ADOPTED GENERAL RULES OF PROCEDURE

Constitution : the Constitution of the Association of Agricultural Research Institutions in the Near East and North Africa (AARINENA) as adopted by the Technical Consultation held in Nicosia, Cyprus during the period of 17 – 18 October 1983 and amended by the General Conference at its Fifth Session in April 1996 and at its Seventh Session in March, 2000.

General Conference: the supreme body of AARINENA provided for in Article VIII.1 of the Constitution and gathering representatives of all Full Members and Associate Members of the Association.

Executive Committee: the permanent restricted body provided for in Article IX. 1 of the Constitution that manages the affairs of the Association between two sessions of the General Conference, in accordance with Article IX.2 of the Constitution.

Delegate: the representative, head of delegation, of a Full Member or an Associate Member.

Delegation: the delegate and his alternate, experts and advisers.

Observer: the representative of a national institution or an intergovernmental or a non-governmental organization invited to attend General Conference sessions as observer.

Members: the Full Members and Associate Members of AARINENA

Executive Secretary: the Executive Secretary of the Association as provided for in Article XI.1 of the Constitution.

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Rule II: Sessions of the General Conference

1. In accordance with Article VIII.3 of the Constitution, the regular sessions of the General Conference shall be held every two years. They shall be convened by the President.

2. In pursuance of Article VIII.6 of the Constitution, the President shall convene special sessions of the General Conference, if so requested by the Conference in an interval between regular sessions.

3. The dates of the regular sessions shall be determined by the Executive Committee.The dates of the special sessions shall be determined by the President in consultation with the Executive Committee members. Regular sessions of the General Conference shall be held at a place to be decided upon at each previous regular session. Special sessions of the General Conference shall be held at the seat of the Association or at any other place agreed between the President and the other members of the Executive Committee.

4. Consultations between the President and the other members of the Executive Committee provided for in paragraph 3 above may be held by any means of communication that the President deems appropriate.

5. Invitations to a regular Session of the Conference shall be prepared by the Executive Secretary and issued by the President not less than 90 days in advance of the date fixed for the opening of the session. Invitations to special sessions shall be issued not less than 45 days in advance of the date fixed for the opening of the session. The invitations shall be addressed, together with the provisional agenda of the regular session or the agenda of the special session, to all Full Members and Associate Members of the Association and to such observers as it might have been decided to invite; the working documents of the sessions shall be sent to the Members and observers at the same time or as soon as possible thereafter.

4. The Executive Secretary of the Association shall act as Secretary to the General Conference

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Rule III: Credentials

At each session the Executive Secretary shall receive the credentials of delegations and observers. Such credentials shall conform to the standard form set up by the Secretariat. Upon examination thereof, the Executive Secretary shall communicate to the General Conference the list of people officially designated to attend the Session and registered.

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Rule IV: Agenda

1. The provisional agenda of the General Conference regular sessions which shall be prepared by the Executive Committee shall be dispatched together with the invitation to the session at the time prescribed in Rule II.5. Proposals for the addition of items to the agenda may be addressed to the President by any Full Member not less than fifteen days before the opening of the Session. The Executive Secretary shall communicate them to the Members and observers before the opening of the session concerned. The agenda of the General Conference special sessions shall consist exclusively of items relating to the purpose for which the session was called.

2. The agenda of the regular sessions shall include :

a) adoption of the agenda ;

b) report of the Executive Committee on the implementation of the approved programme of work and the progress made in fulfilling the objectives of the Association ;

c) report by the Executive Secretary on the annual accounts of the Association and all the activities of the Secretariat ;

d) consideration of the proposed Programme of Work and Budget of the Association for ensuring financial period ;

e) proposals for amendments to the Constitution, the General Rules of Procedure and the Financial Regulations of the Association as appropriate ;

f) election of the five members of the Executive Committee as well as of the President and Vice-President as provided for under Articles VIII.5 and IX.1 of the Constitution ;

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Rule V : The Secretariat

1. The Secretariat shall consist of the Executive Secretary and such full or part time staff appointed by the President, on the approval of the Executive Committee, and under his responsibility.

2. Under the overall supervision of the President, the Executive Secretary shall take all necessary actions to implement the policies of the Association and the decisions of the General Conference and the Executive Committee, to manage and run the day-to-day functions of the Association and shall report thereon to the Executive Committee.

In the exercise of his functions, the Executive Secretary will have direct relations with all Members, all institutions and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations at all levels.

3. The duties of the Executive Secretary shall include :

a) communication of information received from Members ;

b) organization of the General Conference and Executive sessions and preparation, publication and distribution of the minutes of these sessions ;

c) organization of conferences, workshops, training programmes and any other meeting upon the request of the Executive Committee ;

d) receipt, collection and circulation of documents, reports, minutes, papers and decisions of the General Conference and of the Executive Committee as well as of the conferences, workshops, training prorammes and any other meeting organized by the Association ;

e) e) maintaining records of the proceedings ;

f) preparation ;

g) collection of the annual subscriptions and reception of any other financial contributions to the Association and making payments in accordance with policies established by the General Conference and the Executive Committee ;

h) accounting for monies received, keeping record of expenditures and financial commitments made in

the implementation of the Budget of the Association and submission of audited accounts to the General Conference at all its regular sessions ;

i) proposition of joint work programmes with regional and international organizations and institutions ;

j) coordination of all activities among the Members ;

k) organization of documentation services to facilitate easy access to necessary information on agricultural research in all sub-regions ;

l) Performance of such other duties as the Executive Committee may assign to him.

4. Copies of all communications concerning the affairs of the Association shall be sent to the Executive Secretary by the Members for purposes of information and record.

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Rule VI: Election of the Executive Committee Members and of the President and Vice-Present

1. Pursuant to Article VIII.5 and IX.1 of the Constitution, the General Conference shall, at the end of each regular session, elect the five members of the Executive Committee and then, among these elected members, select the President and the Vice President who shall act, at the same time, as President and Vice-President of the General Conference and of the Executive Committee.

2. The Executive Committee members are elected from among the delegations of the Full Member participating in the General Conference session. However, with the written approval of the General Conference, candidatures of people who are not representatives can be accepted under the condition it is submitted by the delegation concerned.

3. All members of the Executive Committee will be eligible for the same office, including the President and the Vice-President, shall take office at the end of the General Conference session in which they have been elected until the end of the next regular session.

4. All members of the Executive Committee, including the President and the Vice-President, are elected for one term, renewable one time only; however the former members of the Executive Committee, including the President and the Vice-President, are again eligible after the expiry of one term period. A biennial period between two regular sessions of the General Conference.

5. Nominees must be delegates, alternates, experts or advisers in the delegation of Full Members of the Association. However, as provided for in paragraph 2 above, on the proposal of the delegation concerned, and subject to the approval of the General Conference, persons who are not members of this delegation, but hold responsibilities within the framework of the institution represented, can be nominated for office in the Executive Committee.

6. In accordance with Article IX.3 of the Constitution, candidature for office in the Executive Committee shall be made in writing, duly seconded, and submitted to the Nomination Officer at least twelve hours before the General Conference session earmarked for the election of officers.

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Rule VII: Functions of the President and the Vice-President

1. The President shall exercise the function conferred on him in the Constituent and in these Rules and

in particular shall ;

a) preside at all meetings of the Conference and the Executive Committee and declare the opening and closing of each of these plenary meetings ;

b) direct the discussions at such meetings and ensure observance of these Rules, accord the right to speak, put questions and announce decisions ;

c) rule on points of order ;

d) subject to these Rules, have complete control over the proceedings of the meetings ;

e) represent the Association in all legal matters.

2. In the absence of the President or at his request, the functions of the President shall be exercised by the Vice-President.

3. The President or the Vice-President acting as President has a right to vote. In case of equal votes

cast, the President’s vote shall prevail.

4. In the interval between two regular sessions of the General Conference, the President shall exercise the functions assigned to him by the Constitution as well as any other functions entrusted to him by the General Conference.

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Rule VIII: Voting arrangements and proceedings

1. Except as provided for in paragraph 5 of this Rule, voting in plenary meetings shall be oral or by show of hands except that a vote by roll call shall be taken if a special majority is required by the Constitution or by these Rules or if a request for vote by call is made by any delegation.

2. A vote by roll call shall be conducted by calling upon delegations in the Arabic alphabetical order.

3. A record of any roll call vote shall show the votes cast by each delegates and any

Abstention.

4. If the General Conference or the Executive Committee are equally divided when a vote is taken on a question other than election, a second vote shall be taken during the current session. If the General Conference or the Executive Committee is then again equally divided, then President vote shall prevail and the proposal shall be regarded as rejected.

5. Unless the General Conference decides otherwise, voting on matters relating to individuals, including the election of the Executive committee members, the President and the Vice-President, shall be by secret ballot.

6. Elections of the President and Vice-President shall be held after all members of the Executive Committee have been elected.

7. Elections of the Executive Committee members will be held by sub-region. Each sub-region shall elect one representative. In no case one sub-region will have more than one representative in the Executive Committee.

8. Elections of the five members of the Executive Committee will be held separately according to the Arabic alphabetical order of the names of the sub-region. The President and the Vice-President shall be elected separately among the elected Executive Committee Members.

9. The nominees having obtained the highest number of votes for the offices to be filled will be considered as elected. When no nominee for an office obtains on the first ballot a majority of the votes cast, there shall be taken a second ballot confined to the two candidates obtaining the largest number of votes. If the votes are equally divided on the second ballot, the President shall choose between the candidates by drawing lots.

10. Each delegate at the General Conference shall have one vote for all matters. However, for the purpose of election of the Executive Committee members, as well as of election of the President and Vice-President, voting shall be done by country. Each country of the Near East and North Africa Region represented in the Association by one or several Full Members shall have one vote.

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Rule IX: The Executive Committee

1. Pursuant to Article IX.1 of the Constitution, the Executive Committee shall consist of five members, including the President and the Vice-President, elected from among representatives of the Full Members of the Association.

2. The Executive Committee shall hold a session at least once a year and shall be called by the President. The date and venue of next Executive Committee session will normally be decided at the end of each session. However, if no decision has been taken on the matter, the President will decide after consultation with the other members of the Executive Committee.

3. Special sessions of the Executive Committee may be convened at any time on the request of at least three members of the Executive Committee. The date and venue of the session will be decided by the President after consultation with the other members of the Committee.

4. If matters of exceptional urgency requiring action by the Executive Committee should arise between two sessions of the Committee, the President , after having consulted the Vice-President, or after notifying him, should such consultations not prove feasible, may seek the opinion of the Executive Committee members by correspondence or any other rapid means of communication. Unless a special session of the Executive Committee is requested in accordance with provisions of paragraph 3 above, the President may proceed with the action contemplated as soon as he has received concurrence by any written means of communication from the majority of the Executive Committee members.

5. As provided for in Article VIII, paragraph 5, 6 and 8, the President and Vice President of the Executive Committee, who are at the same time President and Vice President of the General Conference, shall be elected by the General Conference from among the Executive Committee members just elected. They shall hold office from the end of the General Conference regular session at which he has been elected until the end of the next regular session of the Conference; they shall be eligible for re-election once.

6. The President of the Executive Committee shall have, during the Executive Committee meetings, the same powers and duties as he has as President of the General Conference in relation to meetings of the General Conference itself.

7. The Executive Secretary of the Association shall act as Secretary to the Executive Committee.

8. The Executive Committee shall :

a) manage the affairs of the Association in accordance with the Constitution and the policies and directives adopted by the General Conference;

b)prepare the budget estimates of the Association for the consideration and approval of the General

Conference ;

c) report to the General Conference on the implementation of the approved programme of work and the

progress made in fulfilling the objectives of the Association ;

d)carry out such other functions as the General Conference may delegate to it.

9. The Executive Committee may establish such working groups as it considers desirable.

10. The procedures of the Executive Committee and of its working groups shall be governed by Rule VIII

above.

11. Meetings of the Executive Committee shall normally be held in private. However, if it deems appropriate,

the Executive Committee may decide to invite such scientists it considers competent to participate in the debates on some agenda items of its meetings.

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