Contents:

• Constitution - Composition - Sessions
• Terms of Reference
• Officers
• Agenda - Order of Debates - Reports
• Amendments
• Right to Speak - Order - Procedural Motions
• Voting - Quorum - Majorities
• Secretariat
• Adoption and Amendment of Rules
  

RULE 1

In accordance with Articles 13.1 and 21 (f) of the Statutes, the Inter-Parliamentary Council may create permanent or temporary Study Committees.

RULE 2

1. The Members of the Union shall be represented on each Study Committee by one member and one substitute.

2. The substitute shall have the same speaking rights as the titular member, but shall only vote in the latter's absence (cf. Rule 29.1).

RULE 3

1. Representatives of international organisations or experts may be invited by the Inter-Parliamentary Council to follow the work of the Study Committees as observers. Representatives of other bodies to which observer status has been accorded by the General Assembly of the United Nations may also be invited by the Council as observers (cf. Statutes, Art. 21 (h)).

2. Observers may only speak with the permission of the President.

RULE 4

The Members of the Union may designate former parliamentarians to follow the work of the Study Committees as Honorary Members of their delegation.

RULE 5

The convocations of the Study Committees shall be drawn up in consultation with their President by the Secretary General who shall give effect to the relevant decisions taken by the Inter-Parliamentary Council and the Conference.

RULE 6 (cf. Statutes, Art. 13)

1. Study Committees shall normally debate and prepare reports and/or draft resolutions on the two subject items and the supplementary item placed on the agenda of the Inter-Parliamentary Conference (cf. Conference, Rule 15).

2. They may also be instructed by the Council to study an item included in the latter's agenda and make a report.

RULE 7

1. Each Study Committee shall elect a President and two Vice-Presidents.

2. Officers shall be elected or re-elected at the ordinary session of each Committee by an absolute majority of the votes cast.

3. The two posts of Vice-President shall be filled at a single election.

4. A secret ballot shall be held whenever there is more than one candidate for the same post. In calculating the absolute majority, partially completed ballot papers shall be counted.

RULE 8

1. A Committee officer shall not be eligible for re-election to the same post after four years in office.

2. When a Committee officer has served for four consecutive years, two years must elapse before that person may again be elected to the post held previously.

RULE 9

1. In order to ensure as far as possible a fair distribution of these posts among the Members of the Union, representatives of the same Member shall not simultaneously hold more than one post as President or Vice-President.

2. Members of the Executive Committee shall not simultaneously hold office as President or Vice-President of a Study Committee (cf. Statutes, Art. 23.7 and Committees, Rule 10.2).

3. There may be no candidates for the post of President of a Study Committee from a Member of the Union represented on the Executive Committee.

RULE 10

1. The senior Vice-President or, if there is no difference in seniority, the elder of the two shall act for the President of a Study Committee in the latter's absence.

2. In case of resignation, loss of parliamentary mandate or death of the President of a Committee, or if the affiliation of the Member of the Union to which the President belongs is suspended, the President's duties shall be exercised by the Senior Vice-President or, if there is no difference in seniority, by the elder of the two, until such time as the Committee holds its next elections. A similar procedure shall be followed when the President of a Committee is elected to the Executive Committee or to the Presidency of the Council (cf. Rule 9.2).

RULE 11

1. The President shall open, suspend and close sittings, direct the work of the Committee, see that the Rules are observed, call upon the speakers, put questions to the vote, make known the results of voting and declare the sessions closed. The President's decisions on these matters shall be final and shall be accepted without discussion.

2. The President shall decide on all matters not covered by these Rules, after having taken the advice of the President of the Council if necessary.

RULE 12

The agenda of the Study Committees shall be communicated to all Members of the Union by the Secretary General who shall give effect to the decisions taken by the Inter-Parliamentary Council and the Conference (cf. Statutes, Art. 13.2 and 13.3; Conference, Rules 10 and 15).

RULE 13

Any member of a Study Committee may submit a draft resolution on an item referred to it by the Conference or Council, within the limits laid down under the Rules or decisions of those bodies (cf. Conference, Rule 14.2 and 14.3).

RULE 14

A Study Committee which is requested by the Conference or by the Council to undertake preliminary consideration of a question may, on the proposal of its President or one of its members, make such procedural arrangements as are necessary to ensure the efficient organisation of the debate, taking into account the time available.

RULE 15

1. Study Committees may set up drafting committees.

2. The number of members of a drafting committee shall not normally exceed eleven. Its composition shall take into account equitable geographical distribution and political and gender balance.

3. Only the members of a drafting committee or, in the event of their prolonged absence, their substitutes shall have the right to speak.

RULE 16

1. The Study Committees shall appoint one or more Rapporteurs to present their conclusions to the Conference.

2. The President of each Committee shall act as its Rapporteur before the Council (cf. Council, Rule 3).

3. The Rapporteurs shall give an objective account of the Committee's work, taking into consideration the views of the majority and minority, and shall present any draft resolutions proposed by the Committee.

RULE 17

Any member of a Committee may submit amendments to a draft resolution or a motion under consideration by that Committee, and may also submit sub-amendments (cf. Conference, Rule 17.3).

RULE 18

1. Amendments and sub-amendments, which may be submitted orally or in writing, shall relate directly to the text. They may only envisage an addition, a deletion or an alteration with regard to the initial draft without having the effect of changing its scope or nature.

2. The President shall determine whether or not amendments or sub-amendments are in order.

RULE 19

1. Amendments shall be discussed before the text to which they relate. They shall likewise be voted on before the text itself.

2. Sub-amendments shall be discussed at the same time as the amendments to which they relate. They shall be voted on before the amendments concerned.

RULE 20

1. If two or more amendments apply to the same words in a draft resolution, that which is furthest from the text under consideration shall have priority over the others and shall be put to the vote first.

2. If two or more amendments relating to the same words are mutually exclusive, the adoption of the first shall involve the rejection of the other amendment or amendments. If the first amendment is rejected the next amendment in order of priority shall be put to the vote; the same procedure shall be applied for each of the following amendments.

3. In case of doubt regarding priority, the President shall decide.

RULE 21

Unless the President decides otherwise, the only speakers to be heard in discussing an amendment shall be its author and a member holding a contrary opinion.

RULE 22

No member of a Study Committee may speak without the consent of the President.

RULE 23

1. Unless the President decides otherwise, members shall speak in the order in which they register.

2. Speakers may only be interrupted by other members on a point of order. They may, nevertheless, with the President's authorization, yield the floor so as to allow other members' requests for clarification.

3. The President shall rule immediately and without debate on all points of order.

RULE 24

On the proposal of the President, or at the request of one of its members, the Committee may decide to limit the speaking time allowed to each delegation and/or the number of times on which delegates may take the floor in the discussion of a particular item on the agenda.

RULE 25

The President shall call a speaker to order when the latter does not keep to the subject under discussion or prejudices the debate by using abusive language. The President may, if necessary, withdraw permission to speak and may have the objectionable words struck from the record.

RULE 26

The President shall deal immediately with any incident which may arise during the sitting. If necessary, the President shall take all measures required to restore the smooth functioning of the Committee's debates.

RULE 27

1. Priority to speak shall be given to members wishing to propose:

(a) Adjournment of the debate sine die;

(b) Adjournment of the debate;

(c) Closure of the list of speakers;

(d) Closure or adjournment of the meeting;

(e) Any other motion bearing on the conduct of the meeting.

3. The mover shall make a brief presentation of the motion without entering into the substance of the question under debate.

4. In debate on procedural motions, only the mover of the proposal and one delegate holding a contrary opinion shall be heard, after which the Committee shall decide.

5. No proposal for an adjournment sine die shall be allowed on questions which the Study Committee has been instructed to consider and report on to the Conference or the Council (cf. Rule 6).

RULE 28

Study Committee meetings shall be public. They shall be held in private only if the Committee itself so decides by a majority of the votes cast.

RULE 29

1. The right to vote shall be exercised by the titular members or, in their absence, by their substitutes (cf. Rule 2.2).

2. The Presidency shall not entitle its holder to an additional or casting vote. Notwithstanding Rule 2.2 of these Rules, the President's right to vote shall be exercised by the President's substitute. The President may, however, vote if the substitute is absent from the room.

RULE 30

1. Committee decisions, with the exception of elections which are held in conformity with the provisions of Rule 7, shall be taken either by show of hands or by roll call.

2. The President shall in each case decide on the method of voting to be followed.

3. Results of votes by secret ballot shall be ascertained by two Tellers appointed by the Committee on the President's proposal.

RULE 31

Subject to the special provisions relating to amendments (cf. Rule 19) and procedural motions (cf. Rule 27), the Committee shall vote on proposals in the order in which they are submitted. After each vote, the Committee may decide whether or not it will vote on the next proposal.

RULE 32

1. Any member may request that parts, or each paragraph, of a text submitted to the Committee be put to the vote separately.

2. If any objection is raised to this motion for division, the request shall be voted on without debate.

3. If the proposal for division is accepted, the different parts or paragraphs of the whole text thus divided shall be voted on separately; the parts or paragraphs adopted shall subsequently be put to the vote as a whole. However, if all the paragraphs of the text are rejected, the text shall be considered as rejected in toto.

RULE 33

1. Nobody may interrupt a vote once it has commenced, except to request clarification on the manner in which the voting is being conducted.

2. Members who wish to explain their vote briefly may be authorized to do so by the President, after voting has taken place.

3. No explanation of vote shall be admissible on amendments and procedural motions.

RULE 34

1. A Study Committee may meet and deliberate whatever the number of members present. However, a vote may take place only if at least half of the Members of the Union participating in the Conference are represented in the Committee. The quorum shall be determined by the Secretary General at the opening of each Conference.

2. The quorum shall be considered as attained and a vote taken by a Committee as valid, whatever the number of members present or participating therein if, before the voting, the President has not verified whether there is a quorum and/or has not been called upon to do so by a member of the Committee.

3. When, before the vote, the presence of a quorum has been noted, that vote shall be considered as valid whatever the number of members participating therein.

RULE 35

1. Decisions shall be taken by a majority of the votes cast, except as stipulated in Rule 7.2 of these Rules.

2. In calculating the number of votes cast, only affirmative and negative votes shall be taken into account.

3. If the votes are equally divided, the proposal under consideration shall be considered as rejected.

RULE 36 (cf. Secretariat, Rule 6)

1. The Secretary General or the Secretary General's representative shall assist the President in directing the work of the Committee.

2. The Secretary General or the Secretary General's representative may be invited by the President to speak on any question under consideration.

RULE 37

1. The Secretariat of the Union shall receive all documents, reports and draft resolutions and distribute them in English and French. It shall ensure the simultaneous interpretation of the debates in these two languages, as well as in Arabic and Spanish.

2. It shall prepare the provisional summary record of the meetings which shall be circulated to all Members of the Union within 60 days of the close of each session and submitted for the Committee's approval at the opening of its next session.

RULE 38

1. The Inter-Parliamentary Council shall adopt and amend the Study Committees' Rules.

2. Proposals for amending the Study Committees' Rules shall be formulated in writing and sent to the Secretariat of the Union at least three months before the next meeting of the Council. The Secretariat shall communicate such proposals immediately to all Members of the Union. It shall communicate any proposals for sub-amendments at least one month before the meeting of the Council.