On 23 and 24 August 2023, the 52nd IUPAC Council Meeting was held in The Hague Netherlands along with the IUPAC General Assembly and the 49th World Chemistry Congress, IUPAC|CHAINS. The Congress and General Assembly both were a huge success, and we thank the Royal Netherlands Chemical Society for their hospitality throughout the event!
Of the 13 motions presented, Council passed 11 in a productive meeting. We list all motions that were presented below, and you can use the embedded links to access background information. We will post the draft minutes of the meeting in due course.
Motion 1: Minutes of the 51st Council Meeting, which was online only, are approved.
This motion was passed with a show of hands.
Motion 2: Council ratifies all decisions taken by the Bureau and Executive Committee, since those approved by the Council at its 51st meeting in Montréal, Canada (online).
This motion was passed with a show of hands.
The corresponding minutes and list of decisions made are linked below.
- Council Special Meeting: 4 June 2022, online
- 110th Bureau Meeting: 24 April 2023, online
- 109th Bureau Meeting: 4-6 November 2022, Frankfurt, hybrid (plus supporting information)
- 108th Bureau Meeting: 9 April 2022, online
- 107th Bureau Meeting: 20 November 2021, online
- 106th Bureau Meeting: 1 September 2021, online
- 162nd Executive Committee Meeting: 27 March 2023, online
- 161st Executive Committee Meeting: 16 February 2023, continued on 6 March 2023, online
- 160th Executive Committee Meeting: 6 November 2021, online
Summary of the decisions taken at these meetings.
Motion 3: Council formally adopts the Recommendations approved by the Interdivisional Committee on Terminology, Nomenclature and Symbols (ICTNS) and published, or scheduled to be published, in Pure and Applied Chemistry from August 2021 to August 2023.
This motion was passed with a show of hands.
Motion 4 concerned the applications for IUPAC National Adhering Organisation membership for Honduras and Jordan. Each of these countries would enter IUPAC with a National Subscription of US$1000 and with one vote at Council Meetings.
Motion 4a: Council approves the National Autonomous University of Honduras as a National Adhering Organization effective 1 January 2024.
This motion was passed with a show of hands.
Motion 4b: Council approves the Jordanian Chemical Society as a National Adhering Organization effective 1 January 2024.
This motion was passed with a show of hands.
Motion 5 concerned proposals for changes to the Statutes and Bylaws of the Union. These were voted on by delegation, i.e. by show of cards, and each needed a two-thirds majority of the total number of votes available (on 22 and 23 August 2023: 157, including Jordan and Honduras) to pass (Statute 16.3).
Motion 5a: Changing “National Adhering Organization” to “Council Member Organization”.
This motion was not passed.
Motion 5b: Changes related to financial status: The Union shall be under no obligation to support the involvement of individuals whose Council Member Organization is more than twelve months in arrears (S9.2).
This motion was not passed.
Motion 5c: Voting at Council meetings: Membership has been adjusted to allow voting on admission (B1).
This motion was passed with a show of cards.
Motion 6 concerned the incorporation of the International Younger Chemists’ Network (IYCN) as an IUPAC Committee. At their online meeting on 24 April 2023, the Bureau approved the incorporation of the IYCN as an IUPAC Committee with retention of the name IYCN and with autonomous management of their external communications, with the details of the incorporation to be determined by the Science Board. US$2000 of the proposed 2024/2025 budget is to be allocated to IYCN operational expenses, as for other IUPAC Committees.
Motion 6: Council approves the IYCN as an IUPAC Committee with retention of the name IYCN and with autonomous management of their external communications, with the details of the incorporation to be decided by the Science Board.
This motion was passed with a show of cards.
Motion 7 concerned the election of the Officers and Council-elected members of the Executive and Science Boards. According to Statute 5.7.2, the Council must elect the Officers of the Union, and the Elected Members of the Executive Board and the Science Board. All nominations for elections taking place at the 52nd Council meeting were received within the due date specified by Bylaw 2.2.2.1. New incumbents for the following positions had to be elected: Vice President, Secretary General, six Elected Members of the inaugural Executive Board and, as decided by the Bureau on 22 August 2023, five Council-Elected Members from the chemistry community at large of the inaugural Science Board (Statute 8.2 specifies that Council may elect up to five members for the Science Board). The following people were elected by secret ballot, by delegation (i.e. with weighted vote):
Secretary General
- Zoltan Mester (Canada)
Vice President
- Mary Garson (Australia)
Please note that the current Vice-President, Ehud Keinan, and the current President, Javier García Martínez, will start their terms as President and Past President, respectively, on 1 January 2024. The term of the current Treasurer, Wolfram Koch, will run until the end of 2025.
Elected Members of the Executive Board (full EB listed below)
- Hemda Garelick (UK)
- Richard Hartshorn (New Zealand)
- Bonnie Lawlor (USA)
- Christine Luscombe (Japan)
- Bipul Saha (India)
- Zhigang Shuai (China/Beijing)
Council-Elected Members of the Science Board (full SB listed below)
- Eva Åkesson (Sweden)
- Pierre Braunstein (France)
- Alejandra Palermo (UK)
- Peter Schreiner (Germany)
- Chi-Huey Wong (China/Taipei)
Motion 7: Council ratifies the election of the new Vice President, Secretary General, Elected Members of the Executive Board and Council-Elected Members of the Science Board at the 52nd Council Meeting in The Hague, Netherlands.
This motion was passed.
Motion 8: The Czech Republic and Slovakia joint bid for Prague as host of the 55th General Assembly and the 52nd World Chemistry Congress from 18—24 August 2029 was passed by Council in a secret ballot with a simple majority.
Motion 9: Council approves the IUPAC Guidelines and the four policies presented by the Committee for Ethics, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
This motion was passed with a show of cards.
The policies in question are:
- IUPAC Guidelines (April 2023)
- IUPAC Social Media Policy
- IUPAC Harassment Policy
- IUPAC Conflict of Interest Policy
- IUPAC Privacy Policy
Motion 10 concerned an adjustment to the national subscription fees for the NAOs to IUPAC, according to a decision at the Virtual Council Meeting of 31 July 2018 that the Member Subscriptions should be subject to a review ahead of the 2024 cycle. To take into account unrelentingly high inflation worldwide, a general annual correction of 7% was proposed, to be implemented as follows:
- Adjustment for countries below target is the general correction OR 3%, whichever is bigger, in this case 7%.
- Adjustment for countries on target is the general correction, in this case 7%.
- Adjustment for countries above target is the general correction less 3%, in this case 4%.
Motion 10: Council approves the proposed adjustments to the national subscription calculation to safeguard IUPAC’s financial future and to ensure that IUPAC’s income from national subscriptions reaches the amount forecast by the calculation sooner.
This motion was passed with a show of cards.
Motion 11 concerns the budget proposal for the 2024/2025 biennium. The presentation was somewhat different from that of previous biennia, in that the prior liabilities incurred by projects approved in past years were made explicit. The purpose of this was to sensitise IUPAC Committee members and Council delegates to the fact that project monies are not sequestered upon project budget approval, but are written up as liabilities against IUPAC’s future income, a situation that has contributed to financial uncertainty within IUPAC. It was emphasised by the Treasurer that a careful review of IUPAC’s overhead expenses will be conducted in the new biennium as a matter of priority.
Motion 11: Council approves the recommended 2024-2025 Budget.
This motion was passed with a show of cards.
Motion 12 concerned the approval of Division and Committee arrangements. Officers of these bodies listed below.
Motion 12a: Council reauthorizes the Commission on Physicochemical Symbols, Terminology and Units, the Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights, and the IUBMB- IUPAC Joint Commission on Biochemical Nomenclature (JCBN).
This motion was passed with a show of cards.
Motion 12b: Council approves the suggested changes in rules for Division V (Analytical Chemistry).
This motion was passed with a show of cards.
Motion 12c: Council approves the results from elections of Division Committee Officers.
This motion was passed with a show of cards.
Motion12d: Council receives the results (status on 27 July 2023) from elections of Titular Members of the Division Committees and the thus far known members of the Science Board.
This motion was passed with a show of cards.
Motion 13: Council approves the Composition and Terms and References of the Committee on Ethics, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
This motion was passed with a show of cards.
The Executive Board, starting 2024
- Ehud Keinan (Israel, IUPAC President, Chair)
- Hemda Garelick (UK)
- Richard Hartshorn (New Zealand)
- Bonnie Lawlor (USA)
- Christine Luscombe (Japan)
- Bipul Saha (India)
- Zhigang Shuai (China/Beijing)
- Mary Garson (Australia, Vice President)
- Zoltán Mester (Canada, Secretary General)
- Wolfram Koch (Germany, Treasurer)
- Javier García Martínez (Spain, Past President)
- Greta Heydenrych (ED, ex officio)
The Science Board, starting in 2024
- Mary Garson (Australia, IUPAC Vice President, Chair)
- Eva Åkesson (Sweden)
- Pierre Braunstein (France)
- Alejandra Palermo (UK)
- Peter Schreiner (Germany)
- Chi-Huey Wong (China/Taipei)
- Lidia Armelao (Italy)
- Derek Craston (UK)
- Igor Lacík (Slovakia)
- Michelle Rogers (USA)
- Frances Separovic (Australia)
- Ehud Keinan (Israel)
- Zoltán Mester (Canada)
- Greta Heydenrych (ED, ex officio)
Elected Officers of Division Committees 2024-2025 (8 August 2023 version, final rosters will be updated in the Member Directory in due course)
| Division I | Position | Term | Country |
| Frances Separovic | President | 2024-2025 | Australia |
| Pierangelo Metrangolo | Past-President | 2024-2025 | Italy |
| Joaquim Faria | Secretary | 2024-2027 | Portugal |
| Jeremy G. Frey | Vice President | 2024-2025 | United Kingdom |
| Division II | Position | Term | Country |
| Lidia Armelao | President | 2022-2025 | Italy |
| Jorge Colón | Secretary | 2024-2027 | Puerto Rico |
| Robin Macaluso | Vice President | 2024-2027 | USA |
| Division III | Position | Term | Country |
| Einar Uggerud | President | 2024-2025 | Norway |
| Amelia Rauter | Past-President | 2024-2025 | Portugal |
| Ari Koskinen | Vice-President | 2024-2025 | Finland |
| Cristina Nativi | Secretary | 2022-2025 | Italy |
| Division IV | Position | Term | Country |
| Igor Lacik | President | 2024-2027 | Slovakia |
| Christine Luscombe | Past-President | 2024-2027 | Japan |
| Paul Topham | Secretary | 2024-2027 | UK |
| Peter Mallon | Vice President | 2024-2027 | South Africa |
| Division V | Position | Term | Country |
| Derek Craston | President | 2024-2027 | UK |
| David Shaw | Past-President | 2024-2025 | USA |
| Luisa Torsi | Secretary | 2024-2025 | Italy |
| Division VI | Position | Term | Country |
| Annemieke Farenhorst | President | 2024-2025 | Canada |
| Roberto Terzano | Past-President | 2024-2025 | Italy |
| Diane Purchase | Secretary | 2024-2027 | UK |
| Fani Sakellariadou | Vice President | 2024-2025 | Greece |
| Division VII | Position | Term | Country |
| Vladimir Gubala | President | 2024-2025 | UK |
| Helle Møller Johannessen | Past-President | 2024-2025 | Denmark |
| Linda Johnston | Secretary | 2024-2027 | Canada |
| Division VIII | Position | Term | Country |
| Michelle Rogers | President | 2022-2025 | USA |
| Edwin Constable | Vice President | 2024-2027 | Switzerland |
| Clare Tovee | Secretary | 2024-2027 | UK |
| CCE | Position | Term | Country |
| Marietjie Potgieter | Chair | 2022-2025 | South Africa |
| Felix Ho | Secretary | 2022-2025 | Sweden |
| COCI | Position | Term | Country |
| Anna Makarova | Chair | 2020-2027 | Russia |
| Bipul Saha | Secretary | 2022-2025 | India |
| ChemRAWN | Position | Term | Country |
| Francesca M. Kerton | Chair | 2020-2027 | Canada |
| Silvia Borsacchi | Secretary | 2024-2027 | Italy |
| ICGCSD | Position | Term | Country |
| Buxing Han | Chair | 2022-2025 | China/Beijing |
| Pietro Tundo | Secretary | 2022-2025 | Italy |
| CPCDS | Position | Term | Country |
| Leah McEwen | Chair | 2024-2027 | USA |
| Dana Vanderwall | Secretary | 2024-2027 | USA |
| ICTNS | Position | Term | Country |
| Jürgen Stohner | Chair | 2022-2025 | Switzerland |
| D. Brynn Hibbert | Secretary | 2022-2025 | Australia |