A. In furtherance of the WMF Mission, the WMF will organize global conferences, conventions and seminars, issue publications, disseminate information and develop and maintain an Internet site and any other form of communication it considers to be appropriate.

B. The WMF, through its Steering Committee, may offer its services to, or receive proposals from, local, regional, national and international government or non-governmental institutions; civil associations; family, community, business and labor organizations; universities; and individuals, for its members to take part in activities such as mediation or other conflict management processes, for the purposes of service delivery, education, training, coaching, consulting and evaluation.  Requests for such services will be assessed and decided upon by the Steering Committee.

A. Because of the international nature of the WMF, its headquarters for legal purposes will be established in the country where its Statutes are registered.  An alternative office may be established in any country deemed appropriate by the WMF Steering Committee.

A. All persons or organizations engaged or interested in any form of mediation activity, without regard  to that individual's academic background or employment activity that (a) submit a written application, (b) express in writing their support of the WMF’s objectives, (c) agree to accept the WMF Statutes, (d) pay their dues and (e) are approved by the Steering Committee  shall be members of  the WMF.

B. Members will participate in the WMF directly or through representatives who will be chosen in the manner and circumstances described in these Statutes and in accordance with any method that may be determined by the WMF membership in the future.

C. Members, including associate members, may:
 1. Participate in all events that the WMF organizes.
 2. Be elected or elect others to serve in the local or regional committees of which they are members.
 3. Represent their local or regional delegation at meetings of the general membership and be elected in accordance with these Statutes and the rules of their local delegations.
 4. Be designated by the Steering Committee to participate in requested mediations and other activities listed in the first section of these Statutes, which describes the Mission and Objectives of the WMF.

D. Members must:
 1. Respect and uphold these Statutes.
 2. Contribute to the support of the WMF through the payment of the regular dues and surcharges that the Steering Committee may periodically establish.

E. Expiry and suspension of membership
 1. A member can be suspended by the express vote of no less than two-thirds of the members of the Steering Committee when it can be reliably demonstrated that the member has violated the objectives of the WMF as listed in these Statutes.
a. A suspended member may appeal the decision to the Steering Committee within 60 days of being notified.
b. Membership may be terminated through:
  1. Resignation in writing delivered to the WMF Secretary.
  2. Failure to renew membership within twelve months after it has expired.

F. The WMF Steering Committee decides membership rules and fees, as specified in Part A of the Standing Orders.

A. Delegations
 i. Taking into account the broad geographic nature of the WMF and the vast interests of its members, local and regional delegations  shall be established in any defined locality by members of the WMF engaged in any form of mediation activity: research, education, practice, planning, consulting, etc. 
 ii. Local Delegations shall comprise a city, a state (or province), region or be formed on a  national scale.
 iii. A Regional Delegation shall comprise a region or a country (if including several Local Delegations) or two or more countries of the same geographic region.
 iv. All the members of the Delegations have to be members of the WMF 
 v. The Local or Regional Delegation represents the WMF to the people, the institutions and the government of its  defined geographic region.
 vi. To this date, there is a Local Delegation in Argentina constituted in 1996: Asociación Interdisciplinaria de Mediación en la Cultura y la Sociedad (legally registered in Buenos Aires) and a Regional Delegation: the Asian Pacific Mediation Forum constituted in 2001
(legally registered in Adelaide, South Australia).

B. Delegates:
Individuals that have a significant commitment with the WMF in different cities of the world shall be appointed as Local Delegates.
Their mission shall be publicizing the activities of the WMF, produce interest in its projects, encourage membership and eventually constituting  a Local or Regional Delegation.  Their proposals and initiatives shall have to be approved by the Steering Committee.

C. Affiliate organizations:
 1. Affiliate organizations can be national or local associations of mediators or related fields, universities, government services, foundations and professional associations that request affiliation and are accepted by the Steering Committee.
 i. Its members as a whole shall not be members of the WMF, but may become members individually.
 ii. There shall be a reciprocity of academic and institutional collaboration. 
 iii. Affiliate organizations shall contribute financially in proportion to the quantity of associates, or there may be a reciprocal affiliation.
 2. Discussion Forums 
  The Discussion Forums are structures where mediators world-wide shall be able to communicate with respect of their practices,  publications and research in specific mediation fields.
  i. Discussion Forums do not require legal registration, but have to be approved by the Steering Committee.
  ii. The discussion forum, its communications and publications shall have a specific area on the web site.
  iii. They are formed by an initiative of WMF members or by a proposal of the Steering Committee.
  iv. Its participants (individuals or organizations) have to be WMF associates or affiliates

1. The General Assembly is the supreme authority of the WMF.  Its decisions, made in accordance with these Statutes, will be binding on all members.

2. Meetings and Tasks
a. The General Assembly shall meet every two years. This meeting shall be scheduled to take place during the international conference, as one of its main events, without other conference events being scheduled at the same time.
b. The General Assembly will discuss and approve the bi-annual reports, balance sheet, budget and projects submitted by the Steering Committee at the end of its term.
c. The balance sheet submitted must have been audited by accredited auditors who are not WMF members.
d. The General Assembly elects the new Steering Committee.

3. Voting Rights and Procedures:
  1. Decisions will be made by a simple majority vote of those members authorized to vote at the General Assembly
  2. Proxy voting is permitted, but no individual may cast more than two proxy votes.  Proxy voters have to inform by email to the Secretary to whom they authorize.  The Steering Committee may authorize voting by any electronic system of communication that it considers reliable, when it deems it appropriate to do so.
  3. In the event of a tie, the WMF President will cast the deciding vote.
  4. The following WMF members have the right to vote at the General Assembly:
    a. All WMF  members who have paid their membership dues for the current year have the right   to vote.
  5. The President and the secretary prepare the agenda  and conduct the session.

A. Duties and Powers of the Steering Committee
  1. Candidates for the Steering Committee may include persons nominated by delegates or any other WMF member in good standing, as outlined in Part C, Section 4 of the Standing Orders.
  2. The Steering Committee is responsible for:
      a. Managing the business of the WMF, including its finances
      b. Producing and submitting the biannual accounts and budgets for the consideration of the General Assembly
      c. Drafting internal rules and regulations for approval by the General Assembly.  Matters that entail significant interests shall be submitted for WMF Members’ consideration by Internet or at the biannual meeting of the General Assembly.
      d. Approving (1) applications for membership, (2) applications for the formation of new local and regional delegations, (3) applications to constitute Discussion forums, (4) applications of affiliate organizations and (5) any other matters related to these Statutes.
      e. Hiring and supervising employees, appointing representatives and delegates, and performing all tasks necessary for the administration of the WMF.
      f. Directing, overseeing, and reporting each step of the election process for the appointment of the Steering Committee that will take office at the end of the term of the current Steering Committee.
      g. All other responsibilities that are not specifically attributed exclusively to the General Assembly.
      h. Consulting with an Advisory Council on fundamental issues comprised of the Presidents of local and regional delegations, former WMF Presidents and outstanding WMF members.
         i. Its reports and suggestions are not binding to the Steering Committee.
         ii. The advisory Council may act as  mediators when requested in contracts or  agreements between Steering Committee and third parties or between WMF members.
         iii. The Steering Committee members shall meet the obligations outlined in Part C of the Standing Orders.

B. Transfer of Mandate
  1. The outgoing Steering Committee will begin to deliver to the incoming Steering Committee all relevant documentation from its period in office during the course of the biannual WMF International Conference.  The transfer of documents will be completed no later than one month after the new Steering Committee takes office.
  2. The outgoing Steering Committee will hand over its financial records to the incoming Steering Committee at the WMF Conference and will transfer the legal authority needed to use the WMF bank account to the new President and the Treasurer of the Steering Committee.
  3. The outgoing Steering Committee will make available to the new Steering Committee all of the means of communication, web discussion pages and the corresponding passwords, data bases with emails and postal addresses, lists of associates and others, that have been created during its term or that it has received.

C. Communication with Members
  1. The Steering Committee has the responsibility to inform all WMF members in a systematic and regular manner of significant developments and important decisions that are made.

D. Composition of the Steering Committee
  1. The Steering Committee shall have a minimum of seven members and a maximum of 15.
  2. Normally, the Steering Committee may have no more than one member from any country.  This requirement may be waived by a majority  of WMF Members voting in favor in an internet consultation or at the General Assembly or in the case of  the following: Article 6 C 3 a.
  3. The Steering Committee shall include:
      a. Presidents of local and regional delegations as well as representatives from different continents to ensure greater diversity and maintain the worldwide representative nature of the WMF
      b. An Executive Committee, consisting of the President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.  The President will be nominated and elected at the General Membership Meeting.  The Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer will be elected by members of the Steering Committee
      c. The Conference Convenor for the following International Conference will serve as ad hoc member of the Steering Committee if he/she has not been elected to the Steering Committee.
  4. Members may serve on the Steering Committee for a maximum of four years, and then will normally remain out of office for at least two years before being eligible to be re-elected to the Steering Committee. This requirement may be waived by a majority vote of the WMF Members in an internet consultation or at the General Assembly.
  5. No more than half of the Steering Committee shall be replaced every two years.
  6. New members shall be elected by the General Assembly.

A. The Duties of the President
  1. The President is the legal representative of the WMF.  The President will convene, and chair the sessions of the General Assembly and of the Steering Committee by preparing an agenda, in consultation with the Secretary, chairing the discussions and reporting adopted decisions to the membership.
  2. The President will oversee the planning and organization of the next regional or international Conference, arrange expenditures, authorize documents, bills, checks and correspondence, in consultation with the Steering Committee and make all the urgent decisions necessary for the benefit of the WMF or for conducting whatever activities may be necessary.  However, he/she may not make payments that are not budgeted, except those necessary for reasons of urgency, without the agreement of the Treasurer.
  3. The President may hire employees and contract for necessary services to facilitate the performance of his/her duties, the efficiency of communications, and translation into the languages of the WMF in consultation with the Steering Committee

B. Election of the President 
  1. The President will be nominated and elected by the General Member Assembly. WMF members who have served for two years on the Steering Committee will normally be eligible to serve as President.  The WMF President will serve as President of the Steering Committee.

A. The Vice President will be elected by the members of the incoming Steering Committee

B. The Vice-President will substitute for the President and serve as acting President in the absence of the President.  Under such circumstances, the Vice President will act as President for the duration of the President’s absence.  If, for any reason the President is absent for more than three consecutive months, or for a total of six months in the two year period, the Vice President will formally assume the role and responsibilities of the President.  If the Vice President is unable to assume these duties, the members of the Steering Committee will designate another of its members to serve as President.

A. The International Conference

1. The Steering Committee will select the Conference Convenor and the site for the International Conference from among the possible candidates, basing its decision on which site and organization offers the best conditions and the best assurances of success as outlined in Part D of the Standing Orders.  It should consider institutional consistency, legal registration, fundraising capabilities, and the suitability of holding conferences in different countries and continents to ensure the largest possible attendance and to offer equal opportunities for attendance. The submitting organization must be member or affiliate of the WMF. The proposed Conference Convenor and some members of the submitting organization have to be members of the WMF prior to the submission and must have attended one or more WMF International or Regional Conferences.

2. Within six months of its election, the Steering Committee will name the party or parties responsible for organizing the next Conference or Conferences of the WMF, including a Conference Secretary Convenor .  The organizational process for the conference should be handled by a local Delegation and should have the support of this committee.

3. The WMF may advance loan funds, as needed, for holding the international conferences, based on:
  a. A loan comprising a maximum of half (50%) of the conference budget and to be repaid two months after the conference ends.
  b. Formal, written and signed documentation of the loan, with meaningful guarantees of repayment by the local committee within the specified time period.
  c. The Steering Committee will receive and approve three monthly budgets and balance sheets covering the costs of the organizational process of the conference.
  d. The WMF is to receive half (50%) of the Conference profits.

4. The WMF is to receive a percentage of the net conference profits, as negotiated between the Steering Committee and the Convenor.

5. The organizing local committee shall accept responsibility for any losses that may result from the conference.

6. The final balance sheet and results will be audited externally in accordance with the laws of the country where the conference is held and also in compliance with whatever requirements the WMF Steering Committee establishes.

7. The Conference Convener will provide the registration information, including contract information, to the Steering Committee

8. The Conference Convenor will provide a meeting place for the Steering Committee on the day preceding the conference and on the day following the conclusion of the conference and, if possible, will arrange lodging for its members in close proximity to the conference site.

9. The Organizers of the Conference will assume responsibility for the airfare and lodging costs of the President, or whomever he/she designates, to oversee the conduct of the Conference.  This individual will visit the conference venue once before the conference to become familiar with the facilities, service providers, and the sponsoring organizations of the conference.

10. In unanticipated situations that might create a physical danger to Conference participants, or in other ways threaten the success of the conference, the Steering Committee is authorized to postpone or cancel the Conference, transfer it to another venue, or to take over responsibility from the Organizing Committee

B. Regional Conferences

1. Regional conferences will have characteristics similar to those of international conferences and preferably should be organized by established local or regional delegations in different geographical areas in the years in between the bi-annual International conference.  Regional conferences may be conducted by organizations that propose to establish a regional or local WMF Delegation. Where a new regional or local delegation is to be established as a result of the conference, a local steering committee should be created before the end of the conference and formally registered with WMF in compliance with these Statutes. 

A. Any difference of interpretation, or potentially conflictual situation which cannot easily be resolved by the parties, shall be referred to an e-mail mediation process.

B. Any conflict between members or between the WMF and Delegations, Affiliate organizations, Discussion Forums, Individual members, third parties and contractual obligations shall be managed in a first attempt through mediation