The mandatory organs of the association are the general assembly, the board and the audit committee. Article 13 of the Statutes further provides for a disciplinary committee, and optional organs may be created by the general assembly, either on the board's recommendation or of its own motion. The powers and responsibilities of the mandatory organs may not be delegated to optional organs.
General assembly
The general assembly is the highest decision-making organ of the association and consists of the full and honorary members on its register. Each full member has one vote, and voting through a representative is not permitted. Honorary members may attend and express views, but may not vote and may not be elected to the mandatory organs.
The ordinary meeting is held once every three years, in the last week of May. The general assembly is convened in extraordinary session by the board within one month where the board or the audit committee considers it necessary, or upon the written request of one fifth of the full members.
Electing the organs of the association, deciding on proposed amendments to the Statutes, examining and adopting the draft budget, examining the audit committee's report and discharging the board, finally determining appeals against decisions of expulsion or refusal of membership, and dissolving the association are among the powers of the general assembly.
The general assembly meets with an absolute majority of the full members entitled to attend, and with two thirds of them where the Statutes are to be amended or the association dissolved. Decisions are taken by an absolute majority of the members present; amendments to the Statutes and dissolution require a two-thirds majority of those present.
Board
The board consists of five full and five substitute members. It is elected from among the full members for three years at the first general assembly and at subsequent ordinary general assemblies; members whose term has expired may be re-elected.
At its first meeting following the election, the board allocates offices among its members, electing a president, a vice-president and a treasurer. Meetings are chaired by the president or, in their absence, by the vice-president. Where necessary, the board appoints a secretary-general and staff to other positions. The president of the board is also the president of the association.
The association is represented by the president of the board. Transactions placing the association under debt or obligation require the joint signature of the president together with the treasurer or a board member authorised by the president.
The board's principal duties are to manage the association, to decide on membership applications, to set the admission fee and the annual dues, to determine the date, place and agenda of general assembly meetings and convene the members, to prepare rules on the application of the Statutes, and to prepare the association's income and expenditure and the draft budget for the approval of the general assembly.
The board meets in ordinary session at least once every three months. At least three of the five members must attend, and attendance must be in person. Decisions are taken by an absolute majority of those present; the board is not confined to a fixed agenda.
Audit committee
The audit committee consists of three full and three substitute members elected by the general assembly from among the full members, and serves for three years. Its decisions require the affirmative vote of at least two of its three members.
The committee examines whether the association operates in accordance with the purposes set out in its Statutes, audits whether the statutory books are kept in the prescribed manner, and informs the board and the general assembly of any irregularities identified. Audits of the association's activities, books, accounts and records are carried out at intervals not exceeding one year.
Where financial irregularity, a serious breach of legislation or a situation endangering the interests of the association is identified, the committee convenes the general assembly in extraordinary session through the board. Where an element of a criminal offence such as embezzlement, misconduct in office or forgery is encountered, the matter is reported to the judicial authorities or to the civil administration.
Disciplinary committee
The disciplinary committee consists of three full and three substitute members elected by the general assembly from among the full members for three years. Full membership of the disciplinary committee may not be combined in the same person with full membership of the board or of the audit committee. At its first meeting the committee elects a president, a vice-president and a rapporteur from among its members.
The committee examines written complaints, reports and notifications referred to it by the board or submitted directly, in order to determine whether members have acted contrary to the Statutes, to the ethical principles, to binding decisions of the association's organs, or to its purpose and working principles.
The acts or circumstances attributed to a member under examination are notified in writing, and a period of at least fifteen days is allowed for a defence. A committee member having a personal or professional interest in the matter may not take part in the deliberation of the file; a substitute member is called in their place. Information and documents obtained in the course of disciplinary examinations are confidential.
Working committees and commissions
The general assembly or the board may set up working committees and commissions, for a fixed or indefinite term, in fields such as scholarly work, training, international relations and young arbitrators. These bodies are advisory in nature; their establishment, duties and working procedures are laid down in rules adopted by the board.
Founding members
Under Article 23 of the Statutes, the founding members of the association are as follows.
| # | Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | Prof. Dr. Rauf Karasu |
| 2 | Prof. Dr. Talat Canbolat |
| 3 | Prof. Dr. Mehmet Emin Bilge |
| 4 | Prof. Dr. Süleyman Yılmaz |
| 5 | Prof. Dr. İbrahim Ermenek |
| 6 | Prof. Dr. Mustafa Ateş |
| 7 | Prof. Dr. Mustafa İsmail Kaya |
| 8 | Prof. Dr. Kürşat Göktürk |
| 9 | Prof. Dr. Abdulkerim Yıldırım |
| 10 | Assoc. Prof. Dr. Alper Çağrı Yılmaz |
| 11 | Kemal Güngör, Honorary Member of the Court of Cassation |
Interim board
Until the organs of the association were constituted at the first general assembly, the association was represented and its affairs conducted by the interim board designated in Article 24 of the Statutes, composed as follows.
| # | Name | Office |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prof. Dr. Rauf Karasu | President of the Interim Board |
| 2 | Prof. Dr. Süleyman Yılmaz | Vice-President |
| 3 | Prof. Dr. Mustafa Ateş | Vice-President |
| 4 | Prof. Dr. Mustafa İsmail Kaya | Treasurer |
| 5 | Prof. Dr. Mehmet Emin Bilge | Founding Member |
The interim board convened the first general assembly on 10 October 2026 and served until the board, the audit committee and the disciplinary committee were elected at that meeting. Its activity report and final accounts were considered at the same meeting, and the interim board was discharged. The full and substitute members of the committees elected at the first general assembly are listed on the Management page.