Report on the IARF's Annual General Meeting

Unitarian Universalists of Clearwater, Florida, USA July 24-29, 2007

The IARF International Council had recently sought governance advice concerning English company law and charity law from Mr. Joss Saunders, a partner of the Oxford law firm of Blake, Lapthorn, Tarlo, Lyons and a specialist in charity law. Upon reviewing the IARF's constitution and articles of incorporation, Mr. Saunders drew attention to the need for an Annual General Meeting and the rectification of past omissions to hold the meetings. These were contained in Ordinary Business resolution 1.1. Mr. Saunders had also recommended that the IARF constitution be amended to dispense with the obligation to hold Annual General Meetings, adjust the objects of the Memorandum of Association to agree with the IARF's Charity Commission constitution, better define membership, permit proxy voting, and permit Council and IARF committees to make written or email resolutions by an 80% response. These recommendations were set out as Elective Resolutions 2.1 - 2.4 and the Special Resolutions 2.5 - 2.13, as notified to all members within the Notice of Meeting (please refer to the AGM agenda for more details).

The IARF International Council had also been concerned about the high cost of maintaining an office in the United Kingdom. After reviewing the financial situation, the Council decided at its March 2006 meeting to move the administrative office to the Konko Church of Izuo in Osaka, Japan and maintain its financial records in Sheffield where the IARF treasurer resided. The Council agreed to request the General Assembly of British Unitarian churches to consider hosting the registered address at Essex Hall in London, UK.

The Japanese member groups agreed to take responsibility for the day-to-day operation of the IARF. Rev. Takahiro Miwa agreed to be the honorary Office Supervisor and to oversee the day-to-day operations of the IARF secretariat. After January 1, 2008, all membership contributions and donations will be sent to Japan, and the operating budget will be administered there.

As part of its contribution to the IARF, the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) hired a "transition manager," who was responsible for getting the legal advice needed to be in compliance with British Charity Commission and Company House laws, working with the legal counsel to draft the necessary resolutions to be dealt with the Annual General Meeting, working with staff on financial and administrative matters, ensuring that the transition to Japan was going smoothly, and completing the closing of the IARF office in Oxford.

The Council had also appointed Mr. Jeffrey Teagle as the Company Secretary to assist it in its work and to submit the requisite paperwork to the Companies House and Charities Commission in a timely manner.

Most of the formal business of the meeting dealt with these issues . The delegates took the necessary actions to ensure that IARF was in compliance with British regulations for charitable organisation. They authorised the Council to explore moving the legal headquarters from the UK. They also approved audited statements and heard reports about various programs and activities of the IARF- the ordinary business of an Annual General Meeting.

Also on the agenda was an exciting report from the Religious Freedom Young Adult Network. In April, 27 young adults representing 11 countries, gathered in The Netherlands for a conference on religious freedom and human rights. The group engaged in personal sharing, learned more about the Human Rights Education project, and deepened their understanding about religious freedom as a fundamental human right. They met with Dr. Dennis de Jong of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Professor Gerrie ter Haar of the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague. As part of the meeting, the group also set up an RFYN steering committee comprising of young adults from different countries. The Young Adult IARF group identified a number of potential programs or projects they could undertake. Currently planning is going on for "Bridging the Gap: Interfaith People to People Exchange and Action Program in the Middle East", to take place in Jordan in August 2008.

The delegate body reelected Abhi Janamanchi, Thomas Mathew, Geoffrey Usher, William Sinkford, Katsunori Yamanoi, Angelina Grapa, Yukiyasu Yamamoto, Takahiro Miwa, Yoshinobu Miyake, Fredelle Brief, Hui Chuan, Esther Kopmels, Homi Dhalla, Morse Flores and Shlomo Alon as directors and members of Council and reappointed Shaw Gibbs LLP (formerly Edmund Gibbs & Company) as the retiring auditors authorised the directors to determine their remuneration.

Mr. Thomas Matthew, IARF Vice-President, shared information about the upcoming Congress in 2010. He let the delegate body know that the Congress will take place in the city of Kochi (Cochin) in Kerala at the end of August or early September, which was the end of the monsoon season. This site was only 25 km (16 miles) from a good airport and few visa problems were anticipated. There was adequate space for a youth programme.