CHARTER OF THE INTER-ISLAMIC NETWORK ON OCEANOGRAPHY
Article (1)
Name
The name will be the “Inter-Islamic Network on Oceanography”.
Article (2)
Status
The Network shall be an inter-state, non-political and non-profit agency. It shall be an independent, autonomous and self-governing institution under the umbrella of the OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) Standing Committee for S&T Cooperation (COMSTECH).
Article (3)
Headquarters
The headquarters of the Network shall be situated at Institute of Marine Sciences and Technology, Izmir, as offered by the Government of Turkey.
Article (4)
Objective
- To collaborate and cooperate in research areas of common interest with a view to help each other in building capability in the field.
- To exchange information and maintain continuing dialogue in the developments in the field for mutual benefit and use.
- To set up and maintain data banks on the developments in the subject area for use by the members of the Network.
- To initiate joint projects of research and development of common interest to member countries of the Network.
- To help and assist in training of quality manpower for the member countries of the Network.
Article (5)
Membership
The member states joining the Network initially will be the founding members. Other members of OIC member states will be welcome to join the Network after contributing appropriately towards capital cost and sharing partly in the recurring expenditure.
Article (6)
General Body
The representative of member institutions of the Network as well as a representative of COMSTECH shall be the General Body of the Network. All powers shall rest with the General Body of the Network. All powers shall rest with the General Body. They shall elect from themselves the President and three Vice Presidents for a period of three years’ renewable.
Article (7)
Executive Committee
- There shall be an Executive Committee made up of the President, Vice Presidents, one representative of COMSTECH as ex-officio without right of vote. The President shall nominate to act as secretary of the Executive Committee.
- The Executive Committee shall deal with matters entrusted to it by the General Body and shall take all steps to implement the decisions and policies of the General Body.
- Simple majority of the Executive Committee shall form the quorum.
- Any vacancy occurring in the Executive Committee, on any account whatsoever, shall be filled by the General Body.
- The Executive Committee shall adopt its own rules of procedure in the light of policies approved by the General Body.
- The Executive Committee shall meet at least one time per year.
- The Executive Committee shall prepare a plan of action including the scientific programme and financial lay-outs, for approval by the General Body.
Article (8)
Secretariat
- The Headquarters of the Network shall be managed by the Executive Director.
- The Executive Director shall be responsible for the implementation of the decisions of the General Body and the Executive Committee.
- The Executive Director shall be appointed by the General Body on the recommendation of the President on such terms and conditions as it may lay down from time to time.
- The staff of the Headquarters shall be appointed by the Executive Director. For staff to be recruited on an international basis, prior approval of the Executive Committee will be required.
- The Executive Director shall participate in the meetings of the Executive Committee and the General Body without the right of vote.
- The Executive Director shall prepare all documents and reports of the Network for the consideration of the Executive Committee and General Body.
- The Executive Director shall be competent to receive contributions and donations for the Network provided these are in accordance with the procedures approved by the General Body and further these are reported to the Executive Committee at its very next meeting.
- In case the office the Executive Director falls vacant, a new Executive Director will be appointed as stipulated in Clause 3 of Article (8) above within a period not exceeding two months.
- The tenure of the post Executive Director shall be of a term of three years, renewable.
Article (9)
Finances
- The finances for running the Network shall be the responsibility of the member states of the Network as decided by the Fifth Islamic Summit (Kuwait, January 1987) in its resolution IS/5-87/EC/DR.5/REV.3.
- Further financial assistance may be sought from:
i. COMSTECH and other OIC agencies,
ii. International Agencies,
iii. Private donations.
iv. Income from subscription and services.
Article (10)
Languages
The working languages of the Network shall be the official languages of the OIC (Arabic, English and French). However, the scientific and technical information of the Network may be processed and/or accessed in the language of its availability.
Article (11)
Amendment to the Charter
Amendments to the Charter may be proposed by the representative of a member country, and shall be governed by the procedure laid down below. The Charter of the Network may be amended by the General Body a three forth (3/4) majority vote of the members provided that:
a) A two-third majority of the total membership of the Network is present;
b) At least one hundred and twenty (120) days’ notice of such amendments has been received by the President of the General Body meeting; and
c) it has been communicated to all members by the Executive Director at least sixty (60) days before the date of commencement of the General Body meeting.
Article (12)
Withdrawal from Membership
Any member may withdraw from the Network by submitting a written notification to the President of the General Body. The member country fulfilling this provision shall be permitted to withdraw after the expiry of a period of one (1) year from the date of receipt of such notification by the President of the General Body. Such a member state shall discharge all obligations of membership until the period of one (1) year is over. The member state having withdrawn from the Network shall have no further rights on the assets and services of the Network.