CACAARI Constitution

PREAMBLE

1. The agricultural research institutions in the Central Asia and the Caucasus Region:

• Aware of the problems and challenges facing the development of agriculture in the Region,
• Conscious of the responsibilities, which they must assume if they are to contribute to the process of social and economic development in the Region,
• Convinced that the role and impact of the respective institutions can be enhanced through effective collaboration and consultation among them,
• Have decided to establish a regional association of agricultural research institutions in the pursuit of their common objectives (under the sponsorship of FAO).

ARTICLE I
NAME

2. The name of this association shall be " Central Asia and the Caucasus Association of Agricultural Research Institutions" (CACAARI), hereinafter referred to as the Association.

ARTICLE II
SEAT

3. The Association shall have its seat at Tashkent , Uzbekistan .

ARTICLE III
OBJECTIVES

4. The overall objective of the Association shall be to foster the development of agricultural research in the Central Asia and the Caucasus Region.

5. More specifically, the objectives of the Association shall be to:

• promote the exchange of scientific and technical know-how and information in agriculture;
• encourage the establishment of appropriate cooperative research and training programmes in accordance with identified regional, bilateral or national needs and priorities;
• assist in strengthening of research organizational and management capability of member institutions; and
• strengthen cross-linkages between national, regional and international research centers and organizations, including universities, through involvement in jointly-planned research and training programmes.

ARTICLE IV
FUNCTIONS

6. In pursuance of the above objectives, the Association may under­take one or more of the following activities:

• convene Steering Committee to discuss the Association's administration, general programme, policies, and priorities;
• organize working groups, meetings and seminars to discuss specific problems or sponsor technical studies, training courses and workshops;
• collect, collate and disseminate research information;
• maintain links with agencies, institutions, or organizations and other entities undertaking similar activities within and outside the Region; and
• promote collaborative research among member institutions

ARTICLE V
MEMBERSHIP

7. Membership shall be open to national agricultural research institu­tions/councils/organizations/universities, etc. from countries of the Region and other international research institutions having interest and activities in the region. In countries where agricultural research is handled directly by a government department, the relevant unit/bureau will be eligible to become member of the Association. Membership in the Association may be sought by submitting an application to the Executive Director in consultation with the Chairman of the Association. The membership of the Association shall also be open to such other organizations or bodies as may be decided by the Steering Committee of the Association.

8. Any member institution desiring to withdraw from the Association shall notify the Executive Director in writing, and such withdrawal shall take effect three months from the date of receipt of the notice by the Ex­ecutive Director ,

ARTICLE VI
SOURCES OF FUNDS

9. Sources of funds shall consist of:

• Grants and donations from governments, national, regional or international organizations and development banks, and others;
• Proceeds from the sale of publications issued by the Association;
• Fees, if any, collected from participants of any technical meeting organized by the Association.

ARTICLE VII
THE STEERING COMMITTEE

10. There shall be a Steering Committee of the Association, in which each member institution shall be represented by one delegate.

11. The Steering Committee shall meet at least once every year.

12. Each country organization represented in the Association shall have one vote at all meetings of the Steering Committee. Members from a country present in a Steering Committee shall elect at the start of the meeting a member institution that should represent their country for voting at ordinary or extraordinary meetings. The member institution elected as country representative shall become leader of the delegation consisting of members from that country attending that meeting. The Chairman shall allow some time for mutual consultation among members from each country prior to voting on any issue.

13. All decisions shall be taken by a simple majority vote, except for those decisions relating to amendments to the Constitution, and those related to the dissolution of the Association. In the case of equality of votes, the Chairman shall have a casting vote.

ARTICLE VIII
DUTIES OF THE STEERING COMMITTEE

14. In fulfillment of its objectives, the Steering Committee shall determine the policy of the Association, approve the Programme of Work and Budget formulated and put up by the Executive Committee, review progress, and shall exercise other powers conferred upon it by the Constitution.

ARTICLE IX
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

15. There shall be an Executive Committee of the Association composed of four officers, namely Chairman, two Executive Secre­taries (one - from Central Asia , preferably from Tashkent , because of the CACAARI Office is located in Tashkent and one - from the Caucasus ) and Executive Director. The Chairman shall be elected by the Steering Committee from among the member institutions for the period of two years and shall not be eligible for immediate re-election to the same office for more than two terms. The Executive Director shall be appointed according to Article XI paragraph 21, shall be an ex offido member of the Executive Committee.

16. If the office of the Chairman becomes vacant for any reason, the remaining members of the Executive Committee shall elect one of its own members to fill the vacancy. A position of member of the Executive Committee which falls vacant shall be filled by the unsuccessful candidate who has the highest number of votes in the election of the Executive Committee at the preceding Steering Committee . Persons who become members of the Executive Committee under this provision will remain in office until the next Session of the Steering Committee .

ARTICLE X
DUTIES OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

17. The Executive Committee shall manage the affairs of the Association in accordance with this Constitution and the policies and directives adopted by the Steering Committee .

18. The Executive Committee shall report to the Steering Committee on the implementation of the approved programme of work and the progress made in fulfilling the objectives of the Association.

19. The Executive Committee shall meet at least once every year and shall be convened by the Chairman.

ARTICLE XI
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND SECRETARIAT

20. Secretariat of the Association shall be headed by the Executive Director .

21. During the initial years, NARS of CAC may permit the officer who deals with agricultural research to serve as Executive Director of the Association. After the initial period, the Executive Committee shall appoint the regular Executive Director with suitable experience in agricultural re­search,

ARTICLE XII
DUTIES OF OFFICERS

22. The Chairman shall preside at all meetings of the Steering Committee and the Executive Committee.

23. The one of the Executive Secretaries shall perform all duties of the Chairman in the absence of the latter, and such other duties as may be assigned to him by the Chairman.

24. Executive Director shall be the chief of the Secretariat of the Association. He shall be responsible for the affairs of the Association and execution of all activities approved by Steering Committee , including prepa­ration of programme of work and budget, monitoring of progress, and arrangements for meetings of the Steering Committee and Executive Com­mittee. He shall collect and disseminate information pertaining to the activities of the Association. He shall prepare the minutes for the Steering Committee and Executive Committee meetings, and arrange for the publication, dis­tribution and preservation of the reports and proceedings of all meetings of the Association. He shall receive subscriptions and any other financial contributions to the Association, account for all money received and make payments in accordance with policies established by the Steering Committee and the Executive Committee, and he shall submit audited ac­counts to the biennial Steering Committee .

ARTICLE XIII
RULES AND REGULATIONS

25. The General Rules of Procedure and Financial Regulations shall be prepared by the Executive Committee and approved by the Steering Committee of the Association. Amendments to the Rules and Regulations may be adopted by a simple majority vote at any session of the Steering Committee .

26. The Executive Director shall be responsible for utilization of the approved budget of the Association and shall maintain full accounts, records and documents. Duly audited accounts shall be presented at the Steering Committee for approval.

ARTICLE XIV
QUORUM

27. The quorum at all meetings shall be 50% of the membership. ARTICLE XV
AMENDMENT OF THE CONSTITUTION

28. Amendment of the Constitution shall be considered only at a meeting of the Steering Committee .

29. The Association may amend this Constitution by a two-thirds majority of the votes cast, provided that such majority is more than half of the countries from which the membership of the Association is drawn.

30. No proposal for the amendment of the Constitution shall be included in the agenda of any meeting of the Steering Committee unless notice thereof has been dispatched by the Executive Director to members at least 60 days before the opening of the meeting.

ARTICLE XVI
DISSOLUTION

31. The Association can only be dissolved by a resolution approved at a Steering Committee. The procedure to be followed for the dissolution of the Association shall be the same as detailed in paragraphs 29 and 30 under Article XV.