S T A T U T E S

(up to date 3 February 1998)

P R E A M B L E

1. MOTIVES

1.1. The liberal professions count tens of millions of members worldwide and constitute a socio-economic factor in the international community whose importance by far surpasses the number of their representatives.

1.2. Despite their apparent heterogeneity, they are united around several fundemental criteria of professional conduct - independence, competence, responsibility, deontology, professional secrecy, etc.

1.3. In numerous countries, the independent professions have already created unions or interprofessional associations at the national level.

At the same time a large number of professions have called for gatherings at world level from within their midst, and constituted international unions or associations.

1.4. Despite the diversity of the political, economic, historical or cultural environment of the countries in which the liberal professions exercise their activity, the profiles of these two types of assembly and the problems they are confronted with are comparable everywhere and often identical.

1.5. The independent professions constitute a specific economic and social sector at the international level.

1.6. This sector is part of the group of activities characterized by individual services whose importance is incessantly growing in postindustrial society.

1.7. At present, important intergovernmental negotiations are under way (notably whithin the WTO). The independent professions are directly concerned and run the risk of being subjected to solutions without having been able to make themselves heard, for lack of an international organization representing their interests.

1.8. The same applies to individual liberties, the rights of man and the security of societies, which, in today's world, are fundamental values that have tradittionally been defended by the independent professions.

1.9. For these reasons, it has become indispensable and urgent for the national organizations representing the professions to organize themselves at the international level.

2. OBJECTIVES

A worldwide organizations of independent professions must pursue the following objectives :

2.1. Pursuit of greater efficiency of the conditions under which these professions are exercised, in particular by a promotion of the image and the influence of the organizations representing them.

2.2. Rapid and complete exchange of information concerning communal problems confronting the independent professions on the national, bilateral or multilateral level.

2.3. Formulation and international promotion of communal, fundamental or current preoccupations.

2.4. Representation of the independent professions before intergovernmental organizations, in particular by obtaining and advisory status in these organizations, which is only granted to nongovernmental organizations of international dimensions.

2.5. Creation, by virtue of an worldwide union, of the means required for promoting the human values of which the independent professions are the traditional defenders.

2.6. Assistance and support to independent professions in difficulties all over the world.
S T A T U T E S

ARTICLE 1 - OBJECT

a)- The World Union of Professions is an international nongovernmental organization.

b)- Its purpose, through its work, studies and other appropriate means, is :

1. to promote worldwide a broader recognition and greater development of the professions ;

2. to represent these professions at the international level, particularly in intergovernmental organizations ;

3. to establish and maintain permanent relations with the international community in view of developing professional activities, in the higher interest of promoting human rights in modern society ;

4. to establish a link between the professional organizations of the world to further the exchange of information and mutual assistance in areas of common interest.

c)- The World Union of Professions formally renounces any discriminatory activity or consideration on the basis of sexual, political, ethnic or religious criteria.

ARTICLE 2 - N A M E

The name of the organization is :

- in French : Union Mondiale des Professions Lib‚rales

- in English : World Union of Professions

- in German : Weltunion der Freien Berufe

- in Spanish : Union Mundial de las Profesiones Liberales.

ARTICLE 3 - HEADQUARTERS

The Union has its headquarters in Paris (France).

ARTICLE 4 - M E M B E R S

a)- Active membership in the World Union of Professions is open, to both "national inter-professional" organizations and "single-profession" organizations of independent professionals, in the sense understood herein.

b)- A "national inter-professional organization" is, for each country, a representative organization that brings together members of independent professions, irrespective of the legal form under which they practice, whose aims are in accordance with those of the Union.

In those countries where there is no representative inter-professional organization, an organization which represents a single independent profession and which agrees to abide by Articles 1b and 1c of this document, may be admitted temporarily as a corresponding member.

c)- An "international single-profession organization" is one that brings together, at least in five countries distributed in at least two continents, members of a single profession at world level, whose aims are in accordance with those of the Union.

d)- Organizations, which represent liberal professions at either regional or international level, and being not in accordance with above mentioned conditions, may be admitted to the WUP with the status of associate member.

e)- Individual members of the professions who are in independent practice and are duly registered as members of a professional organization, whether itself a member or not of the WUP, may be admitted to the Union as observing members.

If the organization is a member of the Union, consent of the organization is required for the member to be admitted with observer status.

Professionals may also be admitted as observing members if they practice in a country where it is impossible for them to be registered with an organization that is a member of the Union and/or practice is a country where there is no member organization.

An observing member undertakes to uphold the principles enunciated in the preamble and Article 1 of the present statutes.

ARTICLE 5 - ADMINISTRATION

The administrative organs of the World Union of Professions are :

- the General Assembly

- the Executive Council

- the Chairman

ARTICLE 6 - GENERAL ASSEMBLY

a)- The General Assembly is made up of the active member organizations. Each of them is represented by a Delegate whom it has designated and who may be accompanied by a maximum of two alternate Delegates.

Associate and corresponding members have a consulting vote in the General Assembly.

"Observing members" may attend the General Assembly.

b)- The General Assembly is "convened at least once per year, under the conditions defined by the Internal Regulations.

c)- Each active member organization represented in the General Assembly has one vote.

1. Decisions are made by a simple majority of the members present or represented by proxy and participating in the vote.

2. Decisions concerning ethics and the modification of the present statutes and the setting of membership dues are made with a three fourth majority of the active members present or represented by proxy, representing at least half of the member organizations dissenting opinions must be appended to the minutes.

In case a proposed modification of the statutes according to the preceding paragraph is rejected by vote, the Internal Regulations may provide the possibility for the Executive Council to convene a second meeting in the course of which the decision may be made by a simple majority of the members present or represented by proxy and participating in the vote.

3. The Internal Regulations may authorize a vote by correspondence, in cases to be determined by these regulations and under the conditions stipulated therein.

d)- The General Assembly has the following competence :

1. electing the members of the Executive Council, and electing the Chairman, by separate ballot ;

2. Appoint the Honorary Presidents who take part in all of the deliberations of the Executive Council and in all General Assemblies as a non-voting member ;

3. pronouncing itself on the activities report of the Board of Directors, on the accounts and the budget ;

4. setting the amount of the membership fees ;

5. defining major policy of the Executive Council ;

6. modifying the present statutes, upon consultation of the Advisory Committee ;

7. in general, making any decision conforming to the present statute.

ARTICLE 7 - THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

a)- The Executive Council comprises :

- the Chairman or Chairwoman, elected by the General Assembly under separate ballot ;

- twenty elected members - 10 seats being reserved for representatives of inter-professional organizations and 10 seats for single-profession organizations.

b)- The Chairman or Chairwoman and the other members of the Council elect from among themselves :

- Eight Vice-Chairmen or Chairwomen

- a General Secretary

- a Treasurer

These functions should, to the greatest extent possible, be shared out pro-rata between the two different categories of active members.

c)- The Executive Council meets at least twice a year and in addition, whenever the Chairman or Chairwoman deems it necessary or if the majority of members petition for a meeting.

d)- Its deliberations are valid only if the majority of its members is present.

The Internal Regulations may provide for, in the cases they define and according to the procedures specified therein, a vote by correspondance or by any other means of communication.

e)- Any decision will be made by simple majority of the voting members.

In case of a tie, the vote of the Chairman or, in his absence, the vote of the older of Vice-Chairman shall decide.

f)- The Executive Council has the following competence :

1. carrying out the decisions of the General Assembly ;

2. reporting to the General Assembly on the work accomplished and the initiatives adopted ;

3. establishing and modifying the Internal Regulations ;

4. assisting the Chairman in carrying out his functions and, more generally, in the administration of the Union ;

5. deciding on the admission of new members ;

6. transferring, if applicable, the Secretariat to the city which is the seat of the organization to which the acting Chairman belongs.

g)- The Chairman or Chairwoman is elected for a period of two years. He or she may stand once for re-election.

The Executive Council is elected for a period of four years.

h)- If the Chairman should become unable to exercise his functions, the position if filled by co-optation by the Board of Directors until the next General Assembly. In the same manner, other vacant positions are filled by co-optation until the next General Assembly. The oldest Vice-Chairman chairs the Board during the interim periods until a new Chairman is elected.

ARTICLE 8 - THE CHAIRMAN OR CHAIRWOMAN

The Chairman or Chairwoman of the Union chairs the General Assembly and the Executive Council.

With the assistance of the Secretary General he or she supervises those working directly for the Union, whether as paid employees or not. He puts to execution the decisions of Assembly and Executive Council.

He leads the Union an represents it with respect to third parties and before the Courts.

ARTICLE 9 - D U E S

a)- The amount of membership dues is decided every two years by the General Assembly. The amount takes into account the capacity to contribute financially of all of the active, associate, corresponding or observing members.

b)- Voting rights at the General Assembly and Executive Council, and also the right to stand for an elected post of any nature whatever within the Union, will be withheld if the membership dues of the organization concerned are not fully up-to-date, both for the current year and previous years.

ARTICLE 10 - THE HONORARY MEMBERS COMMITTEE

a)- Within the Union there exists a Committee of Honorary Members composed of individuals who have personally agreed to lend their moral support to the Union and who have been approved by the Board of Directors.

b)- The Board of Directors has full powers to pronounce on admission to, or exclusion from, the Committee of Honorary members, taking into consideration the attachment shown by the candidate for the values set out in the preamble and Article 1 of the present Statutes, and as exemplified by their professional conduct in the course of their practice.

c)- Membership of the Honorary Members Committee entitles the Committee to make use of the member's name and entitles the member to make use of his or her membership of the Committee.

However, membership entitles neither the Union nor the member concerned to any other form of right nor entails them to any other form of obligation.

ARTICLE 11 - THE CHAIRMAN'S CONFERENCE

The Board, at its own initiative, and whenever it considers it opportune, may convene a Conference of all of the current Chairmen and Chairwomen of active and associate member organizations.

The Conference is chaired by the Union Chairperson.

Its aim is :

1ø)- To receive from the Chairman and from the General Secretary of the Union a statement of the action undertaken by the Union since the previous meeting.

2ø)- To define and draw up the major policy lines of the UMPL for the coming years.

ARTICLE 12 - FINANCIAL SUPPORT

The financial support of the Union comes from :

a)- membership fees

b)- gifts and subsidies

c)- any other regular or occasional resources.

ARTICLE 13 - REGIONAL SECTIONS

a)- To take into account the concerns of individual regions of the world and to study questions of particular interest to these regions, the active member organizations may, within the World Union of Professions, constitute "Regional Sections" for the purpose of regrouping the members located on a same continent or within a part of a continent.

b)- These "Regional Sections" must carry the name "... (geographic designation of the area) ... Section of the World Union of Professions".

c)- These sections have no legal personality.

d)- The constitution of a "Regional Section" is subject to approval by the Board of Directors and ratification by the General Assembly.

e)- The Regional Sections have the purpose of studying all questions concerning the region of the world in which they are located and to address any motion they have formulated to the Board of Directors or the General Assembly, which must make a decision at their next meeting.

f)- Each "Regional Section" is directed by a Regional Council which is constituted according to the modalities determined by the Internal Regulations and which will elect its Chairman.

ARTICLE 14 - APPLICABLE LAW

These statutes are subject to French Law.

ARTICLE 15 - L A N G U A G E S

These statutes are written in English, French, German and Spanish.

In case of conflict, the French version will be decisive.

ARTICLE 16 - AUDITING OF ACCOUNTS

Every two years, two auditors, who are not members of the Board of Directors, will be elected by the General Assembly. They will examine the accounts of the Union each year and submit a written report to the General Assembly.

ARTICLE 17 - TRANSITIONAL MEASURES

a)- Until the day on which scheduled elections can be held in accordance with the current Statues, the Union will be administered by the Chairman, Executive Council and the Consultative Committee named in the previous version of the Statutes, as dated April 1994.

b)- The election of the new Chairman or Chairwoman and of the new Executive Council in accordance with the present statutes will take place on April 17, 1998 during the General Assembly which will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil during the 3nd WUP Congress.

The election will take place in accordance with Article 4 of the Standing Orders, with the following reserves :

1. The period defined in Article 4.1 of the Internal Rules is reduced to 2 (two) months.

2. The period defined in Article 4.3 is reduced to 1 (one) month. The documents sent out under the terms of this article contain the ballot papers for use by each of the active members.

3. The period defined in Article 4.7, paragraph 2 of the Standing Orders is reduced to 8 (eight) days.

All other dispositions of Article 4 of the Standing Orders remain in force.

c)- As far as it is not departed from by these statutes, Internal Rules are applicable, up to the next decision of Executive Council about it.