UNION OF MEDITERRANEAN NEONATAL SOCIETIES
(UMENS)

Foundation                             24 February 2001, Istanbul, Turkey
Founding Societies                Egyptian Society for Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine
Hellenic Society of Perinatal Medicine
Israel Neonatal Society
Turkish Neonatal Society

Congress                               First Union of Mediterranean Neonatal Societies Congress,
3-6 September 2003, Cıragan Palace, Istanbul

Members                               Albanian Neonatal Society
Cypriot Neonatal Society
Egyptian Society for Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine
Hellenic Society of Perinatal Medicine
Israel Neonatal Society
Italian Neonatal Society
Turkish Neonatal Society

Associate Members              Afghan Neonatal Society
Azerian Neonatal Society

Executive Committee

2004-
President                                             Murat Yurdakök (Turkey)
Vice-President (President-Elect)          David Bader (Israel)
Vice-President (Past President)           Gamal Samy Aly (Egypt)
Secretary General                                Aytuğ Atıcı (Turkey)
Treasurer                                            E. Farri-Kostopoulou (Grecee)
Members                                            Michael Kurplus (Israel)
Styliani Andronikou (Greece)
Khalid Taman (Egypt)

2001-2003
President                                             Gamal Samy Aly (Egypt)
Vice-President (President-Elect)          Murat Yurdakök (Turkey)
Vice-President                                    David Bader (Israel)
Secretary General                                Aytuğ Atıcı (Turkey)
Treasurer                                            E. Farri-Kostopoulou (Grecee)
Members                                            Mohamed El Barbury (Egypt)
Cathy Hammerman (Israel)
Angeliky Kapiki (Greece)
President of the First Congress            Gülay Can (Turkey)

Statutes and By-Laws of the Union
STATUTES
Article 1: Establishment and Name
The Constitutions of various international health organizations including International
Pediatric Association ( IPA ) and World Health Organization ( WHO ) encourage the national pediatric societies related by geography, language and other bonds to form regional societies and unions. On this basis the Union of Mediterranean Neonatal Societies (UMENS) has been established.
Article 2: Objectives
The objectives of the Union are the promotion of friendship among members of the national neonatal societies (in the absence of a national neonatal society, any society representing most of the neonatologists in a country) and the advancement of knowledge in the area of neonatal medicine toward a goal of improved health of the children we serve.
Article 3: Membership
1. The founding members of the Union are the national neonatal societies of Egypt, Greece, Israel and Turkey.
2. Neonatal societies of other Mediterranean countries may be elected as members of the union by the Executive Committee of the Union.
3. Neonatal societies of non-Mediterranean countries may apply for the status of associate member. The decision on their admission is to be made by the Executive Committee.
Article 4: Site of the Secretariat
The site of the Secretariat of the Union shall be the city of residence of the Secretary-General of the Union.
Article 5: Governing Bodies and Officers
The governing bodies of the Union shall be Councing and the Executive Committee.
The Council shall be composed of the Pres'dent, the Secretary-General and one additional member of each society belonging to the Union. In the absence of the President and/or Secretary-General, these officers may be replaced by official delegates. The officers or delagetes may be accompanied by advisors but only three officers and/or delegates from each member society shall have the right to vote. When there is no majority, the President of the Union shall have the right to make the final decision.
Associate members may be represented in the Council by two delegates who may take part in the discussions but shall not vote.
Any society accepted as a new member in the Union has the right to participate in the elections of the Executive Committee only after two years from the date of acceptance.
The functions of the Council shall be:
1. To elect the Vice President who shall be considered the president-elect.
2. To elect the Secretary-General.
3. To elect the Treasurer.
4. To elect three members of the Executive Committee.
5. To establish the annual membership dues.
6. To approve the budget.
7. To set up a Regional Neonatal Research and Documentation Center and to establish its structure and areas of operation.
8. To delegate to the Executive Committee the authority to deal with matters concerning the Union.
9. To publish newsletters, books and/or scientific journals or any other educational materials (video tapes, CD ROM… etc) in the field of neonatal medicine and related areas when necessary.
The Executive Committee shall be composed of the President, the President Elect (Vice President), the Immediate Past President (Vice President), the Secretary-General, the Treasurer, the President of the forthcoming congress, and three members elected by the Council.
If a member resigns from a position in the Executive Committee, he or she will be replaced by a member from his/her country.
The function of the Executive Committee shall be:
1. To consider applications for the status of member and for the status of associate member of the Union and to report to the Council concerning the admissions of new members.
2. To propose candidates for the Union and members and officers for the Executive Committee.
3. To recommend to the Council the amount to be collected as membership dues.
4. To scrutinize the budged prepared by the Treasurer and recommend it to the Council.
5. To select the site of the forthcoming Congress and to establish the dates in collaboration with the organizing neonatal society.
6. To carry out such duties as may be delegated by the Council.
Article 6: Congress
Congresses shall be held every two years. The meetings could be attended by all individuals who are interested in the field of neonatology. All members of the Union should encourage active participation to the Congress.
The President of the Congress shall be selected by the member society hosting the Congress and shall be ex-officio member by the Executive Committee of the Union. The exact dates of the Congress shall be announced by the Executive Committee of the Union after consultation with the President of the Congress and the Council for International Organization of the Medical Sciences (CIOMS).
The society hosting the Congress shall assume full responsibility for its organization in consultation with the Secretary-General of the Union, and for such arrangements as are necessary with the government of the host country.
The topics of sessions, speakers and the chairmans shall be determined by Executive Committee. Any printed matter regarding the Congress shall be approved by the President or Secretary-General.
All accounts should be under the supervision and approval of the Executive Committee. The President of the Congress should send all financial details within three months after the Congress. After the final approval 30% of the money retanied from the Congress should be transferred to the Account of the Union. In the case of negative balance, 30% of dept is covered by the Union. The Bank Account shall be in the name of the Union, in US dollars, and in the country where treasurer resides. The signitures of both President and Treasurer are needed to withdraw money from the bank.
Article 7: Language
The offical language of the Union shall be English.
Article 8: Quorums and Voting
The presence of nine members at a meeting of the Council and five members at a meeting of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum.
A two-thirds vote of those present and voting at a meeting of Council shall be required for changing the Statutes.
A simple majority vote of those present and voting shall be sufficient for all other matters.
Article 9: Notice of Proposed Changes to the Statutes By-Laws
Proposals to amend the Statute and By-laws must be sent to the Secretary-General not later than three (3) months before the next meeting of the Council and must appear on the agenda in order to be considered.
BY-LAWS
Article 1: President
The term of office of the President of the Union shall be two years but may be extended until the end of next congress by the decision of the Union.
Proposals for candidates for Vice President (President Elect) should be submitted in writing to the Secretary-General. The President-Elect shall preside the Union for the next period. The outgoing President shall serve an additional two-years term as member of the Executive Committee with the title of Vice President (Immediate Past President)
Article 2: Secretary-General
The term of office of the Secretary-General shall be four years, and it may be renewed.
Article 3: Treasurer
The term of office of the Treasurer shall be four years, and it may be renewed.
Article 4: President of the Congress
The name of the President of the Congress shall be notified to the Secretary-General of the Union at the earliest possible date. The term of office of the President of the Congress shall end with the selection of the President of the following Congress.
Article 5: Dues
Dues shall be payable in advance by each member or associate member society during the first week of January of each year. Non-payment of dues for three (3) consecutive years shall automatically suspend membership until a decision is taken at the following meeting of the Council. If a society is legally prevented from transfer of the dues to the Bank Account of the Union, the amount may be deposited in a bank in the respective conuntry in the local currency and put at the disposal of the Union.
Article 6: Meetings
The Council and the Executive Committee shall meet at the time of the Congress and at other times at the discretion of the President and Secretary-General. The President of the Union shall preside at meeting of the Council and of the Executive Committee. The period of a "year" as used in the Statutes and By-Laws refers not a calendar year but to the period of time between the congresses.
Transitional Article
At the first meeting of the Council, the representatives of the founding members shall elect the first President of the Union, as well as the President of the first Congress. They shall also elect two Vice Presidents (one for a two-year term, the other as President elect), the Secretary-General, the Treasurer and three members of the Executive Committee.