SCUPAD was founded by the fellows of the Salzburg Global Seminar’s Planning session in 1965. As an alumni organization of the Salzburg Global Seminar, SCUPAD’s statutes are lodged with the City of Salzburg, Austria.
SCUPAD is committed to fighting all forms of racism, exclusion and xenophobia, whenever, wherever and however manifested. SCUPAD is dedicated to the concepts of diversity, inclusion, equity and social and economic justice, and a reverence for democratic principles, predicated on respect for and recognition of the inalienable rights of all people.
SCUPAD is a democratic organization governed by a small Committee, whose major decisions are subject to approval by the membership at its General Assembly. At the General Assembly, which takes place every year during the annual Congress in Salzburg, new topics for SCUPAD congresses are proposed and the SCUPAD Committee’s activities and recommendations are approved. The Committee members and officers, who may serve for two two-year terms, are chosen once every two years by the General Assembly. The Committee’s main tasks are to organize the annual Congress in the spring and to strengthen the SCUPAD network through workshops and other ongoing contacts. The Newsletter is usually published once a year and basically reports on the annual Congress and other issues of interest.
As SCUPAD is a non-profit organization, all expenses for the Congresses and their preparation, as well as the publication of the Newsletters are met by personal contributions of members and by Congress and membership fees. In order to support the participation of members who are not able to attend a SCUPAD Congress because of financial reasons, SCUPAD has established a special fund (SCUPAD Global Fund). Donations to this fund, as well as to cover the operating costs of SCUPAD, will be gratefully accepted. Reduced membership and Congress fees, as well as reduced accommodation costs, are also available for young professionals (under 35 years of age) who may need financial assistance to attend SCUPAD Congresses.