Constitution for the Association for World Education

§1

The Association for World Education is an international, non‐governmental, voluntary organization of individuals and institutions advocating World Education. Education is World Education when it reflects an awareness of our intimate relationship to the world as a whole.

AWEʼs goal is to promote and encourage lifelong learning and world education with the aim of creating awareness of universal identity and development of active citizenship, and to work for the ideals of the United Nations: peace, tolerance, understanding among peoples and nations, and international cooperation..
The philosophy of the Association is based on life enlightenment, life long learning and World Education.

§2

Mission of the Association for World Education
AWE encourages and promotes universal learning centers working for World Education. AWE assists in formulating appropriate goals for World Education.
AWE promotes communication and interaction among individuals and learning centers that conduct, work to comprehend, and spread awareness of World Education.
AWE encourages research in World Education.
AWE encourages leadership training in World Education.
AWE stresses the special contribution of a voluntary, peopleʼs organization in working towards the mentioned purposes.
AWE has a strong affiliation to concepts like life enlightenment, lifelong learning, folk education and people's education as inspired by philosophies dedicated to the concept of the universal. People like Gandhi, Martin Buber, N.S.F. Grundtvig, Paulo Freire, Myles Horton, Albert Schweitzer, I.S. Senghor, Kanzo Uchimura are among many who are considered contributors to a deeper understanding of the concept of World Education.

§3

a) The organization of the Association shall be based on institutional and individual membership - all committed to the aims of the Association for World Education.
b) Individual and institutional members can organize themselves in national or regional Chapters.

§4

a) Individual and institutional members and national or regional 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 with bylaws in accordance with the laws and regulations in their respective countries.

§5

a) The International Council shall be the highest governing body of the Association for World Education.
b) The AWE at all levels shall have the right to organize permanent or temporary committees or organs to perform the assigned functions in accordance with the Constitution and bylaws.

§6

a) Each Chapter will elect 1 delegate to the International 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 “individual” members shall not exceed half of the total number of International Council members.
d) The period of office for all Council members is the period between two International Council meetings.
e) International Council members shall be eligible for re-election.

§7

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 International Council meetings only members of the International Council can vote.

§8

a) The International Council shall determine the policy of the Association for World Education.
b) The International Council shall approve or disapprove applications from national or regional Chapters and from independent members.
c) The International Council shall elect AWE-delegates to the various United Nations organizations with which the AWE has consultative status.
d) The International Council shall elect the President of the Association along with at least four Vice-Presidents and a Treasurer. For candidates to be eligible for elections, they have to be members of AWE and it is not necessary for interested candidates to be members of the International 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.

§9

The President and the Vice Presidents shall carry out the International Council-decisions and recommendations.

§ 10

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 International Council at the next International Council Meeting.
b) The Presidency shall speak on behalf of the Association for World Education on all matters.

§ 11

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 International Council meetings.

d) The Presidency may give provisional approval to applications from national or regional chapters or from individuals.

§ 12

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.

§13

a) The finances of the Chapters are not subject to approval by the Association.
b) The Chapters, individual members and institutional members will pay annual fees to the Association. These fees 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 AWEʼs activities.

§ 14

a) Decisions at AWE meetings are preferably made by consensus.
b) Where no consensus is possible, decisions shall be taken by a simple majority vote of those attending.

§ 15

a) Amendments to this Constitution may be made at any International Council meeting. b) When a International 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.

§ 16

The Association will issue publications periodically and utilize other appropriate means of dissemination.

§ 17

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 International Council shall decide how such assets may be disposed of.

as amended at the International Council meeting October 2010