World Naturopathic Federation

Constitution & Bylaws for

World Naturopathic Federation

NOTE: These have been drafted based on other world federations. The points of discussion are where federations take different approaches to how they are structured. These areas which we must decide on are highlighted by boxed discussion points below:

Mission

  1. Supporting the growth and diversity of naturopathic medicine worldwide.

  2. Supporti ng the regulation of naturopathic medicine

  3. Promoting accreditation and the highest in educational standards for our global profession

  4. Encouraging naturopathic research

  5. Establishing and maintaining a database of Naturopathic organizations, regulation, accreditation, conferences and research activities.

  6. Work with world agencies (World Health Organisation, United Nations, UNESCO) and national governments in order to promote naturopathic medicine.

Incorporation

  1. Establish a headquarters in (TBD].

DISCUSSION POINT 1 – Location of incorporation

Option 1: Luxembourg: Advantages – close to global health hubs (e.g. Geneva, Brussels). Friendly incorporation laws. Convenient for European members. Disadvantages – Distant to North, Central and South Americans, Asia, Africa, Australasia.

Option 2: North America (Canada, ie. Toronto): Advantages – HIghes accreditation standard, broadest scope of practice. Easy access to resources and donors. Convenient for North American members. Disadvantages – Distant to South American, Asian, African, Australasian members. Distant from global health hubs

Option 3: Other – international federations are also established in China (Beijing [Chinese medicine, Acupuncture]), Europe (London [Physiotherapy], The Hague [Pharmacy]), USA (Chicago [Osteopathy]).

  1. Implement a Global Congress of Naturopathic Medicine in conjunction with a member nation on a rotational basis between continents.

Constitution (proposed)

(again please comment on boxed areas only)

Members: Representation

[General Assembly] (Or other term if more suitable)

There shall be a governing body known as the [General Assembly], which shall be composed of Full member bodies of the [Federation] and shall hold general meetings as and when the [Federation] may determine. Each body member shall be responsible for the expenses incurred by its designated representative in attending the meetings of the [Federation]. All assemblies shall be open to all members. It is proposed each Assembly will be held at each Global Congress (Conference) of Naturopathic Medicine, which will rotate between continents.


<Note: detailed by-laws are jurisdiction specific and ordinarily based on standard templates. This section will discuss the details that feed into these templates>


Quorum

At all annual meetings of the [Federation], a quorum shall consist of 51% [or as legally mandated in jurisdiction] of the eligible voting members in attendance or by proxy.


Decisions

Decisions shall be by a simple majority of [General Assembly] members present and voting, unless otherwise stated for specific decisions (for example for admission and termination of memberships). In the absence of a representative, a member body may express its views in writing.


Full members (voting rights)

Full members shall be legally constituted national naturopathic medicine or naturopathy associations that are broadly representative of the practitioners of their country by virtue of their membership, with their voting membership being limited to naturopathic practitioners and naturopathic students. They are not subject to, or controlled by, any office or agency of government (i.e. are voted by, run for and governed by naturopathic practitioners in the interests of the naturopathic profession).


Full member organisations must: 1) have a commitment to levels of training commensurate with delivery of primary care services in their country; 2) have a commitment to achieving statutory/govenment licensure or regulation in their country to ensure appropriate levels of accountability and standards in their respective country, and 3) have a commitment to World Health Organization principles around professionalization.

DISCUSSION POINT TWO – what constitutes a national association? (examples taken from other federations)?

  1. Minimum number of practitioners [e.g. 50 in Acupuncture, 30 in Chinese medicine]

  2. Minimum national representation of practitioners [e.g. 6% in Nursing federation]

  3. Minimum level of existence [e.g. 3 years in Acupuncture, 1 year in Chinese medicine]

  4. Minimum level of practitioner governance [e.g. ‘majority governed by practitioners’ in Physiotherapy]



DISCUSSION POINT THREE – what should a general assembly of national associations look like?

Option 1 – “One country, one vote” (or equivalent – e.g. two votes for each nation): Each national member association has equal voting rights in the Assembly. [Adopters: Medicine, Public Health, Nursing, Physiotherapy]

Option 2 – “Proportional representation”: National associations have more votes, based on pre-determined scales. The following is an example from the Pharmacy Association - 249 members or less: 1 vote; 250-499 members: 2 votes; 500-999 members: 3 votes; 1000-1999: 4 votes; 2000-2999 members: 5 votes; 3000-4999 members: 6 votes; 5000-9999 members: 7 votes; 10000-19999 members: 8 votes; 20000-29999 members: 9 votes; over 30000 members: 10 votes. [Adopters: Chinese medicine, Acupuncture, Chiropractic, Pharmacy, Dentistry]

Option 3 – “Hybrid model”: National associations get minimum guaranteed votes. Largest association gets small bundle of extra votes. Additional votes can be granted to larger associations. [Adopter: Osteopathy]

Option 4. Other model.



DISCUSSION POINT FOUR – should more than one organisation per country be allowed as a Full member?

Option 1 – Absolute No. [Adopters: Medicine, Nursing, Physiotherapy]. Only largest association allowed to join.

Option 2 – Default No. Special dispensations considered. Must share nation vote on consensus. [Adopters: Chiropractic, Public Health, Dentistry]. Note: even when supported the bar for this to occur is usually very high and very rarely enacted. The Public Health offers the following comment in its Constitution; “As public health associations are designed to be an integrating force among all elements within a country only one such body from each country shall as a rule be recognized and admitted as a full member to the Federation. When two or more eligible associations exist in a country, these may be admitted with equal status as full members. In this case, they jointly have one vote, which they lose in case of disagreement between them.”

Option 3 – Yes. Proportional voting [Adopters: Acupuncture, Chinese medicine, Pharmacy]. In Pharmacy, new associations allowed only with approval from existing members from that country.


Associate members

Organisations or institutions with goals and objectives that are consistent with those of the [Federation], or are useful to the aims of the [Federation], but who do not meet the criteria of Full Membership, may be granted Associate Membership. Associate members pay dues but cannot vote. They can attend meetings as observers, are encouraged to participate on [Federation] Working groups and have access to all materials and information the [Federation] may provide to its members.

DISCUSSION POINT FIVE – Associate members

Question: Should there be Associate members at all? If yes, should there be differing types of Associate members. Various federations allow for regional members (e.g. State, provincial or regional associations), individual members, corporate members, government agency members. Should these be clearly articulated? What type should there be?

Ex: Chiro – Corporate (Industry, schools, accrediting bodies), Individual, Student



New members

Admission of new members to the Federation shall be the Decision of the General Assembly



DISCUSSION POINT SIX – Who should new members be voted in by?

Option 1 – General Assembly vote. Voted on only by those in attendance at the General Assembly. [Adopters: Chiropractic, Pharmacy, Public Health, Medicine, Physiotherapy, Dentistry]

Option 2 – Executive committee vote. Voted by the Executive on behalf of members [Adopters: Acupuncture, Chinese medicine]

Option 3 – Postal ballot. Voted by all members whether in attendance or not. [Adopter: Nursing]

Option 4 – Other. For example, Osteopathy has no formal process beyond new member applications being ‘reviewed



DISCUSSION POINT SEVEN – What level vote should be required for new entrants?

Option 1 – Plain majority. [Adopters: Chiropractic, Acupuncture, Chinese medicine, Nurses]

Option 2 – Two-thirds majority [Adopters: Pharmacy, Medicine, Public Health, Dentistry, Physiotherapy]

Option 3 – Other


Termination of members

Termination of members shall be decided on the same basis as admission of new members

Ethical conduct

Member organisations of the [Federation] have an obligation to maintain high standards and to continuously advance the integrity of the naturopathic profession. A member organisation should maintain membership in and actively support the [Federation] and abide by its bylaws and policies. Member organisations should respect diversity of people, cultures, and general opinions and will strive to make membership reflect this commitment. Any specific policies impacting the ethical behaviour of member organizations or their delegates may be defined in policies and bylaws. Breach of these policies and bylaws may be grounds for termination of membership, or termination of a delegate’s right to represent a member organisation.

Executive Committee

The General Assembly shall elect a President, a Vice-President, who shall be the President-Elect, and any other officers, and appoint a Treasurer and a Secretary General. The General Assembly shall also determine the composition of an Executive Board and elect its members. The officers and members of the Board shall hold office for such periods as the General Assembly may decide.

DISCUSSION POINT EIGHT – What should the Executive make-up look like?

Option 1 – The Executive committee should be constituted by election by the [General Assembly] only. [Adopters: Public Health, Dentistry, Pharmacy]

Option 2 – Regional representation. Each specific region shall have a representative, though still voted by the General Assembly. [Adopters: Medicine, Physiotherapy]. Usual regions are Asia, Europe, Australasia, Africa, North America, South America, EMRO. Otherwise by the WHO Regional Offices.

Option 3 – Regional and proportional. One member for every x members (e.g. in Chiropractic 3,000) with regional membership to guarantee breadth of representation. [Adopter: Chiropractic]

Option 4 – Proportional. Additional executive spots guaranteed for largest member/s. [Adopter: Osteopathy]

Option 5 – Other. Note: Nursing and Osteopathy distinguish between ‘streams’ of those professions.


Remuneration

All Executive members will serve on a voluntary, unremunerated basis. No Officer shall be paid for his/her services, although the President can authorise reimbursement of any actual and eligible expenses incurred by an Officer carrying out an authorised task on behalf of the Executive. Support staff of the Federation may be remunerated.

Committees

The [General Assembly] and the Executive shall establish such committees and working groups as they require.

Committees

Committees fulfil functions serving the organisational framework of the [Federation]. In addition to permanent Committees such as regulation, educations, and research. The [General Assembly] or Executive may appoint interim Committees for activities limited in time. The structure of committees shall be established in policy.

Working Groups

Working Groups will usually be created to work on theme-related program elements serving to fulfil parts of the [Federation’s] mission. For Working Groups to be recognised by the Executive and [General Assembly] their terms of reference, rules of procedures and a work program have to be presented. Temporary recognition is possible to allow for the preparation of these documents. Depending on the situation, other terms (Task Force, Study Group, Action Group, etc.) may be used to describe Working Groups.

<This is to allow for conference organising Committees, development of sub-committees to detail registration, accreditation, education standards etc., as well as more specific governance roles>

Amendments

Amendment to the Constitution shall be by a two-thirds majority of the General Assembly after recommendation by the Executive.



Discussions toward a World Naturopatic Federation


AGENDA 2nd Day


July 5, 2014 - Saturday

7:30 AM – meet in lobby of Marriot – then move down to a conference room TBD

DRAFT AGENDA

2nd Meeting


Please come prepared at this meeting to give a short update from each of your countries.


  1. Welcome & Thank You’s to ICNM Board

  2. Brief History of How Got Important – YOUR HAVE COME AT THE RIGHT TIME – we have been waiting for you to come – all work thus far has been PREPATORY; no formal decision have been made.

  3. Summary/Recap of 1st two days of informal talks

  4. Recap on 67th World Health Organization World Health Assembly – May 2014

    1. What we learned – Tabatha Parker, ND & Michael Cronin, ND

      1. WHO Strategy on Traditional Medicine

        1. Guiding countries to regulate T&CM (Traditional & Complementary Medicine) in all countries by.

          1. From 2012 – the number of countries that are in the process or have laws grew from x to x

      2. Basic Requirements

        1. Must be a true International Federation – with representation from all WHO World Regions

          1. African, Americas (North & Latin), Eastern Mediterranean, European, South East Asia, Western Pacific

        2. All Members must support Statutory/Government Regulation/ Registration/Licensure or equivalent of the profession in your country

        3. Member Associations must represent the profession (ie – Voting members cannot be an overarching group representing a broad variety of professions)


  1. Formal Discussion on The Proposed International Federation of Naturopathic Medicine

    1. Comments submitted by countries previously will be reviewed any items that have consensus will not be discussed.

    2. Constitution & Broad Objectives

    3. DISCUSSION POINTS – Only sections will be discussed where there is not consensus from previously submitted documents

      1. Location of Incorporation

      2. What Constitutes a National Association?

      3. What Should a General Assembly/Voting look like

      4. Full Member Requirements & Multiple Associations per country issues – CANDIDATE MEMBER

      5. Associate members

      6. Who should vote in New Full Members (aka national associations)?

      7. What majority would be required to accept new full members

      8. Executive Make-up

  2. Action Steps

    1. Incorporation

    2. Next Meeting

    3. Formal Letter of Intent from National Organizations

  3. Meeting Close


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www.icnmnaturopathy.org
Anne Marie Narboni, ND
Executive Congress Chair ICNM
info@livemedia.fr

Press Release to the World Naturopathic Federation

Dr. med. Bernhard Weber                                                                            16.7.2014
Deutschhausstr.28
35037 Marburg
Mitglied im Vorstand des ZAEN, Mitglied Erfahrungsheilkunde

 

Mitteilung an die Redaktionen
Mitteilung an alle Naturheilkunde Gesellschaften

Welt Naturheilkunde Förderation in Paris gegründet.

Die 2. Internationale Konferenz Naturheilkunde Medizin (ICNM) in Paris mit ihren 250 Mitgliedern aus über 40 Ländern war der glänzende Rahmen für die Neugründung der Welt Naturheilkunde Förderation.(World Naturopathic Federation)

Die sehr unterschiedlichen Bedingungen von erfreulicher Förderung bis zu Bekämpfung und Unterdrückung von Naturheilkunde durch Regierungen und Universitäten in den verschieden Ländern der Welt wurde vom Eröffnungsredner Dr. David Schleich, dem Präsidenten der NCNM in USA, als wesentlicher Grund für die Neugründung der Welt Naturheilkunde Föderation genannt.

Während Länder wie Indien, China aber auch die USA besonders durch wissenschaftliche Forschung, aber Integration in das Gesundheitswesen vorbildliche Möglichkeiten aufzeigen fehlt besonders in reichen Ländern wie Deutschland diese Förderung auch im Bereich der Forschung leider weitgehend. Länder wie die Schweiz konnten durch Volksentscheid die Regierung zwingen Naturheilverfahren allen interessierten Patienten zugänglich zu machen.

Folgende Ziele stellt sich die Welt Naturheilkunde Föderation:

  1. Unterstützung des Wachstums und der Vielfalt der Naturheilkunde.
  2. Unterstützung bei der Anerkennung von Naturheilverfahren
  3. Förderung der Verbreitung und der bestmöglichen Bildungsstandards für unseren weltweiten Beruf .
  4. Förderung der naturheilkundlichen Forschung
  5. Aufbau und Pflege einer Datenbank für Naturheil Organisationen, Regulierung, Akkreditierung, Konferenzen und Forschungsaktivitäten.
  6. Arbeiten mit Welt Organisationen (Weltgesundheitsorganisation, Vereinte Nationen, UNESCO) und den nationalen Regierungen, um naturheilkundliche  Medizin zu fördern.

Sprachliche Probleme bei über 40 teilnehmenden Nationen wurden wurde bei den Hauptvorträgen der dreitägigen Konferenz durch Übersetzung von Französisch ins Englische und umgekehrt gelöst. Die zwei deutschen Referenten stellten ihre Themen, jeweils nach kurzer Darstellung der Naturheilkunde in Deutschland, in Englisch vor. Die ca. 80 deutschen Zeitschriften für Naturheilverfahren für Patienten, Heilpraktiker und Ärzte bleibt so dem Rest der Welt größtenteils verborgen.  Auch die vielen Organisationen der Naturheilkunde Therapeuten in Deutschland sind so weltweit meist unbekannt. Wesentliches Wissen und die zahlreichen Neuentwicklungen der ca. 30 000 Heilpraktiker und etwa 40 000 Ärzte mit den Zusatzbezeichnungen Akupunktur, Homöopathie, Naturheilverfahren und den über 100 Verfahren die von des Behörden noch geringer geachtet werden bleiben so auf  Deutschland begrenzt.

Der nächste Internationale Kongress ist für 2016 geplant. Deutsche Organisationen die dieses Projekt fördern können dies als Supporting Partners unterstützen, bisher sind hier weltweit ca. 90 gelistet, bisher kostenfrei.

Ein 120 seitiger Sammelband der Abstracts, Referentenliste und des Programms kann angefordert werden, notfalls bei mir für die Kopierkosten. Meinen Vortrag über die erfolgreiche Arterioskleroserückbildung kann per mail als Präsentation mit 110 seitigem Begleittext „Chronical ill“ kostenlos angefordert werden.

Falls Ihre Organisation schon englische Texte besitzt würde ich diese gerne an die Welt Naturheilkunde Förderation weiterleiten.

 

Dr. med. Bernhard Weber