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	  News in 2020
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	FIG General Assembly 2020 has been cancelled and postponed to 2021
		Agenda is available
		27 March 2020
		
			
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 | It is with deep sadness and heavy hearts that we announce the 
				cancellation of this year’s FIG Working Week in Amsterdam, the 
				Netherlands, due 10-14 May 2020. This cancellation will also 
				have the effect that the General Assembly that should have taken 
				place as part of the Working Week is also cancelled.
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		This is not a decision we have taken lightly and there are two 
		overriding concerns that have caused us to make this decision at this 
		time.  
		First, the Dutch Government announced new measurements to control the 
		COVID-19 outbreak. In the Netherlands all gatherings are prohibited 
		until 1 June.  
		Second, our primary concern is always the wellbeing of you, and we 
		would not take on the responsibility, during these times, to bring so 
		many surveyors from all over the world together.
		Options to postpone the Working Week and General Assembly to August 
		2020 have been considered by the Steering Committee but were finally 
		discarded due to several uncertainties; amongst others the current 
		travel restrictions to the European Union (Schengen-area) due to 
		COVID-19. And for the moment, the Dutch embassies do not issue visas and 
		we do not know how long this situation will last.
		FIG 43rd General Assembly
		FIG Council has decided to cancel the General Assembly 2020. There 
		will be no General Assembly at all in 2020. 
		Nevertheless, the agenda for the General Assembly 2020 has been 
		published and is shared with all members.
		The agenda is available
		
		 Please have a look at the agenda.
		With the agenda, we are sharing our thoughts on what should have taken 
		place during the General Assembly and also the reports on activities 
		throughout the past year. We hope that you will take time to go through 
		the agenda and the reports.
		The cancellation means that there will be no elections this year. 
		Council has decided to postpone the election of two new Vice presidents 
		and the venue 2024 to the next General Assembly in Accra, Ghana, 24 and 
		28 May 2021.
		As two new Vice Presidents should have been elected and their term 
		was supposed to start 1.1.2021, council has decided that the current 
		council will continue until the General Assembly in May in Ghana. When 
		the two new Vice Presidents have been elected their term of office will 
		start immediately hereafter and the current Vice Presidents will step 
		down.
		All other agenda items that should have been adopted by the General 
		Assembly will also be moved to 2021.
		Should you have comments to the agenda you are welcome to write to 
		us.
		FIG Council, FIG Office and the Dutch Local Organisers of the Working 
		Week 2020 are working on the details and consequences of the 
		cancellation, and we will get back to you with more information.
		Finally, our thoughts and thanks go especially towards our local 
		organisers from the Netherlands. The large and efficient local 
		organising committee with Paula Dijkstra competently in the lead as 
		co-conference director have put uncountable hours, creative thoughts, 
		many actions in the preparations for this Working Week and which until a 
		few weeks ago were summing excitedly with the final preparations. The 
		COVID-19 virus stopped this.
		On behalf of FIG Council,
		Rudolf Staiger, President and Louise Friis-Hansen, Director
		 
		
		 
		Louise Friis-Hansen
		
		27 March 2020