ARTICLE ONE.- Name: The Association shall be known as the Inter-American College of Radiology, and shall be followed by the words 'Asociación Civil' or its abbreviation A.C.

ARTICLE TWO.- Nature: The Inter-American College of Radiology, Civil Association, hereinafter referred to simply as the acronym CIR, is a non-profit organization founded in accordance with the second resolution of the final act of the First Inter-American Congress of Radiology held in nineteen forty-three in the City of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It may accept National Scientific Associations of Radiology and other forms of diagnostic imaging (societies, associations, federations, colleges, and others), hereinafter referred to simply as National Groupings, from the American Continent and countries outside it, linked by scientific, linguistic, and cultural ties. The CIR is a totally apolitical entity and may not discriminate on the basis of economic, ethnic, religious, or any other grounds that may offend human dignity.

Scientific groups related to the areas of diagnostic imaging, radiological technique, radiant therapy, physics, biology, etc., may affiliate with the CIR, with the rights and obligations established by the Assembly, but without the right to vote. The National Groupings located in countries outside the American Continent that meet the requirements of the first paragraph of this Article may be fully incorporated into the CIR and acquire voice and vote, subject to prior approval by the General Assembly.

THIRD ARTICLE.- Mission: The Inter-American College of Radiology, Nonprofit Association, brings together radiologists and related specialists to benefit patient health through the quality and excellence of its associates in academic, scientific, and professional fields.

ARTICLE FOUR.- THE CIR will have its headquarters in Mexico City.

FIFTH ARTICLE.- The objectives of the CIR are:

1. To promote the affiliation of all the National Associations and the scientific and technological exchange among them.
2. Encourage the establishment of National Associations in countries where they do not exist.
3. To promote, support and stimulate the development and improvement of the specialty in all its aspects, contributing to the integral improvement of health.
4. Establish curricular criteria, promote the development of postgraduate programs and encourage the accreditation and/or certification of the specialty in each member country by the competent authority.
5. To promote and defend the interests of the National Associations and their members, based on ethical principles.
6. Promote the development of its own publications or those of each of the national groups, using any methodology that contributes to the exchange and transfer of knowledge and information.
7. Hold Inter-American Congresses and sponsor national, regional and international congresses and other activities.

ARTICLE SIX.- In order to achieve its objectives, the CIR intends to:

1. Work in coordination with the affiliated National Groupings, respecting their autonomy.
2. To act as an advisory, guiding and regulatory body, pronouncing on matters of interest when it deems it necessary or at the request of its members.
3. Promote acceptance, cooperation and exchange agreements with medical, scientific or technical entities.

CHAPTER TWO
OF THE MEMBERS

ARTICLE SEVEN.- The CIR: It may be made up of the National Groupings indicated in article two of these by-laws. Each country shall be represented by only one entity. Countries with more than one Grouping shall decide among them who shall be the national representative. When there is no agreement, the situation shall be submitted to the CIR Board of Directors, which in turn shall submit it to the General Assembly for its resolution.

In countries where there is no National Grouping or if it is not affiliated to the CIR, individual members may be accepted.

ARTICLE EIGHTH.- CIR members may be:

1. Active Members: Active Members are the founding associates and the National Groupings affiliated with the CIR that comply with these bylaws and keep their dues up to date. Through them, the specialists recognized by such Groupings in their membership will also be affiliated.
2. Associate Members: Associate Members are specialists in areas related to diagnostic imaging, radiology technicians, radiant therapy, physicists, biologists, etc., who request it through the National Associations affiliated to the CIR. They will not have the right to vote or hold a position in the Board of Directors and will pay dues as individual members.
3. Honorary Members: Honorary Members are those professionals who, due to their scientific merits or outstanding contributions to the progress of Radiology, are deserving of this distinction. The election of Honorary Members is a privilege of the General Assembly. Former presidents of the CIR, with prior approval from the General Assembly, may be moved to this category. Those who receive this recognition retain their rights and do not pay any dues.
4. Individual Members: Individual members are specialists from countries where no National Group exists and are accepted by the Board of Directors. They shall not have the right to vote or hold a leadership position but may participate in Committees and Commissions and must be current with their dues.
If a national group is affiliated in the future, individual members may either join it or maintain their individual membership status.
5. Benefactors: Benefactor Members are individuals or entities that provide technical and/or financial support to the CIR. Their designation will be approved by the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE NINTH.- National Groups that request to be members of the CIR and remain there must meet the following requirements:

1. Have common objectives with the CIR.
2. They must accept in writing the Statutes and Regulations of the CIR.
3. Appoint a Principal Director and an Alternate Director in accordance with the bylaws.
4. Make a formal delivery to the Secretary General of the directory of affiliated members and keep the database updated on an annual basis.
5. Contribute the ordinary annual fee as determined by the Assembly based on the number of its active members, comply with the governing regulations, and with any extraordinary fees that the Assembly may approve.
6. Submit annually to the CIR Secretariat the calendar of its scientific, social, and cultural events for awareness and support in its dissemination.
7. Offer permanent space in their publications to disseminate information about the CIR.
8. Attend, through their Directors, the Ordinary and Extraordinary Sessions that are called by the Board of Directors or the General Assembly.
9. Inform its members of the Activities of the CIR and the resolutions adopted in the General Assembly.
10. The affiliated National Group may print on all its official documentation its status as a member of the Inter-American College of Radiology, Civil Association.
11. The affiliated National Group may print on all its official documentation its status as a member of the Inter-American College of Radiology, Civil Association.

CHAPTER THREE
OF GOVERNMENT, ORGANIZATION, AND MANAGEMENT.

ARTICLE TEN.- The organization and direction of the CIR corresponds to the General Assembly and the Board of Directors, observing the following rules:

1. The General Assembly is the highest body of the College and is composed of the founding members and a representative (Director) for each of the National Groups that have been admitted. The National Association of each country has the right to one vote.
2. The General Assembly will meet ordinarily at least once a year; and extraordinarily when necessary.
3. Every two years, during the Inter-American Congresses of Radiology, an Ordinary General Assembly will be held with an electoral purpose that will have at least two sessions and will be responsible for electing the President-Elect and the new member of the Board of Directors. It will also install the new Board of Directors. The place and date will be communicated to the Directors at least forty-five days before it takes place.
4. At the request of the Board of Directors, the majority of the Assembly, or a group of five National Associations, an Ordinary or Extraordinary Assembly may be convened. The notice must be given at least sixty days in advance, and the place, date, time, and agenda must be specified.
5. The quorum to hold an Ordinary or Extraordinary Session requires the presence or duly authorized representation of a majority of the Directors. If there is no quorum, a second notice will be issued, and the assembly will be held one hour later with the Directors present.
6. The founding members and national groups that cannot be present in Ordinary or Extraordinary sessions may delegate their vote to a regular director, a member of the board of directors, or the President of the CIR, by means of a written document that specifies this and is duly submitted to the Secretariat before the start of the Assembly.
7. At the Ordinary and Extraordinary Assemblies, the Members of the Board of Directors, the Directors of the national groups, the Coordinators of the Commissions, Committees, and Departments that are convened, the administrative and support staff designated by the Board of Directors, and the guests whose presence has been authorized by the General Assembly or Board of Directors will be present.
8. Substitute Directors may attend the Assembly. They may only have a vote when they attend in place of the Regular Director and are authorized by means of a written document that specifies this and is duly received in the Secretariat before the start of the Assembly.
9. The sessions of the Ordinary General Assembly that include electoral matters on the Agenda will consist of at least two and will be carried out in the following manner:

In the first session the agenda will be as follows:

1. The secretary will inform whether there is a quorum, in accordance with subsection “e” of article ten; if it is sufficient, the session will be opened and the agenda will be submitted to the Assembly for consideration.
2. Presentation and approval of the reports of the Board of Directors, which must include those of the Treasury, Commissions, Departments and that of the President.
3. The Secretary will report on the candidatures received for the position of president-elect and new member of the board.
4. Election of the Electoral Committee, which will be made up of three members elected by the assembly and only for this purpose, and whose function will be limited to validating or rejecting the applications of the candidates according to whether they meet the requirements of the regulations for this purpose. It will be in charge of studying the eligibility of the candidates and presenting its report in the second session.
5. The secretary will report on requests from the National Groups for the venue of the next Congress and alternate venue. Requests must comply with the Congress Regulations.

In the second session the agenda will be as follows:

1. The secretary informs whether a quorum exists according to subsection “e” of ARTICLE TEN. If it is met, the session is opened and the Electoral Committee's Report on the eligibility of the candidates is reviewed.
If there is no quorum, a second call will be issued half an hour later, and the session will proceed with the quorum present.
2. The councilors vote for the president-elect.
When there is more than one candidate, the election will be conducted by voting. If there is a tie, a second vote may be held between the top two who received the most votes, excluding the other candidates. If there is still a tie, voting will continue until a majority is obtained.
3. The councilors vote for the new member of the board of directors. If there is a tie, a second vote may be held between the top two who received the most votes, excluding the other candidates. If there is still a tie, voting will continue until a majority is obtained.
4. The Secretary General asks the Councilors for proposals for the position of Vice President, and the Councilors then immediately vote for the position of Vice President of the region that corresponds to them.
5. The venue and date of the subsequent Congress and its alternate venue are voted.
6. Swearing-in of the new Board of Directors.

ARTICLE ELEVEN.- The General Assembly will have the following functions:

1. Ensure compliance with the statutes and objectives of the CIR.
2. Promote and approve the incorporation of new members.
3. Approve and modify the agenda and procedures of the Ordinary or Extraordinary Sessions.
4. Vote for the position of President-Elect.
5. Elect members of the Electoral Committee.
6. Examine and approve the reports of the Presidency, Treasury and Secretariat.
7. Propose and approve regulations.
8. Approve the budget and, where appropriate, any extraordinary expenses requested by the President.
9. Any other matter within its jurisdiction.

ARTICLE TWELFTH.- From the Councilors:

1. Each National Group will appoint two Councilors, one principal and one alternate. The Principal Councilor will preferably be the President of the National Group, and the Alternate Councilor will preferably be the President-elect or Vice President.
2. The Principal Councilor will hold this position during the duration of his role as President of the National Group he represents. The Alternate Councilor may become a Principal Councilor if he assumes the Presidency of his National Group. When, for reasons of the statute of a National Group, the position is assumed by another person, the maximum period of representation before the CIR will be two years, renewable only once.
3. The duly appointed principal and alternate councilors will serve a two-year term, which will span from one Inter-American Congress to the next.
4. The Board of Directors may request replacement of the Councilor who does not attend the sessions or who, in its opinion, is not interested in the affairs of the College.

The rights and obligations of the councilors are:

1. Participate, with voice and vote, in the CIR Assemblies and be elected to management positions.
2. Perform the roles and duties assigned by the Assembly or the Board of Directors of the CIR.
3. Represent the CIR, in its country of origin before the National Group.
4. Endorse recognition requests for members from their countries.
5. Send professional scientific works from your country to the CIR dissemination bodies.
6. Send annually to the Board of Directors of the CIR the calendar of the activities of your National Group.
7. It is the responsibility of the councilor to ensure the payment of the annual fee of the National Group to the CIR treasury before March 31 of each year.
8. Send annually to the secretariat, the updated directory of the people who are part of its membership.

CHAPTER FOUR
OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

ARTICLE THIRTEENTH.

1. The Board of Directors will be made up of a President, a president-elect, two councilors, and five Vice Presidents. Their mandate will extend for a period of two years, between two Inter-American Congresses of Radiology. The positions of secretary and treasurer will be assigned to the councilors by the Board of Directors. Every two years, a president-elect and a councilor will be elected, who will serve on the board for two terms, totaling four years. During the first period, the president-elect will act as such with the functions and obligations that correspond to them in these regulations. During the second period, they will serve as President of the CIR with their functions and powers. Each councilor will have two terms of two years each, for a total of four years as a board member. In each of the periods, they may occupy the positions of Secretary or Treasurer, as assigned by the Board of Directors during the second electoral session.

TRANSITIONAL PARAGRAPH
For the implementation of the structure of the new Board of Directors and its electoral mechanism, the first two-year period immediately following the approval of this reform will be considered a transitional period and only once. During this period, the Board of Directors will be made up of the President, the secretary, and the treasurer elected at the 2008 assembly to assume their positions during the period 2010-2012. In addition, the elected President and the councilor elected during the 2010 assembly will join the board. The Vice Presidents elected for the period will also be part of it.


2. The Board of Directors and Administration of the CIR will meet at least twice a year to deliberate on the operation and everything related to the CIR. The first meeting will be mandatory in the days leading up to the Ordinary General Assembly of the Radiological Society of North America. The meeting location and duration will be determined by the President based on the needs. The second will coincide with the Inter-American Congress of Radiology in even years and with a Course or Congress of National Societies, where members can engage with local radiologists and increase bilateral relations. The National Societies will facilitate and, to the extent possible, support these meetings. At the discretion of the President, other meetings may be held when necessary.

ARTICLE FOURTEENTH. The Vice Presidents will represent each of the five regions of the CIR:

1. Northern Region: Canada, United States of America and Mexico.
2. Central America Region: Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama.
3. Insular and Iberian Region: Cuba, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Dominican Republic, and Spain.
4. Bolivarian Region: Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia.
5. Southern Region: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Chile and Uruguay.

ARTICLE FIFTEENTH. The nomination of candidates for President Elect and councilor will be conducted as follows:

1. The Secretary General must inform the members one hundred and twenty days in advance of the date of the Ordinary General Assembly session, the opening of the electoral period, and the registration of candidates for positions, and will close this period and the reception of candidacies forty-five days prior to the date of the Assembly.
2. The nomination may be made by the councilors of any of the member countries of the CIR with the approval, in writing, of the National Group they represent, which must be current with their obligations to the CIR.
3. The candidate for the position of President-Elect must be an active member of the National Group that represents his country to the CIR and have collaborated with the CIR either as a Councilor, member of the Board of Directors, or on any committee for a period of no less than two years.

The candidate for councilor must be an active member of the National Group that represents his or her country to the CIR and have collaborated with the CIR either as a Councilor, member of the Board of Directors, or on any committee for a period of no less than two years.


4. The candidate for the office of President-Elect must express his acceptance in writing, attach his work plan and curriculum vitae.
5. The positions of Secretary General and Treasurer shall be defined during the second session of the electoral assembly among the two board members other than the President, the President-elect, and the Vice Presidents. The mechanism shall be by agreement or by voting among the board members other than the vocal members.

ARTICLE SIXTEEN. Inauguration of the Board of Directors:

1. At the end of the second ordinary session of the General Assembly with an electoral character, the outgoing President shall bestow the Venera upon the incoming President, present the ceremonial ribbon, and ask the members of the new Board of Directors to take the oath before the Assembly.
2. The outgoing Secretary General shall deliver certificates of appointment to each of the members of the new Board of Directors.

ARTICLE SEVENTH. From the Past Presidents' Advisory Council.

It shall consist of the last five active presidents and shall be coordinated by the immediate past president. It shall advise the Board of Directors at its request and may perform specific actions when so requested by the Board of Directors or the Assembly. They may attend the Assembly with a voice but not vote.

CHAPTER FIVE
FROM THE COMPETITION

ARTICLE EIGHTEENTH. It is the responsibility of the Board of Directors:

1. To ensure compliance with the Bylaws and Regulations.
2. Execute the resolutions of the General Assembly and its own resolutions.
3. Present to the General Assembly complete reports of its activities.
4. To ensure the proper functioning of the College and to hire the necessary personnel to achieve this.
5. To promote the development of agreements with organizations, societies, or international federations that have similar objectives to those of the College, and as a result, mutual benefits are obtained in favor of the development of the specialty. These agreements shall be endorsed by the General Assembly at the appropriate time.
6. Assess and determine sanctions.
7. To use and supervise the proper performance of the administrative services contracted.

ARTICLE NINETEENTH. It is the responsibility of the President:

1. Supervise the activities of the College, in accordance with its bylaws, oversee its development and represent it in all its acts, including legal proceedings.
2. To manage the assets of the CIR.
3. To call for Ordinary and Extraordinary sessions.
4. To preside over the meetings of the Board of Directors and General Assemblies.
5. Represent the CIR, presiding over congresses, seminars, conferences, solemn sessions or scientific events, when invited by the sponsoring entities.
6. Sign with the Treasurer all economic and financial documents.
7. Coordinate with the Secretary General the administrative part of the Board of Directors.
8. Grant, when necessary, representation for specific purposes.
9. To inform the President-Elect of all activities carried out by the College.
10. Prohibit the members of the Board of Directors from requesting bank loans on behalf of the CIR and from signing bonds or guarantees in favor of themselves or third parties.
11. To keep in permanent contact with the services hired to manage the CIR, to order the appropriate actions for the performance of its functions, to meet as often as necessary and to permanently evaluate the results of the actions undertaken.
12. To ensure that the expenses of the CIR are in accordance with the annual budget authorized by the Assembly.
13. The President shall have the following powers and authorities:

1. General Power of Attorney for Litigation and Collections, in accordance with the first paragraph of article two thousand five hundred and fifty-four of the Civil Code for the Federal District and its correlatives in the Civil Codes of the other Federal Entities, which is enunciative and not limiting, but not including the power to assign assets, shall have the following powers:
1. To initiate and withdraw from all kinds of proceedings, including amparo.
2. To compromise
3. To compromise in arbitration.
4. To articulate and respond to positions.
5. To challenge.
6. To receive payments.
7. To file complaints and lawsuits in criminal matters and to withdraw them when permitted by law.
2. General power of attorney for acts of administration in accordance with the second paragraph of the aforementioned article two thousand five hundred fifty-four of the referenced Civil Code and its correlatives in the Civil Codes of the other Federal Entities.
3. Power of attorney in labor matters with express powers to articulate and respond to positions in accordance with the provisions of article seven hundred eighty-six of the Federal Labor Law, with powers to manage labor relations and mediate in accordance with the provisions of articles eleven and eight hundred seventy-six, sections one and six of the aforementioned law, as well as to appear in court under the terms of sections one, two, and three of article six hundred ninety-two and eight hundred seventy-eight of the mentioned law.
4. Power to grant and endorse negotiable instruments, pursuant to the terms of article nine of the General Law of Negotiable Instruments and Credit Transactions.
5. Power to grant general or special powers of attorney and to revoke them.
6. The powers referred to in the preceding paragraphs shall be exercised before individuals and before all kinds of Administrative or Judicial Authorities, including Federal or Local, and before Local or Federal Conciliation and Arbitration Boards and Labor Authorities.