Establishing a new Intercountry Committee

While we are certainly all working toward goodwill among peoples in each of our corners of the world, it is when teams come together to achieve this goal that it becomes a genuine mission. Rotarians are encouraged to get together and start new ICCs when two countries are not already paired up.

People from all over both countries can join forces and create long standing bridges across borders and cultures. ICC section founders (and members) are usually Rotarians with strong ties to the country they’ll be partnering with : business people who travel a lot, expatriates, people with a spouse from abroad… or simply people with a genuine interest for the other country’s culture.

Here are a few important points to keep in mind when creating a new ICC :

  • Two ICC Sections form a complete ICC. One cannot exist without the other.
  • ICC Sections must abide by the rules governing organizations in their country.
    They must create a legal entity suiting their needs (usually a nonprofit association of some kind).
  • ICC Sections autonomous in their management, and shall hold a general meeting at least once a year (in person or remotely).
  • For more long-term success, it is recommended that ICC Section members to come from various clubs and districts (when countries have more than one)
  • Both sections must keep the ICC Executive Council updated of their activities and possible difficulties.
  • They must advocate intercountry actions and events in their home country. They should leverage their members’ network among clubs and district
  • Both sections must maintain constant contact with each other, exchange news and regional publications, keep each other informed of relevant Rotary events in the other country and inform their regional magazines.

First steps : when several Rotarians want to create a new ICC, the first steps are to get in touch with the Executive Council and their own district(s)’s International Service Chair.