who meets the necessary qualifications for the position shall be eligible for election on the Judicial Commission. A Judicial Commissioner may not simultaneously hold any other office in the Central Administration or on any Governing Board of any National Association.

2.3.3 Dispute Resolution. The Judicial Commission shall provide a rule book and may, upon request, provide assistance and training for the National and Local Associations to use for the establishment of Conciliatory Commissions, or to assist with any methods utilised to resolve internal disputes. All efforts shall be made to resolve disputes within a reasonable period of time.

2.3.4 Appeals from a National Association (or a Local Association in an area where no National Association exists) may be made to the Judicial Commission if that Association's Conciliatory Commission or other dispute resolution mechanism fails to resolve the dispute. If the member, members, or Local Association involved in the dispute are not satisfied with the final decision of the dispute resolution process, they may request a review of the decision by the IUA Judicial Commission. However, it is solely at the discretion of the Judicial Commission whether to accept a matter for review.

2.3.5 Any Governing Board of a National Association, any group of at least five members of the Representative Council, or any group of at least five members of the Board (providing at least two are from the Executive Committee) may appeal to the Judicial Commission for a judgment on any governing documents or actions of an Association, Representative Council, or Board to determine whether the document or actions violate the IUA Charter or Bylaws. Judicial review of petitions under this section shall be heard at the discretion of the Judicial Commission.

2.3.6 The Governing Board of National Association may submit a request to the Judicial Commission to resolve a dispute arising between its association and one or more other National Associations. Judicial review of petitions under this section shall be heard at the discretion of the Judicial Commission.

2.3.7 An Association that has been expelled by the Representative Council may request a review of the decision by the IUA Judicial Commission.

2.3.8 The decisions of the Judicial Commission shall be binding on the Board, the Representative Council, and all constituent associations.

2.4 National and Local Urantia Associations

2.4.1 The self-governing constituent "Urantia Associations" shall be either National or Local in scope encompassing specific geographical regions. Each constituent Association shall be formed in accordance with the IUA Charter and Bylaws and the legal requirements of its country. An Association shall be considered an official constituent of IUA after entering into a Charter Agreement.

2.4.2 The Associations of IUA shall adopt or adhere to the IUA Charter and Bylaws but may also adopt Bylaws for their Association. Any Bylaws adopted by a constituent association shall be subject to the approval of the Executive Committee of the International Service Board. The Executive Committee of the Board may from time to time adopt or approve Model Bylaws, as guidelines, which may be modified for use by National and Local Associations. Each time an Association amends its Bylaws a copy of the amendment shall be provided to the Board within thirty days.

2.4.3 Associations that are established at the time of this Amended IUA Charter shall adopt or adhere to the Amended Charter but may retain their Association Bylaws provided those Bylaws do not conflict with this Amended Charter.

2.4.4 A constituent Association shall be autonomous in all aspects of its internal affairs except to the extent its affairs effect another Association, the Central Administration, or IUA as a whole, and provided that it does not violate the laws of the country or countries in which it operates, the provisions of this Charter or the IUA Bylaws, and it faithfully supports the goals of IUA.

2.4.5 A constituent Association may establish a Conciliatory Commission to assist in the resolution of internal disputes.

2.4.6 A Charter Agreement may be entered into with a new National Association or a Local Association in an area where no National Association exists after approval has been given by a sixty percent majority vote of the Representative Council.

2.4.7 Expulsion of an Association. If an Association is found to have engaged in conduct materially and seriously prejudicial to the purposes and goals of IUA, has otherwise violated the Charter or Bylaws of IUA, or has exhibited a chronic inability or lack of willingness to support the purposes and goals of IUA or to work within the established organisational structure of IUA, the Association may be expelled from IUA in the manner prescribed in the IUA Charter and Bylaws.

2.4.8 Any Governing Board of a National Association, any group of at least five members of the Representative Council, or any group of at least five members of the Board (providing at least two are from the Executive Committee) may petition the Board for the expulsion from IUA of a National Association (or a Local Association in an area where no National Association exists). The Board shall examine the allegations and present its findings to the Representative Council. The Representative Council may expel an Association from IUA by a sixty-six percent majority vote of the Representative Council, excluding the President and Vice President of the Association whose expulsion is being considered. The Board shall execute such documents as may be necessary to effect the expulsion and revoke the Charter Agreement between the Association and IUA. The Association may appeal to the Judicial Commission to review the decision.

2.4.9 All documents required to form an Association or adopted to govern the activities of an Association, together, shall constitute the governing documents of the Association. Each constituent association shall enter into a license agreement with Urantia Foundation that authorises the Association to use any trade, service, and membership marks of the Urantia Foundation that IUA is licensed to use. All Associations shall report on the use of these marks as required by the terms of the license agreement.

2.4.a) National Associations

2.4.a.i A National Association shall have at least thirty full members. One National Association may be formed in any country recognised by the United Nations or a group of such countries. Each National Association shall be managed by a Governing Board consisting of at least a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Membership Chair.

2.4.a.ii When a National Association is formed, members within the national boundaries of that Association shall automatically become members of that National Association.

2.4.a.iii  There shall be two types of National Associations: one that has no subsidiary Local Associations and one that has one or more subsidiary Local Associations.

2.4.a.iv  The National Associations with two or more Local Associations shall have a Council consisting of the Presidents and Vice Presidents of the constituent Local Associations. This Council of Local Presidents and Vice Presidents shall manage the national IUA affairs in its country, and shall integrate and coordinate the functions of the Local Associations nationwide; it shall not govern the internal affairs of the autonomous Local Associations.

2.4.a.v Each National Association shall contribute at least ten percent of its annual gross income (as defined in the IUA Bylaws) each year to the Central Administration of IUA.

2.4.b) Local Associations

2.4.b.i A Local Association shall have at least ten full members and may be formed to serve any designated locality or localities within the boundaries of its National Association. Such designations for the Local Associations may be altered from time to time to accommodate changing needs and reader population growth of the region.

2.4.b.ii A National Association may allow the formation of a Local Association based on language preference within the geographical borders of an existing National Association. Furthermore, if approved by the National Association, Local Associations may form wherever there are ten or more readers who want to affiliate in order to carry out a specific type of service activity.

2.4.b.iii Each Local Association shall be managed by a Governing Board consisting of at least a President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

2.4.b.iv A Local Association may be formed in a country before a National Association has been formed in that country, provided that when there are at least thirty full members in that country, a National Association shall be formed.