.:Middle East Society for Organ Transplantation:.

	article I
	general

\|	section 1 The Middle East Society for Organ Transplantation known henceforth as MESOT or "the SOCIETY" was initially founded in Turkey in 1987 but was subsequently incorporated in Bern, Switzerland in June 1988 as a non-profit international scientific society. The powers of this society and that of its directors and members and all matters concerning the conduct and regulations of the officers of the society shall be subject to the provisions set forth in these bylaws.

\|	section 2 The council (Board of Directors) may adopt a seal or logo for the society in such a form as it deem appropriate.

	article II
	purpose

\|	section 1 The Society shall promote and encourage education, research and cooperation in the field of organ transplantation between the medical centers in the various Middle East, North African and neighboring Mid-Asian countries for the purpose of advancing the art and science of transplantation and to serve the patients of this region through the application of new knowledge and advances in the transplantation of organs for the treatment of human disease.

\|	section 2 To promote and encourage the education and research relevant to organ transplantation between all the countries and medical societies of the Middle East, North Africa and Mid-Asia in collaboration with other countries outside in Middle East, North Africa and Mid-Asia.

\|	section 3 To create a scientific forum for discussion of all problems related to the field of transplantation including medical, ethical, social and legal aspects.

\|	section 4 To collaborate with the existing public and private organizations to promote and encourage research and clinical application related to transplantation and participate and assist in the coordination of efforts or formulation of programs by all physicians, agencies, health personnel and scientists which will promote the donations of organs in order to maximize the benefits to recipients and patients in need of organ transplants.

\|	section 5 To organize meetings, symposia and congresses and to prepare and distribute publications and announcements in order to fulfill the above objectives.

	article III
	board of directors (council)

\|	section 1 The business and affairs of the Middle East Society for Organ Transplantation shall be managed and controlled by a board of directors, which shall be known as the Council of the Society.

\|	section 2 The Council shall consist of the President, the President-elect, the Vice President, immediate past President, Secretary-Treasurer and 10 councillors who will be evenly distributed from the various Middle Eastern, North African and Mid-Asian countries; one from Turkey, one from Iran, two from the North African region, two from the Eastern Mediterranean region, two from the Saudi Arabia and Gulf States, two from the Mid-Asian region.

\|	section 3 The councillors shall serve without compensation and shall be elected as described in these bylaws.

\|	section 4 The officers of the society shall hold the same office within the council and shall have been elected to office as described in Article V of these bylaws.

\|	section 5 Councillors must be active members in good standing at the time of their nomination and election anad during their term of office.

\|	section 6 Councillors shall serve for 4 years and until their successors are elected and confirmed. Councillors shall be divided into 2 classes of 5 each with the terms of the classes staggered at two-year intervals. At the earliest annual meeting of the membership of the society following adoption of these bylaws, 10 councillors will be elected. They will draw lots to determine their term of office either 2 or 4 years. At all subsequent meetings, 5 councillors will be elected for a four-year term.

\|	section 7 Councillors shall serve on committees of the council and shall perform such duties as may be delighted to them by the President.

\|	section 8 Councillors may not succeed themselves without interruption unless they have served less than the four-year term. Under no circumstances may the serve uninterruptedly for eight years.

\|	section 9 Vacancies in the council , which may occur for any reason, shall be filled by a successor appointed by a majority of the council. Such an appointee shall serve until the next regular meeting of the membership when a successor shall be elected to fill such office for any remaining term, which may exist.

\|	section 10 The President or any three members of the council may convene special meetings of the council at such times and in such manner and place as a President or desirable. Regular meetings of the Council shall be convened annually by the President.

\|	section 11 Notice of regular meetings of the council shall be given in writing at least 30 days before such a meeting unless in emergency situation.

\|	section 12 A majority of the council shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business action required or permitted to be taken by the council or of any Committee thereof may be taken without a meeting if a majority of the members of the council or committee consent thereto in writing or by conference telephone call confirmed by written minutes submitted to the society's secretary following written notices of the proposed action to all members of the council or committee. All written consents and any decenting views shall be filed with the minutes of the council or committee as the case may be.

	article IV
	membership

\|	section 1 The members of the Society shall consist of those individuals who were on the membership roll of the society at the conclusion of its first meeting in Ankara in November 1988 and will be designated Chartered Members. All future members shall be elected to membership as prescribed below.

\|	section 2 There shall be 5 categories of membership: regular members, honorary members, associate members, candidate members and supporting members.

\|	section 3 Regular members shall be limited to persons actively engaged in the field of organ transplantation and be domiciled in the Middle East, North Africa and neighboring Mid-Asian countries.

\|	section 4 Regular members shall be eligible to hold office in the society and may vote for the election of officers and all matters brought before the general assembly.

\|	section 5 Admission to REGULAR MEMBERSHIP shall be gained by submission of a membership application as determined by council and sponsored by two members of the society. The scientific, professional and ethical qualification of the applicant for membership will be determined from time to time by the Council. Minimum qualification shall be completion of basic training in surgery , medicine, immunology or a related medical field to transplantation, be active in a transplant programme as a staff member. Applications shall be evaluated by the President and the Secretary/ Treasurer, and upon approval, the membership shall be considered to be finalized. In case of denial final decision shall be made by the membership Committee.

\|	section 6 Medical doctors during their training period shall be eligible to become CANDIDATE MEMBERS. They shall apply in the same manner as Regular Members. Candidate Members will not have the right to vote and shall not be eligible to hold office in the society. This category of membership shall be for five years only.

\|	section 7 Candidate for HONORARY MEMBERSHIP will have a distinguish record in transplantation surgery, medicine or immunology and should have the unanimous support of the membership committee and the council before being presented to the membership for election by a two/thirds majority. Honorary members shall not be eligible to vote or to hold office.

\|	section 8 Persons domicile outside the Middle East, North Africa and Mid-Asia and other persons actively engaged in organ transplantation shall be eligible to become ASSOCIATE MEMBERS. Associate members shall have similar qualifications and shall apply in the same manner as regular members but will not have the right to vote and shall not be eligible to hold office in the society.

\|	section 9 Individuals, institutions or organizations offering substantial financial support to the society shall be eligible to become SUPPORTING MEMBERS. Supporting members shall not have the right to vote, shall not be eligible to hold office and shall not exceed 10% of the total membership.

\|	section 10 Regular members, associate members, supporting members and candidate members shall pay membership fees. This fee shall be in US dollars and will be annual. The amount to be established by the council after consideration of reports by the secretary and the treasurer. Membership shall be forfeited if the fees are not paid for two consecutive years. Honorary members shall be exempted from the membership fee.

\|	section 11 Resignation addressed to the council, death or default of payment shall cause membership in the society to be terminated by council.

\|	section 12 Membership may be terminated by the council for conduct, which in the sole judgment of the council is unethical or injurious to the reputation and the interests and welfare of the Society. Such termination shall require a two-third vote of the ethics committee and a to-third vote of the council, after the member in question is afforded an opportunity to appear before the ethics committee and the council and appeal for continuance of membership. Termination of membership may also occur by action of the council if the member fails to make his/her patient records available to a review body of the Society for ethical reasons when requested to do so by the review body. Membership may be terminated also on failure to attend three successive meetings in succession without substantial reason.

\|	section 13 A general assembly of the entire membership shall be called at least every second year by the council and each general assembly shall coincide with the congress of the society. All members may attend the general assembly but only regular members shall have the right to vote. The agenda for the general assembly shall be determined by the council and relevant subject can be added to the agenda by the members providing a written request to the president or the secretary is given 30 days in advance of the general assembly. A report by the president, the secretary-treasurer shall be given during the general assembly. Reports of the individual committee chairmen to the council shall be referred to by the President. At the general assembly meeting of the members, the officers and councillors of the society will be elected and such other business as may properly come before the meeting shall be transacted by the membership.

\|	section 14 Members may not vote by proxy.

\|	section 15 At any meeting of the general assembly, which has been properly called with due notice as specified in these bylaws, the number of persons appearing for this meeting shall constitute the quorum necessary for the transaction of the business of the meeting. The maximum number of votes obtained by candidates nominated for the office shall constitute election to said office. Affirmative action of the membership on all other matters shall consist of a majority of the members present.

\|	section 16 Limitation of number of members in the society will be determined by the council for all categories of membership.

	article V
	officers

\|	section 1 The elected officers of the society shall consist of the President, President-elect, Vice-President, Secretary/Treasurer and Councillors all of whom must be active members in good standing at the time of election and during the terms of their office. They shall all be elected by the general assembly as prescribed by these bylaws.

\|	section 2 All officers shall serve without compensation.

\|	section 3 The president of the council shall be the chief executive officer of the society and shall be elected for 2 years. He shall ensure respect of the constitution of the society as set forth in these bylaws and execution of the rules and regulations of the society. He shall have and exercise direct charge of and general supervision of the business and affairs of the society and shall perform all duties incident to the office of the president of a corporation including directing discussions of the council and of the general assembly, formulating propositions for the submission to the council and to the general assembly, collecting ballots and proclaiming decisions by the general assembly and the council.

\|	section 4 The President-elect shall succeed the office of the president upon completion by the president of his term of office at the time of the next general assembly during the Congress of the Society or upon any earlier vacancy in the office of the President.

\|	section 5 The Vice-President shall act temporarily in the absence of the president and he shall be elected for two years.

\|	section 6 The secretary shall be elected for four years. He shall keep the minutes of all meetings of the society and shall serve for 4 years. He shall see that all notices are duly given in accordance with the provisions of these bylaws and shall keep the membership record of the society which will include identification number, date of admission to membership and payment of the required dues. He will be the custodian of all contracts, assignments and other legal documents and records including all resolutions taken with dates and exact format. He shall be responsible for the organization of the meetings of the general assembly and of the council and for written reports and printed correspondence issued in the name of the society. The Secretary shall also coordinate communications between the council and any properly constituted committees.

\|	section 7 The Treasurer shall be elected for 4 years. He shall be in charge of and responsible for all funds of the society. He shall be responsible for collecting membership fees and report defaults of payments thereof to the council. He shall keep records of expenses and accounts of the society and shall render to the president and to the council whenever requested an account of the financial condition of the society and shall report at the council and to the general assembly and shall submit financial statement certified or audited by any group of individuals chosen by the council.

\|	section 8 For the present time, duties of the Secretary and Treasurer may be performed by one person.

	article VI
	committees

\|	section 1 Committees may be designated by the council by resolution to function on behalf of the council in a manner provided in the aforementioned resolution or resolutions or as prescribed in these bylaws. Committees constituted by any other means shall not be recognized as representing the Society.

\|	section 2 Each committee shall have a chairman and a secretary, which may be elected by the committee or named by the president of the society who will make appointments to committees except when prescribed otherwise by these bylaws. Committee membership shall be evenly representative amongst the various regions of the Middle East, North Africa and Mid-Asia.

\|	section 3 Minutes of all committee meetings shall be submitted to the council for approval.

\|	section 4 There shall be a MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE consisting of 6 members each to serve for 4 years. Two new members will be appointed in the committee each two year to replace the two outgoing members. The membership committee will be responsible for receiving and studying all applications to membership and reviewing the continuation of existing membership or any other matter delegates to it by the president or by the council. The membership committee reports directly to the council.

\|	section 5 There shall be an EDUCATION AND SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE consisting of 4 members each to serve for 4 years. Two new members will be appointed to the committee each two year to replace the two outgoing members. The committee will be responsible for making recommendations to the council on all matters related to education, scientific symposia and programmes, publications, clinical trials and joint research projects.

\|	section 6 There shall be an ORGAN PROCUREMENT COMMITTEE consisting of 6 members each to serve for 4 years. Two new members will be appointed to the committee each two year to replace the two outgoing ones. The committee will be responsible for making recommendations to the council on all matters related to organ procurement and sharing between the various member countries of the society. It will also study ways and means of improving collaboration on organ sharing and possible establishment of a "Mid-East Transplant" for distribution of organs among the member countries.

\|	section 7 There shall be an ETHICS AND BYLAWS COMMITTEE consisting of 4 members each to serve for 4 years with two new members being appointed to the committee each two year to replace the two outgoing ones. The committee will be responsible for making recommendations to the council on all ethical, social and legal issues relating to transplantation including review and recommendation on the bylaws of the Society. The committee will also analyze complaints and conduct enquiries and make recommendations on the ethical conduct on the individual members of the society.

\|	section 8 There shall be a NOMINATING COMMITTEE consisting of the president, the most recent past president and 3 councillors. The chairman of the committee shall be the immediate past president The nominating committee will send postal ballots through the council to the membership with the names of all nominated candidates after having solicited recommendations from the general membership. Nominations may also be made from the membership to the nominating committee before final voting at the general assembly of members.

	article VIII
	scientific meetings and financial provisions

\|	section 1 The society shall meet every two years. These meetings will be organized by a local organizing committee in coordination with the president and the council of the society who are automatically ex-officio members of it.

\|	section 2 The date and place of the biannual meeting is decided upon by the general assembly of the society on the proposals by the council and the nominating committee. Notices of the dates and place of each congress together with the composition of the local organizing committee and a paper selection committee shall be submitted to the council one-year in advance.

\|	section 3 An international scientific committee will be nominated by the local organizing committee in coordination with the council.

\|	section 4 Supplementary meetings on special topics may be organized within the framework of the society with the approval of the council.

\|	section 5 Notices to membership for the attendance of the meeting of the general assembly will be carried out by the secretary on behalf of the council. Only members who have been duly admitted to the society by the general assembly and have paid all their dues will have the right to attend and vote at the general assembly.

\|	section 6 Notification of the meeting of the general assembly shall be made and mailed to then membership at least 30 days prior to the date of the assembly meeting.

\|	section 7 The working rules of the general assembly will be those adopted in parliamentary procedures and the Roberts rules of order. The members shall sign their names on the list of members attending that particular meeting. The president shall call the meeting to order and the agenda prepared by the council through the secretary will be discussed.

\|	section 8 Each member has the right for 1 vote at the general meeting.

\|	section 9 Voting on issues, resolutions and elections shall be by open voting unless otherwise stated by the president.

\|	section 10 The members necessary for taking decisions, resolutions or elections at the general meeting is the absolute majority of the number of members present at that meeting.

\|	section 11 The budget and the financial accounts of the society should be kept in book by the treasurer showing clearly the assets and the liabilities, receipts, documents etc. The budget should be subjected to auditing by recognized auditors.

	article VIII

\|	section 1 Members of the council are absolved of al legal liabilities for any action or decision taken by them on behalf of the society.

\|	section 2 The disposition or dissolution of the society shall be determined by the General Assembly at its special meeting, which will be called for that purpose.

	article IX
	amendments of the by-laws

\|	section 1 These bylaws may be amended by recommendations of the council to the General Assembly. The change will become effective upon an affirmative vote of two thirds of the members present at the General Assembly. Amended and approved by Council March 10,1990. Amended and approved by General Assembly March 12,1990. Amended and approved by Council December 7, 1992. Amended and approved by General Assembly December 8, 1992. Amended and approved by Council October 31, 1994. Amended and approved by General Assembly November 1, 1994.