WFOOT – World
Federation of Ozone Therapists
Constitution
Article
1 Name - Duration – Site and Status
The World Federation of Ozone Therapists (hereafter “the WFOOT”)
is constituted for an unlimited period. It is an international non-profit
making association founded in 2005.
The WFOOT’s site shall in future be at the address of the President,
or as otherwise directed by the Executive Committee. English will be
its official language. The activities of the WFOOT shall be in accordance
with this Constitution. No salary shall be paid to any Member for any
reason as remuneration for their activities on behalf of the WFOOT.
Article 2 Purposes of the WFOOT
These are as follows:
a. To promote the use of ozone – polyatomic oxygen in all the possible
medical aspects.
b. To co-ordinate work in and scientific documents and ensure adequate
circulation throughout the world, as required.
c. To co-ordinate relations between WFOOT and the other clinical specialities
devoted to the treatment of the same pathologies.
d. To promote development of appropriate methods of teaching the use
of ozone and to ensure that standards of training and (if appropriate)
certification are obtained and maintained.
Article 3 Methods of achieving the purposes laid out in Article 2
The WFOOT shall
a. Hold a scientific meeting every two years at a time and place designated
by the Executive Committee.
b. Organise educational courses.
c. Organise any other such meetings as will also promote its purposes.
d. Award prizes or make scientific awards for work aimed at these purposes.
e. Promote publication of an official journal and other appropriate documents.
Article 4 Membership
The WFOOT shall be composed of:
Society Members
Full Members, individuals
Associate Members
Honorary Members
Emeritus Members
Corporate Members.
Society Members
Duly constituted Medical Ozone National or Continental Societies. This
category is open to constituted scientific societies dedicated to the
medical use of Ozone. They shall pay an annual subscription, the amount
of which will be determined by the WFOOT. The Society Members will be
represented by their President, or delegate, as Member at Large in
the WFOOT Executive Committee. The Society Members will be entitled
to one vote every 50 members or their society.
Full Members, individuals
This category shall be limited to medical practitioners active in the
medical use of ozone. Full Members shall enjoy all rights and privileges
of membership of the WFOOT, including the rights to vote, to serve on
committees and to hold any office in the WFOOT. They shall pay an annual
subscription, the amount of which will be determined by the WFOOT. The
rights and privileges shall be forfeit if, over a period to be determined
by the WFOOT, currently two calendar years, the Member does not pay
the annual subscription. Full Members whose membership lapses in this
way will be eligible to apply for reinstatement on payment of the appropriate
subscription.
Associate Members, individuals
The category is open to any individual not eligible for Full Membership.
Associate Members have all the rights and privileges of membership
of the WFOOT, but are not entitled to vote, neither to serve on Committees
except as consultants or to hold any office in the WFOOT.. They will
pay an annual subscription fee, the amount of which will be determined
by the Society. The rights and privileges shall be forfeit if, over
a period to be determined by the Society, currently two calendar years,
the Member does not pay the annual subscription. Associate Members
whose membership lapses in this way will be eligible to apply for reinstatement
on payment of the appropriate subscription).
Honorary Members and Honorary Presidents, individuals
Honorary Membership is conferred by the WFOOT upon individuals who are
judged to have made outstanding contributions. Conferment of Membership
will be proposed by the Executive Committee and must be confirmed by
a simple majority of voting Members. Honorary Members will have all
the rights and privileges of Full Membership of the WFOOT.
Individuals who are considered suitably distinguished may be nominated
as Honorary Presidents of the WFOOT. Nominations should be made to the
Secretary General. They will then be considered by the Membership Committee,
who will make a recommendation to the Executive Committee. Conferment
of this honour, which is for life, will require ratification by the General
Assembly.
They are not required to pay subscription fees.
Emeritus Members, individuals
A Full Member who is no longer in active practice may apply to the Membership
Committee to modify his or her status. Emeritus Members have all the
rights and privileges of membership of the WFOOT, but are not entitled
to vote, neither to serve on Committees except as consultants or to
hold any office in the WFOOT. They are not required to pay subscription
fees.
Corporate Members
The category is open to companies active in fields related to the medical
use of ozone and interested in closer collaboration with the WFOOT.
Corporate Members may send two delegates to the General Assembly, but
they will not have the right to vote. Corporate Members shall pay an
annual subscription, the amount of which will be determined by the
WFOOT. The rights and privileges shall be forfeit if, over a period
to be determined by the WFOOT, currently one calendar year, the Corporate
Member does not pay the annual subscription. Corporate Members whose
membership lapses in this way will be eligible to apply for reinstatement
on payment of the appropriate subscription.
Termination of Membership
Membership may be terminated by:
a. the Member resigning;
b. the Member being removed from the list of Members by direction of
the Executive Committee for serious causes, or for actions of such nature
as to hinder the purposes of the WFOOT; or
c. for failure to pay annual subscriptions for a period to be determined
by the WFOOT, currently two years (or one year in the case of Corporate
Members).
Article 5 The administrative bodies of the WFOOT
The administrative bodies shall be:
a. The Executive Committee
b. The General Assembly
c. The Committees
Article 6 The Executive Committee
The Executive Committee is formed by the following officers
i. The President
ii. The Vice-President
iii. The Past President
iv. The General Secretary
v. The Treasurer
vi. Five Members-at-Large, elected by the General Assembly.
vii. The Presidents, or delegates, of the Member Societies
The Executive Committee is responsible for managing and directing the scientific, financial and other activities of the WFOOT. It shall meet when directed by the President, or at the request of a majority of its members.
Article 7 Election of Officers
Any Full Member of the WFOOT can seek election as Vice-President, Secretary
General, Treasurer or Member-at-Large of the Executive Committee. These
Officers shall be elected at the General Assembly to serve according
to the provisions of this Article. The procedure for their election
shall be as follows.
a. Notice of candidature, with the names of the candidate and two Sponsors,
who shall also be Full Members shall be sent, at least three months before
the General Assembly, to the Secretary General, who will ascertain that
the candidate is in good standing as a Full Member. The lists of candidates
shall be inserted in the convocation to the General Assembly
b. Voting for each office shall be by secret ballot, unless there is
only one unopposed candidate, in which case a show of hands clearly indicating
majority agreement will suffice.
c. The results of the elections shall be announced at the General Assembly;
the candidate for each post who has received the largest number of votes
will be declared to have been elected. Should voting be tied, the election
will be repeated, by secret ballot, at the same General Assembly.
d. Newly-elected Officers will take office immediately after the General
Assembly.
e. The Officers constituting the Presidency will serve for one term,
the length of which has been decided by the WFOOT (currently two years),
and will not be eligible for re-election at the immediate following term.
f. The Officers of the Secretariat will serve for the term determined
by the WFOOT (currently two years), and be eligible for re-election.
g. The Members-at-Large will serve for two years and will be eligible
for re-election.
Duties of the Officers
President
The President shall be the presiding Officer of the WFOOT and will perform
all duties which custom and practice associate with his or her office.
The President shall preside over meetings of the Executive Committee,
including its meeting with the Council of National Delegates. The President,
with the approval of the Executive Committee, and taking into account
offers from individual members, and their competence, shall appoint
Full Members to standing and ad hoc Committees. The President may personally
convene an Advisory Board to be consulted upon specific items concerning
the WFOOT. The President shall serve for two years. If for some reason
the President becomes unable or unwilling to continue in office before
the end of his or her normal term, the Vice-President shall assume
the post of President until the next General Assembly or a Special
Business Meeting convened for this purpose.
Vice-President
The Vice-President will co-operate with the President as appropriate
and assume the duties of the President if the latter is unable to serve,
temporarily or, as indicated in the preceding clause, permanently.
He or she will also carry out such other duties as may reasonably be
assigned by the President. If for some reason the Vice-President becomes
unable or unwilling to continue in office before the end of his or
her normal term, the post will remain vacant until the next General
Assembly or a Special Business Meeting convened for this purpose. The
Executive Committee will seek nominations for this post, in the usual
way. The newly-elected Vice-President will then serve until the end
of the term of office of the current President.
Past President
After one term in office the President will automatically become Past
President for a period of two years. He or she will co-operate with
the President as appropriate, and will also carry out such other duties
as may reasonably be assigned by the President. If for some reason
the Past President becomes unable or unwilling to continue in office
before the end of his or her normal term, the post will remain vacant
until the end of the term of office of the current President.
Secretary General
The Secretary General will maintain the requisite records of the WFOOT,
including those concerning membership and the transactions at the General
Assembly. He or she will also carry out such other duties as may reasonably
be assigned by the President. The Secretary General will serve for
two years and will be eligible for re-election. If for some reason
the Secretary General becomes unable or unwilling to continue in office
before the end of his or her normal term, his or her duties will be
assumed by the Treasurer until the next General Assembly or a Special
Business Meeting convened for the purpose of electing a new Secretary
General. The Executive Committee will seek nominations for this post,
in the usual way. The new Secretary General will then serve for two
years from the time of that General Assembly or from the following
one if a Special Business Meeting is held in the sixth months preceding
it.
Treasurer
The Treasurer will be responsible for administering the funds of the
WFOOT, keeping a record of financial transactions, and providing a financial
report to the General Assembly. He or she will also carry out such
other duties as may reasonably be assigned by the President. The Treasurer
will serve for two years, but will be eligible for re-election.
If for some reason the Treasurer becomes unable or unwilling to continue
in office before the end of his or her normal term, his or her duties
will be assumed by the Secretary General until the next General Assembly
or a Special Business Meeting convened for the purpose of electing a
new Treasurer. The Executive Committee will seek nominations for this
post, in the usual way. The new Treasurer will then serve for three years
from the time of that General Assembly or from the following one if a
Special Business Meeting is held in the sixth months preceding it.
Duration of officers terms
The Executive Committee may, in collaboration with the Rules Committee,
propose to the General Assembly a variation in the length of service
of the Officers, including the Members-at-Large should early retirement
or other events disturb the normal sequence of changes of Officer.
Article 8 Financial Management - Responsibility
All financial contributions to the WFOOT, including subscriptions and
other fees and donations, together with income from the educational
and other activities of the WFOOT, are to be paid to the Treasurer.
The amount and conditions of the annual subscriptions shall be proposed
by the Executive Committee and submitted to the General Assembly for
approval. The funds of the WFOOT shall be used to finance the WFOOT’s
activities, to organise the meetings of the WFOOT. The Executive Committee
shall assume collective responsibility for its actions, including those
relating to disbursement of funds. It shall not, however, be held responsible
for actions by individual Members of the WFOOT or by its Committees
which it has not previously approved, unless it is deemed to have exercised
insufficient control over them.
Article 9 Constitution and Bylaws
The Constitution may be amended at any General Assembly or at a Special
Business Meeting (convened for that purpose on written request of one
third of the combined numbers of Full and Honorary Members), by a two
thirds majority of the voting members present. Proposed amendments
must be presented to the Members in the convocation to the General
Assembly or Special Business Meeting.
The general management of the WFOOT will be based on the Bylaws. The Bylaws
are responsibility of the officers of the WFOOT and will be settled, and
may be amended, by the WFOOT Executive Committee.
Article 10 Dissolution - Disposal of Property
The WFOOT may be dissolved only at a General Assembly or a Special Business
Meeting convened for this purpose, by a three-quarters majority of
Full and Honorary Members present. If the final balance sheet shows
a profit, this shall be transferred to an non-profit organisation with
aims similar to those of the WFOOT.
Article 11 Provisional organisation
The constitution will be duly registered with the provisional nomination
of the following officers:
President V.J. Kumar, New Dheli
Vice President C.F. Andreula, Bari
Secretary General M. Bonetti, Brescia
Treasurer A. Fontana, Brescia
Members at Large E. Iliakis, Athens, Greece
J. Baeza Noci, Valencia, Spain
Byung Chan Jeon, South Korea
X. He, Guangzhou China
O. Pepa, Buenos Aires, Argentina
X.F. Vilasuso, Miami, USA
And:
G. Barco, President Eumedica
J.C. De Lucas-García, President Spanish Ozone Society (ACEOOT)
M. Leonardi, President FIO
J. Vilitelka, President Czech Group
At the occasion of the next WFOOT Congress in 2007, probably in Beijing, China, formal elections will be held. The provisional officer will be able to re-candidate.
WFOOT has been registered by Marco Leonardi and Nicola Leonardi Dall’Occa
dell’Orso in Bologna, on Thursday 22 December 2005, by Dr Giorgio
Forni Notaio.
Fiscal Number of the WFOOT is 91265570373
The provisional location is indicate at the residence of:
Prof. Marco Leonardi
Via del Pratello, 8
40122 Bologna
WFOOT – World Federation of Ozone Therapists
Bylaws
Election of Members
Applications for Society Membership will be passed, via the Secretary General for proposal at the next General Assembly. Candidates will be elected by a simple majority of voting Members. The Member Society will declare the number of its members, the membership fee and vote numbers will be proportional to the number of full members of the Member Society.
Full Members may propose individual candidates for membership of the WFOOT. Anyone wishing to become a Full Member must seek an existing Full Member to act as his or her sponsor. The latter must certify that the applicant has had the requisites. The application will then be passed to the Secretary General for proposal at the next General Assembly. Candidates will be elected by a simple majority of voting Members. Successful applicants will become Full Members as from the General Assembly at which their application is approved.
Applications for Corporate Membership will be passed, via the Secretary General, for proposal at the next General Assembly. Candidates will be elected by a simple majority of voting Members..
Proposals for Honorary Membership or Honorary Presidency should be made to the President.
The General Assembly
The General Assembly will normally be held in conjunction with the Scientific
Meeting. The Secretary General shall send the convocation to the Assembly
to all Members at least six weeks before the date set for the Assembly.
All Members may attend the Assembly, but only Full and Honorary Members
may vote. The General Assembly may take place and decisions may be taken
only when the number of members with voting rights present is at least
one fifth of the combined numbers of Full and Honorary members; it will
be the responsibility of the Secretariat to ensure that this requirement
is fulfilled. If it is not, a further Meeting shall be convened, at which
a quorum shall be deemed to be present regardless of the number of Full
and Honorary Members present. The convocation to this latter meeting
shall be sent to all Members not less than 30 days before the date set
for the Meeting.
The following will be elected at the time of the General Assembly: the
President, the Vice-President, the Secretary general, the Treasurer,
the Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee, and the President of
the next Annual Scientific Meeting whose President has not as yet been
appointed. New Members in any category will be elected and registered.
Changes to the Constitution will be discussed and ratified, if approved,
at the General Assembly. All such matters as are indicated in the agenda
shall be discussed. Any Members present may raise Any Other Business
of interest to the WFOOT, but shall first notify the Secretary General
in writing of his or her intention to do so. Decisions made at General
Assemblies will be made by a simple majority (or by the largest number
of votes cast, if more than two choices are available) of voting Members,
except as otherwise indicated in this Constitution.
Special Business Meetings may be convened by the President on written
request of one third of the combined numbers of Full and Honorary Members.
The agenda for such Meetings shall be included in the convocation to
them, and no business other than that indicated by the agenda shall be
conducted. The convocation to a Special Business Meeting [and any relevant
ballot papers] shall be sent to all Members at least 30 days before the
date set for the Meeting.
Committees
Standing Committees
The members and Chairmen of these Committees shall be appointed by the
Executive Committee, and the Chairmen’s appointments shall be
ratified at the General Assembly or a Special Business Meeting. Any
Full member may offer him- or herself for consideration as a Committee
member and should do so by informing the Secretary General of his or
her willingness to serve. Membership will normally be for one term
of two years, with the possibility of appointment for one further term.
The Committees shall be authorised to co-opt such further ad-hoc members
as circumstances demand by agreement among the existing appointed members,
without reference to the Executive Committee; the latter will, however,
be advised of such arrangements. The activities of the Committees shall
be reported to the Executive Committee and to the General Assembly.
The list of Standing Committees will be kept under review, taking into
account the needs of the WFOOT. They currently include the following.
a. Technical Committees: i. Rules Committee
ii. Membership Committee
iii. Audit Committee
b. Scientific Committees: iv. Publication Committee
v. Scientific Programme Committee
vi. Scientific Award Committee
vii. Education Committee
i. Rules Committee
This Committee shall consist of three members, including the Chairman.
It shall be responsible for interpreting the Constitution. It will
also keep it under review, taking into account the views of the Members
of the WFOOT, and its changing needs. It will advise the Executive Committee
of proposals for modifications to the Constitution. With the agreement
of the Executive Committee, it will prepare proposed changes for presentation
to the Members.
ii. Membership Committee
This Committee shall be responsible for receiving new applications for
membership from the Secretary General, and for allotting the appropriate
category to candidates. It will also review the suitability of existing
Members for the category of membership in which they are currently
placed, having at its disposition the information required to do this.
It will provide the Executive Committee with proposals for membership,
to be approved at the General Assembly.
iii. Audit Committee
This shall consist of three members, including a Chairman. The Committee
will review the accounts prepared by the Treasurer each year and shall
retain a certified accountant for these purposes, and for certifying
the annual report of the Treasurer.
iv. Publication Committee
This Committee will consist of three appointed members, including the
Chairman, plus the most senior editor of the official journal of the
WFOOT who is a Full Member of the WFOOT, and the editor appointed to
that journal by the WFOOT. It shall promote publication of appropriate
documents by the WFOOT and shall be consulted about any projected publication
by or on behalf of the WFOOT.
v. Scientific Programme Committee
This Committee shall consist of three appointed members, including the
Chairman. The President of the forthcoming Annual Scientific Meeting
is a member ex-officio from the time of the end of the previous Meeting
until the end of the Meeting he or she organises. This Committee shall
co-operate with local scientific committees and be responsible, in
collaboration with the Secretariat, for the scientific organisation
of the meeting(s) of the WFOOT.
vi. Scientific Award Committee
This will consist of three appointed members, including a Chairman. It
shall supervise any prizes or awards the WFOOT may sponsor.
vii. Education Committee
This will consist of three appointed members, including a Chairman. The
Committee will co-operate with local scientific committees and shall
be responsible, in collaboration with the Secretariat, for the scientific
organisation of didactic courses organised by or on behalf of the WFOOT.
It will proposes places, topics and Presidents for courses to the Executive
Committee and General Assembly for approval.
Other Committees
Ad hoc Committees may be established by the Executive Committee and an
Advisory Board may be set up by the President, as indicated above.
The period for which these bodies are appointed will normally be determined
at the time they are convened.
Meetings
The Officers of the WFOOT will hold such meetings as are deemed appropriate, which shall be organised locally by a Full Member appointed by the WFOOT, following such guidelines as may currently be laid down. These will normally include a Congress (and General Assembly), and one or more didactic courses.
The Association (WFOOT) membership
fee for 2006 is € 125,00, (or 175 US $) inclusive
of a subscription to the Rivista Italiana di Ossigeno-Ozono
Terapia (International
Journal
of Oxygene-Ozone Therapy),
payment by bank draft to Banca Carige agenzia 2, Brescia,
IBAN: IT 35K061 7511202000000624780 BIC: CRGEITGG542, or by credit card
Thank you in advance for your prompt payment.