STATUTE EFUCA

- EUROPEAN FEDERATION OF 

UNESCO CLUBS, CENTERS AND ASSOCIATIONS -

 

We, the representatives of UNESCO Clubs, Centers and Associations in the countries of the Europe Region: reaffirming our support for the Constitution, ideals and principles of UNESCO; defining the Europe Region as a space for different cultures and civilizations with common values, in line with the views held by UNESCO; realizing the need for respect of cultural diversity, and in an effort to collaborate for the promotion of the common purpose of European solidarity, peace and development in order to secure the effective implementation of UNESCO ideals and principles; taking advantage of the possibility offered by article 10 section 1 of the statutes of WFUCA (World Federation of UNESCO Clubs, Centers and Associations),

We, 

Name of  Organization	Country	Name/Position	ID No.	Signature
Belarus Association of UNESCO Clubs	Republic of Belarus, Ul. Kabushkina, 18  Minsk, P.O. Box 432 Minsk 220050	Aliaksandr  Karankevich,  President	M.P. 0980594
Armenian Federation of UNESCO Clubs	Armenia, 53 Mashtots Ave, Yerevan, 375009	Mher Gabrielyan, President	A.E. 0633635
Moldavian Federation of UNESCO Clubs	Republic of Moldova, Str. Puskin nr. 34, Kishinew	Renata Verejanu, President	A 88011978HDA
Clube UNESCO da Cidade do Porto	Portugal, R. Dr. Ricardo Jorge, 19-2 (5.3.), Porto	Silvio Loureiro Correia de Matos, President	G 012581
Clube UNESCO da Cidade do Porto	Portugal, R. Dr. Ricardo Jorge, 19-2 (s.3.), Porto	Julio Manuel Sousa e Santos, Vice- President	E 516634
Club UNESCO Zagreb	Croatia, Svacicev trg 8, 10000 Zagreb	Visna Jezic, Vice- President	06481342
Nationalen Nancen Expeditionen Club UNESCO	Bulgaria, Pl. Narodno Sobranie, N. 10, Sofia 1000	Eduard Grozdanov Geshev, President	308354726
Greek Federation of Clubs, Associations and Centers of UNESCO	Greece, Pireu, 185, 32, Karaiskou 98	John Maronitis, Secretary General	0313848
Federa!ia Român" a Asocia!iilor, Cluburilor #i Centrelor UNESCO	Romania, Str. Calea Plevnei 61, Sect.1, Bucure#ti	Daniela Popescu, Vice-President	000524708
Polska Federacja Klubor i Centron UNESCO	Poland, 31-135 Krakow, ul. Batorego 12	Boguslawa Matwjiow, President	AA 3013948
UNESCO Platform VZW	Belgium, Edg. Farasijnstraat 32; B8670 Koksijde	Jean Pierre Dehouck, President	8670 - Koksijde
Italian Federation of UNESCO Clubs	Italy, Via Maggio 6, 50132 Firenze	Marialuisa Stringa, Secretary General	209597 P
Cyprus Federation of UNESCO Associations and Clubs	Cyprus, P.O. Box 51943, Limassol	Ninetta Kazantzi, Secretary General	C240109
Spanish Confederation of UNESCO Associations, Centers and Clubs	Spain, C / Andalucia, no. 23, 04250 Almeria	Juan Antonio Vera Casares, Prime Vice-President	40295038 G
French Federation of UNESCO Clubs	France, 2, rue Lapeyrère, 75018 Paris	Jean Lamotte, Treasurer	96AF90100
UNESCO Club of Malta	Malta, 5 Censu Borg Str., Hamrun, HMR 06	Albert Rutter, President	463622

Hereby create within WFUCA an international non-governmental organization, that is a regional branch of WFUCA, which will be called "European Federation of UNESCO Clubs, Centers and Associations (EFUCA)", according to the availabilitycertificate no. 3403/12.02.2001 issued by the Romanian Ministry of Justice, and called below the Federation or the European Federation. 

To this effect, have decided to adopt the following statutes:

ARTICLE I. - AIMS AND FUNCTIONS

Section 1 - Aims

The aims of the European Federation are as follows:

1. To promote the ideals, objectives and programs of UNESCO;
2. To reinforce and develop, in liaison with WFUCA, the movement of UNESCO Clubs, Centers and Associations within the Europe Region;
3. To promote the cooperation of UNESCO Clubs, Centers and Associations within the Europe Region through joint programs and projects in a spirit of international understanding and solidarity,particularly in the following areas:

1. Human Rights, Democracy, Justice and Peace;
2. Education and Culture;
3. Inter-cultural dialogue;
4. Development and Environment;
5. Communication;
6. Natural and Cultural Heritage (both tangible and intangible);
7. Science and Technology;

4. To participate in the coordination of the programs and actions of WFUCA in the Europe Region and facilitate their implementation;
5. To participate in lifelong education and training of active citizens for a Europe of cooperation, democracy, solidarity and peace.

The Federation is established for an indefinite duration.

Section 2 - Functions

To achieve these aims, the European Federation will exercise the following functions, particularly in cooperation with

WFUCA:

1. Discover, identify and build new spaces for cooperation within a European Mobility Program called "Knowledge of Europe", “e-Europe”, to assist, apply, develop and promote all available and suitable programs that comply with the ideals and objectives of UNESCO;
2. To assist in the establishment of information, documentation and exchange networks, including new technologies, between UNESCO Clubs, Centers and Associations;
3. To promote exchanges, youth work camps and meetings on a thematic and inter-generations basis at European level;
4. To organize workshops offering training in UNESCO objectives and UNESCO Club methods intended mainly for the youngest Club members;
5. To develop cooperation and consultation with the Council of Europe and the European Union, as well as with associations having a consultative status with these institutions.

ARTICLE II – HEADQUARTERS AND OTHER OFFICIES

The Headquarters of the Federation are located in the country of the Executive Secretariat.

Headquarters may be transferred by decision of the General Assembly by a majority of two thirds of the members present and voting. 

ARTICLE III – MEMBERS

Recognition of membership is based on three principles:

1. The reality of the commitment and action within the movement of UNESCO Clubs, Centers and Associations.
2. The diversity of the European political, territorial and cultural contexts.
3. Representativeness within the civil society.

Section 1 - Types of membership

The Federation is composed of the following members, each residing and operating in a country of the Europe Region, as defined by the UNESCO: a) Active members:

• Confederations, Federations, Coordination bodies and Fora of UNESCO Clubs,

Centers and Associations at the national level;

• The Clubs, Centers and Associations providing a national representation in the absence of a competent National Federation.

Active members must comply with all the requirements mentioned in Article III, but in no case may an active member act in this capacity at two different geographical levels. There can be no double representation within the EFUCA

2. Associate members: Regionally, or non-regionally grouped Clubs, Centers and Associations, provided they have an important regional impact or that they are project or program coordinators.
3. Partner members: International Non-Governmental Organizations maintaining relations with UNESCO, other UN agencies, or with European Institutions.
4. Honorary Members: Persons or organizations having participated in a decisive and exemplary manner in the European UNESCO Clubs, Centers and Associations movement or in the work of the European Federation of UNESCO Clubs, Centers and Associations.
5. Advisory Members: National Commissions for UNESCO.

Section 2 - Conditions of Admission

1. All requests for admission as active or associate members are to be addressed to the Executive Secretary, who submits the requests to the Board for decision.
2. Requests for admission as active or associate members must be accompanied by a dossier including the motivation and all documents considered of interest to enable the Board to take a decision. In this connection the dossier may also include a viewpoint, on a consultative basis, from the National Commission for UNESCO.
3. The request to become an associate member may be presented at any time but must be renewed at each ordinary session of the General Assembly.
4. As mentioned in section 1, consideration of the diversity of the European situation will in no case authorize double representation, representation being allowed only for countries recognized by UNESCO within EFUCA. e) The Board reports on the decisions taken concerning admission of members to the General Assembly.

Section 3 - Resignation of membership

1. Any member of the European Federation who wishes to withdraw must notify the Executive Secretary in writing. The withdrawal will take effect one year after the reception of notice. The member withdrawing must previously fulfil all financial obligations and duties outstanding.
2. Members whose activities are incompatible with the aims of the Federation or of UNESCO can be excluded by the General Assembly following a vote with a majority of two/thirds of the active voting members present, provided the proposed exclusion appears on the agenda. The member in question will be given the opportunity to speak before the voting takes place. 

ARTICLE IV – ORGANS 

The main bodies of the European Federation are:

1. The General Assembly.
2. The Executive Board.
3. The Secretariat.
4. The Auditor.

ARTICLE V - GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Section 1 - Composition

The General Assembly is the supreme body of the European Federation and is composed of delegates duly appointed by each active and associate member.

The associate members form a college with only one vote. Partner, Honorary and Advisory members may participate as observers.

Section 2 - Representation of WFUCA and UNESCO

1. The President, members of the Executive Board, Secretary-General and the Treasurer of the WFUCA are invited as observers, in a consultative capacity, to each General Assembly.
2. UNESCO is invited to be represented by one or two observers with consultative capacity at each General Assembly.

Section 3 - Credentials Committee

A Credentials Committee appointed by the General Assembly verifies the credentials of the delegates prior to their admission, in the light of the recommendations of the Board, and reports on them to the General Assembly.

Section 4 - Functions of the General Assembly

The General Assembly, having full powers, is the highest authority regulating all matters that are not foreseen in the present Statutes. It also constitutes a mechanism of coordination and integration of the programs of the Federation. It ensures, in particular, the following functions: a) Adoption of Internal Regulations.

2. Definition of the guidelines of the Federation in harmony with the general policy of WFUCA and UNESCO.
3. Approval of the activity report prepared by the Executive Secretary and of the financial report prepared by the Treasurer for the period elapsed since the previous General Assembly.
4. Adoption of the program and budget proposed by the Board for the period until the following General Assembly. e) Evaluation of the work of the different bodies.

6. Election of the President, the Executive Secretary and the Treasurer, in the first round, by the absolute majority of the active voting members present, from amongst the candidates submitted by the active members of the European Federation. Candidatures for the position of Executive Secretary should be submitted with a supporting dossier including a plan of establishment of the Secretariat. The positions that are not covered in the first round with an absolute majority, will be the object of a second round with a simple majority.
7. Election of the three Vice-Presidents and the two other members of the Board, from amongst the candidates submitted by the active members of the European Federation, in one round, from a list containing five names. Candidates receiving the largest number of votes will be Vice-Presidents and the two remaining will be the other members.
8. Each active member or a group of active members may present candidatures to two different positions, the first candidature elected being retained. The presented candidates must be accepted by the delegation of their own country. i) An equitable geographical distribution will be applied in these elections.

10. The associate members present and voting, a minimum of three, will make up a college that will elect their representative on the Board by simple majority.
11. Election of the Honorary Members as proposed by the active members or the Executive Board.
12. Designation of the Auditor as proposed by the active members or the Executive Board.
13. Election of the three members of the Conciliation Commission, to be chaired by the candidate elected with the largest number of votes.
14. General debate on the policy and programs of the Federation
15. Relieve the Board and Executive Secretary

Section 5 - Ordinary Sessions

1. The General Assembly meets in ordinary session once between two World Congresses of WFUCA. The General Assembly sets the date and venue of its next session. If required, the Executive Board may take this decision.

Section 6 - Extraordinary Sessions

1. The President may convene the General Assembly in an extraordinary session if a resolution to that effect is adopted by two thirds of the members of the Board, or at the request of two thirds of the members of the Federation, amounting to a simple majority of active members.
2. Only the matters for which the extraordinary session was convoked will be dealt with.

Section 7 - Agenda of Ordinary Sessions of the General Assembly

1. The Board shall draft a preliminary provisional agenda, which must be communicated to all members at least three months prior to the opening of an ordinary session.
2. The members will submit their observations at least six weeks prior to the opening of the session.
3. The Board shall then draft, based on observations and proposals received, a provisional agenda, which will be communicated to members and observers three weeks before the session.

Section 8 - Office of the General Assembly

The members of the office of the General Assembly, i.e. the President, Vice-Presidents and three rapporteurs are elected by the duly accredited delegates during the first plenary session of the General Assembly.

ARTICLE VI – THE EXECUTIVE BOARD

Section 1 - Composition

The Board is composed of:

1. The President, three Vice-Presidents and two other members, the Executive Secretary and the Treasurer, duly elected by the General Assembly in an ordinary session.
2. The Vice-President and the member representing the Europe Region on the Executive Board of the WFUCA, as ex officio members with a right to vote.
3. A representative of all associate members.
4. An Honorary Member of the European Federation, in a consultative capacity.

1. The members of the Board take up their duties immediately after the end of the work of the General Assembly and perform their duties during a period of four years until their successors are elected during the next ordinary session of the General Assembly.
2. Each member of the Board acts in his/her personal capacity.
3. When a member of the Board cannot perform his or her functions until the end of the term, the Board will appoint another person for the remaining period.
4. A representative of UNESCO is also invited to take part in the work of the Board in a consultative capacità.

Section 2 - Duties of the Executive Board

The Board is accountable to the General Assembly for the accomplishment of the objectives of the Federation and, in particular:

1. It applies the decisions of the General Assembly.
2. It examines, submits and recommends to the General Assembly the draft of program and budget of the European Federation, drafted by the Executive Secretary and Treasurer respectively, for a period of four years. c) It proposes two candidates for the position of Auditor to the General Assembly.

4. It drafts the provisional agenda of the General Assembly.
5. It approves the annual program and budget prepared by the Executive Secretary and the Treasurer and oversees the follow-up of its implementation by the Executive Secretary and Treasurer.
6. It prepares and proposes to the General Assembly the draft Internal Regulations.
7. It performs other duties of the Board, as defined in the present statutes.
8. It takes decisions concerning conflicts and litigations based on advice from the Conciliation Commission 

Section 3 - Duties of the Members of the Board

1. President

His/her duties are, among others, the following:

1. To convene, chair and lead the meetings of the Board. To apply the policy of the European Federation.
2. To represent the European Federation in foreign commitments with all other institutional and associate partners, particularly at a European level; specifically, with the Council of Europe and the European Union. He/she commits the European Federation with his/her signature on all documents.
3. He/she is assisted, and may be represented in his/her duties, by the Vice-Presidents.

2. Executive Secretary

His/her duties are, among other, the following:

1. To submit to the Board all proposals concerning the personnel of the Secretariat.
2. To supervise the proper implementation of the program.
3. To prepare the draft program, to study the requests for the labeling of programs taking into account the guidelines of both the European Federation and WFUCA.
4. To present to the Board an annual report on the activities of the European Federation.
5. To draft the activity report on the four-year period between the sessions of the ordinary General Assembly.

3. Treasurer

His/her duties are, among other, the following:

1. Fund raising for the implementation of projects.
2. Preparation of the draft budget.
3. Implementation of the budget, opening of accounts and follow-up on accounting operations.
4. Draw up an income statement for each financial year of the European Federation.
5. To prepare the financial report for the four-year period preceding the session of the ordinary General Assembly.

Section 4 - Ordinary Sessions

The Executive Board convenes an ordinary session at least once a year.

Section 5 - Extraordinary Sessions

The Board may convene an extraordinary session at the request of the President or of at least two thirds of its members.

ARTICLE VII – SECRETARIAT

1. The Secretariat headquarters are established in the country of the Executive Secretary for the duration of his/her mandate.
2. The Secretariat is composed of the required personnel and is supervised by the Executive Secretary and the Treasurer.
3. The employment and dismissal of personnel depends on the proposal of the Executive Secretary and must have the approval of the President. In case of disagreement, the decision lies with the Board.
4. In carrying out their duties, the Secretariat personnel should not seek or receive any instructions from any nonmembers of the Board or any other authority external to the European Federation.
5. The President, the Executive Secretary and the Treasurer are responsible for the management of the Secretariat and to this end must be in regular contact.
6. The Auditor shall:

• check the way in which the patrimony of the Federation is managed;
• draft and submit reports to the General Assembly;
• perform other duties stipulated by the law or by the Executive Board.

ARTICLE VIII - CONCILIATION COMMISSION

1. The Conciliation Commission is composed of three persons. They are elected by the General Assembly for a fouryear mandate. These persons should possess a wide experience of the movement and a good knowledge of its operation. The General Assembly delegates to the Executive Board the follow-up and funding of the Commission.
2. All litigation or conflict between members may be submitted to the Conciliation Commission. The Board may submit to the Commission any litigation or conflict between members of the Federation. Litigation or conflicts between members and the Organs, between Organs or within Organs are the exclusive responsibility of the General Assembly, which may, as the case may be, and in accordance with the established procedures, be convened to an extraordinary session.
3. The members of the Conciliation Commission may not hold any other mandate within the European Federation. 4) The Conciliation Commission investigates the cases submitted to it by the Executive Board and tries to reach a friendly agreement between parties. If it fails to do so, it issues an opinion on the conflict or litigation to be resolved and submits it to the legally competent body.

5. Decisions within the Conciliation Commission are taken by consensus and the duty of minute-drafting is to be rotated among members.
6. The members of the Conciliation Commission may not receive instructions from any other party and are endowed with the most extended powers. The members of the Federation, its bodies and the members of the latter are in duty bound to offer any assistance requested.
7. The management expenses of the Conciliation Commission are covered by the EFUCA. The Conciliation Commission decides on its own expenditure within a duly established budgetary framework, which it shall justify to the Board.
8. If the case arises, the Executive Board should report to the General Assembly on the activities of the Commission (including their financial aspects) for the duration of its mandate.

ARTICLE IX - EUROPEAN MOBILITY PROGRAMME

Section 1

This program comprises a series of projects with themes drawn from the various fields of action of UNESCO. The emphasis is on interaction of the themes already mentioned within a network structure and without any formal limitation, under point c) of Section 1, Article I.

Section 2

1. The project, with a duly defined theme, is planned on the basis of proposals contributed by Clubs working in the related field in Europe.
2. Each project has a transnational partnership dimension. Its duration is set according to the objectives and aims to be achieved.
3. Project approval is the responsibility of the European Federation.
4. Each project has its own budget. Funding is provided through the European Federation and the members responsible for the management of the project budget, as well as by participating UNESCO Clubs, Centers and Associations.
5. The coordination, implementation and the responsibility of launching the project is entrusted to a member of the European Federation.

Section 3

The various project leaders may take part in the Board sessions in a consultative capacity, when their presence is required.

ARTICLE X – PROCEDURES

Section 1 - Quorum

1. At plenary sessions of the General Assembly, the quorum is formed by the simple majority of active members present or represented.
2. On the Executive Board, the quorum is constituted by the presence of at least 6 of its elected members.

Section 2 - Decisions

1. The decisions of the General Assembly are taken by absolute majority of the members.
2. The decisions of the Board are adopted by a simple majority of those present and voting. In the case of equal numbers of votes, the President has a casting vote.

Section 3 - Voting

1. Every active member of the European Federation has a vote at the General Assembly.
2. Associate members present and voting, with a minimum of three, form an electoral college, electing by simple majority the representative of the associate members on the Board. c) Each member of the Board has one vote.

Section 4 – Notification

a) General Assembly 

The President will notify members of each session of the General Assembly, within the following delays, to facilitate the designation of delegates.

1. Ordinary Sessions of the General Assembly will be announced at least three months in advance. The provisional agenda will be at that time submitted to the members;
2. Delegates and observers will be notified of admission six weeks before the General Assembly is held.
3. Notification of an extraordinary session is given at least two months in advance. The notification indicates the reason for calling the session.

b) The Executive Board

The President notifies Board members about Board sessions within the following delays:

1. Notice of an ordinary session is to be given at least ten weeks in advance; the provisional agenda of this session is communicated to members of the Board.
2. The notification of an extraordinary session is to be given at least four weeks in advance. The notification also indicates the reason for convening the session.

Section 5 - Working Committees.

The Federation can set up Working Committees, according to its needs. These committees adopt their own internal regulations.

ARTICLE XI – FINANCE AND PATRIMONY

Section 1 - Resources.

The annual income of the Federation is composed of: a) Membership fees.

2. Public funding and contributions from national, regional and international organizations.
3. Revenue from special activities and European resources.
4. Subsidies, sponsorships, contributions and donations.
5. Other income

Section 2 - Payment of membership fees.

1. The scale of membership fees payable each year by the members is established by the General Assembly at the proposal of the Executive Board.
2. The Board sets up the appropriate mechanisms for collection and administration of the Federation's resources.

Section 3 - Financial Report

The Treasurer establishes for each financial year, corresponding to the calendar year, an income statement of the European Federation, which he/she submits to the Board for examination. An Auditor verifies this annual financial statement.

Section 4 - Arrears in membership fees payable

The Board may prevent members who do not keep their annual payment of membership fees up to date from exercising their rights.

Section 5 – Patrimony

The Patrimony will include:

-Real estate and assets

-Cash

-Other goods.

The initial patrimony is ROL 25,000,000.

ARTICLE XII - EXTERNAL RELATIONS

The Federation maintains close relations with the Council of Europe and the European Union, in coordination with WFUCA, with UNESCO and the United Nations. It cooperates with other international, regional and national organizations in all areas of common interest.

ARTICLE XIII - AMENDMENTS AND DISSOLUTION

Section 1 - Amendments

1. Amendments to the present Statutes may be proposed by a member or by the  Executive Board.
2. The Board must receive any proposal of modification of the Federation’s Statutes at least one year before the ordinary  session of the General Assembly.
3. These proposals, along with the remarks of the Executive Board, will be  communicated to the members at the same time as the provisional agenda of the ordinary session, at least three months before the opening of the ordinary session of the General Assembly.
4. The amendments to the present Statutes may only be adopted by the General Assembly following a vote with a majority of at least two thirds of the members present and voting. The amendment comes into force from the moment it is adopted.

Section 2 - Dissolution

1. A General Assembly convened to decide on the dissolution of the European Federation must be composed of at least two thirds of the active members.
2. Such decisions must be approved by two thirds of members present and voting.

Article XIV – AUTHORISATION

This is to authorize Mrs. Maxim Victoria or/and Mrs. Iacob Paula to take all necessary measures and to sign all the documents needed to obtain the status of legal person for the European Federation of UNESCO Clubs and Associations and to open the bank account needed for the initial patrimony. This statute will come into force once signed.

Drafted by legal advisor Maxim Victoria in 8 (eight) copies in the Romanian Language today, February 18, 2001 at the UNESCO Center Bu#teni, Bd. Libert"!ii nr. 93, Prahova County, Romania. There were translated and legalized copies for all the signatories. The Statute are part of the Establishing Act, authenticated and registered under No.

138/18.02.2001, by public notary D"nescu Petru!a, Bd. Libert"!ii, no. 135, Prahova County, Romania.