General rules for the secretariat of the geography departments’ seminars in the universities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The Secretariat of the symposiums of geography departments in the universities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was established in the Saudi Geographical Society according to the proposal of the twenty-second general assembly on 2/27/1427 AH, and the approval of the ninth symposium of geography departments in the universities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on 29/2/1427 AH, for the association to follow up on the recommendations of the upcoming symposiums for the geography departments The work of this secretariat is regulated by the following basic rules:

Article 1: The name of the secretariat and its headquarters:

A secretariat shall be established under the name of the “Seminars of Geography Departments in the Universities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia” in the Saudi Geographical Society, and it works under the direct supervision of the Society’s Board of Directors.

Article Two: Objectives of the Secretariat:

The Secretariat aims to achieve the following:

• Coordinating with the geography departments in the Kingdom to choose a venue for the geography departments’ seminars every two years, according to the approval of His Royal Highness, the Second Deputy Prime Minister No. 5/626 / AD, dated 4/2/1405 AH.
• Coordinating with the departments in setting up a program for the geography departments’ seminars.
• Follow up the implementation of the recommendations of the geography departments' seminars.
• The secretariat undertakes the affairs that the councils of the geography departments refer to the association and which the board of directors of the association or the general assembly entrusts to the secretariat in aspects related to coordination and implementation of recommendations.
• Preserving the documents and publications of the symposiums of the geography departments in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the appropriate manner in coordination with the library of the association. These documents and publications can be obtained at a nominal price for those who request them from individuals and libraries.

Article Three: Formation of the General Secretariat

• The secretariat consists of a number of members working in the association, not more than five members nominated by the geography departments in the universities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
• The chairman of the board of directors of the association or its secretary (according to what the board of directors of the association deems appropriate) is one of the five members of the secretariat and assumes the work of the secretary of the secretariat.
• If the number of candidates exceeds five members, the four (non-secretary) members are selected based on the majority of them obtaining votes in a secret ballot in the Board of Directors of the Saudi Geographical Society.
• In choosing the remaining four members, the Board of Directors takes into account the periodicity of participation for all departments of geography in the Kingdom.
• The term of membership in the Secretariat is three years, renewable once.
• If a member is absent from attending the secretariat meetings for three consecutive times without an acceptable excuse, he shall be referred to the board of directors of the association to consider him resigning from the work of the secretariat.
• When the membership of one of the selected members of the secretariat becomes vacant, the association's board of directors selects an alternative member from the other names nominated by the geography departments.
• The members of the secretariat choose from among themselves a deputy secretary and a rapporteur for the secretariat.
• The General Secretariat can establish administrative units that help in performing the work if the need arises after the approval of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Geographical Society.

Article Four: Functions of the General Secretariat:

• The functions of the secretariat focus on implementing the general objectives of the secretariat.
• The Secretary is its representative before third parties and acts on its behalf in communicating with official and unofficial departments and agencies inside and outside the Kingdom, in accordance with the prescribed legal procedures.
• The Deputy Secretary shall assist in carrying out the duties of the secretariat entrusted to him by the Secretary and shall act in his place in the event of his absence.
• The secretariat's rapporteur is responsible for preparing the minutes of the secretariat's meetings and preparing its annual reports.

Article Five: Secretariat Resources and Budget:

First: The secretariat depends mainly on what the association allocates to spend on the following items:

• Petty items needed for the office and secretarial work.
• Hospitality-class travel tickets for members coming from outside the headquarters city for secretariat meetings (considering strengthening electronic communication to reduce the need for travel in the narrowest limits).

Second: The Society’s budget:

• The fiscal year of the secretariat begins and ends with the fiscal year of the association.
• The secretariat prepares its final accounts in accordance with the financial rules of the association and presents them to the board of directors one month before the end of the fiscal year.
• Direct donations to the Secretariat are accepted to enhance its budget, provided that this is mentioned in the final report, and regular procedures are followed in accepting and disbursing these donations.

Article Six: Secretariat Meetings:

• The secretariat holds two regular meetings each academic year at the headquarters of the Saudi Geographical Society or one of the geography departments, and the meeting is not valid unless attended by the majority of the members. Extraordinary meetings may be held whenever the need arises at the request of the Secretary.
• The decisions of the secretariat shall be issued by the majority of the votes of those present.

Article Seven: General Provisions:

• These rules are approved by the majority of the councils of geography departments in the universities of the Kingdom, and by the General Assembly of the Saudi Geographical Society.
• These rules are published on the electronic page of the Saudi Geographical Society and circulated automatically and linked with a link to circulate the recommendations and decisions of the Secretariat to the departments and members.
• The secretariat’s decisions are approved by the association’s board of directors, and its decisions are not considered effective unless approved by the authority to which the association is affiliated.
• The work of the secretariat ends if the holding of seminars is stopped or terminated by a decision of the authority.
• The trust’s tangible and in-kind property belongs to the Saudi Geographical Society, and what applies to the property of the Saudi Geographical Society applies to it according to the general rules governing scientific societies in Saudi universities.