The RTI Rulebook is the official reference document of Round Table International, bringing together all general and permanent policies into one clear and structured volume. It covers the policies of the RTI Board, RTI Meetings, and RTI Councillors Meetings, ensuring consistency in language and organization.
Created to simplify governance and improve accessibility, the Rulebook serves as a key resource for RTI leaders and administrators. It allows anyone involved in the movement to quickly understand the rules and procedures currently in force, regardless of when they were adopted, making it a vital tool for effective leadership and continuity across the organization.
2024 Version of the Rules: Latest Version is avaible on Tabler.World.
History
The original rulebook of Round Table International (RTI) was authored in 1948 as a constitutional document by Eric Einborg (RT Denmark and RT Sweden), Henk Bruna (RT The Netherlands), and F. Leslie Crew and Reg Bates (both RT Great Britain & Ireland).
The document was subsequently rewritten in 1991 by Ian DeCesare (RT Malta), Waldo Thole (RT Southern Africa), Gerard O’Herlihy (RT Great Britain & Ireland), and Rijn van Baal (RT The Netherlands).
1991 RTI Constitution:
Following the adoption of a rewrite by Arawn Johnson (RT Great Britain & Ireland) on 20 November 2004 in Iceland, the second and third editions were approved on 19 August 2005 in Costa Rica and 16 September 2006 in South Africa, respectively.
At the 2004 RTI AGM, it was agreed that this new rulebook would replace all previous versions of RTI and Regional rulebooks. The rationale behind this significant change was to simplify governance, introducing a unified RTI budget, capitation fee, and set of accounts, along with a single RTI Constitution. It aimed to eliminate duplication of effort between RTI and the Regions by defining the administrative responsibilities of the RTI Secretary, RTI Treasurer, and RTI Community Service Officer. These roles were then allocated to the Regional Representatives, ensuring that each Region had representation on the RTI Board. This change also helped reduce the time spent discussing administrative matters at meetings.
Since 2006, the document has been regularly updated and adapted based on amendments approved at the Round Table International Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Half-Year Meeting (HYM).
A comprehensive rewrite was carried out in 2016 by Kaj Kostiander (RT Suomi-Finland) and Dragos Chirita (RT Romania).
At the 2016 RTI AGM, the Board structure was reformed to meet evolving needs for membership, expansion, and communication. Three new regions were introduced to replace the EMA Region:
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- Northern Europe and Americas Region
- Central and Eastern Europe Region
- Southern Europe and Mediterranean Region
Correspondingly, three new Regional Chairmen replaced the former EMA Chairman. The role of RTI Community Service Officer was dissolved, and its responsibilities were distributed among the RTI President and the Regional Chairmen. The RTI Secretary and RTI Treasurer positions were separated into distinct roles, increasing the RTI Board from five to nine members.
Since then, the document has continued to be updated and revised through amendments approved at the RTI AGM and HYM. These changes are documented within the Rules themselves.