Organization

1. Executive Office

The Executive Office provides leadership for the partnership, and consists of the Chairperson and three Vice-Chairs. All posts would be voluntary and among the four posts, two would be represented by institutions from the developing world using the following criteria:

• Geographic representation
• Commitment towards the partnership
• Track record relevant to forestry education.

The Executive Office shall be appointed by the General Assembly for a term of three years, renewable only once. The Secretary of IPFE is an ex officio member of the Executive Office. The Executive Office convenes at least once a year.

The Executive Office for the first term is:

• Chairman: prof. Hosny El-Lakany, UBC
• Vice chairs: prof. Oswaldo Encinas, Univ. de Los Andes, prof. Paavo Pelkonen, Univ. of Joensuu , prof. August Temu, ANAFE

2. Steering Committee

The function of the Steering Committee would be to advise the Executive Office and membership at large on strategic issues pertaining to the partnership. The Steering Committee is composed of prominent persons from education institutions, industry, NGO's, research institutions and Networks, on a voluntary basis. It is composed of 11 to 13 members with due consideration to geographic distribution, discipline, and affiliation. The International Forestry Students Association (IFSA) has a permanent seat on the Steering Committee.

The Chairperson proposes names of the Steering Committee to the General Assembly for approval. The Chair of the Steering Committee is elected among members of IPFE. The Steering Committee is convened by the Chairperson at least once a year (depending upon availability of resources).

The Steering Committee for the first term is:

• Hosny El-Lakany, University of British Columbia
• Oswaldo Encinas, University de Los Andes
• Paavo Pelkonen, University of Joensuu
• August Temu, ANAFE
• Pierre Ackerman, Stellenbosch University
• Peter Kanowski, Autralian National University
• Pieter van Lierop, FAO
• Manuel Guariguata, CIFOR
• Siegfried Lewark, SILVA Network and IUFRO
• Sari Pitkänen, University of Joensuu
• Representative from Asia, open
• President of IFSA, at the moment Sylvain Dupire

Role of the Steering Committee
The overall responsibility of the Steering Committee is to set the general operating policy and procedures of IPFE including general coordination of its activities. This entails oversight and guidance of the work of the Executive Office.

The specific tasks involve the consideration of needed resources, review of activities and the overall progress tracking. The Steering Committee will also guide the development of IPFE; ensuring that work adheres to its fundamental principles and that IPFE performs its activities in a timely manner and are updated to respond to changes in the Forestry Education culture. This is closely connected to the very important task of guiding the interaction between IPFE and its constituency. Furthermore, the task of Steering Committee is to ensure that no particular individual, group or organization controls the Partnership and that the major decisions are made according of the best interests of IPFE.

3. The Secretariat

The IPFE Secretariat is at present co-hosted by the University of Joensuu in Finland and by the University of British Columbia in Canada. It is entrusted with the following main tasks:

• Coordination and internal communications among partners
• Organization of meetings and events
• Public relations and information dissemination
• Fund raising and resources mobilization
• Knowledge generation and sharing
• Administration of the partnership

The IPFE Secretary is nominated by IPFE Chairperson and approved by the General Assembly, with due consideration to offers from member institutions to host the Secretariat. The term of office is three years, renewable upon approval of the General Assembly, and the Host Institute.

4. The General Assembly

The General Assembly is the supreme authority of IPFE. It is composed of representatives of all member institutions. Representatives are nominated by their respective institutions. The General Assembly is chaired by IPFE Chairperson.