{"id":507,"date":"2015-09-22T18:42:09","date_gmt":"2015-09-22T17:42:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cish.org\/?page_id=507"},"modified":"2026-08-28T13:10:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T12:10:25","slug":"constitution","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.cish.org\/index.php\/en\/presentation\/constitution\/","title":{"rendered":"Constitution"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This constitution has been adopted by the General Assembly in Leipzig, 27 August 2026.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Download the constitution as a PDF<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Art. 1. Name, Seat, and Legal Form<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1<\/sup> The Comit\u00e9 international des sciences historiques \u2013 International Committee of Historical Sciences, founded on 14 May 1926 in Geneva, is a not-for-profit association in accordance with Articles 60 et seq. of the Swiss Civil Code, with its seat in Switzerland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Art. 2. Mission and Purpose<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1 <\/sup>CISH is the world organisation of historians. It promotes the historical sciences by fostering international cooperation, research, education, dialogue, and the dissemination of knowledge. It facilitates communication among its member organisations and individual members, and with other disciplines concerned with the relationships between the past, the present, and the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2<\/sup> CISH pursues the following objectives:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. to promote and support historical scholarship worldwide;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. to develop and uphold professional and academic standards in the historical sciences;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. to respect, protect, and promote universal human rights; to defend academic freedom in historical research, communication, and education; and to oppose the abuse of history;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. to engage critically with the public use of historical narratives, arguments, and analyses in political and societal debates;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. to organise the World Congresses of Historical Sciences at least once every five years.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Art. 3. Member Organisations<\/strong> <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    1<\/sup> Member organisations of CISH are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    1. National Committees of historians;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. International Affiliated Organisations.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      2<\/sup> Each member organisation is represented at the General Assembly by a delegate, who may be accompanied by a substitute. Each member organisation has one vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      3<\/sup> Member organisations can propose panels individually or jointly with other members of CISH for the World Congress of Historical Sciences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      4<\/sup> Membership ends through resignation or exclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      5<\/sup> Every member that has not paid its membership fees for three years loses its right to vote. After five years, the member is deemed to have withdrawn de facto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      6<\/sup> Any member that violates Art. 2 may be excluded according to Art. 65<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Art. 4. Individual Members<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      1<\/sup> Qualified scholars in the historical sciences may apply for individual membership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      2<\/sup> Individual members:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      1. may propose a panel individually or jointly with other members of CISH for the World Congress of Historical Sciences;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      2. may benefit from other advantages determined by the Board;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      3. pay an annual fee determined by the Board.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        3<\/sup> Individual membership ends through resignation, exclusion, or non-payment of the annual fee for two consecutive years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Art. 5. Organs<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

        1<\/sup> The organs of CISH are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        1. the General Assembly;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        2. the Board;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        3. the Presidium;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        4. the Office;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        5. the Nominating Committee.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

          Art. 6. General Assembly<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

          1<\/sup> The General Assembly is the highest body of CISH. It consists of all member organisations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          2<\/sup> The General Assembly is convened by the Board with a notice period of at least eight weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          3<\/sup> Six member organisations may request the inclusion of items on the agenda until four weeks before the General Assembly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          4<\/sup> Unless otherwise specified, the General Assembly decides by a simple majority of the members present and entitled to vote. In the event of a tie, the President has the casting vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          5<\/sup> Votes on the admission of new members, on the exclusion of members, and on constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority of the members present and entitled to vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          6<\/sup> The General Assembly takes place:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \n
          1. once a year, either online or in person;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          2. extraordinarily upon decision of the Board or at the request of ten member organisations;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          3. following a preparatory meeting of all member organisations held at least eight weeks before the General Assembly, if the election of a new Board or a new President is on the agenda.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

            7<\/sup> The General Assembly:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \n
            1. establishes the Constitution;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            2. elects the President and the members of the Board and Nominating Committee;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            3. decides on the admission or exclusion of member organisations;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            4. approves the annual report and the financial statements;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            5. approves the budget of the upcoming year;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            6. determines membership fees;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            7. selects a shortlist of bids for hosting the World Congress of Historical Sciences.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

              Art. 7. Board<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

              1<\/sup> The Board is the political body of CISH.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              2<\/sup> It consists of the President and up to fourteen other members as well as the Executive Director and the most recent past President, both serving in an advisory role. It normally meets four times a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              3<\/sup> National Committees must be represented by at least eight members in the Board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              4<\/sup> The Board issues organisational regulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              5<\/sup> The Board:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                \n
              1. leads CISH in all areas not within the competence of the Presidium;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              2. determines the strategic goals of CISH;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              3. submits proposals to the General Assembly;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              4. issues by-laws;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              5. prepares the budget;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              6. establishes committees, defines their mandates, and selects their members;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              7. decides on the venue and organisation of the World Congress of Historical Sciences;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              8. elects two Vice Presidents from its members;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              9. elects a Treasurer from its members, who regularly reports to the Board on the finances of CISH;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              10. delegates one of its members, other than the President, to the Presidium;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              11. appoints the Executive Director upon the President\u2019s proposal;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              12. decides on the admission and exclusion of individual members.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                Art. 8. Presidium<\/strong> <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                1<\/sup> The Presidium is the executive body of CISH.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                2<\/sup> It consists of the President, the Treasurer, one delegate of the Board, as well as the Executive Director, who has an advisory role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                3<\/sup> The Presidium:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  \n
                1. decides on urgent matters going beyond the Office\u2019s competence;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                2. conducts the negotiations for hosting the World Congress of Historical Sciences;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                3. determines salaries and compensation.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                  Art. 9. Office<\/strong> <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                  1<\/sup> The Office is the operational body of CISH.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  2<\/sup> It consists of the President and the Executive Director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  3<\/sup> It is responsible for all matters not assigned to another body, particularly the organisation of all meetings, membership administration, and financial operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  Art. 10. Nominating Committee<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                  1<\/sup> The Nominating Committee prepares a proposal for the election of the Board and the President for the General Assembly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  2<\/sup> It consists of the members of the Presidium and four qualified scholars in the historical sciences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  Art. 11. Additional Provisions<\/strong> <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                  1<\/sup> CISH is represented by the President or by a delegated representative. In legally binding matters, the President signs jointly with the Executive Director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  2<\/sup> CISH\u2019s liabilities are limited to its assets. Its members bear no personal liability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  3<\/sup> Terms of office are for a period of not less than three and not more than five years, depending on the interval between successive World Congresses of Historical Sciences, and are as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    \n
                  1. The President may be re-elected once. The President must previously have served as a member of the CISH Board. Upon leaving office, the President may be awarded the title of Honorary President.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  2. Board members may be re-elected once. At each general election, at least two members of the Board shall be newly elected.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  3. Members of the Nominating Committee who are not members of the Board may be re-elected once.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                    4<\/sup> Members of the Board, the Nominating Committee and the President must not be over 70 years of age at the time of election. If the President is unable to serve the term to the end, the Board appoints a Vice President to become President and complete the term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    5<\/sup> Organisations wishing to join CISH must apply to the Board at least six months before the next General Assembly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    6<\/sup> Proposals for amendments to the Constitution must be included in the invitation to the General Assembly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    7<\/sup> The dissolution of CISH, or its merger with another association, requires a two-thirds majority vote of the General Assembly. A merger is only possible with another not-for-profit legal entity based in Switzerland. Within six months, an extraordinary General Assembly must be convened to confirm the dissolution or merger by a two-thirds majority. In the event of dissolution, CISH\u2019s assets must be transferred to a not-for-profit legal entity based in Switzerland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    Leipzig, 27 August 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    \n

                    Sacha Zala, President<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

                    <\/div>\n\n\n\n

                    This Constitution was adopted unanimously by the General Assembly in Leipzig on 27 August 2026, on the occasion of the CISH Centennial Conference.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                    This constitution has been adopted by the General Assembly in Leipzig, 27 August 2026. Download the constitution as a PDF Art. 1. Name, Seat, and Legal Form 1 The Comit\u00e9 international des sciences historiques \u2013 International Committee of Historical Sciences, founded on 14 May 1926 in Geneva, is a not-for-profit association in accordance with Articles […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":480,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-507","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cish.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/507","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cish.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cish.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cish.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cish.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=507"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.cish.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/507\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3969,"href":"https:\/\/www.cish.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/507\/revisions\/3969"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cish.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/480"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cish.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}