In March 2022, IFORS issued the following statement, as posted on the IFORS Website:
The International Federation of Operational Research Societies (IFORS) Administrative Committee declares its denunciation of the military action on Ukraine by Russia in disregard of territorial integrity and in violation of international law. We join institutions across the world in calling for a cessation of hostilities and for a peaceful resolution of the conflict. We send our thoughts of care and hope to our colleagues, their families and all whose lives are disrupted by this crisis.
In April 2022, IFORS received proposals from the Spanish Society of Statistics and Operations Research, the Danish OR Society, the Czech OR Society and the (UK) Operational Research Society for the withdrawal of the IFORS membership of the Russian OR Society.
According to ARTICLE II(5) of the IFORS Statutes:
5. If the Administrative Committee or three Members propose that a society's membership be withdrawn, the proposal shall be put before the Members in a six-month ballot. Formal notice of the result will be sent to all Members immediately following the close of the voting. If there is a two-thirds majority in favour of withdrawal, a date for the membership to cease will be set between six and nine months from the date of dispatch of the formal notice of this decision.
In accordance, a 6-month ballot was placed before the IFORS Member Societies in June with a voting deadline of November 30, 2022.
Ballot Results Summary
Among the 54 Member Societies, 2 replied that they would not vote, and 19 others did not submit a ballot. From the ballots returned on time, the results are as follows:
| # Member Societies | Description | Weighted Vote * |
|---|
| 33 | Total # Member Societies that voted | 551.68 (100%) |
| 14 | Voted For the Proposal | 228.13 (41.35%) |
| 14 | Voted Against the Proposal | 253.48 (45.95%) |
| 5 | Voted to Abstain | 70.07 (12.70%) |
*According to Article IV.5 of the IFORS Statutes, a Member Society's voting strength is the square root of its qualified membership.
According to the above voting results, a two-thirds majority in favour of withdrawal was not attained. Therefore, the Russian OR Society remains a member of IFORS.
