ad Art. 5 (Application for membership)

The following procedure to clarify acceptance is valid:

1.After a written or verbal inquiry, a first response through the Secretary General follows (standard letter, forms).
2.The applicants then send a formal application to the Secretary General (forms).
3.The Secretary General will then induce a general inquiry among the Board members; if there are no objections then the following procedure applies:
4.The applicant will receive an answer from the Secretary General stating that "preliminary membership" has been granted.
5a.The President consults the Council.
5b.At the same time negotiations with the Treasurer about the membership fee take place; consultation with the Board.
6.If step 5. proceeds positively then confirmation of acceptance through the President. Membership is then seen as definite after membership fees have been transferred.

ad Art. 6 (Termination of membership)

a. Regular termination of membership should be in writing to the President or Secretary General as a rule 6 months prior to termination.
b. In the case of a Member not paying membership fees the following procedure is valid:

1.6 months after being envoiced, demand of payment will follow through the Treasurer.
2.If payment does not follow within the next 3 months, the Treasurer will inquire about the circumstances.
3.Depending on the situation he will propose a motion to the Board to either terminate membership or set up special financial conditions.
4.Before the President informs the concerned member on definite termination, the Council is formally informed to consider possible objections as early as possible.
5.Finally the President and the Treasurer together will inform the member in writing about the decision to terminate membership.

ad Art. 7.1 (Members' assembly)

a. The Members' Assembly represents the highest authority of the IFP as expressed by the Statutes. It confers on the occasion of the quadrennial world congresses. Invitations to members are to be issued 6 months prior through the Board.
b. The Members' Assembly decides by a simple majority (the exception: revision of the statutes) on the following:

1. election of the Board Members, Council and Auditor
2. acceptance of the President's report
3. approval of the financial report
4. stipulation of fees
5. decision on memberships
6. nomination of honorary members
7. revision of statutes by 2/3 of the members

c. Since attendance by the members may vary greatly (depending on where the congress is being held), an adequate representation of the members for elections and polls must be strived for. A distinction is therefore made in the Members' Assembly  between write-in and personal votes.

A write-in will as a rule be carried out if fundamental decisions such as statute changes are involved. Written inquiries will also be made where suggestions for the location of a congress on the one hand and for officers on the other are involved.

d. The Members' Assembly decides on elections, current business, chosing work groups, committees, congress locations etc. The decisions of the Members' Assembly are made by a simple majority by those representatives present:

 Individual member = 1 vote
 Delegates from Societies with less than 100 members = 2 votes
 for each additional 100 members 1 additional vote but not more than 6 votes.
The delegates must be present in person and must identify themselves. If an important polls a certain quorum cannot be reached than the Council can cancel the vote and ask for a write-in.

ad Art. 7.2 (Chapters)

a. The Members of a Chapter must at the same time be Members of the IFP with all rights and duties involved.
b. The Chapters have their own Statutes which must be compatible to those of the IFP. They must be approved by the Board of the IFP.
c. The Chapters have their own membership fees allowing them to carry out activities specific to their Chapter. Should the full payment of both the fees for the Chapter membership and IFP membership be too taxing, then a special solution corresponding to Art. 8 will be determined by the Board.
d. The Chapters are in charge of all regional activities and especially of organizing in the name of the IFP the congresses to take place every 2 or 4 years in their region.

ad Art. 7.3 (Council)

a. In order to allow for an adequate representation as requested in the Statutes the following is valid: The larger member societies (with more than 500 members) have 1 representative. The geographic regions have as a minimum the following representatives in the Council: Africa 3 representatives; North America 3 representatives; South America 3 representatives; Asican-Pacific Area 3 representatives; Northern Europe 2 representatives, Central Europe 2 representatives; Southern Europe 2 representatives; the United Kingdom 1 representative; large umbrella organizations 1 representative. This allotment is not to be seen as final.

b. The Council convenes as a rule on the occasion of the World Congress to take place every 4 years. The Members are notified in writing 6 months in advance. In exceptional cases, sessions may be held in-between usually within the context of a regional conference of a Chapter. The Council can furthermore be summoned through write-ins to important business e.g. location of congresses or succession of Officers of the Board.

c. Tenure of office is as a rule not more than 3 election periods (12 years). If a Council Member is not able to attend two consecutive Council meetings, he is automatically excluded from the Council.

ad Art. 7.4 (Board)

a. The Officers of the Board are chosen for a period of 4 years by the Members Assembly. The President and the Secretary General may each be re-elected once, the Treasurer twice. After resignation, the President usually stays on for at least a period of 2 years as Past-President Member of the Board. He acts on behalf of the President when necessary.

b. In the election of a new President (President-elect) the following procedure is valid:

1.The Board suggests to the Council at least 2 years prior to the resignation of the President a suitable candidate as President-elect.

2.If the Council has no own suggestions, the candidate will then be suggested to the Members' Assembly for election. In the case of one or more suggestions, the Council will as a rule make a prior selection. However, it is explicitly the Council's choice as to how many candidates for election it suggests to the Members' Assembly. In each case, the Members are informed about the candidates in due time.

c. After election of the President-elect and on assuming office, the Secretary General and the Treasurer offer their resignation to the President-elect. In this way, the President-elect has the chance to influence the formation of the Board as a team. If a change is aimed for then the Council on recommendation of the President-elect will decide on which Officers to then elect. This must be confirmed by the Members' Assembly.

d. The Officers of the Board (President, Past-President, President-elect, Secretary General, and Treasurer) share responsibility for all operational and strategic decisions taken by the Board.

e. The President is the chief executive officer of the IFP. He presides at all meetings of the IFP - of the Board, Council, and Members Assemby. He represents the IFP externally. He is ex officio a member of the organizing committee of the respective world congresses. He has the right to determine the remaining Officers of the IFP, especially the Standing Committees, except the Board.

f. The Secretary General keeps the records of the IFP, receives petitions nominating candidates or to amend the Statutes and By-laws. He prepares the agenda for meetings in concert with the President. He certifies minutes of the meetings, the editions of the Statutes and By-laws. He certifies the Newsletter and all information to the members.

g. The Treasurer receives, disburses, accounts for, and manages the funds of the IFP under the general direction of the Board. The Treasurer submits financial statements each year to the Board and to the Members' Assembly at the quadrennial meetings. He submits financial statements to the Auditors, sends out the annual bills, notifies members who are in arrears, and is responsible for the investments of the IFP.

ad Art. 7.5 (Auditors)

The Auditors present to the Members' Assembly a report on the acounts from which may be concluded whether the Treasurer's Report can be accepted.

ad 7.6. Art. (Committees)

a. Standing Committees have an advisory and preparatory function for the Board and the Council. Their tasks and formation are decided on by the President in agreement with the Board. They report to the Board every two years.

b. Ad hoc-committees are created by the President with the approval of the Board, to study specific and usually time-limited urgent issues.