Statute and Bylaws of Global Conscience Initiative

As amended by the Executive Board, meeting in Kumba, SW Cameroon, 5 August 2008.

We, the undersigned persons and those who shall subsequently become members hereof, cannot help to do the contrary, but do undertake, absolutely, to uphold the rights and dignities so bestowed on us by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by entrusting our faith, energy and conviction in the organisation whose existence shall embody our dreams.

PREAMBLE

We believe strongly that every person is born free, save for artificial barriers erected through political, economic, social and cultural structures, and that no person must, for one reason or another, be denied the basic human rights as guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

VISION AND MISSION

It is our dream that one day the inborn traits of peace, harmony and justice enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights shall triumph over the forces of ignorance, savagery and oppression.

CORE VALUES

GCI will operate mindful of the fact that;

1. All people are born free;

2. Everybody has equal human rights;

3. These rights can only be enjoyed to the extent that they do not infringe upon those of others;

4. We cannot talk of peace and harmony in one part of the world when other parts are daily being ravaged by war, poverty, famine and disease.

OBJECTIVES

               i.       To promote and protect the principles of human rights, democracy, peace and justice across the globe;

             ii.       To promote a culture of peace and democracy in Cameroon , and through it, the greater world.

 

METHODS

           i.       To mobilise resources and organisations concerned with the betterment of the human race;

          ii.       To familiarize and educate all citizens – specifically women, parents and children - in the domain of universal human rights;

iii. To investigate incidents of human rights abuse;

iv. To lobby for the protection and respect of human rights.

ORGANISATION

The General Assembly

              i.       The General Assembly (GA) shall embody the original members of the Organisation;

             ii.       The GA shall be the supreme organ of the Organisation;

            iii.       It shall meet once every year but can meet in extra-ordinary sessions summoned by the Executive Board on the strength of a quorum 2/3 majority of membership;

           iv.       The GA shall also consist of Affiliate Members (persons or group of persons who share similar goals with the original and natural members of GCI ) and Community Representatives and Donor Organizations. Community representatives shall include the elite core such as the traditional chiefs, village heads, patrons and quarter heads;

             v.       Affiliate members, community representatives and donor organisations will have no voting rights during the General Assembly or in passing decisions.

Functional Units of the General Assembly

i. A Chairperson, a Vice Chairperson and a Secretary-General shall head the General Assembly.

Chairperson

             i.       The Chairperson shall be elected from the rank of Executive Board by the GA for a four year term of office, renewable once;

              ii.       He / She shall oversee and coordinate all activities of the General Assembly;

            iii.       He / She shall have the powers to co-opt more members to assist in the running of the General Assembly;

             iv.       He / She shall present for adoption the agenda of the general assembly;

              v.       He / She shall have the powers to summon an extra-ordinary session of the GA;

             vi.       He / She shall have the powers to pronounce the decisions of the GA and the disciplinary committee;

           vii.       He / She shall co-sign with the Chief Executive Officer all membership cards, testimonials, certificates of attendance and excellence awarded by the Organisation;

          viii.       He / She shall endorse the budget adopted by the Executive Board for each financial year;

             ix.       He / She shall be assisted by a Vice Chairperson.

Vice-Chairperson

The Vice-Chairperson shall perform the duties of the Chairperson in the event of the absence of the latter.

Secretary General

The Secretary General shall be appointed by the Executive Board and approved by the GA.

              i.       He / She shall be a member of the GA, the Executive Board and the Executive Secretariat;

             ii.       He / She shall take down all minutes of the Executive Board and the GA and shall present the minutes when and wherever needed;

            iii.       He / She shall assist the Chief Executive Officer in the running of the Executive Secretariat and shall sit in the absence of the Chief Executive Officer;

             iv.       He / She and the Chief Executive Officer shall be the signatories to the account of the Organisation;

             v.       He / She and the Chief Executive Officer shall prepare the annual reports of the Organisation;

             vi.       He / She shall be a full employee with a salary commensurate to his technical ability and responsibility;

           vii.       He / She shall handle and keep in his/her custody all the documentation of the Organisation;

          viii.       He / She shall be responsible for all moveable and immovable assets of the organisation.

Treasurer

               i.       A Treasurer appointed by the Executive Board from their ranks shall handle all the finances of the GA and shall put the same in the Organisation's account;

              ii.       He / She shall render to the GA a report of the amounts collected and shall hand over to the Secretary all receipts of monies paid into the Organisation's account;

            iii.       He / She shall head an audit team appointed by the Executive Board and approved by the GA to audit the accounts of the Organisation;

             iv.       He / She shall not be entitled to any remuneration but shall be assigned an allowance enough to carry out the auditing exercise;

              v.       He / she shall present to the Executive Board and the GA an audit report for the designated period.

Executive Board

An Executive Board shall oversee the proper running of the Organisation. Executive Board members shall contribute Fcfa 100 000 each year for the running of the Organisation.

             i.       The Chairperson of the GA shall head the Executive Board;

             ii.       The Executive Board shall scrutinise and adopt the budget submitted to it by the Executive Secretariat;

          iii.       The Executive Board shall submit to the GA minutes of its deliberation and decisions arrived at;

           iv.       The Executive Board shall endorse all appointments of personnel made by the Chief Executive Officer;

             v.       The Executive Board shall examine and adopt project proposals submitted to it by the Executive Secretariat.

The Executive Secretariat

The Executive Secretariat shall handle all day-to-day functioning of the Organisation. A Chief Executive Officer (Founder or any other person appointed by the Board and approved by the GA) shall head it.

Chief Executive Officer

               i.       The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) shall direct all the activities of the Organisation at the level of the Executive Secretariat;

              ii.       He / She shall be the technician to execute the mission of the Organisation;

            iii.       He / She shall earn a salary commensurate with his/her technical ability and responsibilities;

             iv.       He / She shall be directly assisted by a Secretary;

              v.       He / She shall recruit other technicians and volunteers to assist him/her in his functions and to head the various Centres of the Organisation;

             vi.       He / She shall appoint such technicians and volunteers to positions of greater responsibilities as he/she deems fit for the realisation of the Organisation's goals;

           vii.       He / She shall make annual budgets and project proposals to the Board for scrutiny and approval by the GA;

          viii.       He / She shall have the powers to lobby donors and sponsors for assistance in the realisation of the Organisation's goals;

             ix.       He / She shall render a financial account to the Board;

              x.       He / She shall present an annual report to the GA;

             xi.       He / She and an accounts officer or any other person directly designated by the Executive Board shall have the authority to make any withdrawal of funds from the Organisation's bank account(s);

           xii.       He / She shall co-sign with the Chairperson of the GA all certificates, membership cards and testimonials of the Organisation;

          xiii.       He / She shall liaise and partner with other Organisations, donors and sponsors;

          xiv.       He / She shall create and direct the affairs of sub-offices created in other parts of the country and the world;

            xv.       He / She shall nominate staff/volunteers for the award of certificates of excellence and or other distinction.

The Centres

Directors of Centres shall coordinate their respective Centres under the direct supervision of the CEO. Secretaries shall assist them.

               i.       They shall present to the Executive Secretariat projects and budget proposals for his/her scrutiny and presentation to the Executive Board;

              ii.       They shall recruit with the recommendation of the CEO the other technicians to assist them to carry out their responsibilities;

            iii.       They shall submit to the Executive Secretariat monthly reports of their activities and tentative timetables of their projects for the coming months.

Communications

A Communications Officer with adequate training and skills in information management and public relations shall be assigned to head the Media Centre.

               i.       He / She shall coordinate all communications between the Organisation and the outside world;

              ii.       He / She shall publish periodic newsletters, flyers, media releases, brochures and other literature about the Organisation's activities;

            iii.       He / She shall identify and create relationships with potential partner organisations/institutions;

             iv.       He / She shall submit to the CEO for approval periodic reports and prospects of his / her activities.

MEMBERSHIP

GCI membership shall be open to any natural person or groups irrespective of ethnic background, political or religious affiliation, age or sex. Thus any natural human being and groups of persons can become a member provided he/she shall accept to fulfil the following conditions:

•  Abide by all rules, regulations and principles of the Organisation;

            ii.      Pay a membership due which:
(a)   Shall be determined by the general assembly in a democratic process
(b)  Shall expire every two years

•  Pay an annual due that shall be determined by the General Assembly

Membership Benefits

Any duly registered members in the GCI book of registered members shall have the right to:

               i.       Enjoy all the services provided by the Organisation such as education and training;

              ii.       An equal share in all other advantages of the Organisation.

Membership Commitments

i. All members pledge to:

                           a) Honour their commitments towards the Organisation;

                         b) Abide by decisions taken by the Organisation.

ii. In case of debt ( GCI debts), reserves of previous gains shall be deployed to salvage the insolvency. Where this does not adequately remedy the situation, members shall contribute two times their registration fees to redress the situation.  

Withdrawal of Members

               i.       Withdrawal of membership from GCI shall be preceded by a letter of notification three months in advance, to enable the study of the situation;

              ii.       The letter of withdrawal shall advance reasons for such withdrawal;

            iii.       All indebtedness to the Organisation by the member/group concerned shall be paid off before any such withdrawal is approved.

Expulsion of Members

The following shall attract expulsion of members:

               i.       Unacceptable moral behaviour by a member as determined by a disciplinary board;

              ii.       The expulsion shall be confirmed by the next Assembly;

          iii.       The expelled member/group shall receive no benefits from the Organisation;

             iv.       Expulsion shall be preceded by two warnings except in cases of gross misconduct;

              v.       The expelled member shall with immediate effect cease to take part in any GCI activities.

Membership Offences

Minor offences shall attract fines, which shall be specified in the internal rules and regulations and shall be decided by the General Assembly

 

FINANCE

GCI 's financial year shall run from January 1st to December 31st of each year.

i. The financial resources of the GCI shall be derived from:

a) Registration of members;

b) Board membership dues;

c) Purchase of GCI membership cards;

d) Returns from promotional activities;

e) Gifts, legacies and other contributions from both private and public donors including Organisations;

             f) Sales of other materials and publications of the Organisation.

ii. The assets of GCI shall comprise of:

               a)       Movables and registered properties to become property of the Organisation;

             b)       Possible reserve funds made of previous balance surplus;

            c)       Possible support funds, contributions, donations, legacies in cash or in kind;

iii. The Organisation business year shall close on December 31st, and within 90 days from the end of every business year the Managing Board will prepare the final balance and the provision budget for the following year.

AMMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION

Any changes and amendments to this constitution shall be transmitted to the office of the Registry as provided by law.

We the undersigned founding persons do put our signatures on this document as an indication of our conviction and determination to put our resources and energy to the realisation of the goals of GCI as stated above.