Minutes

28th General Assembly
17 and 21 April 2005 in Cairo, Egypt

Introduction

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1. OPENING PROCEEDINGS

President Holger Magel opened the 28th General Assembly and welcomed the participants to the General Assembly and the first joint FIG Working Week and GSDI conference in Cairo.

A moment of silence was held appreciate Dr. Willem Baarda, Honorary Member of FIG who passed away 2 January 2005. A moment of silence was also held to remember the victims of the tsunami catastrophe and especially those surveyors that suffered from the disaster.

Noted that several greetings and apologies were received from member associations, other members and Honorary Presidents Juha Talvitie and Peter Dale and several Honorary Members.

Dr. Sarkis Fadous, President of the Arab Union of Surveyors made a welcome greeting to the General Assembly on behalf of the Arab surveyors.

2. ROLL CALL

Vice President Andreas Drees took the roll call.

Appendix to items 2 & 22: Roll Call.

52 member associations out of 94 were present at this session, which is more than one third of the membership needed for the General Assembly to be constitutionally valid.

Motion: That present members are recorded in the minutes.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

3. APPOINTMENT OF TELLERS

Motion: The General Assembly shall appoint two persons as tellers following the principle adopted at the 22nd General Assembly so that the tellers will represent member associations hosting the preceding (Technical Chamber of Greece, TEE / Hellenic Association of Rural and Surveying Engineers, HARSE) and the current General Assembly (The Egyptian Committee on Surveying and Mapping ECSM). The Greek member associations have proposed Dr. Chryssy Potsiou and the Egyptian Committee on Surveying and Mapping Eng. M. Mosaad Ibrahim as tellers for the two session of the General Assembly.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

4. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA

Motion: That the agenda be adopted.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

5. ADOPTION OF THE MINUTES OF THE 27th GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Minutes have been circulated previously.

Appendix to item 5: Minutes of the General Assembly in Athens, Greece, May 2004

Minutes of the General Assembly in Athens, Greece, May 2004 without appendices, pdf-format.

Motion: That the minutes be adopted as recorded.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

6. CHANGES IN THE COUNCIL AND NEW RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS

Vice President Bettina Petzold resigned in June 2004 from the Council on personal reasons. After her resignation the DVW – Deutscher Verein für Vermessungswesen – Gesellschaft für Geodäsie, Geoinformation und Landmanagement decided not to appoint a new Vice President for her remaining term of office, even though it could have appointed a new member based on the General Assembly decision made in Korea 2001.

The Advisory Committee of Commission Officers (ACCO) decided to appoint Matt Higgins, Chair of Commission 5 as the ACCO representative to the Council for 2005-2006 at its meeting in Jakarta. Matt Higgins has replaced Gerhard Muggenhuber as the ACCO representative in the Council in beginning of January 2005.

After the election of two new Vice Presidents, Ken Allred from Canada and Stig Enemark from Denmark, in Athens the Council has refined the responsibilities of the different Council members.

Appendix to item 6: Responsibilities of the Council members in 2005-2006.

Motion: That the General Assembly records the resignation of Vice President Bettina Petzold and the appointment of Matt Higgins as the ACCO representative in the Council for 2005-2006 and that it records its thanks to Bettina Petzold and Gerhard Muggenhuber for their remarkable services to FIG as Council members. That the Council further endorses the new responsibilities of the Council members as listed in the attachment.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

7. MEMBERSHIP

7.1 Acceptance of new members

7.1.1 Brunei Institution of Geomatics (BIG), Brunei Darussalam

Brunei Institution of Geomatics (BIG) from Brunei Darussalam has submitted an application to become a member association of FIG. The association has 30 members. The Council has considered the application and believes that the association meets criteria for membership of FIG as a member association. The BIG and the current affiliate member Survey Department, Ministry of Development have agreed that the Survey Department can retain its affiliate membership.

Appendix to item 7.1.1: Membership application from the Brunei Institution of Geomatics (BIG)

Motion: That the General Assembly admits the Brunei Institution of Geomatics (BIG) from Brunei Darussalam as a member association of FIG.

Decision: The motion was adopted. Mr. Pengiran Haji Matusin Matasan, President of BIG addressed the General Assembly on behalf of the new member association and the association was given its membership certificate.

7.1.2 Institution of Surveyors of the United Arab Emirates (ISUAE), United Arab Emirates

The Institution of Surveyors of the United Arab Emirates (ISUAE) from the United Arab Emirates has submitted an application to become a member association of FIG. The association has been established in 1995 and has 200 members. The Council has considered the application and believes that the association meets criteria for membership of FIG as a member association.

Appendix to item 7.1.2: Membership application from the Institution of Surveyors of the United Arab Emirates (ISUAE)

Motion: That the General Assembly admits the Institution of Surveyors of the United Arab Emirates (ISUAE) as a member association of FIG.

Decision: The motion was adopted. Dr. Yousuf Abdulrahman Al Marzooqi, President of ISUAE addressed the General Assembly on behalf of the ISUAE and the association was given its membership certificate.

7.1.3 Botswana Surveying & Mapping Association

The Botswana Surveying & Mapping Association has submitted an application to become a member association of FIG. The association has been established in 2001 has 23 qualified members and 4 qualifying members. The Council has considered the application and believes that the association meets criteria for membership of FIG as a member association.

Appendix to item 7.1.3: Membership application from the Botswana Surveying & Mapping Association

Motion: That the General Assembly admits the Botswana Surveying & Mapping Association as a member association of FIG.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

7.1.4 Kosova Surveyors Association, Kosovo UNMIK

The Kosova Surveyors Association has submitted an application to become a member association of FIG. The association has 100 qualified members and 1,000 members with education from Secondary School of Survey. The membership has been discussed for several years with the aid programmes to help the surveyors in Kosovo to build the country after the war. The Council has considered the application and believes that the association meets criteria for membership of FIG as a member association.

Appendix to item 7.1.4: Membership application from the Kosova Surveyors Association

Motion: That the General Assembly admits the Kosova Surveyors Association as a member association of FIG.

Decision: The motion was adopted. Mr. Abdurrahman Kuleta, President of the Kosova Association of Surveyors addressed the General Assembly on behalf of the new member association and the association was given its membership certificate.

7.1.5 Colegio de Ingenieros Topógrafos A.C.

The Colegio de Ingenieros Topógrafos A.C. from Mexico has submitted an application to become a member association of FIG. The association has been established in 1968 has 132 qualified members. The Council has considered the application and believes that the association meets criteria for membership of FIG as a member association.

Appendix to item 7.1.5: Membership application from the Colegio de Ingenieros Topógrafos A.C.

Motion: That the General Assembly admits the Colegio de Ingenieros Topógrafos A.C. as a member association of FIG.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

7.2 Expungements

7.2.1 Expungements 2004

The subscriptions of the following member associations were more than three years in arrears at the General Assembly in Athens in May 2004:

• Association des Géomètres Algériens, Algeria
• Professional Association of Real Estate Specialists and Surveyors – PARESS, Armenia
• Sociedad Colombiana de Topografos SCT (Colombian Society of Surveyors), Colombia
• Ukrainian Society of Surveying, Ukraine

Motion: That the General Assembly records that the membership of the following associations has ceased 31 December 2004:

• Association des Géomètres Algériens, Algeria
• Professional Association of Real Estate Specialists and Surveyors – PARESS, Armenia

and that it records that the membership of the Sociedad Colombiana de Topografos SCT (Colombian Society of Surveyors), Colombia has been extended and that the Ukrainian Society of Surveying, Ukraine has paid its arrears and its membership has been fully restored.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

7.2.2 Expungements 2005 – Withdrawn from the agenda 23 February 2005

7.3 Other membership matters

The Council wants to inform the General Assembly on the following changes in the membership of FIG:

Affiliates

The Council has admitted the following organisation to become an affiliate member of FIG:

• National Integrated System of Property (Cadaster) Predial Information – SINICAP, Peru

The Council has further admitted that the Survey Department, Ministry of Development from Brunei Darussalam sustains its affiliate membership even after the surveyors’ institution joins FIG as a member association.

Corporate members

The Council has admitted the following companies to become a Corporate Member of FIG:

• International Land Systems (ILS), USA (www.landsystems.com), membership category E
• LKN Earth Research & Consulting, Georgia (http://www.lknconsultants.com), membership category E
• SEPRET (Société des Etudes de Projets et Réalisation des Travaux S.A.R.L., Morocco (www.sepret.com), membership category F.
• TOPCON Corporation (http://www.topcon.co.jp/eng), membership category A.

The Council has further adopted the application from the Institute Cartografiá de Catalunya from Spain to upgrade its membership from level F to E.

Academic members

The Council wants to inform the General Assembly that 9 new Academic Members have joined FIG after the General Assembly in Athens and that the number of academic members in April 2005 is 80 from 51 nations. The new academic members are:

• University of the South Pacific, Department of Land Management and Development, Oceania
• State Agrarian University of Moldova, Faculty of Cadastre and Environment Engineering
• University of West Indies, Surveying and Land Information, Trinidad and Tobago
• University of Lagos, Department of Surveying and Geoinformatics, Nigeria
• Institute of Technology Bandung (ITB), Department of Geodetic Engineering, Indonesia
• Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Dept of Surveying and Geoinformatics, Nigeria
• University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering
• FHBB Basel Institute of Technology and Management, University of Applied Sciences, Department of Geomatic Engineering
• “1 December 1918” University of Alba Iulia, Department of Topography and Cadastre, Romania

The Council has registered that the name of Ghana: Western University College has been changed to the University of Mines and Technology.

Correspondents

The Council has admitted Wilfred Rodrigues to stay as a correspondent member of FIG after he has moved from Antigua has moved to Saint Lucia, WI.

Motion: That the General Assembly notes the actions that the Council has taken with other membership matters.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

8. HONORARY MEMBER

The American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM), USA has sent the Federation a nomination letter in which it proposes that FIG appoints Mr. Jerome C. Ives, Vice President of FIG 1999-2002 as an Honorary Member of the Federation. About his contributions can be mentioned:

• FIG Vice President 1999-2002
• Chair of the Organising Committee of the 1993 Permanent Committee meeting in New Orleans, USA
• Head of the U.S. FIG Delegation (1988-91)
• The U.S. Delegate to Commission 8, Urban Land Systems: Planning and Development (1984-87)
• Various positions in the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping, and the American Society Civil Engineers.

According to the Statutes paragraph 3.1.7 an individual who has materially assisted the development and promotion of the surveying profession at the international level can be appointed as an honorary member. Nomination for this appointment shall be made by a member association or the Council, which will consider it and submit it to a vote of the General Assembly.

The Council has considered the proposal and decided to propose to the General Assembly that it appoints Mr. Jerome C. Ives as an Honorary Member of the Federation for the outstanding services he has provided to the Federation in different positions and functions.

Appendix to item 8: The nomination letter from ACSM.

Motion: That the General Assembly appoints Mr. Jerome C. Ives an Honorary Member of FIG.

Decision: The General Assembly appointed Mr. Jerome C. Ives as an Honorary Member of FIG. Mr. Ives was presented his badge with silver oak leaves and certificate of Honorary Member.

9. PRESIDENT’S REPORT

The report of the President of the Federation includes a review on the activities of the Federation, the Council and the FIG office from May 2004 to April 2005.

Appendix to item 9: President's report.

Motion: That the General Assembly accepts the President’s report.

Decision: The motion was adopted. The General Assembly recorded its thanks to the President and the FIG Council and all officers for the past year’s work.

10. REPORTS FROM CHAIRS OF COMMISSIONS

The Commission chairs have submitted their written reports on the Commission activities since the FIG Working Week in Athens. Their reports include progress reports of the working groups in each Commission. All Commissions will have meetings during the Working Week as well as most of their Working Groups. The Council proposes that the reports will be recorded as circulated without oral presentations. Later in this session there will be a discussion between the delegates and Commission chairs on topics of interest to all commissions. In addition the Commission chairs have the opportunity to report back to the General Assembly on their activities during the week at the second session of the General Assembly on Thursday April 21, 2005.

The Council has decided to strongly appeal to the member associations that they should seriously consider making proposals for the candidates of Commission 4 chairmanship for 2006-2010. The Council has decided to bring this election to the General Assembly in Munich 2006.

Appendices to item 10:

• 10.1 Commission 1
• 10.2 Commission 2
• 10.3 Commission 3
• 10.4 Commission 4
• 10.5 Commission 5
• 10.6 Commission 6
• 10.7 Commission 7
• 10.8 Commission 8
• 10.9 Commission 9
• 10.10 Commission 10

Motion: That the General Assembly adopts the written reports of the Commission chairs and records its thanks to the chairs and officers of the Commissions for their past year’s work. That the General Assembly endorses the decision of the Council to bring the election of Commission 4 chairperson for 2006-2010 first to the General Assembly in Munich in 2006 and confirms the importance of getting qualified candidates to this position. That the General Assembly records that the Chair Elect of Commission 8, Dr. Spike Boydell has resigned from his position as Chair Elect in Commission 8 for personal reasons and that the General Assembly records its thanks to Dr. Boydell for his contributions as Chair Elect.

That the General Assembly records that the Council has received following proposals from member associations for the two open posts of chairs elect and chairs 2006-2010:

• Canadian Institute of Geomatics has nominated Andrew Leyzack as a candidate for Chair Elect for 2005-2006 and for Chair in 2006-2010 for Commission 4
• Institution of Surveyors Australia has nominated Mr. Simon Adcock as a candidate for Chair Elect for 2005-2006 and for Chair in 2006-2010 for Commission 8

And that the Council has decided to ask member associations to make further nominations by 31 July 2005 and that if there are no further nominations the Council will appoint these candidates as chairs elect at its meeting in September and that the Council looks confirmation in this case for the appointments at the General Assembly in Munich in 2006.

Additional appendices to item 10:

• 10.11 Nomination letter from CIG and CV of Mr. Andrew Leyzack for Chair Elect and Chair of Commission 4
• 10.12 Nomination letter from ISA and CV of Mr. Simon Adcock for Chair Elect and Chair of Commission 8

Discussion: In the discussion Mr. Hagen Graeff, President of DVW, proposed that the General Assembly appoints Andrew Leyzack as Chair Elect 2005-2006 and Chair 2006-2010 for Commission 4 already in this session in Cairo. He further proposed that the General Assembly appoints Mr. Simon Adcock as Chair Elect 2005-2006 and Chair 2006-2010 for Commission 8, if no further nominations will be made before Wednesday 20 April 18:00.

Honorary President Robert Foster proposed that if there will be further candidates to Commission 8 the Nomination Review Group should review the candidates and that the Council shall then make the appointment at its meeting in Havana and that this decision would then be recorded by the General Assembly in Munich in 2006.

Decision: The General Assembly recorded reports from the commission chairs as circulated. It further recorded the resignation of Dr. Spike Boydell and recorded its thanks to Dr. Boydell for his work as Chair Elect in Commission 8. The General Assembly further decided to appoint Mr. Andrew Leyzack as Chair Elect for 2005-2006 and as Chair for 2006-2010 in Commission 4.

The General Assembly further decided after voting between proposals from Mr. Hagen Graeff, DVW and Honorary President Robert Foster with 31 votes against 17 votes to appoint also the Chair Elect 2005-2006 and Chair 2006-2010 to Commission 8 at the second session of the General Assembly in Cairo and that the member associations were requested to make further nominations by no later than 20 April 2005 by 18:00.

11. TASK FORCE ON COMMISSION STRUCTURE

The Council decided at its meeting in Munich in January 2005 to establish a Task Force to study the commission structure after 2010 and also to study if there are any needs to the current statutes and internal rules after the experiences with the new statutes and internal rules were approved in Seoul, Korea in 2001. This study will also include the review of the role and format of the Nomination Review Group and Commission Review Group. The Council decided to appoint the members of the Task Force as follows: Vice President Ken Allred, Canada as the chairperson and Matt Higgins, ACCO, Iain Greenway, United Kingdom, Teo Chee Hai, Malaysia and Stephen Djaba, Ghana as members. The draft of terms of reference will be prepared for the meetings in Cairo. The Task Force will also organise an open meeting during the Working Week in Cairo to discuss the terms of reference with the member associations. This meeting will be held on Tuesday 19 April from 14:00 to 15:30 in Nefertiti I. Any changes to the statutes and internal rules need to be decided latest by the General Assembly in Hong Kong, SAR China in May 2007 so that they can be used when electing Council members and Commission officers at the General Assembly in 2008. The Council will at the same time separately consider the need for any other changes in the statutes (including the membership, possibility to support member associations with economic difficulties (French proposal to the General Assembly in 2004; and financial support to Council members and Commission officers in the future).

Motion: That the General Assembly endorses the decision of the Council to establish a Task Force on the Commission Structure and Future Administration of the FIG and to endorse the members of the Task Force as appointed by the Council.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

12. REPORTS FROM THE DIRECTORS OF PERMANENT INSTITUTIONS

Appendices to item 12:

• 12.1 Report from the International Office of Cadastre and Land Records (Office International du Cadastre et du Régime Foncier) OICRF
• 12.2 Report from the FIG Multi-Lingual Dictionary Board
• 12.3 Report from the International Institution for the History of Surveying and Measurement, Permanent Institution of FIG

Motion: That the General Assembly adopts the reports and records its thanks to the Directors for their past year’s work.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

13. REPORT OF UN ACTIVITIES

• Appendix to item 13.1: Co-operation with the United Nations and Its Agencies May 2004–April 2005
• Appendix to item 13.2: Memorandum of Understanding between FIG and United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UN OOSA)

Motion: That the General Assembly adopts the report on the co-operation with the United Nations and its agencies and records its thanks to the UN Co-operation Network.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

14. MARRAKECH DECLARATION

As a result of the 2nd FIG Regional Conference “Urban-Rural Interrelationship for Sustainable Environment”, which was held in Marrakech, Morocco, 2–5 December 2003, FIG together with the partners has published the Marrakech Declaration (Urban-Rural Interrelationship for Sustainable Development) in the FIG publication series. Copies of the declaration have been distributed to the members earlier. The Marrakech Declaration was launched at the 2nd World Urban Forum in Barcelona, September 13-17, 2004 and at the Symposium on Urban-Rural Interrelationship organised by UN-Habitat in Nairobi during the World Habitat Day celebrations, October 1-4, 2004. The Marrakech Declaration has now also been translated to Arabic and French which are published on the FIG web page. The English version is available at: http://www.fig.net/pub/figpub/pub33/figpub33.pdf

Motion: That the General Assembly endorses the Marrakech Declaration on Urban-Rural Interrelationship for Sustainable Development and records its thanks to the members of the working group that wrote the report.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

15. AGUASCALIENTES STATEMENT

The joint UN/FIG/PC IDEA Inter-regional Special Forum on Development of Land Information Policies in Americas was held in Aguascalientes, Mexico 26-27 October 2004. The Aguascalientes Statement is a result of the Special Forum. The aim of the special forum was to emphasize the importance for governments to develop land policies that effectively and efficiently incorporate appropriate spatial data infrastructures (SDI’s) due to the economic and social value that results from integrating the land administration/cadastre/land registration function with the topographic mapping function. The special forum was based on a resolution adopted at the 7th United Nations Regional Cartographic Conference for the Americas held New York January 2001. FIG was tasked with taking the leading role in organizing the special forum with support from the Statistics Division of the Department of Social Affairs of the United Nations, and the Permanent Committee on Spatial Data Infrastructures for the Americas (PC IDEA) and being hosted by the National Institute of Statistics, Geography and Informatics (INEGI) in Mexico. The report will be tabled at the 8th United Nations Regional Cartographic Conference for the Americas to be held in June 2005 in New York. This should assist member States to develop appropriate institutional, legal and technical processes to integrate land administration and topographic mapping programs within the context of a wider national strategy for spatial data infrastructure.

The report and Aguscalientes Statement have been prepared by John Parker and Stig Enemark who were the organizers of this event on behalf of FIG. The report will be published in the FIG publication series.

Appendix to item 15: Aguascalientes Statement – The Inter-Regional Special Forum on Development of Land Information Policies in the Americas

Motion: That the General Assembly endorses the report of the International Forum held in Mexico in October and the Aguascalientes Statement and that it further records its thanks to John Parker and Stig Enemark for organising this important event.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

16. LIAISON WITH INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS

After the International Union for Surveys and Mapping (IUSM) was disbanded in 1999 the co-operation with sister organisations has been based on bilateral agreements. Memoranda of understanding have now been signed with all former members of IUSM. A new body called the Joint Board of Spatial Information Societies has been established. Its main task is to coordinate the co-operation with the United Nations on geoinformation. The Joint Board will have its meeting in Cairo during the FIG Working Week to finalise the terms of reference and administration of the Joint Board.

FIG has further bilateral agreements of co-operation with several other international associations like ICEC, IFHP, CIB and FIABCI. Some of the partners are also working together in the Habitat Professionals Forum. Since September 2004 the Chairperson of the Habitat Professionals Forum has been Prof. Holger Magel, FIG President.

FIG is a member of the International Council for Science (ICSU) and working together with ISO and International Valuation Standards Committee (IVSC) on standards.

Appendices to item 16:

• 16.1 Report on the Co-operation with International Organisations
• 16.2 Memorandum of Understanding between the International Federation of Hydrographic Societies (IFHS) and FIG

Motion: That the General Assembly confirms the report on the liaison with other international associations.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

17. FIG ACCOUNTS FOR 2004 AND AUDITOR’S REPORT AND BUDGET FOR 2005 AND 2006

Vice President Ralf Schroth has prepared a financial report on the economic situation of the Federation. This report includes summary of the accounts for 2004, an updated budget for 2005 and proposal for budget 2006 with notes.

The Auditors Report includes the auditors report from 2004, official accounts (income statement 2004) and balance sheet 31 December 2004.

Appendices to item 17:

• 17.1 Financial Report – Accounts 2004 and Budgets 2005 and 2006
• 17.2 Auditor's Report, Income Statement for 2004 and Balance Sheet at 31 December 2004

Motion: That the General Assembly adopts the audited accounts for 2004 and budgets for 2005 and 2006.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

18. SUBSCRIPTION RATES FOR 2007

The General Assembly is required to set levels of fees for member associations two years in advance of the year in which they become payable. Fees are payable in respect of each individual member up to a maximum of 4,000 members; member associations with more than 4,000 members pay fees in accordance with a sliding scale. Fees for 2005 and 2006 are:

The General Assembly is informed that as much time as possible at the end of the session will be reserved for a podium discussion between the Commission Chairs and the delegates under this item. The goal of this discussion is to exchange experiences on the role of Commissions in FIG and other topics that are of joint interest to all Commissions. This podium discussion will be chaired by the FIG President.

Motion: That the General Assembly records the discussion and the proposals for action to develop the co-operation between the members and Commissions.

Decision: The General Assembly decided to postpone this discussion to the second session of the General Assembly.

21. PRESIDENT'S MEETING

Totally 43 people attended this President’s Meeting out of which 36 were Presidents or leaders of delegations. At the meeting co-operation between FIG and its member associations as well as actual issues raised by the member associations were discussed. A separate memorandum of this meeting is circulated to the participants of the meeting and to the Presidents of member associations.

Second Session, Thursday 21 April, 11:00 - 13:30, Blue and White Nile (Cleopatra Ballroom)

22. ROLL CALL

Vice President Andreas Drees took the roll call. The roll call was made only for member associations and affiliate members, the other members were recorded in the roll call based on their attendance to the Working Week.

Appendix to items 2 & 22: Roll Call.

49 member associations out of 94 were present at this session, which is more than one third of the membership needed for the General Assembly to be constitutionally valid. Totally 56 member associations attended the General Assembly in Cairo

Motion: That present members are recorded in the minutes.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

23. MEMBERSHIP

Corporate members

The Council has admitted the following company to become a Corporate Member of FIG:

• Remote Sensing Center of Environment Consulting, Saudi Arabia, membership category F

Motion: That the General Assembly notes the actions that the Council has taken with other membership matters.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

24. DECISION ON THE VENUE OF THE FIG CONGRESS 2010

The presentations of the candidates to host the FIG Congress 2010 has been made at the first session on Sunday 17 April 2005.

The voting of the venue will take place so that each member association will have one vote. If one of the three candidates will get the absolute majority of the given votes on the first vote, it has been selected. If there is no majority for any of the candidates a second vote will be organised between the two venues that have got most votes in the first vote. The venue that gets most votes on the second vote will be selected as the venue of the FIG Congress 2010.

Appendix to item 19 and 24: Summary of the bids of the three candidates for the FIG Congress 2010 and handouts of the presentations made at the Council meeting in Munich in January 2005.

Motion: That the General Assembly decides on the venue of the FIG Congress 2010.

Decision: The General Assembly voted for the venue of FIG Congress 2010 as follows:

• Sydney, Australia 31 votes
• Edmonton, Canada 14 votes
• Vienna, Austria 7 votes

As Sydney, Australia got the absolute majority of the votes on the first round the General Assembly decided that the FIG Congress 2010 will be hosted by FIG and ISA in Sydney Australia in April/May 2010.

25. REPORT FROM ACCO, ELECTION OF COMMISSION 8 CHAIR ELECT (2005-2006) AND CHAIR (2006-2010) AND DISCUSSION WITH COMMISSION CHAIRS

25.1 Report from ACCO

The Advisory Committee of Commission Officers (ACCO) has met on 16 April 2005.

Vice President Andreas Drees, Chair of ACCO reported to the General Assembly on the results of the ACCO meeting.

Appendix to item 25.1: Report from the ACCO meetings.

Motion: That the General Assembly accepted the reports and their recommendations and records its thanks to ACCO for its past year’s work.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

25.2 Election of Commission 8 Chair Elect (2005-2006) and Chair (2006-2010)

The Council has not received any further nominations for Commission 8 Chair Elect (2005-2006) and Chair (2006-2010) so the only candidate is Mr. Simon Adcock from Australia. As decided by the General Assembly at the first session 17 April 2005 the General Assembly will therefore appoint the Chair Elect and Chair to Commission 8 at this session.

Motion: That the General Assembly appoints Mr. Simon Adcock from Australia as the Chair Elect (2005-2006) and the next Chair (2006-2010) of Commission 8

Decision: The motion was adopted.

25.3 Discussion with Commission Chairs

For the second time a podium discussion between the member associations and ACCO was organised in Cairo. This time participants at this discussion included the Chairs Elect of each Commission and the discussion was chaired by Vice President Andreas Drees.

Appendix to item 25.3: Notes from the ACCO podium discussion.

Motion: That the General Assembly records the discussion and the proposals for action to develop the co-operation between the members and Commissions.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

26. REGIONAL REPORTS

As started in 2003 the Council has decided to activate the role of member associations at the General Assembly by encouraging the exchange of experiences between member associations and regions. Therefore, the Council has decided to ask reports from regional groups or representatives to address the problems and latest achievements in the regions.

The Council has invited reports from following groups and regions:

• Mr. Rafic Khouri, The Francophone Group
• Dr. Dalal Alnaggar, The Arab Union of Surveyors
• Mr. Stephen Djaba, Ghana representing Africa
• Mr. Israel Otero, Puerto Rico representing Latin America
• Mr. T.N. Wong, FIG Vice President representating Asia and the Pacific

Motion: That the General Assembly records the reports and notes the plans to establish a Francophone association of surveyors in a close co-operation with FIG..

Decision: The motion was adopted.

27. REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE FIG FOUNDATION

Appendix to item 27: Report of the FIG Foundation activities in 2004.

In his addition report to the General Assembly, Mr. Iain Greenway, Member of the Board of Directors of the FIG Foundation made the following remarks: The Foundation has received about 14,000 Euros in conjunction to the Working Week in Cairo from registration fees, Foundation Dinner and as voluntary donations. The Board of Directors has also decided to give 7 grants to different research projects and studies out of total 14 applications. The Foundation also awarded those five individuals with the Foundation pin who have donated the Foundation more than 100 Euros in conjunction to the Working Week in Cairo, these were Klaus Rürup, Andreas Drees, Jerome Ives, Robert Foster and Andrew Morley.

Motion: That the General Assembly adopts the report of the President of the FIG Foundation and the additional oral report given at the General Assembly.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

28. REPORTS OF THE REGIONAL CONFERENCES 2005 AND 2006, CONGRESS 2006 AND WORKING WEEKS 2007 AND 2008

The hosts of the 4th FIG Regional Conference 2005 (UNAICC, Cuba), the 5th Regional Conference 2006 (GhIS, Ghana), Congress 2006 (DVW, Germany) and Working Weeks 2007 (HKIS, Hong Kong SAR, China) and 2008 (SLF, Sweden) have been asked to make brief reports on the preparations for their respective events. In addition a short report on the South East Asian Surveying Congress in Brunei in November 2005 will be presented in the meeting.

Motion: That the General Assembly notes the reports. That the General Assembly confirms the dates of the next FIG events as follows:

• 4th Regional Conference in Havana, Cuba, September 26-29, 2005
• 5th Regional Conference in Accra, Ghana, March 8-11, 2006
• XXIV FIG Congress in Munich, Germany, October 8-13, 2006
• FIG Working Week 2007, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China, May 12-17, 2007
• FIG Working Week 2008, Stockholm, Sweden, June 14-19, 2008
• FIG Working Week 2009, Israel, dates to be confirmed in 2006.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

29. PRESENTATION OF CERTIFICATES OF APPRECIATION

President Holger Magel presented at the closing ceremony certificates of appreciation to members of the local organising committee of the Working Week 2005 and to other persons that had actively participated in the arrangements of the successful conference. Special thanks were recorded to Dr. Eng. Ahmed Fouad El-Sheikh, Chairman of the LOC and President of the ECSM, Eng. M. Hisham Nasr, Chairman of ESA, Vice Chair of the LOC and Dr. Dalal Alnaggar, Conference Coordinator and to Eng. M. Mosaad Ibrahim and the Local Conference Office as well as to the Egyptian Committee for Surveying and Mapping (ECSM) and the Egyptian Survey Authority (ESA) and to the Global Spatial Data Infrastructure (GSDI).

30. CLOSING PROCEEDINGS

The President formally closed the 28th General Assembly of FIG.

At the closing ceremony the FIG banner was handed over by Eng. Mosaad Ibrahim and Dr. Dalal Alnaggar to Mr. Hagen Graeff, President of DVW and Mr. Thomas Gollwitzer, Congress Director of FIG Congress 2006 to be held in Munich, Germany 8-13 October 2006.

Data supplied by the FIG Office. 

Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that this data is accurate errors might exist. Requests for updates and corrections should be emailed to the FIG Office.