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AFEJ CONSTITUTION
&
THREE-YEAR MANAGEMENT PLAN

STATUTE OF THE ASIA-PACIFIC FORUM OF ENVIRONMENT JOURNALISTS (AFEJ)

AFEJ's new constitution was ratified at the 11th Asia-Pacific and 2nd Commonwealth Congress held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in September 1999.

Article 01: Name and Headquarters
The Organization shall be known as the Asia-Pacific Forum of Environment Journalists (AFEJ). AFEJ headquarters is located at PO Box 26, 434/4 Sri Jayawardenapura, Sri Lanka. This office may be transferred to all other countries decided by the General Body.

Article 02: Emblem
The emblem and/or motto of the AFEJ shall be such as may be decided by the General Body. The General Body shall prescribe the manner of which, and by whom, the emblem and/ or motto will be used.

Article 03: Aims and Objectives
* To create and promote a greater awareness of environmental issues among public and journalists in the Asia
* Pacific region;
* To organize dialogues with decision-makers in the media with a view to giving greater emphasis to environmental issues;
* To encourage greater exchange of ideas and information on environmental issues in the region among journalists.
* To create a network of journalists in the Asia Pacific region through whom to stimulate public concern for the state of the environment.
* To promote the activities of its members;
* To organize international, regional workshops, seminars and study tours for journalists on environmental matters;
* To encourage institution of a system of awards for excellence in the promotion of environmental awareness;
* To undertake any other activity that the AFEJ may consider appropriate.
* To make AFEJ a financially stable, effective, efficient networking organization.
* To co-operate with other GOs, NGOs, and UN agencies to improve the cause of protection of environment.
* To provide public and journalists with information/resources in order to encourage them to promote international corporation between professionals of media, by developing contacts between members and by informing them in various ways ( e-mail list servers , web sites, international bulletins, trips) about events or problems they are aware of.

Article 04: Membership
(a) The AFEJ has three member categories.
(i) Full Membership: open to the national fora of environmental journalists or any Similar Bodies.
(ii) Associate Membership: can be offered to legally constituted international, regional, sub regional and national NGOs or journalists associations and bodies whose interests are similar to those of AFEJ.
(iii) Individual Membership: shall be open to working/freelance journalists or writers in Asia Pacific countries. Anyone outside of the Asia-Pacific region who wants to become an individual member can do so, but does not retain voting rights and must accept the terms and references under AFEF exco approval.
(b) Membership of AFEJ: Membership of AFEJ shall be approved by the Executive Committee on behalf of the General Body, Every application for membership shall be submitted to the secretariat, which shall obtain the decision of the Executive Committee on the same by means of a circular letter or other forms of communication. If the Executive Committee approves the membership, the secretariat shall communicate the approval to the member within 45 days of the decision. If, in the opinion of the Executive Committee, the application for membership is not acceptable it will submit the name for the decision of the General assembly at its next congress meeting.
(c) Every applicant whose application has been approved as aforesaid shall be admitted as a member of the AFEJ and shall be entitled to all the privilege of membership as under Articles 5.
(d) Nominees: Every member can send as many nominees as it deems fit to participate in the activities of the Forum. Full members, Associate Members and individual members have right to one vote.
(e) Annual membership dues: Members pay annual membership dues, before the annual congress meeting. The amount of the Full membership and Associate membership fee is USD 50 and the enrolment fee is USD 50. Individual membership fee is USD 10 and the enrollment fee is USD 40. The host country of the annual congress or a meeting of the general body will not have to the pay the membership fee.
(f) Dismissal: The dismissal decision of membership will be decided by the Executive Committee. However in non-payment of membership dues for two calendar years without prior notice and without proper reason will eventually be dismissed.
(g) Resignation: Any member who wishes to resign from the Forum shall give three months notice in writing to the Secretary general and shall pay up all outstanding dues, but the membership fee shall not be refunded.

Article 5: Rights and Privileges of Membership
(a) Members (Full , associate and individually) shall have
(i) The right to participate in the activities of the Forum and to make use of the facilities provided;
(ii) The right to speak and vote at all meetings of the Forum;
(iii) The right to stand for elections, to hold office, to vote, propose and nominate or second candidates for elections;
(iv) Any other privileges as the executive committee may, from time to time, prescribe.
(v) Individual members from outside the Asia-Pacific region cannot stand for office bearer positions at elections and do not retain the right to vote.

Article 6: General Body
(a) The supreme authority of the Forum is vested in the meeting of the General Body of its members. Ten (10) full members at least representing ten (10) countries of the total members of the Forum must be present at the meeting of the General Body for its proceedings to be valid and to constitute a quorum.
(b) A meeting of the General Body of the Forum shall be held once every year.
(c) The General Body shall be the principal review and deliberative body of AFEJ and shall be responsible for determining policy and work program.
(d) There shall be an election of an Executive Committee comprising a Chairman, Deputy Chairman, six regional directors (One each representing the regions of Central Asia, South-East, West Asia, East Asia, South Asia and the Pacific), a Secretary General , Assistant Secretary, 2 Auditors and 7 other members, each will hold office for three consecutive years.
(e) The Annual Report of the Forum including the financial report since the previous General Body shall be tabled;
(f) Deliberate on administrative and budgetary matters and any other matters that may be put before it;
(h) The meeting of the General Body shall elect an Executive council comprising of 19 members for three-year term. All members present at the General Body (Full, Associate and Individual) who have paid their annual membership can vote to elect the members of the Executive council. When voting a member can vote in one category only (i.e. either as Full, Associate or Individual). Each member will have 4 votes. But all votes cannot be voted to one person, it will be as one vote to one person basis by secret ballot.
(i) Executive council comprising of 19 members will be as follows, 10 representatives from full members, 5 representatives from associate members, and 4 individual representatives.
(j) The Executive council elected by the General Body shall in turn elect an Executive Committee comprising a Chairman, a Deputy Chairman, six regional directors (One each representing the regions of Central Asia, South-East Asia, West Asia, East Asia, South Asia and the Pacific), a secretary general, Assistant Secretary, auditors and 7 other members. The Executive Committee shall hold office until such time the new Executive Committee is elected.
(k) Executive council will be elected by a secret vote.
(l) Executive Committee shall be elected by the Executive council by way of a democratic election generally by way of showing of hands unless voting by secret ballot decided by the majority of the Executive council members. Each Executive council member will have one vote each to elect a position. Each position category (i.e. Chairman, a Deputy Chairman, six Regional Directors (one each representing the regions of Central Asia, South-East Asia, West Asia, East Asia, South Asia and the Pacific), a Secretary General, Assistant Secretary, 2 Auditors. Automatically the other 7 members will be exco members.
(m) Eight weeks notice shall be given to the member for the meeting of the General Body. The notice shall in every case be accompanied by a provisional agenda, which will be approved by the Chairman or Secretary. All documents for discussion shall be made available to the members before the congress.

Article 7: Extraordinary Meeting.
An extraordinary Meeting of the General Body of the Forum shall be convened
(a) Whenever the Executive Committee of AFEJ deems it desirable, or
(b) At the joint request in writing of less than two - third of exco Members, stating the objects and reasons for such a meeting. The Chairman or secretary general shall circulate the objects and reasons for such a meeting to all Members.

Article 8: The General Body may formulate its own rules of procedure.

Article 9: Function of the Executive Committee
(a) The Chairman shall during his term of office preside at the meeting of the General Body and shall be responsible for providing policy guidance to the Forum. The functions of the AFEJ secretariat will be a main duty of the Chairman who will raise funds for its activities including annual congress and other projects. The appointments for the secretariat will be the discussion of the chairman.
(b) The deputy Chairman shall act accordingly when the chairman ceases to function.
(c) Regional directors shall strengthen the sub- regional activities in consultation with the AFEJ secretariat.
(d) The Secretary general can operate specific projects and will assist the AFEJ secretariat to implement the decisions of the General Body including its work programs.

Article 10:
AFEJ recognize the fact that the Forum was constituted on the initiative of ESCAP at the Regional Media Conference on Environment and Development held in New Delhi , India during 18-21 February 1985.

Article 11: Program and Budgetary Matters
1. The General Body, at its meeting, shall approve biannual work programs and budget for the Forum. All financial contribution to the Forum would be received by the Chairman or R egional Directors on behalf of the Forum and deposited into an accounts operated by the name of the "Asia- Pacific Forum of Environmental Journalists".
2. The chairman shall be responsible for operating these accounts and shall submit a financial report to the meetings of the Governing Council. The AFEJ HQ bank accounts will be operated by the secretariat accountant and AFEJ chairman. Regional directors also can start Bank accounts with prior approval from the chairman on specific projects.

Article 12: Audit
1. Two members, appointed by Executive Committee, shall be Honorary Auditors. They shall hold office till the new auditors are appointed by the General Body. However, they shall not be re-appointed for the following term.
2. The Auditors shall be required to audit the accounts of the Forum from time to time.

Article 13: Amendments of Rules or of the Constitution
Proposals for amending the constitution may not be forwarded to the general body by the executive council unless they are passed by a two-thirds majority of the council. These may not be altered or amended except by two third majority resolution of a executive council meeting.

Article 14: Interpretation
In the constitution, unless the context otherwise requires.
(a) "Forum" means the Asia-Pacific Forum of Environmental Journalists.
(b) "Executive council" means the elected 19 members from the general body of the Asia-Pacific Forum of Environmental Journalists.
(c) "Executive Committee" means the Executive Committee of the Asia-Pacific Forum of Environmental Journalists.
(d) "General body means " means the full, associate and individual members who have paid due fees.

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THREE-YEAR MANAGEMENT PLAN

A workshop of 25 AFEJ members formulated AFEJ's Three-Year Strategic Management Plan at the 6th World Congress of Environmental Journalists, held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in October 1998. The plan, outlined below, will extend until the end of 2001.

Image of bullock and cart
Looking to the future
(AFEJ photo: Henry Rajakaruna, Sri Lanka)

AFEJ Strategy - 1999 to 2001

Committee Chairman
Dr Dharman Wickremaratne, Sri Lanka
Co-ordinator
Mohan Mainali, Nepal.

AFEJ was founded in 1988 in Bangkok, Thailand, as an umbrella organization of national associations of environmental journalists. AFEJ has today 21 national members associations in the Asia-Pacific region, representing more than 5000 individual members.

Values

Professionalism, Freedom of Expression, Social Responsibility,
Commitment, Networking & Co-operation.

Vision

To build AFEJ into a strong, independent and committed apex organization
To promote excellence in environmental journalism.

Mission

To motivate and assist national forums and related bodies to form a strong and efficient network to promote and protect sustainable development through environmental journalism.

Objectives

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Organizational Structure - Secretariat of AFEJ

Honorary Positions - Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary & Joint Secretary
Full-time staff - Managing Editor, Program Director & Documentation Manager

Plan of Operation for 1999 - 2001

Strategic Plan Workshop Members

Dr Dharman Wickremaratne (Sri Lanka), SN Pillai (Sri Lanka), Dinesh Weerakkody (Sri Lanka), Mohan Mainali (Nepal), Om Khadka (Nepal), Damandeep Singh (India), Darryl D'Monte (India), Yang Mao (China), Zhang Xiaoqing (China), Zaigham Khan (Pakistan), Zaffurulla Khan (Pakistan), Kenichi Mizuno (Japan), Farauq Ahmed (Maldives), Vijay Menon (Singapore), Sodhakar Ramlallah (Mauritius), Manuel Satorre (Philippines), Wirasak Salayakanond (Thailand), Nguyen Diep Hoa (Vietnam), Leong Shen-li (Malaysia), Tata Elisabeth Kusujayanthi (Indonesia), Quamrul Chowdury (Bangladesh), Dorothy Hatigeva (Solomon Islands), Karen Kirby (Bhutan) & Tindoong Soong (Taiwan)

Observers - David Lazarus (United Nations - Thailand) & Sue Allan (Australian Volunteers International)

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