ISHS Division Ornamental Plants (DORN) and its Working Group Orchids (OP6) are the primary supporters for the V International Orchid Symposium (https://ishs.org/symposium/815/), in Kathmandu, Nepal, 18-20 November 2026; Convener: Bijaya Pant.
The symposium is endorsed by ISHS Division Plant Genetic Resources, Breeding and Biotechnology (DBIO).
This symposium, which belongs to a series of symposia promoted by ISHS Working Group Orchids (https://ishs.org/scientific-structure/op6-orchids/), brings together scientists, breeders and experts working on orchids from the host country Nepal and around the world.
During the business meeting of the V International Orchid Symposium, two important points are on the agenda:
1. The election of the new Chair for ISHS Working Group Orchids
2. The venue and convener of the VI International Orchid Symposium
This is a call for candidatures for both agenda items.
We briefly remind you of the responsibilities/expectations of ISHS for:
1. CHAIR OF THE WORKING GROUP
Responsibilities/Expectations of Working Group Chairs
• maintain active membership in ISHS
• aid in recruiting potential conveners/identifying potential sites for future symposia
• work with conveners in organizing Working Group symposia, including providing guidance for scientific content of the symposia agenda and editing symposia Acta Horticulturae
• communicate with Working Group members regarding issues arising in the Working Group
• work with Division Chair and communicate with ISHS Secretariat concerning issues arising in the Working Group
Criteria for selecting Working Group Chairs
• Working Group Chair must be a member of ISHS
• involvement of the Chair candidate in previous meetings of the Working Group
• scientific standing of the candidate in horticulture and subjects related to the Working Group
• evidence of commitment of the Chair candidate to ISHS
2. CONVENER OF ISHS SYMPOSIUM
For those who may not be familiar with convening an ISHS symposium, we refer to https://www.ishs.org/conveners for an overview of the responsibilities/expectations of symposium conveners and the criteria for selecting symposium conveners and sites.
If you are willing to candidate for Chair of ISHS Working Group Orchids or for the organization of the VI International Orchid Symposium, please send, before November 15, 2026, your proposal.
- A brief introduction highlighting the above-mentioned requirements and the motivation for your application as Working Group Chair is required.
- If you are submitting your application as convener for the next symposium, we also ask you to outline the key highlights, such as the hosting structure that will support the organization, the location, and the tentative date of the symposium. Furthermore, during the business meeting of the V International Orchid Symposium., it will be useful to have a PPT presentation illustrating the proposal.
All candidates are invited to attend the ISHS Business meeting at the V International Orchid Symposium in Kathmandu, Nepal, to present themselves and/or their symposium proposal. Elections will take place during the ISHS Business meeting. The elected Working Group Chair and symposium proposal will be confirmed by the ISHS Executive Committee.
The correspondence should be sent to:
– Prof. Patricia Duarte de Oliveira Paiva, Chair of ISHS Division Ornamental Plants (DORN) (patriciapaivaishs@gmail.com)
– Dr. Margherita Beruto, Vice-Chair of DORN (margheberuto@gmail.com)
and cc to:
– Dr. Kanchit Thammasiri, Chair of ISHS Working Group Orchids (kanchitthammasiri@gmail.com)
– Prof. Bijaya Pant, convener of the V International Orchid Symposium (b.pant@cdbtu.edu.np)
– Kelly Van Dijck, ISHS Secretariat (kelly.vandijck@ishs.org)
Best regards,
Dr. Patricia Paiva Chair of ISHS Division Ornamental Plants (DORN)