Minutes of the 11th meeting of the General Assembly of the International Union of Immunological Societies

              SecGen 15 October, 2001
I
U
I
S
INTERNATIONAL UNION OF IMMUNOLOGICAL SOCIETIES
UNION INTERNATIONALE DES SOCIÉTÉS D=IMMUNOLOGIE
MINUTES OF THE 11TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF IUIS
I
U
I
S
Held at Stockholm International Fairs, Stockholm, Sweden,
on Sunday, 22 July 2001
1. President=s introductory remarks
The President, Fritz Melchers, welcomed all the delegates, members of Council and observers to
the Assembly. He noted that it was wonderful to be in Stockholm, a major centre in the world of
immunology, and thanked Jacob Natvig, Erna Möller, Anders Örn and their colleagues for their
efforts in holding the 11th International Congress of Immunology and developing a fantastic
program.
2. President=s report
In reporting on the major issues of his term as President, F Melchers commented that it was
extraordinary that the fifth generation of immunologists to be running IUIS were uncertain of
their role, due to turnover of the Council, the unfortunate ill health of the Past President Tomio
Tada, and the lack of experience of the President. This situation had highlighted the lack of
corporate memory in IUIS. He noted that immunology is at the centre-stage of biomedical
research yet suffers from lack of recognition by clinical medicine and the perception that it is too
complicated. The national Societies and Regional Federations, supported by the Standing
Committees, do a very good job in promoting the causes of immunology in their territories. But it
is clear that IUIS can contribute by spreading immunology to all parts of the world.
The turning point for the IUIS Council was the Fourth FAIS Conference in Yaounde in February
2000 when members realized what IUIS could and should do in adopting the causes of the
developing world: health, education and capacity building. FM reported that he had also
discovered that IUIS is poor. While the annual dues may seem high to many people, they
generate a very modest budget. He hoped that this would change through investment of
increased income from future International Congresses and allow IUIS to do much more to tackle
its major causes.
FM observed that IUIS is lost in space. Communication with the Societies is inadequate and
there is limited central memory. A crucial new direction was being taken with the formation of a
permanent central secretariat. Two bids to form the secretariat had been received, from the
National Research Council of Canada and the Vienna Medical Academy. The duty had been