Earlier this year, the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) notified its Member Societies that two new national Amateur Radio organizations wished to join the IARU and would need to be voted in: the Federation of Radio Sport of Azerbaijan (FRSA) and the St Vincent and the Grenadines Amateur Radio Club (SVGARC). Ballots from all the Member Societies that responded were counted on November 1. 

Based in Baku, Azerbaijan, the FRSA was formally organized on December 30, 2001. There are 50 licensed members of the FRSA out of a total amateur population of approximately 50 in Azerbaijan. The SVGARC is based in St Vincent, St Vincent and the Grenadines and was formally organized in 1951. There are 21 licensed members of the SVGARC, out of a total amateur population of approximately 134 in the country. Both organizations have confirmed to the IARU that they have the ability to meet financial obligations as a member of the IARU, are legally able to act in the furtherance of IARU objectives within their respective countries and will adhere to the Constitutions of both the IARU and its respective Regional Organization.

In order for a new national organization to gain IARU membership, there must be 53 affirmative votes from current IARU Member Societies. The Federation of Radio Sport of Azerbaijan received 60 affirmative votes and the St Vincent and the Grenadines Amateur Radio Club received 61. All Member Societies that voted did so in favor of admitting these national organizations to the IARU. There are now more than 160 IARU Member Societies.

IARU Administrative Council Adopts Revisions to Guidelines for the Election of IARU President and Vice President

At its November 2012 meeting in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, the IARU’s Administrative Council (AC), adopted new guidelines as to how the IARU President and Vice President are elected. According to IARU Secretary Rod Stafford, W6ROD, the new process will allow IARU Member Societies to better participate in the process “by specifying in the new policy that they may propose individuals to their regional organizations that are suitably qualified for the position of President and Vice President.” Stafford told the ARRL that this had been the case under the earlier version of the policy, but the new policy highlights the opportunities for the Member Societies to get involved if they chose to do so.

According to Policy #5, no later than May 9, 2013 (and preferably between November 9, 2012 and March 9, 2013) the International Secretariat shall initiate the consultative process with the AC; the ARRL serves as the IARU International Secretariat. This was done on November 2, 2012 when ARRL International Affairs Vice President Jay Bellows, K0QB, met with the AC. The consultative process, which is now underway, results in a list of individuals that the International Secretariat and the AC agree are suitably qualified to serve as an IARU officer. The deadline for completion of this list is July 9, 2013.

The deadline for the International Secretariat to select its nominees for President and Vice President is the AC meeting immediately following, which in this case will occur in September 2013 in Cancun. Then the nominees are presented to the Member Societies for vote. In order to complete the voting process prior to May 9, 2014 the IARU Calendar proposing the candidates for the two offices must be distributed by December 9, 2013.

All IARU Member Societies are invited to propose to their Regional Organization (IARU Regions 1, 2 and 3) the names of those who are suitably qualified to serve as President and/or Vice President. Regional Organizations may also propose candidates at this time. The International Secretariat and the AC will ensure that all proposed candidates are suitably qualified, do not have professional interests that conflict with the objectives of the IARU and who, prior to taking office, will relinquish any elected position with a Regional Organization. The term “suitably qualified” shall be construed to mean an individual who possesses the necessary skills, background and experience to effectively carry out the duties of the President and Vice President of the IARU. The International Secretariat will nominate a single candidate from the list of candidates for President and another for Vice President, but not until agreement has been reached between the International Secretariat and the Administrative Council that both candidates are suitably qualified. The names shall then be sent to the IARU Member Societies for ratification.

IARU Presidents and Vice Presidents serve a five-year term. The current IARU President is Tim Ellam, VE6SH/G4HUA. The current IARU Vice President is Ole Garpestad, LA2RR. Both are serving their first term and took office in 2009; their terms expire May 2014.

World Amateur Radio Day 2013

Each year on April 18, radio amateurs around the world celebrate World Amateur Radio Day, commemorating the day that the International Amateur Radio Union was founded in 1925. In 1913, the first recorded instance of amateur radio being used to provide communications in a natural disaster was noted, during severe flooding in the Midwest United States. Accordingly, the theme of the event for 2013 is Amateur Radio: Entering Its Second Century of Disaster Communications. Activities on World Amateur Radio Day 2013 can be a great opportunity to spread the word about what the hams are doing in the field of disaster communications in the 21st century.