This posting examines the role of the Region 2 ARDF Coordinator.
IARU Background
The IARU constitution makes it clear in Article 1, sec. 7 “The authority of the IARU resides collectively in the Member-Societies, who exercise this authority by voting.” So the IARU, rather analogously to the US government, is representative of the electorate, derives its authority from the societies that it “governs”, and serves to promote the interests of Amateur Radio under the authority given to it by the member societies.
The authority of the IARU resides collectively in the Member-Societies.
Somewhat analogously to the relationship between the individual States and the US Federal Government, the IARU does not take any of the authority away from the member societies, rather the member societies voluntarily agree to be governed by the decision-making of the IARU for the collective good of Amateur Radio worldwide. One point being: the member societies retain all the authority and responsibility that they have not delegated to the IARU.
The member societies retain all the authority and responsibility that they have not delegated to the IARU.
IARU and ARDF
ARDF is administered by the IARU Regional organizations. There is no overarching IARU administration of ARDF worldwide. ARDF exists as a regional sport, and only in those IARU regions that have adopted it. Region 2 has defined the sport and has defined and appointed a Coordinator position to perform specific duties.
ARDF exists as a regional sport, and only in those IARU regions that have adopted it.
Region 2’s definition of ARDF, and the Coordinator’s authority and responsibilities are detailed in the IARU R2 ARDF Coordinator Terms of Reference recorded in a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) approved by the Extraordinary Assembly of Delegates in Guatemala, Guatemala, on September 2001. The ARDF Coordinator duties detailed therein are, in effect, the position’s job description.
Region 2 and its ARDF Coordinator
According to the IARU Region 2 Bylaws section 2.10, it is the Assembly of Delegates that established the IARU R2 ARDF Coordinator position and specified its Terms of Reference that define the role’s purpose, responsibilities, and authority. So although the position reports to the Executive Committee (EC), the EC does not have the authority to change the position’s Terms of Reference: the Assembly of Delegates retains authority over the job description.
A careful reading of the IARU Region 2 ARDF Coordinator’s Terms of Reference reveals that the position is not granted any decision-making authority or any real authority of any kind. It has only duties:
4. ARDF Coordinator Duties.
(a) The Region 2 ARDF Coordinator shall become aware of, and shall encourage and support, ARDF activities within Region 2 and shall report on such activities from time to time to the Region 2 Executive Committee.
(b) The Region 2 ARDF Coordinator shall, in general, be aware of ARDF activities in IARU regions 1 and 3 and shall report on such activities from time to time to the Region 2 Executive Committee. The Region 2 ARDF Coordinator shall also cooperate with the ARDF coordinators from Regions 1 and 3 for the purpose of promoting ARDF activities worldwide.
(c) The Region 2 ARDF Coordinator shall make any such recommendations as are reasonably necessary and appropriate to the Region 2 Executive Committee to promote ARDF activities within Region 2.
That isn’t to say that the position is powerless. The position has the ear of the Region 2 Executive Committee, giving it a platform for presenting facts and persuasive arguments to the EC. The position also, by virtue of being an IARU entity, has standing as an authority in its area of responsibility. And as such, the position can more readily establish relationships with those entities with which it coordinates and can leverage those relationships to further the cause of ARDF in Region 2.
The IARU Region 2 ARDF Coordinator position, by virtue of being an IARU entity, has standing as an authority in its area of responsibility.
But a position of responsibility that lacks commensurate authority can be very frustrating. Success requires keen skills of persuasion, patience, and perseverance.
Sadly, sometimes the obscurity of a position is leveraged by the office holder to obfuscate the limitations on the office’s authority. It is sometimes tempting, for expediency’s sake, to simply assume authority for the good of the cause so long as that authority is not questioned. But such tactics ultimately result in disillusionment, distrust, and the eventual dissolution of the office. Clearly, such behavior must be avoided.
The ARRL and The ARDF Coordinator
Here we return to the point made earlier: that the member societies retain all the authority and responsibility that they have not delegated to the IARU. The IARU Region 2 organization has defined the sport of ARDF but has not assumed or assigned any authority over the sport. Thus, the member societies retain full domestic authority over ARDF within Region 2. The ARRL, then, retains full authority over the sport for the events it sanctions in the USA. The ARRL chooses which events to sanction, decides who will be on Team USA, and sets the rules by which the sport is played at the USA Championships. Likewise for all the other Region 2 member societies.
For now, the member societies retain full domestic authority over ARDF within Region 2.
Summary
The role of IARU Region 2 ARDF Coordinator is that of trusted and informed advisor to the Region 2 Organization on all things ARDF. The position requires being informed of ARDF activities and issues in all IARU Regions and passing that information along to the Executive Committee as appropriate. The position also serves as an interface between Region 2 and the ARDF entities of other Regions, cooperating on matters affecting the advancement of the sport. And perhaps most importantly, the Coordinator must advise the Executive Committee regarding actions that the Region 2 Organization should take in order to best promote ARDF within Region 2.
Disclaimer
Although I’ve tried to ensure accuracy and provided links to references supporting the information provided, there could be errors or omissions. Documents might have been superseded without my knowledge, or my interpretation might be in error. Please let me know if you are aware of inaccuracies in the text above, or if you have suggestions for making it more clear and understandable.
Updates will be made as new information is received.