Report of the FIG Working Week 2000 in Prague

The Task Force on Under-represented Groups in Surveying intensified the contact to UN Habitat. Sylvie Lacroux from UN Habitat gave two very interesting and informative presentations during the FIG Working Week in Prague. She gave her presentation of the "Security of Tenure in Post-conflict Situations" during Session 1 "Co-operation with International Bodies and Organisation" and the presentation of the paper "Under-represented Groups in Urban Development Issues Including in the Professional Practice" from Sylvie Lacroux and Diana Lee-Smith during the first Task Force meeting. The following discussion gave a deep insight of the fields of action of UN Habitat.

Within both well attended Task Force meetings in Prague one of the main topics was the ongoing discussion concerning the "Need for Involvement of the New Generation of Contributors to FIG" started by the Task Force on Future Governance and Management of FIG. The Task Force on Under-represented Groups in Surveying focused in Prague on aspects of Commissions work. Together with the Chairs of Commissions 1 and 2, John Parker and Kirsi Virrantaus, the Task Force worked out several proposals to be passed to the Task Force - Review of Commission, Task Force and Permanent Institution Structure 2000-2002, which is now established. The General Assembly of FIG nominated the Chair of the Task Force on Under-represented Groups in Surveying as one of seven members for this Task Force. So the FIG Bureau established a direct link between these two Task Forces to facilitate their work.

The proposals concerning Commissions work were as follows:

• To enable several Commission meetings or workshops during a Congress (or Congress of a Working Week) if asked-for, also after the presentation of papers. This would enable discussions in Commission meetings afterwards,
• to integrate all Commission meetings into the Congress or to make the General Assembly a part of the Congress,
• to have only one registration fee for the Congress and the General Assembly to facilitate the attendance of Commission delegates to the General Assembly,
• to announce all Commission meetings in the program and
• to announce them as open meetings for all Congress participants.

Kirsi Virrantaus reported that there will be activities of Commission 2 to facilitate practical work or training facilities for foreign students. The Network will be started with the Academic Members of FIG. The Task Force will support this activities of Commission 2.

All proposals the Task Force made last year during the Working Week in Sun City to facilitate the attendance of young professionals to FIG Congresses were discussed with Mary Clawson, Congress Director for Washington 2002. 2002 will be the first time that FIG will get an evaluation of the Congress registration concerning Commissions, gender, age periods and the first attendance. The proposals to introduce a lower registration fee for students, to enable the attendance of students to assist the organisers and to mark the name tags of participants attending the first time a Congress or Working Week were also agreed by her.

With Mary Clawson was also discussed that there should be only one registration fee for the FIG Congress and the General Assembly. The opportunity to get an insight of FIG work may raise an interest to support FIG activities.

During the General Assembly on Friday the Task Force Newsletter 1/00 was distributed to all member associations and there was the opportunity to give a short report about the Task Force activities in Prague.

Gabriele Dasse
Chair of the Task Force on Under-represented Groups in Surveying

9 July 2000