Engaging in intercultural dialogue and promoting mutual understanding

7. GOVERNANING BODIES OF THE ALF NETWORK

The governing bodies of the ALF Network are :

  • Network Assembly ;
  • Steering Board of the Network and
  • Head of Network (section 6).

7.1. Network Assembly.

- The Network Assembly is the highest organ of the Network. The Assembly is composed of one representative of each member of the Network that has the legitimacy to make decisions related to the work of the Network;

- Decisions cannot violate art. II.1 of the ALF Statutes (art. 5.1.c)

- Invitations for meetings are sent at least one month prior to the date of the Assembly meeting and must include date, location and agenda.

- Network members have the right to dispatch more than one representative from their organization for the Network Assembly but in voting the Assembly will only accept one vote per registered member in the Network;

- Network Assembly meetings are presided by the chairman of the Head of Network organization. The Head of Network either provides the secretary or asks a member of the Network to provide the secretary;

- The President of the Network Assembly manages the work of the Network Assembly and maintains order and atmosphere for normal meetings.

Internal Rules

- Secretary of the Network Assembly convenes the meetings of the Network Assembly, prepares the working material and agenda of the meeting and delivers it to the members before the meeting, keeps the minutes of the Network Assembly and delivers the minutes of the meetings of the Network Assembly to the members of the Network and to the Head Office after approval by the Network members who were in attendance. Members are considered to have approved minutes if after one week after mailing the draft minutes no response was obtained. The minutes must contain: place and time of the meeting; names of present members; the start and end time of the meeting; adopted decisions and conclusions with a statement of voting results and the name and surname of the person who kept the minutes. The draft minutes must be sent to attending members within five days from the day of the completed meeting. Final minutes must be sent within two weeks after the completed meeting to the ALF head office in Alexandria.

- The Network Assembly meets at least once per year;

- The Assembly makes decisions by a two-thirds majority of the members present. Quorum for decision-making is 50% + 1 member.

- The Network Assembly supervises and evaluates the work of the Network Steering Board.

7.2. STEERING BOARD OF THE NETWORK

The Dutch Network has a Steering Board consisting of the Head of Network and at least four representatives of our other Network Members and is comprised of at most nine members (hereinafter referred to as the Board). In the case of a smaller or larger number of members of the Network, a new minimum and maximum number of Board members can be defined. The Steering Board meets prior to each national network meeting (online or in person). These are at least two meetings per year but are expected to be 4 per year. Invitations for meetings are sent at least two weeks prior to the date of the Steering Board meeting and must include date, location and agenda.

a. Eligibility Internal Rules

  • Any member of the Network is eligible to become a member of the Steering Board. Candidates for Steering Board membership will be asked to put into writing what they commit to do for the national Network. Candidates will be presented to all Network menbers for election. Candidates need to obtain a simple majority of the votes brought out.

b. Purpose

  • To encourage members to be actively involved in the national network, help find new entities that are believed to be an asset to the national network, present network activities to the media and help find entities including corporates and private sector with relevant interest that are ready to support our Dutch network through their CSR program and other potential funding agencies. The Steering Board approves the narrative and financial year reports of the Head of Network and presents these for input to the Committee of Senior Advisors and Recommendation.

c. Governance

  • The chairman is the president of the Network Assembly. The election and tasks of the secretary are the same as mentioned for the Network Assembly; Board decisions are valid if the quorum of 50% of the boardmembers+1 member of the Board has been met.

d. Duration

  • Election is for the duration of one year which is renewable.

e. Visibility

  • Members who are elected to the Steering Board will be mentioned on the page of the Anna Lindh Foundation in the Netherlands . Internal Rules

f. Rights of the Steering Board

  • The Head of Network will share all relevant documents received from the ALF office in Alexandria, including agendas for Heads of Networks meeting in the entire ALF region as well as the minutes resulting from these meetings;
  • Contribute to setting the agendas of all online and in person meetings of national Network Members and international network meetings;
  • Get involved in any decision regarding (new) membership;
  • Get involved in proposals regarding thematic priorities, network participation in the ALF forum and other activities
  • Have the right to submit a written proposal for a decision or conclusion on a specific issue on the agenda.;
  • Inform decisions about dates and time of (online) meeting are made in mutual consultation;

g. Decisions

  • Decisions are made by a two-thirds majority of the board members present, and the decision must be accompanied with reasoning. The quorum is 50% + 1 member of the Board. A member of the Board can also appoint a deputy representative for membership in the Board with his/her written authorization, in order to maintain continuity of work. Also, amember can authorize, in written form, another member if neither theelected member nor the deputy can participate in the work of the Board.

h. Duties of the Steering Board

  • Adhere to the description of your own responsibilities in promoting and strengthening the national network.
  • Applying the Internal Rules of the Dutch National Network including: Internal Rules Promoting the Anna Lindh Foundation’s image as Euro-Mediterranean institution established for strengthening the regional dimension of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership – Union for the Mediterranean in social, cultural and human affairs (the Third Chapter of the Barcelona Declaration);
  • Planning and monitoring the activities of the Network;
  • Contributing to the development of the ALF multi-annual programmes. In this exercise each member of the Steering Board will take into consideration the interests of its national network;
  • Appears in public on behalf of the Network, in coordination with the head office;
  • Establishes thematic work teams;
  • Makes decisions on accepting new members;
  • Monitors compliance with the Agreement and other acts of the Network;
  • Supervises and evaluates the work of the Head Office of the Network;
  • Monitors and ensures the quality of services ;
  • Encourages members to cooperate;
  • Be watchful for activities of members that should be mentioned on our Dutch ALF page and/or in one of our newsletters and social media
  • Support and co-supervise training and capacity building for the national network;
  • Disseminating ALF calls for proposals in their network;
  • Monitors applications for project funding of the network;
  • Propose and suggest common initiatives of the Network;
  • Be present when we meet and if in case of emergency and inability to attend to attend, to notify the Head of Network in time with the reason why;

• Submits reports to the Assembly

• Be accountable for the responsibilities accepted.

i. Resignation from the Board:

• A member of the Board may voluntarily decide to resign from the Board.

Internal Rules

• Also, if a member of the Board does not fulfill his/her obligations or

violates the provisions of this Agreement, the member of the Board may

be recalled by the decision of the member which the member of the Board

represents, as well as by the decision of the majority of other members of

the Board. In that case, the member whom the recalled member of the

Board represents, will be invited to nominate a new member of the Board.