^{page 252 note 21} Rules of Procedure, Rule 2.2: “If an invitation is received from a member Society for the Assembly to meet elsewhere than at the headquarters of the League, the decision to accept the invitation shall be made by the Assembly if it is in session, in accordance with Article 10. para. 1. of the Constitution.”

Rule 2.3: “Such an invitation can only be accepted by the Assembly if the Society in the country where the session is to be held has obtained and submitted in advance to the Secretary General of the League a guarantee in writing from its Government that all member Societies will be allowed to send delegations to take part in the session.”

^{page 253 note 22} It may seem strange that some governmental and private organizations may send observers to the International Conference but not to the Board of Governors. The Board of Governors attempted at its 1971 session in Mexico to remedy this shortcoming in the Constitution by adopting Resolution 4 which reads: “The Board of Governors resolves that:

(a) National Societies members of the League may be represented by not more than three observers at sessions of the Executive and Advisory Committees of the League of which they are not members. The names of such observers shall be notified in advance to the Secretary General,

(b) the International Committee of the Red Cross may be represented at the sessions of the Board of Governors and those of the Executive and Advisory Committees,

(c) other institutions, namely recognized National Societies which are completing their formalities for admission to the League and international governmental and non-governmental organizations with which the League maintains special working relations and co-operates in the humanitarian field in which it specializes, may be invited by the Chairman of the League to be represented by observers at sessions of the Board of Governors and those of the Executive Committee…”.

^{page 254 note 23} Except for the suspension of National Societies and the dissolution of the League (Art. 9 and 39 of the 1969 Constitution).

^{page 254 note 24} Because of the new structure and the frequency of Executive Council meetings, it was not thought necessary to maintain this Committee.

^{page 255 note 25} League Constitution, Art. 13:

“1. The Council shall be composed of:

(a) the President of the League, elected by the Assembly;

(b) eight Vice-Presidents of the League appointed by the Assembly, in accordance with Article 17 of this Constitution,

(c) the ex-officio Vice-President, i.e. the President of the National Society of the country in which the League has its headquarters;

(d) 16 member Societies elected by the Assembly.

2. In the elections of the Council, the Assembly shall take fair geographical distribution into account.”

Article 17 states:

“The Assembly, in accordance with the voting procedure provided for in Article 11 of this Constitution and taking into account fair geographical distribution, shall by a simple majority of the member Societies present and voting elect eight Society members of the League for the purpose of each of them nominating a candidate, a member of their Society, for appointment by the Assembly to the post of Vice-President of the League for a period of four years. No Society may be re-elected for more than two consecutive terms of orfice.”

^{page 256 note 26} The Constitution Revision Commission, for example, proposed that a special commission appointed by the Assembly should draw up a list of geographic regions according to which the National Societies would vote. Some National Societies suggested that the General Assembly itself should define four or six geographic regions to one of which each National Society would be assigned.

^{page 257 note 27} Rules of Procedure, Rule 23: “During the election of the eight National Societies each of which shall have nominated a candidate for appointment to the office of Vice-President, as well as of the sixteen member Societies of the Council, fair geographical distribution shall be taken into consideration.”

^{page 263 note 28} These provisions tally exactly with Mr. Tansley's remarks. In his report he makes out a strong case for the recognition of regional ideas, such as regional planning committees to decide which National Societies in the region most needed help and of what kind, thereby giving expression to desires of regional groupings without undermining the universality of the movement. (Tansley Report p. 88).

^{page 265 note 29} During its first session in Geneva in May 1978, the Executive Council, taking into consideration a request from the Arab National Societies, recommended that the next General Assembly of the League should decide to introduce Arabic as a working language of the Executive Council and that the relevant Rules of Procedure should be amended accordingly.