Benefits of Becoming an IBE Chapter

IBE offers three types of Membership: Full Chapter, Regional Chapter and Associate Chapter. All chapters have constitutional rights including:

  • the right to receive support;
  • the right to information;
  • the right to participate in IBE activities;
  • the right to promote their IBE membership.

In addition, Full and Regional Chapters have the right to be nominated for election to the International Executive Committee and relevant Regional Executive Committee and to vote in ballots, polls and elections conducted by IBE.
Membership provides a wide range of benefits such as:

  • connection to the largest lay epilepsy organisation in the world and to the global network of individuals and associations working in the field of epilepsy;
  • the opportunity to play an active part in IBE programs and activities, such as the Promising Strategies Program, international and regional congresses, Global Outreach program and International Epilepsy Day, and EpilepsyNext program for young adults;
  • involvement in IBE’s collaborative partnerships including the World Health Organization (WHO), Economic & Social Council of the UN (ECOSOC), Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Conference on NGOs (CoNGO), European Federation of Neurological Associations (EFNA), European Patients Forum (EPF) and European Medicines Agency (EMA);
  • the invitation to be included in IBE’s Commissions, Task Forces, Networks and User Groups;
  • involvement in the close working relationship that exists between IBE and the International League Against Epilepsy ILAE.

Downloads:

How to Become an IBE Chapter

Membership of the IBE is open to any organisation that meets the following required criteria: –

  1. Activities and goals of the organisation must be focused on improving the quality of life of people affected by epilepsy.
  2. The organisation must have national status:
    1. membership must be constitutionally accessible to all eligible people within the country; or
    2. where the organisation is a national collective of epilepsy organisations, membership must be constitutionally accessible to all eligible organisations; or
    3. where the organisation covers more than one country, membership must be constitutionally accessible to all eligible people within each country.
  3. The organisation must be formally organised with a written constitution agreed and in place and/or recognised by an appropriate authorising body.
  4. The organisation must have a Constitution which does not conflict with that of the IBE.
  5. Lay people – in particular people with epilepsy – must be able to have full membership and voting rights and be eligible for nomination and election to any elected position of the organisation itself or of the organisations which comprise the member organisation, when it is a national collective of epilepsy organisations.
  1. People with a professional interest in epilepsy may also be members of the organisation.
  2. Evidence must be provided of recent activity focused on improving the quality of life of people affected by epilepsy.

Organisations that are focused on improving the quality of life of people with epilepsy but which do not fully meet the criteria for chapter membership, or organisations in a country where there is already a recognised Chapter of the IBE, may apply to join as an Associate Chapter. Associate Chapter membership shall entail all privileges other than the right to vote.

Once membership application papers have been reviewed and considered to be acceptable, the application organisation is deemed to be a Provisional Chapter until ratified by the General Assembly. Provisional chapters are also entitled to receive all correspondence circulated to Full, Associate and Regional chapters.

Contact Details for IBE Chapters

To contact an IBE Chapter directly, please choose from the following regions below: