Alexandre Moine, Scientific Director of the Festival International de Géographie (FIG) visited the meeting to welcome IGU Executive Committee members to Saint-Dié-des-Vosges and to the FIG. Moine presented a brief history of the festival from 1990 to the present, highlighting salient events that have occurred since 1990, this year being the 20th anniversary of the festival. Moine also outlined the ways the festival's scientific program is organized and structured, and noted that the festival has had profound and positive effects on academic geography in France. FIG has raised the visibility of academic geography by publicizing its accomplishments and interacting in innovative ways with the general public, and academic geographers have become much more open to the media in France as a result of the publicity they have received at FIG during the last 20 years.


The committee approved unanimously the agenda Abler had submitted to the committee in advance of the meeting with two additions:

• The appointment of Charles Withers to the Commission on the History of Geography steering committee; and
  
• IGU contacts with the International Association of Geomorphologists.

The committee reviewed the minutes of its May 2009 meeting in Tel Aviv. The minutes were approved by the committee via e-mail in July 2009. Two incomplete action items were noted:

• preparation of a set of guidelines for national committees regarding the importance and role of international collaboration in academic careers; and
  
• formulation of a protocol for session chairpersons at IGU congresses and conferences to guide them in keeping their sessions on schedule and in responding to unexpected events, especially no-show speakers.

Abler announced that the minutes would stand as submitted if he received no corrections or amendments by 15 October 2009


IGU Country Membership. Secretary General and Treasurer Woo-ik Yu reviewed the current roster of country members. Attempts to re-establish contact with some countries that were formerly active have often been fruitless owing to outdated e-mail addresses, deaths, and retirements. The secretariat will try making contact through the national committees of adjacent countries where possible. Noting that a few commissions were using their 2004-2008 numbers, Meadows asked that the secretariat remind commission chairs to use the 2008-2012 numbers assigned to commissions at the Tunis General Assembly. In response to a query about dues invoices, Yu reported that dues invoices had been sent in January and August and would be sent again at the end of October to those who had not paid their 2009 dues and any earlier arrears. Dues are invoiced separately for each year.
A discussion of differences in voluntary dues levels among similar countries led to a decision that a committee consisting of Abler, Fincher, and Yu will explore the establishment of fixed dues using a schedule used by the International Council for Science (ICSU) as a basis for a similar IGU dues scheme. The committee will prepare a proposal for consideration by the executive committee at its next meeting.
IGU Financial Report and Projection. Secretary General and Treasurer Yu reviewed 2009 IGU income and expenditures through August. Expenses are consistent with the projection for the year approved by the executive committee at its October 2008 meeting of income of $303,000 and expenses of $222,000. Projected financials for 2101 are income of $282,000 and expenses of $182,000.
Several members of the committee asked for explanations of specific secretariat expenditures which Yu provided. The secretariat continues to benefit from generous financial support from Seoul National University and from Professor Yu's personal funds.
IGU Cultures and Civilizations for Human Development/United Nations International Year Initiative (UNIY). The committee undertook a lengthy discussion of the progress of the initiative begun by Adalberto Vallega and subsequently taken over by Benno Werlen, Chairperson of the IGU Commission on the Cultural Approach in Geography (C08.07). After a thorough review of the challenges and opportunities presented by the program, the executive committee:

• affirmed its earlier designation of Kolossov as the primary point of contact between the IGU Executive Committee and the UNIY project;
  
• reiterated the need to form a project steering committee representative of all the world's major culture regions;
  
• tasked its own members to provide names of candidates for the project steering committee from their respective regions of responsibility for Werlen's consideration;
  
• suggested that Werlen should designate steering committee liaisons with the Mediterranean Renaissance Project and the Home of Geography; and
  
• agreed to allocate US$20,000 in IGU support for the project for 2009-2010.

Kolossov will inform Werlen of the results of the executive committee's deliberation and Abler will encourage commission and national committee chairpersons to collaborate with the UNIY project and to suggest individuals who could participate in the project or serve on its steering committee. The discussion concluded on a note of thanks to Werlen for his leadership of the project and congratulations on his success in obtaining financial support for the project secretariat at Jena from local sources.
Commission and Task Force Reports.
The executive committee reviewed and approved the draft of a letter that will be used to solicit annual reports from IGU Commissions and Task Forces. The reports will be due in time for the secretariat to assemble them for review at the committee's April 18-20 2010 meeting. Fincher suggested that the section of the IGU Handbook (0000) outlining the responsibilities of commission chairs be included with the request for 2009 annual reports. To facilitate the compilation of IGU Bulletins, commission and task force chairpersons should also be given a page limit and a style sheet.
In further discussion of commission and task force research, Alcantara-Ayala proposed that the committee develop strategies for encouraging publication of such findings in prestige journals. Kolossov suggested selecting high quality congress and conference presentations for inclusion in a "Best of the IGU" publication series, and perhaps a publication series specifically for young scholars. Abler suggested that prizes regularly awarded by commissions and task forces would be another way to encourage participation in IGU meetings and subsequent publication. The committee agreed to continue the consideration of ways to encourage publication under IGU auspices at its next meeting.
IGU Bulletin Progress.
Abler and Sarah Kim have been coordinating the production of the back volumes of the IGU Bulletin. They will all (2003-2008) be printed in Seoul and mailed together from there in order to reduce the cost of both printing and mailing, which, combined, has run about $15,000 per volume in the USA in the past.
Mediterranean Renaissance Program (MRP) and Leadership.
The MRP has a book in publication on "Contemporary Mediterranean Geography" based on the conference it recently held in Rome. The program will hold future conferences in Tunis in collaboration with the Centre d'Etudes et de Recherche Sociale and in Tel Aviv with the IGU Commission on the Geography of the Information Society (C08.0000). In compliance with the guidelines adopted when the MRP was established, the executive committee approved the appointment of Professor Maria Paradiso as Director of the MRP and Professor Ali Toumi as Program Secretary for terms of four years effective on 1 October 2009. The committee expressed its appreciation for the leadership of Mahmoud Ashour, outgoing MRP Director and for Paradiso's effective service as Program Secretary.
Geographical Journals Evaluation Project.
The committee reviewed the written report sent by Ton Dietz, leader of the journals initiative. Dietz and his assistant have compiled a list of more than 1,000 geographical journals as a partial basis for the project. Bellezza reported that he has provided the list of journals Dietz requested, and Qin's was received by mail prior to the meeting. Meadows proposed that the information gathered to date be placed on the IGU web site as soon as possible, preferably by the end of 2009. Mr. Seung-pyo Hong in the IGU Secretariat will assist Dietz in putting the information on the IGU web site after it is transferred to Seoul. A list of countries that have not yet responded to Dietz's request for their journal lists should be obtained so that the vice presidents responsible for those countries can encourage their cooperation with the journals project. The committee concluded its discussion of the project by expressing thanks for Dietz for his initiative in proposing the project and his effectiveness in leading it.
Endowment/Corporate Membership Program.
Kellerman presented a summary of Ton Dietz's original and modified proposals for a campaign to recruit corporate sponsors for the IGU and reported on a recent opportunity to make contact with an executive at Google. Kellerman and Meadows will pursue that possibility. The global economic downturn suggests that the original plan for a vigorous campaign for corporate members might be scaled back until economic conditions improve. Kellerman will try to arrange a meeting with Dietz in Europe early in 2010 or invite Dietz to the executive committee's April 2010 meeting in Washington, DC if Dietz plans to attend the annual meeting of the Association of American Geographers there.
Home of Geography.
The committee reviewed the letter of 8 June 2009 from Professor Franco Salvatori, President of the Società Geografica Italiana (SGI), which hosts the IGU's office in Rome. The SGI has reclaimed the office space that formerly housed the Home of Geography but it remains willing to house the IGU archives and to IGU commission and task force meetings on a space-available basis, for which the committee expressed its thanks. Salvatori also reported the balance of IGU funds remaining at SGI as a result of the SGI's roles as the fiscal agent for the Home of Geography. The executive committee approved Bellezza's request that he be allowed to use the residual funds for the expenses of producing the IGU E-Newsletter.
IGU Web Site. The IGU web site will shortly be transferred to the IGU Secretariat in Seoul. Abler has written letters of thanks to the appropriate individuals at the University Helsinki who made it possible for the IGU's site to be hosted there from its inception in 1996. Several members of the committee suggested that a redesign of the web site be undertaken in the near future and Yu agreed to start that process.
IGU Wikipedia Entry. A person or persons unknown has placed a partial entry for the IGU on Wikipedia. The article appears to be based primarily on the current IGU brochure but is incomplete. Abler asked the members of the committee to review the posting and suggested that it be completed and updated as part of the updating of the IGU web site.
Executive Committee Meeting Schedule. Noting that the executive committee will meet in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Association of American Geographers in mid-April 2010, Abler questioned the necessity of the meeting schedule just prior to the Tel Aviv Regional Conference, less than 90 days later. After reconsidering the matter, the committee agreed that a half day meeting on the morning of Monday, 12 July 2010 would suffice. Dahe Qin suggested to Abler that the committee might meet in Beijing in 2010 or 2011. The committee agreed to try to work a Beijing meeting into its schedule.

International Council for Science (ICSU).
Alcantara-Ayala reported on her appointment to ICSU's key Committee on Scientific Planning and Review (CSPR). The committee seeks the help of its members unions such as IGU in publicizing ICSU's programs and projects. Abler provided a brief overview of these programs and projects as described in the issue of the ICSU newsletter included in the meeting briefing book. Meadows inquired whether the IGU has any formal relationships with the International Association of Geomorphologists (IAG) either independently or via ICSU. Abler responded that there was some contact early in his time with IGU but that there were not active contacts now. Alcantara-Ayala and Meadows asked Abler explore the possibility of appropriate linkages with IAG officers.
ICSU GeoUnions. Abler will serve as the informal secretary of the ICSU GeoUnions cluster through 2010 and will convene the next GeoUnions caucus prior to the ICSU Unions meeting in April 2010. He reviewed the role and goals of the cluster within ICSU and provided a roster of the group's officers for the information of the committee. The cluster consists, in addition to the IGU, of:

• the International Astronomical Union (IAU);
  
• the International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA);
  
• the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS);
  
• the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG);
  
• the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS);
  
• the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS); and
  
• the International Union of Radio Sciences (URSI, from its name in French).
  
• The IGU is also active in the social sciences cluster within ICSU.
  
• International Social Science Council (ISSC). Abler reviewed the high points of the notes from the ISSC General Assembly held in November 2008 and the ISSC World Social Science Forum (WSSF) that met in May 2009. The general assembly focused on opportunities for social scientists in new global programs (particularly those focused on global change), the planned 2010 World Social Sciences Report (WSSR), capacity building in and or the social sciences, international research and exchanges, and related matters. Abler attended the WSSF in Oslo. Largely through the effectiveness, experience, and insights of ISSC President and Forum organizer Gudmund Hernes, the forum broke new ground in exploring the ways social scientists can contribute to policy formulation at domestics and international scales.
  
• Festival International de Géographie (FIG). Abler reviewed with the members of the committee the Memorandum of Understanding between FIG and IGU that was signed by both parties on 1 October 2005. Owing to the tragic demise of IGU President Adalberto Vallega shortly thereafter and the period of uncertainty following his death, the provisions of the agreement fell somewhat into abeyance from 2006-2008. The presence of the IGU Executive Committee at this, the 20th iteration of the Festival, offers an excellent opportunity to re-animate the provisions of the memorandum for the mutual benefit of FIG and the IGU. The ongoing discussions with FIG officials during this meeting of the executive committee should provide a productive framework for more intensive participation of IGU Executive Committee members in the 2010 Festival.
  
• International Year of Planet Earth (IYPE). The IYPE project is in its final stages after several years of highly successful programs of research and education in the earth sciences. Frauke Kraas's leadership of the Megacities component of IYPE has drawn widespread praise from throughout the IYPE community. The capstone event of IYPE will be held in Lisbon in November 2009, where the IYPE Board of Directors will explore ways to continue and capitalize on the IYPE's accomplishments. Abler will represent IGU at the meeting.
  
• International Cartographic Association (ICA). Former IGU President Bruno Messerli represented the IGU at the 50th Anniversary celebration of the ICA's founding Bern in June. Inasmuch as Bruno knew ICA founder Eduard Imhof well and his wife Beatrice was a student translator at the launch meeting of the ICA in 1959. Bruno reports that ICA is eager for closer collaboration with IGU. Abler will explore collaboration with the ICA Executive Committee when he visits the venue where the ICA will be holding its congress in November, which is the same location for the 2011 IGU Regional Conference in Santiago de Chile.
  
• EUGEO (European Geography). EUGEO was initiated in 1994 to foster greater cooperation among independent European geographical associations, institutes, and societies. After reviewing information gleaned from the EUGEO web site (http://www.eugeo.org/AboutEUGEO.htm) the executive committee agreed to contact EUGEO officers about possibilities of collaboration between EUGEO and IGU.

Tunis, 2008 International Geographical Congress. The committee reviewed the financial report from the 2008 congress. Yu noted that the contribution to the IGU Promotion and Solidarity Fund due from the Tunis congress local organizing committee had not yet been received at the secretariat. Tel Aviv 2010 Regional Conference. Kellerman reported on the status of plans for the 12-16 July Regional Conference. The Tel Aviv Local Organizing Committee (LOC) met last week and everything seems to be on track for the meeting. The LOC has made contact with all IGU Commissions and Task Forces except Arid Lands and Mountain Response to Global Change which have not responded to LOC queries regarding their plans. The conference web site (http://www.igu2010.com/)is active in both English and French and the Conference Second Circular is now available there. Santiago, Chile 2011 Regional Conference. Abler will visit Santiago to inspect the conference venue and meet with local organizers at the time of the International Cartographic Congress in November 2009. The IGU Conference is tentatively schedule for November 2011. In reviewing academic calendars for both the Northern and Southern hemispheres, it became clear that a meeting during the first two weeks of November is greatly preferable to one scheduled during the last two weeks of that month.
Köln, Germany 2012 International Geographical Congress.
Soyez reported that planning for the congress is on schedule. A workshop was held in June to identify topical emphases for the congress and a consultative committee is working on congress frameworks and structure. The congress web site (http://www.igc2012.org/) is up in German; French and English versions will be added shortly. The organizers are planning a large number of cross border field excursions that will be closely linked to congress themes. The exact dates for the congress remain to be determined owing to the necessity of scheduling the event around examinations that will be held in August 2012 at the University of Cologne, where the congress will be held. [Subsequent to the meeting, the dates for the Köln Congress were fixed as 26-30 August 2012.]
Kyoto, Japan 2013 Regional Conference 2013.
The committee agreed that a report on planning should be requested for review at the committee's April 2010 meeting.
Krakow, Poland 2014 Regional Conference.
The executive committee requested no update on the meeting.
Moscow, Russia 2015 Regional Conference 2015.
Kolossov reported that the conference will be held on the premises of Moscow State University, most likely in the last week of July 2015.
Beijing, China 2016 International Geographical Congress.
In the absence of IGU Vice President Dahe Qin no additional information was available regarding the meeting other than that it is tentatively scheduled for the month of August. Abler will visit Beijing in October 2009 and will check on the state of planning for the event at that time.
Improving Future IGU Congresses and Conferences.
After reviewing the minutes devoted to the topic at its May 2009 meeting, the committee revisited the subject of improving the contents and structure of IGU Congresses and Conferences in order to attract more delegates. At one level, financial aspects of congresses and conferences were mentioned often. Abler suggested that the IGU's current meeting model in which local organizing committees take all risks is not sustainable for the long term, especially in light of a close reading of the final reports submitted by the organizers of the Durban, Glasgow, Brisbane, and Tunis meetings; a joint venture model in which IGU and local organizers share risks and any financial surplus, and, of course, are jointly responsible for any financial losses, is the most probable structure for future meetings.
In terms of specific strategies, in addition to those discussed previously, committee members suggested:

• alternative presentation formats to complement traditional lecture-type papers and panel discussions;
  
• techniques for dealing with speakers who talk beyond their allocated times;
  
• policies for dealing with speakers who do not provide advance notice of their inability to attend IGU meetings, including listing their names in final meeting reports and alerting the organizers of subsequent meetings of their boorish behavior; and
  
• conducting evaluations of sessions and speakers at IGU Congresses and Conferences.

Implementing these and other suggestions will be explored with the organizers of future IGU meetings. The committee may also ask the chairpersons of commissions and national committees for their ideas on upgrading IGU meetings. In the meantime, a set of guidelines for the chairpersons of sessions held at IGU meetings will be prepared and offered to local organizing committees.
IGU Congress and Conferences Memorandum of Agreement.
The committee reviewed a draft Memorandum of Agreement for IGU Congresses and Regional Conferences prepared by Abler that reflects current and recent IGU practice. Formal agreements between the IGU Executive Committee and Local Organizing Committees would help reduce tensions between the respective parties. Occasional misunderstandings and disagreements usually result from the long lag time (as much as eight years or even more) between the selection of a meeting location and the actual event. It is not unusual for those who sought and accepted the responsibility for a conference or congress to have died, moved, or retired by the time the event occurs, leaving the responsibility for the meeting in the hands of individuals who were not involved in tendering the invitation for the meeting, and who may be indifferent, or in the worst case even opposed to soliciting the meeting. Such difficulties would not be totally resolved by written memoranda of agreement between the IGU and local organizers, but the basis for misunderstanding and disagreements would be clarified by such documents. Historically, the provisions governing IGU meetings have been contained in long series of letters and e-mail messages among multiple individuals on both sides that may not be available to all interested parties.
Executive Committee members offered a variety of suggestions regarding specific provisions of the draft proposal. By far the most contentious disagreement that emerged in the committee's discussion is the traditional expectation that local organizing committees are responsible for providing members of the IGU Executive Committee with lodging for an executive committee meeting well in advance of each meeting and for another just prior to each meeting, as well as with complimentary registration and lodging at the conference or congress itself. The organizers of the Durban, Glasgow, and Brisbane IGU meeting have identified those costs as a serious drain on their meeting budgets and a source of resentment among the members of their organizing committees, many of whom pay their lodging and registration fees personally out of principle or necessity. The committee debated the pros and cons of current policy at considerable length and often with passion, but came to no consensus on whether the policy should be continued or altered. The committee will return to the subject at its next meeting in April 2010.

2010 Secretary General and Treasurer Election. Abler outlined the procedure and timetable to be followed for the election next year of a successor to Secretary General and Treasurer Woo-ik Yu, who has chosen not to stand for re-election. The procedure will be comparable to that used to elect a successor to Vice President Nikita Glazovsky in 2006. The ballots will be received and counted by a party independent of IGU and the results of the election will be known in late April 2010. The new Secretary General and Treasurer will take office at the conclusion of the Tel Aviv Regional Office for an initial term of four years ending at the conclusion of the Krakow Regional Conference in 2014. Only the chairpersons of IGU National Committees are eligible to vote in the election.
Commission on Transportation. The committee reviewed and approved a proposal for the establishment of an IGU Commission on Transportation submitted by Yves Boquet (France). Richard Knowles (United Kingdom) will chair the commission, which will begin operations immediately.
Commission on the Informal Economic Sector. Several individuals contacted Soyez more than a year ago regarding a commission focused on informal economies. They have not responded to an invitation to submit a formal proposal. No further consideration is possible in the absence of a proposal.
Commission on the Geopolitics of Sub-Alternate Knowledge. Alcantara-Ayala and Abler have had intermittent contact with the group proposing the commission but have not yet received a revised proposal.
Commission on Toponymy.
The possibility of forming an IGU Commission focused on place names and naming has been discussed informally for several years, with David Munro (Scotland) and Sungjae Choo (South Korea) designated as prime movers. The International Cartographic Association may be interested in a joint ICA-IGU Commission on Toponymy. Abler will assess ICA interest in a joint commission when he visits the ICA executive committee in November.

IGU Planet and Humanity Medal.
A highly distinguished individual has agreed to accept the IGU Planet and Humanity Medal at the Tel Aviv Regional Conference. The individual's name will be announced in a press release a week or ten days prior to the conference. IGU Laureats d'honneur.
The IGU customarily awards its Laureats d'honneur at IGU Congresses. Accordingly, national committees will not be solicited for nominations until October 2011. Proposed IGU Honors Committee.
Discussion of a draft proposal to establish an IGU Honors Committee to receive and evaluation nominations for IGU awards was postponed until the committee's next meeting.

The committee having concluded its deliberations, President Abler adjourned the meeting at 16h30 on 1 October 2009 by expressing the deep appreciation of the IGU Executive Committee to Mr. Christian Pierret and the Festival staff for their generous hospitality during the meeting and the Festival.