7 Meetings
7.1 General
7.1.1.
JTC
1 and its subsidiary bodies should work as much as possible by
correspondence. JTC 1 and its subsidiary body Secretariats,
or Convenors in the absence of Secretariats are responsible for all
arrangements for their own meetings, assisted by the host NB.
7.2 Meeting Schedule
7.2.1 The JTC 1 Secretariat
should look ahead with a view to drawing
up, in consultation with the ITTF, a planned minimum two-year programme
of meetings of JTC 1 and its SCs which takes account of the need for
progress in the work. Meetings of JTC 1 shall be convened by the
JTC 1 Secretariat at nominal twelve-month intervals and shall be of
adequate duration to resolve all agenda items.
1.2.2 SCs are permitted to determine their scheduling practices
(e.g. at twelve- or eighteen-month intervals) wherever possible
avoiding conflict of dates with SCs working in related fields. A
five-year meeting plan is viewed as a help to NBs in budgeting.
Whenever possible, each meeting shall fix the date of the next
meeting. No SC shall meet simultaneously with a JTC 1 plenary
meeting.
7.2.2 SCs are permitted to
determine their scheduling practices (e.g.
at twelve- or eighteen-month intervals) wherever possible avoiding
conflict of dates with SCs working in related fields. A five-year
meeting plan is viewed as a help to NBs in budgeting. Whenever
possible, each meeting shall fix the date of the next meeting. No
SC shall meet simultaneously with a JTC 1 plenary meeting.
7.2.3 In planning meetings,
account should be taken of the possible
advantage of grouping meetings of SCs and WGs dealing with related
subjects in order to limit the burden of attendance at meetings by
delegates who participate in several different committees.
7.2.4 The Convener shall
convene meetings of the WG if questions cannot
be solved by correspondence (see
7.3.6 and 7.5.2).
7.3 Hosting a Meeting
7.3.1 Date and place of
meetings shall be subject to an agreement
between the host and the Secretariat of the committee concerned or WG
Convener. The JTC 1 Secretariat and the ITTF shall be notified.
7.3.2 NBs may express their
wish to act as host for a particular
meeting. Such invitations should be addressed to the committee
Secretariat with copies to the JTC 1 Secretariat and ITTF.
7.3.3 When an offer is made at
a meeting by a national delegation to
host a specific meeting, this offer shall be confirmed within two
months in writing by the NB of the country where the meeting is to be
held.
7.3.4 Any NB wishing to issue
an invitation to JTC 1 or one of its
subsidiary bodies to hold a meeting within its territorial boundaries
shall first ascertain that there are no restrictions imposed by its
country to the entry of representatives of all existing P members of
the committee for the purpose of attending the meeting. If
restrictions exist, such information shall be submitted to the
Secretaries-General who, after consultation with the P members
involved, shall determine whether or not the meeting shall be held in
the country issuing the invitation.
7.3.5 The host NB is
responsible for providing secretarial support and
services for meetings unless alternative arrangements have been agreed
with the responsible committee Secretariat.
7.3.6 For WG meetings, the
meeting date and venue shall be subject to
an understanding with the Secretariat of the parent body and with the
NB of the country in which the meeting is held.
7.4 Funding Mechanisms
7.4.1 General
7.4.1.1 Under ISO/IEC
policy the practice of offering accommodation
and meals packages to delegates is acceptable provided that delegates
have the option of making other arrangements and, if they elect to do
this, are then not liable for any other costs as a condition of
participation in the meetings. Costs incurred in hosting a
meeting of JTC 1 or one of its subsidiary bodies (e.g. payment for
meeting rooms, photocopying facilities, etc.) should be borne by the
host NB (which, of course, has the option of seeking sponsors to help
cover the costs). An arrangement fee which may include the cost
of accommodation, refreshments, meeting rooms, copying facilities and
other items directly incurred in hosting a meeting may be charged
provided that there is no obligation for delegates to use this
arrangement.
7.4.1.2 The following terms and
definitions have been adopted. It
is recommended that they be used consistently by hosting organisations
when assessing the need for charging fees and in reporting fees to
cover meeting arrangements.
- Lodging cost: covers the delegate's personal room.
- Meal cost: covers normal meals, exclusive of banquets,
receptions, and entertainment.
- Facilities fee: covers expenses associated with renting meeting
rooms, duplicating documents, translation services, renting
audio-visual equipment, providing light refreshments during the
meeting, etc.
- Events fee: covers expenses associated with social events such as
banquets, receptions, and entertainment that are held during the period
of the meeting.
7.4.1.3
Because of special
package arrangements, terms may be combined
but should be explicitly retained, such as in "lodging and meals
costs". ("Accommodation" fee has not been used because it can
mean just lodging, or lodging and meals.)
7.4.1.4
Terms
like "meeting
fee", "registration fee", or "delegates
fee" should be avoided in order not to suggest payment is a requirement
for participation or to suggest that paying such a fee in itself
entitles one to participate.
7.4.2
Guidelines
7.4.2.1
The expenses of hosting
standards meetings should normally be
covered by the host NB, which has the option of seeking sponsors.
7.4.2.2
It is recognised that
under exceptional circumstances the host
NB may not be able to obtain full financial support for the funding of
an international standards meeting (these circumstances might include
the size and duration of the meetings, conflicts which do not permit
use of the host NB's facilities, etc.). Under these exceptional
circumstances fees may be levied to defray expenses not covered by the
host NB.
7.4.2.3
The following
guidelines are applicable for any JTC 1
group where fees are being levied.
7.4.2.3.1
Accredited delegates
shall be able to attend the JTC 1
meetings without having to pay a fee as a condition of participation,
although they may be encouraged to do so.
7.4.2.3.2
If fees are to
be levied, communication shall be made
at the time the invitation is extended and details of the fee structure
shall be provided no later than the circulation of the meeting
announcement (i.e. four months prior to the meeting).
7.4.2.3.3
Fees should be
collected and dispersed on a
meeting-by-meeting basis by the hosting organisation, with no
provisions for maintaining standing accounts for carrying funds from
one meeting to another or for sharing funds among host NBs.
7.4.2.3.4
Delegates who
choose not to pay lodging or meal costs
or events fees are not entitled to the arrangements provided for by
these fees, but delegates who choose not to pay a facilities fee cannot
be denied participation, copies, use of meeting facilities, etc.,
associated with this fee.
7.4.2.3.5
Lodging cost,
meal cost and the facilities fee should
be shown separately. However, it is recognised that it may
sometimes be more advantageous to offer a package to delegates who
combines these elements, such as "lodging and meals costs" or "lodging
cost and facilities fee".
7.4.2.3.6 When the
facilities fee is separately assessed, it may
be a fixed amount for meetings of a few days and should be on a
proportional scale for longer meetings.
7.4.2.3.7
The hosting
organisation should waive the facilities
fee for liaison participants who are only present during a short
period, e.g. to present a liaison report.
7.4.2.3.8 Social events
are not a mandatory part of an
international standards meeting. However, if an event is
scheduled and it becomes necessary to charge an events fee to cover
some or all of the expense, that fee shall always be payable separately
from other fees and at the option of the delegate.
7.4.2.3.9
Fees collected
from participants should only make up
the difference between expenses budgeted and paid by the hosting
organisation and the total expenses incurred, (i.e. fees collected
should not result in a profit or reduced commitment for the hosting
organisation). If funds should remain, every effort should be
made to return these to the participants, particularly if they are
significant.
7.4.2.3.10
An accounting
report detailing fees collected and
expenses covered by these fees should be submitted by the host NB to
the group's Secretariat or Convener as appropriate. The
accounting report should be attached to the meeting report (which shall
be circulated no later than two months after the conclusion of the
meeting per the JTC 1 Directives). The accounting report should
be circulated to the meeting participants, the group's parent
organisation and to the JTC 1 Secretariat. Accounting reports are
required only when facilities and/or events fees are levied.
The accounting report should include:
- Size, duration and average attendance at the meeting
- Details of fee structure (i.e. fixed or proportional components)
- Fees collected (total amount and percentage of delegates paying)
- Expenses detailed in accordance with the terminology defined in
clause 7.4.1
- Explanation of what was done with surplus funds should fees
collected exceed expenses
- Hosting organisation's general evaluation of this funding
mechanism. One purpose of this accounting report is to serve as
input for a JTC 1 review.
7.5 Calling and
Cancelling Meetings
7.5.1
Within the
framework of the meeting plan, the JTC 1 or SC
Secretariat issues a calling notice for a plenary meeting of the
committee concerned when the Secretariat considers this necessary for
the proper progress of the work or whenever a meeting is requested by
more than one third of the P members (see 7.6.1).
A meeting
should not be convened unless the agenda will include matters of
sufficient substance to justify the attendance of the delegates.
7.5.2
WG Convenor shall
convene meetings of the WG if questions
cannot be solved by correspondence and decisions reached shall be
incorporated in resolutions (see 7.10.3).
Either the WG Convener
or the Secretariat shall issue the calling notice. The period of
notification of a meeting should normally not be less than four months
(however, see 7.6.1).
7.5.3
Every effort shall
be made to avoid cancellation or
postponement of meetings once an agenda has been issued. If
circumstances justify the cancellation of a meeting, adequate notice
shall be given to all those concerned.
7.5.4
The calling notice
shall include a declaration by meeting
hosts of the IT facilities to be provided (e.g. diskettes, LAN, etc.)
together with any expectations by committee officers/hosts of
attendees’ IT capabilities.
7.6
Meeting Agenda
7.6.1
For JTC 1 and SCs,
the committee Secretariat prepares the
draft agenda and distributes it to the members of the committee,
whenever possible in both English and French, four months in advance of
the meeting. WG agendas shall be distributed by the Convener or
Secretariat preferably four months, but no less than three months in
advance. WG agendas shall be distributed to the members of the WG
and to the parent body.
7.6.2
Any comments on the
agenda or proposals for the addition of
NPs should be sent to the committee Secretariat by the members not
later than two months before the meeting. The Secretariat
distributes such comments or proposals immediately in order to permit
adequate preparation by delegates.
7.6.3
JTC 1 and SC
agendas should be compiled so as to encourage
NBs to send a balanced, full delegation with the greatest possible
ability to negotiate final agreement on justified points that arrive
late or during the meeting. NBs are responsible for keeping their
delegates fully informed and supplied with all meeting documents.
Also NBs shall be reminded that contributions shall be received by the
Secretariat 4 weeks before a meeting (see 7.8).
7.6.4 Guidelines for
Agenda Preparation:
A. Identify the group which is meeting. If the
Secretariat of the group is not an NB, identify the name and address of
the Secretariat or Convener in case of inquiries
concerning the meeting.
B. Specify the dates, time and precise location of
the meeting. This shall include the name of the contact person
(including telephone and facsimile
numbers, and e-mail address
if available) at the host location in order
to permit documents to be
sent.
C. Identify by project number and title the specific
items to be addressed.
D. Identify all relevant documents to be discussed
under each agenda item.
E. Include a separate item for each of the following:
- Opening of the meeting
- Roll call of delegates
- Election of the Chairman (if applicable)
- Adoption of the agenda
- Appointment of the drafting committee (if applicable)
- Report of the Secretariat (if applicable)
- Liaison reports
- Review of Business Plans
- Review of priorities and target dates
- Documents for periodic review (if applicable)
- Work items on which no progress is being made - Status and action
to be taken
- Items for future work
- Review of Project Editor and liaison assignments
- Review of recent JTC 1 decisions affecting the group
- Approval of resolutions
- Subsequent meeting requirements
- Any other business
7.7
Participation at Meetings
7.7.1
Only delegates
officially nominated by the NBs and the
representatives of other TCs and organisations in liaison may attend
meetings. As a general policy, any group operating under the
aegis of JTC 1 shall not limit the number of authorised NB
representatives. Exceptions must be approved by consensus of the
parent committee.
7.7.2
Chairmen of SCs and
Convenors of SWGs and WGs reporting
directly to JTC 1 have the right to attend meetings of JTC 1 (and must
attend where there are agenda items relevant to their committees) and
to participate in the discussion, but do not have the right to vote.
7.7.3
The
Secretaries-General or their representative shall have
the privilege of taking part in all meetings. They shall have no
vote.
7.7.4
Each P member has
the right to be represented at the
meeting by one or more delegates, but has only one vote. O
members and other TCs and organisations in liaison may nominate
representatives who have the right to attend meetings and to
participate in the discussion, but do not have the right to vote.
7.7.5
Within one month of
receipt of the notice of a meeting, P-
and O members shall inform the Secretariat of the committee concerned
and the NB acting as host whether they intend to be represented at the
meeting, indicating the approximate size of their delegation.
Each P-, O- and liaison member shall send to the Secretariat of the
committee concerned and to the NB acting as host, at least one month
before the opening of the meeting, a list showing the names and
employers of their representatives and also the name of the head of
delegation.
7.7.6
A P member which
has given appropriate notification that it
will abstain from participation in specific work items (see 3.1.2) is
entitled to be absent from meetings related to these work items.
7.7.7
Each P member shall
be present at meetings whenever
possible (see 3.1.2). Other
members should be present. When
circumstances prevent such representation, a member may submit written
statements to the Secretariat or arrange for another member attending
the meeting to present its views Under the appropriate agenda
item or items the Secretariat shall make reference to written
statements submitted by members unable to attend.1.7.8 P-Members
unable to attend all or part of a meeting may express their vote as
specified by 9.1.1. e-mail or proxy (see 9.1.1).
7.7.8
A preliminary list
of those participating in the meeting
showing names of delegates/representatives and their business
addresses, and indicating the heads of delegation, shall be
communicated by the committee Secretariat to the participants not later
than the opening of the meeting. A definitive list shall be
distributed as soon as possible thereafter.
7.8
Meeting Documents
In order for discussions in the JTC 1 plenary meeting and in SC
meetings to reflect as fully as possible the NB positions and concerns,
there should be adequate notice of issues to be discussed at meetings
and clear guidelines for the submission of documents for consideration.
Discussion of documents under ballot at the time of the Plenary meeting
is prohibited, as it could create confusion as to the status of the
ballot.
7.8.1
Contributions
Contributions may be submitted to JTC 1 or its subsidiary
bodies
by any member, or by any directly reporting subsidiary body ;
- Documents for any JTC 1 or SC meeting, particularly those raising
new issues or those for which a final agreement at the meeting is
desired, shall be delivered to the Secretariat in time for them to be
posted to the JTC 1 or SC Web server (as appropriate) four weeks prior
to the meeting. The following exceptions are permitted:
- Comments on posted documents provided they are received by the
Secretariat in a form suitable for immediate posting, not later than
one week prior to the meeting.Reports from SCs to JTC 1 where the
meeting is held inside the four-week deadline. Reports should in
these cases be posted not more than two days after the end of the SC
meeting and only reports will be received. Substantive matters
arising from such meetings shall not be considered at the JTC 1
meeting, unless agreed by JTC 1. This should be borne in mind
when setting dates for SC meetings.
- A proposed document revision from a project editor, which
incorporates comments received prior to the meeting and which is
intended to be developed further at the meeting, may be posted up to
one week prior to the meeting.
- CDs for discussion at a meeting shall be distributed not less
than three months in advance of the meeting for which they are intended;
- Rules for the referencing and numbering of working documents and
correspondence relating to the technical work are given in 8.2.
- Where new issues arise which are not able to be posted to the Web
server at least four weeks prior to the meeting, any decision made at
the meeting may need to be confirmed by a NB ballot after the
meeting. Such items must be posted to the Web as soon as possible
and prior to the meeting so that they are available to NBs as well as
delegates. Although paper copies may be distributed at the
meeting, arrangements must be made to allow delegates to the meeting to
obtain electronic copies in accordance with the JTC 1 policies on
electronic document distribution.
7.8.2
Urgent Business
Advance distribution of contributions may not be possible, for
example,
where new issues are not identified until it is too late for
distribution. In addition, discussion at a meeting may identify
new issues needing immediate action. JTC 1 or its subsidiary
bodies may, at the discretion of the Chairman or Convener and members
present, consider working documents distributed in less than the
prescribed advance period.
7.9 Languages
7.9.1
The languages of
JTC 1 are English, French and
Russian. In general, the work of JTC 1 and its subsidiary bodies
may be in any one or more of the above-mentioned languages.
However, meetings are conducted in any one of these. The Chairman
or Convener is entitled to authorise participants to speak in a
language other than that in which the meeting is conducted. The
NB for the Russian Federation provides all interpretation and
translation into or from the Russian language into or from another
official language.
7.9.2
When at a meeting
of JTC 1 or one of its subsidiary bodies
a participant wishes, in view of exceptional circumstances, to speak in
any other language, the Chairman or Convener of the session shall be
entitled to authorise this, for the session only, provided that a means
of interpretation has been secured.
7.10
Meeting Resolutions and Reports
7.10.1
Resolutions
adopted at meetings are normally limited to
matters directly concerned with the conduct of the work or the approval
of documents. The resolutions should be numbered consecutively
and identified either by reference to the meeting or to the year.
When the draft resolutions can be prepared in more than one of the
official languages before voting, then:
- The language of the original resolution shall be identified;
- Approval of the resolution shall take place in the original
language version, and those countries reading the other language
version shall verify that the other language version is identical.
[Note: Preparation of two (or
more) language versions can aid in clarification of the text.]
7.10.2
Where practical,
by the end of each day of a meeting
(session) of JTC 1 or its subsidiary bodies, the Secretariat or
Convener, normally with the aid of an ad hoc drafting committee,
prepares drafts for the complete text of the resolutions considered
during the day for their formal adoption at the end of the
meeting. At the end of the meeting, all resolutions shall be
available in written form. When the text of the approved
resolution is available in more than one of the official languages,
publication shall be made in each available language.
7.10.3
No meeting of JTC
1 or any of its subsidiary bodies shall
be adjourned before all resolutions considered during the meeting have
been presented in writing and formally acted upon so as to ensure
accurate recording of the decisions taken. These resolutions
shall be distributed to the committee membership as soon as possible
after the meeting.
7.10.4
After the meeting, the committee Secretariat or Convener shall prepare a report of the meeting comprising
- the list of delegates to the meeting
- a reference to the sessions held (including JTC 1 Special Working Groups, Rapporteur Groups and Workshops, SC Advisory Groups, Working Groups and Other Working Groups)
- the disposition of each agenda item, including rationale if appropriate and,
- as a discrete and important document, the complete text of the resolution adopted during the meeting.
At the discretion of the meeting, a summary of the discussions can be included.
The documents listed above shall be sent within two months to the members and other bodies represented at the meeting.
7.10.5 The report of the
meeting and the resolutions shall be
distributed as set out in 8.3.
7.11
Electronic Meetings
7.11.1
Use of Voice
Teleconferencing
JTC 1, having considered the topic of voice teleconferencing,
does not
endorse the regular use of voice teleconferencing as a means of
conducting work. However, JTC 1 recognises that in certain
special circumstances the use of voice teleconferencing may be
viable. In these specific instances the following criteria shall
apply:
- Use should be limited to OWGs such as ad hoc groups, rapporteur
groups, editing groups, and other such groups established to undertake
specific tasks. Proper evaluation shall be given to:
a). time zone differences for meeting participants;
b). the diversity of the participants' meeting language skills and the
possible importance of
visual contact;
c). difficulty in managing a teleconference meeting of more than a
small number of participants; and
d). possible requirement for alternative meeting arrangements (e.g. see
below).
- Unanimous consent of the interested participants shall be
required (including interested participants not present when the
meeting was proposed).
- Participants should have some recourse, e.g. postponement of the
meeting, if access to teleconference facilities is unexpectedly
unavailable at the scheduled time or if the quality of the
communication link is objectionable.
- Participants should have some recourse, e.g. postponement of
agenda items, if posted documents are not available to them on the same
basis as all other participants.
- Use shall not lessen document distribution and meeting reporting
requirements.
7.11.2
Use of
Electronic Messaging
JTC 1, recognising the requirement that committees work as much as
possible by correspondence, endorses the use of electronic messaging as
a very useful tool in international communication and encourages
broader use of electronic messaging within its committees.
7.11.3
Electronic
Document Distribution
Document distribution within JTC 1 shall be done to the maximum
extent
possible using the World Wide Web. The details of this policy are
contained in Annex H.