CONSTITUTION FOR THE ASSOCIATION FOR WORLD EDUCATION
Preamble, Article I The Association for World Education is an international, non-governmental, voluntary organization of individuals and institutions who believe that learning about ourselves and our communities is most effective and satisfying, when education reflects an awareness of our intimate relationship to the world as a whole. The members of the Association find that reflecting this awareness in concrete ways is not easy, so they have joined together to practice better what they believe. The intention of the Association is to promote and encourage universal learning centers particularly in the spirit of the folk and people education worldwide and assist in interlinking them, help them to learn from each other¹s experience, and aid them to formulate appropriate goals for ³world education². The philosophy of the Association is based on life enlightenment, life long learning and world education inspired by a great number of thinkers who have a concept of the universal. People like Gandhi, Martin Buber, Grundtvig, Paulo Freire, Myles Horton, Albert Schweitzer, I.S.Senghor, Kanzo Uchimura can no doubt contribute considerably to a deeper understanding of the concept ³world education².
Statement of Purpsoe, Article II The Association for World Education wants: a) - to promote intercommunication and inter-action among individuals and centers of learning which are working to comprehend and to spread awareness of the global aspects of education, b) - to facilitate the exchange and the transfer of ideas, knowledge, experience and examples among such individuals and institutions, c) - to spotlight those innovations in education and in development which strengthen the linkages between the local and the global, d) - to encourage research and leadership training related to world education, e) - to stress the special contribution of a voluntary, peoples¹ organization in working towards the above purposes.
Organization, Article III a) The organization of the Association shall be based on individual and institutional membership - all committed to the aims of the Association for World Education. b) Individual and institutional members shall organize themselves in national or regional Chapters. c) Where national or regional Chapters have not yet been established it should be possible for individuals and institutions to become members of the AWE by applying to the AWE headquarters.
Article IV a) Individual, regional or national Chapters shall be affiliated with the Association for World Education after submitting their application and after approval by the International Council. b) National and regional Chapters shall be self-governing, independent units in accordance with the laws and regulations in their respective countries.
The International Council, Article V a) The International Council shall be the highest governing body of the Association for World Education. b) The AWE shall have the right to organize permanent or temporary committees or organs to perform the assigned functions in accordance with the Constitution and by-laws.
Article VI a) Each Chapter will elect 1 delegate to the Council . b) The Chapter-delegates to the Council can decide to elect a number of individuals to be members of the International Council. c) These ³individual² members shall not exceed half of the total number of Council members. d) The period of office for all Council members is the period between two Council meetings. e) Council members shall be eligible for re-election.
Article VII a) The International Council will convene ordinarily every three years. b) Extraordinary meetings may be called by the Presidency and must be called if half of the Chapters so desire. c) The meetings of the International Council are open meetings. Therefore, all members of the AWE can participate as well as guests. d) At Council meetings only members of the International Council can vote.
Article VIII a) The International Council shall determine the policy of the Association for World Education. b) The Council shall approve or disapprove applications from national or regional Chapters and from independent members. c) The Council shall elect AWE-delegates to the various United Nations¹ organizations with which the AWE has consultative status. d) The International Council shall elect the President of the Association and four Vice Presidents. Candidates for election do not have to be members of the Council. e) Minutes of the International Council meetings shall be sent to all Chapters. f) Every year the Chapters will submit a report to the International Council. g) The Council will determine its own order of proceedings.
The Presidency, Article IX The President and the Vice Presidents shall carry out the Council-decisions and recommendations.
The Presidency, Article X a) Between International Council meetings the Presidency may take initiatives to further the aims of the Association. Such initiatives shall be reported to the Chapters in writing and shall in any case be reported to the Council at the next Council Meeting. b) The Presidency shall speak on behalf of the Association for World Education on all matters.
The Presidency, Article XI a) The Presidency shall be in close contact and meet whenever necessary. The President or any of the Vice Presidents can call a meeting. b) A record of such meetings shall be kept and presented to the Council regularly. c) The Presidency shall be responsible for calling the International Council meetings with a notice of 3 months stating the agenda and meeting place. Also the Presidency shall prepare the agenda and the necessary papers for Council meetings. d) The Presidency may give provisional approval to applications from national or regional chapters or from individuals.
The Presidency, Article XII a) The Presidency shall set up a secretariat at such place as they shall determine and shall employ such staff as they shall consider necessary. b) Such employment shall be in accordance with rules and regulations in the country where the office of the Association is located.
Finances, Article XIII a) The finances of the Chapters are not subject to approval by the Association. b) The Chapters will pay an annual fee to the Association based on the number of members. This fee shall be determined by the International Council at its ordinary meetings. c) The Presidency shall have the right to secure funding from other sources to support its activities, if approved by the Council.
Voting, Article XIV a) Decisions at all meetings of the Association shall be by consensus. b) Where no consensus is possible, decisions shall be taken by a simple majority vote of those attending.
Amendments, Article XV a) Amendments to this Constitution may be made at any International Council meeting. b) When a Council meeting has been called, proposals for amendments should be sent to the President not later than two months before the meeting. Upon receiving such proposals, these shall be sent to the Chapters not later than one month before the meeting. c) Such amendments may be passed with a two-thirds vote of majority of those attending.
Publications, Article XVI The Association will issue publications periodically and utilize other appropriate means of dissemination.
Dissolution, Article XVII a) Dissolution of the Association for World Education can be recommended at two subsequent International Council meetings with an interval of one year. b) The decision to dissolve shall be carried by a two-third majority of those members present plus those members sending votes in written ballot. c) The assets shall, in such event, be divided between the Chapters according to the number of members. d) If distribution as stipulated in c) above is not possible, the Council shall decide how such assets may be disposed of. This Constitution of The Association for World Education was adopted unanimously by the International Council on Thursday, March 16, 1995 at the 25 year anniversary meeting of the Association held at The International People¹s College, Helsingør, Denmark.
Ove Korsgaard President