The Committee is an advisory body to the WAN-IFRA Supervisory Board and Executive Board. The Committee establishes priorities, workflow and position papers on media-related policy matters. The Chair conveys to the WAN-IFRA’s Supervisory Board and Executive Executive the recommendations of the Directors of WAN-IFRA’s Member Associations on the items to be discussed in the respective agendas.

All Directors of the associations of publishers that are members of WAN-IFRA are qualified for membership.

All members of the Committee can attend the WAN-IFRA Supervisory Board meetings in observatory capacity.

The Committee’s status is regulated by art 9 of WAN-IFRA by-laws and internal terms of reference voted in 2015.

Chair: Gerald Grünberger, CEO VÖZ – Verband Österreichischer Zeitungen, Austria. The Chair of the Committee is an automatic voting member of WAN-IFRA Supervisory Board and Executive Board, as stated in articles 18 and 19 of the WAN-IFRA Statutes. Chair is elected for a mandate of two years, renewable twice.

WAN-IFRA’s Media Policy Global Forum

Association Directors Committee guides the strategic agenda and activities of the WAN-IFRA’s Media Policy Global Forum. As a global resource centre and a knowledge-sharing platform WAN-IFRA allows policy experts and publishers to come together and contribute their views on where the industry is headed. 

WAN-IFRA helps publishers and their representative bodies to build a common understanding of the many challenges ahead the industry. It provides a voice to news media across the various global platforms where debate on regulation and policy take place.

Association Directors’s Committee Terms of Reference 

Preamble

• The Committee of Directors of WAN-IFRA member associations (hereunder “The Committee”) comprises the Directors of the associations of publishers that are members of WAN-IFRA.
• The Committee is an advisory body to the WAN-IFRA Board and Executive Committee, and particularly establishes priorities, workflow and position papers on media-related policy
• The Committee is regulated by the guidelines hereinafter, subject to their full respect of the Statutes of WAN-IFRA.

Article 2 – Committee Meetings

• The Committee of Directors of Member Associations meets at least twice a year, within the 48 hours before the WAN-IFRA Board meeting, in the same location where the Board is held.
• Additional meetings can be organized at the initiative of the Chair of the Committee, or following the request of at least ten Member Associations, either in person or through conference call.
• The WAN-IFRA CEO is always invited to the Committee’s
• The ENPA CEO or her/his representative is also invited to the Committee’s meetings. The Chair and Vice Chairs of the Committee can decide to invite to the meetings additional guests.

Article 3 – Leadership of the Committee

• The Committee elects from among its members a Chair and two Vice Chairs with a majority vote of the associations present at the election meeting, by show of hands. The Chair and two Vice Chairs should represent at least two different regions of the world. The Chair and Vice Chairs are expected to participate in the Committee work and meetings
• Chair and Vice Chairs are elected for a mandate of two years, renewable
• The Chair of the Committee establishes the meetings’ agenda in collaboration with WAN-IFRA

Article 4 – Relations with other WAN-IFRA bodies

• The Committee receives copies of all communications addressed to WAN-IFRA Board members regarding documents that will be discussed in the Board
• All members of the Committee can attend the WAN-IFRA Board meetings in observatory capacity.
• The Chair of the Committee is an automatic voting member of WAN-IFRA Board and Executive Committee, as stated in articles 18 and 19 of the WAN-IFRA
• The Chair conveys to the WAN-IFRA Board and Executive Committee the recommendations of the Directors on the items to be discussed in the respective agendas. After participation in these meetings, the Chair reports to Directors on the outcome by email.

Article 5 – Media Policy and Public Affairs work

• WAN-IFRA should become the global forum in which international media policy issues are discussed. WAN-IFRA’s activities in the field of media policy shall be based on the subsidiarity principle, and be carried out in permanent coordination with local and regional
• The Committee discusses the topics and modalities of WAN-IFRA’s media policy work, in accordance with the resources allocated for this activity in the budget, and advises the Board and Executive Committee; with whom decisions
• When a topic is established for WAN-IFRA media policy and public affairs work, the Committee nominates working groups comprising one or more Directors whose organizations are expert in the subject. The working groups guide, contribute and support the Secretariat activity on their assigned

Article 6 – Modifications to the Guidelines

• Directors can propose to the Chair modifications to the Guidelines ahead of any Committee meeting.
• Modifications that are approved by a majority of Directors present at a Committee meeting take immediate effect, provided that the proposal was included in the agenda sent to all Directors in advance of the meeting.

Terms of reference approved in Washington DC, USA, 30 May 2015.