AFRICAN ORGANIZATION FOR STANDARDISATION (ARSO)

CONSTITUTION

AND

RULES OF PROCEDURE

REGLES DE PROCEDURE

REVISEES http:www.arso-oran.org DE LORAN

TABLE OF CONTENT
Page PREAMBLE.....1 ESTABLISHMENT.....2 OBJECT OF THE ORGANIZATION..2 MEMBERSHIP3 OBLIGATION OF MEMBERS.3 AUTHORITY.......3 STRUCTURE OF THE ORGANIZATION..4 GENERAL ASSEMBLY.....4 COUNCIL.....4 PRESIDENT.... 5 VICE PRESIDENT..5 TREASURER...6 ADDITIONAL MEMBERS OF COUNCIL ..6 CENTRAL SECRETARIAT AND SECRETARY GENERAL..6 FINANCE.6 STATUS AND SEAT OF THE ORGANIZATION.6 LANGUAGES..7 PUBLICATIONS AND DOCUMENTS OF THE ORGANIZATION..8 SETTLEMENT OF DISPUTES AND THE APPLICABLE LAWS OF THE ORGANIZATION..8 DISSOLUTION...9 RELATIONS WITH OTHER REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS.9 RULES OF PROCEDURE 9 AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION AND FUNDAMENTAL CHANGES IN POLICY10 FINAL PROVISIONS10 Annexes /Schedules.

PRINCIPLES AND POLICIES GOVERNING THE OPERATION OF THE AFRICAN ORGANIZATION FOR STANDARDIZATION (ARSO) IN EXERCISE of the powers conferred upon the General Assembly by sub-paragraph (a) of paragraph 5. of Articles viii of the constitution of the African Organization for Standardization, the General Assembly hereby prescribes the following principles and policies to govern the operation of the African Organization for Standardization, (herein after referred to as the Organization): 1. The Organization shall be operated at all times in such a manner as to facilitate the achievements of the objectives for which the Organization was established including those purposes enumerated in the preamble to the Constitution. 2. The President, the Vice President, the Treasurer, members of the General Assembly and the Council, the Secretary General and staff of the Organization shall at all times act in conformity with paragraph 1 above. They shall also refrain from any action which may be detrimental to the objective of the said paragraph 1. 3. Members of the Organization shall make every effort to create conditions favorable for the development of the Organization and the achievement of the objectives for which the Organization was established. 4. The General Assembly shall give general directives to the council in carrying out its functions. It shall prescribe such principles and policies governing the operation of the Organization as it may deem desirable provided that such additional principles and policies shall not be contrary to the purpose for which the organization was established. 5. The General Assembly may establish such subsidiary bodies from among its members as it may determine. Such subsidiary bodies shall, subject to the provisions of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly and any standing orders made under those Rules of procedure, determine their own procedure. Preamble The National Standards Bodies on whose behalf this Constitution is signed; Determined to promote standardization activities in Africa and to strengthen the African voice, contribution and participation at international level in the field of standardization; Recognizing the desirability of harmonization of regional standards particularly with respect to products of interest to Africa; Convinced that these can be achieved by the establishment of an African Organization for Standardization; HEREBY agree as follows:

ESTABLISHMENT Article 1 1.1 There is hereby established an Organization to be known as the African Organization for Standardization (hereinafter referred to as the Organization) which shall operate in accordance with this Constitution and which shall be an independent and autonomous organization with a flag and logo for identification. The acronym for the Organization shall be ARSO.

1.2

OBJECT OF THE ORGANIZATION Article 2 2.1 The object of the organization shall be to promote standardization and related activities in Africa with the view of facilitating intraAfrican trade and international exchange of goods and services, participation and cooperation at the international level of its members in the sphere of scientific, technological and economic activity. As a means to these ends, the organization may inter alia:

2.2

2.2.1 Harmonize national and/or sub-regional standards and issue necessary recommendations to Member Bodies for this purpose; 2.2.2 Initiate and coordinate the development of African Standards with references to products which are of particular interest to Africa; 2.2.3 Encourage and facilitate adoption of International standards by Member Bodies; 2.2.4 Promote and facilitate the exchange of experts, information and cooperation in the training of personnel in standardization activities; 2.2.5 Coordinate the views of its members at the ISO, IEC, OIML, CODEX and other International organizations concerned with standardization activities; 2.2.6 Create appropriate bodies in addition to the organs of the Organization for the purposes of fulfilling its objectives.

MEMBERSHIP Article 3 3.1 Membership of the Organization shall be open to the following:

3.1.1 National Standards Bodies and where no such National Standards Body exist, the relevant standardization bodies of Member States of the African Continent which have agreed to abide by this Constitution and Rules of Procedure, and have been admitted into the Organization; 3.1.2 other standardization bodies such as metrology, testing and conformity assessment, other than those defined in 3.1.1 above. 3.2 3.3 3.4 There may be different categories of membership as defined in the rules of procedure. Withdrawal, suspension and cessation of membership shall be in accordance with the Rules of Procedure. Only one organization in each country shall be admitted to full membership;

OBLIGATION OF MEMBERS Article 4 4.1 Member Bodies of the Organization shall cooperate in every way so as to assist the Organization to achieve its objectives. They shall in particular: 4.1.1 Pay promptly their annual contribution which shall be in respect of every calendar year and such fees as may be due from them for services rendered by the Organization. 4.1.2 Facilitate the collection, exchange and dissemination of information by the Organization. 4.1.3 Submit all necessary reports and information required by the Organization. 4.1.4 Make available training, research, testing and other facilities on such terms as may be agreed with the appropriate organs of the Organization. AUTHORITY Article 5 5.1 5.2 A decision by vote of the Member Bodies or, in accordance with the provisions of Article 6, of the General Assembly shall constitute a decision of the Organization. Decisions of the Organization in technical matters, whether by vote of the Member Bodies or of the General Assembly, shall constitute only recommendations to the various Member Bodies, each Member Body remaining free to follow or not to follow them in its National Standardization activities.

STRUCTURE OF THE ORGANIZATION Article 6 6.1 61.2 The Organization shall have the following organs: The Council;

6.1.1 The General Assembly; 6.1.3 The Central Secretariat; and 6.1.4 Such other bodies and committees as may be established by the General Assembly and/ or the Council. GENERAL ASSEMBLY Article 7 7.1 The General Assembly, which is the supreme organ of the organization, shall be constituted by a meeting of the delegates nominated by the Member Bodies, duly convened in accordance with the Rules of Procedure. As a general rule, the General Assembly shall meet at least once every year. During its session the General Assembly shall hold the powers of the Organization, except as otherwise provided in this constitution. In General Assembly each Member Body shall have one vote. The General Assembly may determine its own Rules of Procedure as provided in schedule I of this Constitution.

7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5

COUNCIL Article 8 8.1 The operations of the Organization shall be administered, in accordance with the policy laid down by the organization, by a Council consisting of the President and representatives of twelve Member Bodies; however, the number of persons on the Council may be increased under the terms of Article 12. In no event may the President represent a Member Body on the Council.

8.2 8.3

The Council shall report on the activities of the Organization to the Member Bodies each year and to the General Assembly at each of its sessions. There shall be an Executive Committee, which shall have a permanent status and to which the Council shall delegate such functions and duties as it deems necessary. The Committee shall consist of the Vice President, Treasurer, and three other persons designated by the Council. This Committee shall report to the Council at such intervals as the Council may determine. For its effective functioning the Council may create Committees, which shall report to it each year on the matters referred to them. The Council shall determine its own Rules of Procedure in addition to those prescribed in schedule II.

8.4 8.5

PRESIDENT Article 9 9.1 9.2 9.3 The President of the Organization shall be elected either in the General Assembly or by letter ballot. The President shall be a citizen of a country which has a Member Body in the Organization. The President shall preside over the General Assembly and over the Council and shall submit to the General Assembly the proposals made and the decisions taken by the Council. The President shall supervise the activity of the Central Secretariat with the assistance of the Executive Committee. VICE PRESIDENT Article 10 10.1 10.2 The Vice President of the Organization shall be elected by the Council from its own members. The Vice President shall deputize for the President whenever the latter is absent or unable to act. In case of death or resignation of the President, the Vice President shall take over the duties of the President until a new President has been elected.

9.4

TREASURER Article 11 11.1 11.2 The Treasurer of the Organization shall be elected by the Council from its own members. The Treasurer shall act as Trustee for the funds of the Organization and shall advice the Council on all financial matters and present his observations on the audited annual financial report to the Council. ADDITIONAL MEMBERS OF COUNCIL Article 12 12.1 When the Vice President and/or the Treasurer has been elected and remains in office for a term beyond the time his Member Body is represented on the Council, the Vice President and/or the Treasurer shall continue to hold a seat on the Council in a personal capacity until his term of office as Vice President and/or the Treasurer expires. CENTRAL SECRETARIAT AND SECRETARY GENERAL Article 13 13.1 The Central Secretariat shall comprise the Secretary General and such staff as the Organization may require. The Central Secretariat shall be located at the same place as the seat of the Organization. The Secretary General shall be the chief administrative officer of the Organization; shall be appointed by the Council and shall hold office at its pleasure, according to Rules of Procedure. The Council shall prepare rules under which the Secretary General shall conduct the affairs of the Central Secretariat and these shall be periodically reviewed by the Council. Except as elsewhere provided in this Constitution, the Council shall define the authority and scope of work of the Secretary General. In the performance of his duties, the Secretary General shall not seek nor receive instructions from any Member Body nor from any authority external to the Organization, except as specifically provided for in the Constitution. Each Member Body shall respect the international character of the responsibilities of the Secretary General and his staff and shall not seek to influence them in the discharge of their responsibilities.

13.2

13.3 13.4 13.5

13.6

13.7

The Secretary General shall provide secretariat services for all organs of the Organization. FINANCE

Article 14 14.1 The funds of the Organization shall be derived from the dues and contributions from the Member Bodies. The financial responsibility of each Member Body in respect to commitments to the Organization shall be limited to its annual dues. The Council may undertake work in the field of the Organization at the request of or on behalf of other Regional and International Organizations and may accept reimbursement for expenses incurred. The acceptance of funds from other sources (gifts, etc.) shall be at the discretion of the Council. The Council, with the advice of the Treasurer, shall take the steps necessary for the safekeeping and proper administration of the funds of the Organization. It shall present to the Member Bodies annually the accounts of the Organization duly verified by a professional accountant whose certificate shall be accepted as proof of their correctness. The membership dues shall be as provided for in the rules of Procedure. STATUS AND SEAT OF THE ORGANIZATION Article 15 15.1 The seat of the Organization shall be determined by the General Assembly. 15.2. The Organization shall have capacity to enter into contracts, sue and be sued and acquire and dispose of immovable or movable property. 15.3 The Organization shall enter into an agreement with the government of the country where its head quarters is situated concerning the provision of premises, facilities, services, privileges and immunities for the purpose and efficient operation of the Organization. 15.4 The Organizations civil personality shall be secured in accordance with the laws of the host country. LANGUAGES Article 16 16.1 16.2 The languages of the Organization shall be the official languages of the Commission of the African Union. Publications and documents covered by Articles 17.1.1, 17.1.4 & 17.1.6, and issued by the Organization shall be in English and French.

14.2

14.3 14.4

14.5

16.3

Texts of these publications and documents in other languages used by Member Bodies may be prepared by appropriate Member Bodies. The accuracy of the texts shall be certified to the Secretary General by those Member Bodies. Such texts shall be accepted as having equal authenticity with the English and French texts and shall be made available to the other Member Bodies of the Organization. Such publications and documents shall include a statement that they have been recognized by the Organization as authentic. The mutual correspondence between Member Bodies may be in other languages. For the purpose of this Article, apart from English and French languages, all other interpretations and translations shall be provided by the Member Body/Bodies concerned. PUBLICATIONS AND DOCUMENTS OF THE ORGANIZATION

16.4 16.5

Article 17 17.1 The Organization may issue the following types of documents: 17.1.1 Minutes of meetings of the General Assembly and the Council, financial statements, and reports which the Council may deem useful to the work of the Organization; 17.1.2 Technical documents for study purposes; 17.1.3 Reports on Progress of Work within the established Council Committees; 17.1.4 Technical Reports containing recommendations to the Member Bodies of the Organization; 17.1.5 Technical Reports and recommendations resulting from studies initiated by requests originating outside the organization; 17.1.6 List of African Standards in accordance with Articles 2.2.1 and 2.2.2. 17.2 Decisions as to distribution of documents in Article 17.1 shall be made by the Council for each type of document, giving particular attention to the distribution of documents under Article 17.1.4. SETTLEMENT OF DISPUTES AND THE APPLICABLE LAWS OF THE ORGANIZATION Article 18 18.1 Any dispute that may arise concerning the interpretation of the application of any of the provisions of this Constitution which cannot be settled by the members of the Organization concerned shall be submitted to the General Assembly whose decision shall be final. Cases not specifically provided for in this statute and their rules of procedure shall be resolved by the General Assembly as appropriate depending on their nature and scope.

18.2

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DISSOLUTION Article 19 19.1 The Organization may on the proposal of the General Assembly, the Council or at least one fourth of the members of the Organization be dissolved by an affirmative vote of three fourths of all the members of the Organization. The General Assembly shall appoint a committee for the orderly dissolution of the Organization. In the event of the dissolution of the Organization, the Council shall determine the manner of disposal of the funds and properties owned by the Organization.

19.2

RELATIONS WITH OTHER REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS Article 20 20.1 The Organization shall encourage cooperation with other regional and international organizations interested partially or wholly in standardization or related activities, to allow for exchange of ideas that enhance development of its policies. The conditions of cooperation shall be established by the Council.

20.2

RULES OF PROCEDURE Article 21 21.1 21.2 Details of the operation of the Organization shall be dealt with in the Rules of Procedure. Amendments to the Rules of Procedure may be proposed by the General Assembly, the Council, or at least five Member Bodies. An affirmative vote by a majority of the entire membership shall be required for the adoption of the amendment. The names of the Member Bodies voting for or against shall be reported to the Council and be available to Member Bodies. The rules made pursuant to Article 7.5 and 8.5 for the conduct of the General Assembly and the Council shall be those as contained in schedule I and Schedule II of this constitution.

21.3

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AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION AND FUNDAMENTAL CHANGES IN POLICY Article 22 22.1 22.2 This Constitution may be amended on the proposal of the General Assembly, the Council or of at least five member bodies of the Organization; The Secretary General shall notify all members of the Organization of the proposed amendment at least three months prior to the meeting of the General Assembly where the proposed amendment is to be considered; No amendment shall be effective unless approved by at least two thirds of the entire membership of the Organization; The above conditions shall be followed in the case of any change in policy considered fundamental by the General Assembly or the Council.

22.3 22.4

FINAL PROVISIONS Article 23 23.1 23.2 23.4 The Constitution of which the English and French texts are equally authentic shall be deposited with the Secretary General. The Constitution shall be applied provisionally when signed on behalf of at least eight of the Member Bodies referred to in Article 3 of this Constitution. The Constitution shall enter into force six months from the date of its provisional application if ratified, accepted or approved on behalf of at least eight of the Member Bodies referred to in Article 3 of this Constitution. Instruments of ratification, acceptance or approval shall be deposited with the Secretary General after the Secretariat is formed but before this it shall be deposited with the Commission of African Union (AUC). A Standards body referred to in Article III of this Constitution which is desirous of becoming a member of the Organization after the coming into force of this Constitution may do so by depositing with the Secretary General its instrument of accession to this Constitution after the Secretariat is formed but before this it shall be deposited with the AUC. The Secretary General shall transmit certified copies of this Constitution and information concerning ratification, acceptance, approval or accession to this Constitution to members of the Organization and all members of the African Union.

23.5

23.6

23.7

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned being duly authorized have signed this Constitution on the dates appearing under their signatures, on behalf of their respective standards bodies.

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SCHEDULE I RULES OF PROCEDURE FOR THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE AFRICAN ORGANIZATION FOR STANDARDIZATION (ARSO) IN EXERCISE of the powers conferred upon the General Assembly by Article 7.5 of the Constitution of the African Organization for Standardization, the General Assembly hereby makes the following Rules of Procedure:

GENERAL Rule1 1.1 These Rules are in no way intended to modify the provisions of the Constitution of the African Organization for Standardization (hereinafter referred to as the Constitution) and should accordingly be read in conjunction with the Constitution. In the event of any inconsistency between these Rules and the Constitution, the Constitution shall prevail.

ELECTION AND APPOINTMENT OF OFFICERS Rule 2 2.1 2.2 The President shall be elected by the General Assembly. The President shall be citizen of a country, which is a member body in the Organization.

2.2.1 One year prior to the completion of office of a President, the Council shall nominate a candidate for the next President. 2.2.2 The term of office of the President shall be three years and can be re-elected for another single term only. 2.3 Upon the death, resignation, or inability of the President the Vice President shall provisionally be appointed as President until fresh elections. 2.4 The Secretary General shall be appointed by the Council, and shall hold office at its pleasure. General Assembly RULE 3 3.1 The General Assembly shall meet in ordinary session at least once every year at the seat of the Organization or at such other place the General Assembly may decide. 3.2 The General Assembly may hold extraordinary meetings at the request of the President of the Organization or at the request of at least two-thirds of its members. 14

3.3 The Secretary General of the Organization shall convey to the members of the Organization and their related Ministries of Foreign Affairs information concerning all meetings of the General Assembly and shall do so by air mail or electronic mail at least three months in advance. 3.4 Each member of the General Assembly shall, upon receipt of a notice of a meeting, notify the Secretary General, at least one month in advance, whether or not the member intends to attend the meeting. 3.5 A simple majority of the members of the General Assembly present shall constitute a quorum. 3.6. The validity of any act or proceedings of the General Assembly shall not be effected by any vacancy among the members thereof, or by any defect in the appointment of any member thereof, or by reason that some person who was not entitled to do so took part therein. 3.7 In addition to the powers conferred upon him elsewhere by the Constitution and these Rules the person presiding at a meeting of the General Assembly shall declare the opening and closing of each meeting of the General Assembly. He shall direct the discussions at meetings, ensure the observance of these Rules, call on speakers, put questions to the vote in accordance with these Rules and announce the results of voting. 3.8 During the discussions of any matter a member may at any time raise a point of order and the point of order shall immediately be decided by the person presiding in accordance with these Rules. A member may appeal against the ruling of the person presiding. The appeal shall immediately be put to the vote and the presiding persons ruling shall stand unless overruled by a majority of the members present and voting. A member raising a point of order may not speak on the substance of the matter under discussion. 3.9 The General Assembly may, on the proposal of the person presiding, limit the time to be allowed to each speaker or any particular subject under discussion. 3.10 Subject to sub-rule 3.8 of these rules, the following motions shall have precedence in the following order over all other proposals or motions before the meeting: 3.10.1 3.10.2 3.10.3 3.10.4 to suspend the meeting. to adjourn the meeting; to adjourn the debate on the item under discussion; to close the debate on the item under discussion.

3.11 Permission to speak on a motion in the four categories mentioned in sub-rule 3.10. of these rules shall be granted only to the proposer and to one speaker in favour of and two against the motion, after which the motion shall be immediately put to the vote. 3.12 Proposal and amendments thereto shall normally be submitted in writing to the Secretary General of the Organization, who shall circulate copies to the members of the General Assembly. As a general rule, no proposal or amendment shall be discussed or put to the vote at any meeting of the General Assembly unless copies of it have been circulated to all members not later than the day preceding the meeting. The person presiding may, however, permit the discussion and consideration of amendments even though they have not been circulated, or have only been circulated the same day. 15

3.13 A motion may be withdrawn by its proposer at any time before voting on it has begun, provided that it has not been amended and that an amendment to it is not under discussion. A motion which has been thus withdrawn may be re-introduced by any member. 3.14 When a proposal has been adopted or rejected, it may not be reconsidered at the same session of the General Assembly unless a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting so decides. Permission to speak on a motion to reconsider shall be accorded only to the mover and one other supporter and to two speakers opposing the motion, after which it shall be immediately put to the vote. 3.15 Subject to the provisions of Article 7 of the Constitution and sub-rules 3.14, 3.21 and 3.22 of these Rules, decisions of the General Assembly shall be taken by a simple majority of the members present and voting. 3.16 Each member of the General Assembly shall have one vote. If the vote is equally divided, the person presiding shall exercise a casting vote. 3.17 For the purpose of these Rules, the phrase members present and voting means members casting an affirmative or negative vote. Members abstaining from voting or casting an invalid vote shall be considered as not voting. 3.18 The General Assembly shall normally vote by show of hands. However, any member may request a roll-call, which shall be taken in the English alphabetical order of the names of the members of the Organisation represented at the meeting, beginning with the member State whose name is drawn by the person presiding. The vote of each member participating in any roll-call shall be inserted in the minutes of the meeting concerned. 3.19 Parts of a proposal or amendments thereto shall be voted on separately if the person presiding, with the consent of the proposer, so decides, or if any member requests that the proposal or amendment thereto be divided and the proposer raises no objection. If an objection is raised, permission to speak on the point shall be given first to the mover of the original proposal or amendment under discussion, after which the motion to divide the proposal or amendment shall be immediately put to the vote. 3.20 Those parts of a proposal which have been approved shall then be put to the vote as a whole; if all the operative parts of the proposal or amendment have been rejected, the proposal or amendment shall be considered to be rejected as a whole. 3.21 A motion is considered to be an amendment to a proposal if it constitutes and addition to, a deletion from, or a revision of part of that proposal. An amendment shall be voted on before the proposal to which it relates is put to the vote. 3.22 If two or more amendments are moved to a proposal, the General Assembly shall first vote on the amendment furthest removed in substance from the original proposal and then on the amendment next furthest removed there from, and so on, until all amendments have been put to vote. Where, however, the adoption of one amendment necessarily implies the rejection of another amendment, the latter amendment shall not be put to the vote.

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3.23 If two or more proposals relate to the same question, the General Assembly shall, unless it decided otherwise, vote on the proposal in the order in which they have been submitted. The General Assembly may, after each vote on a proposal, decide whether to vote on the next proposal. 3.24 The General Assembly may make standing orders not inconsistent with the provisions of these Rules with respect to the holding of meetings of the General Assembly, the notice to be given of such meetings, the proceedings thereat, the keeping of minutes of such proceedings and the custody, and production for inspection of such minutes. 3.25 Any of these Rules may be suspended by a two-thirds majority vote by the General Assembly, provided that twenty four (24) hours notice of the proposal for the suspension has been given. The notice may be waived if no member objects. 3.26 Any of these Rules may be amended by a two-thirds majority vote by the General Assembly in any of its sessions provided that two months notice of the proposal for the amendment has been given. 3.27 Subsidiary organs of the General Assembly shall follow these Rules in so far as they are applicable to them. 3.28 Before the closing of each meeting of the General Assembly, the place and date of the next meeting shall, as far as it may be possible, be decided upon.

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SCHEDULE II

RULES OF PROCEDURE FOR THE CONDUCT OF THE COUNCIL OF AFRICAN ORGANIZATION FOR STANDARDIZATION MEMBERSHIP Rule 1 1.1. There shall be two categories of membership namely:a) Full membership with voting rights b) Associate membership with no voting right 1.2 Any standard body desiring to be a member body shall apply in writing to the Secretary General, stating its acceptance of the Constitution of the Organization and Rules of Procedure and its agreement to pay the established annual fee. The Secretary General shall immediately assess the application in establishing its adherence to the conditions established in the Constitution, and submit the application to the Council, in order to determine in particular:

1.2.1 Whether the country is already represented in the Organization by another body; 1.3.2 Whether the body making the request may be considered as the most broadly representative in its country in matters of standardization; 1.2.3 The Council shall decide whether or not the Applicant shall be admitted as a new member body of the Organization; 1.2.4 The Council shall decide by a vote of the majority of the member bodies of the to admit the applicant as a new member; Council,

1.2.5 Should this majority vote not be obtained, an appeal may be made to the organization by the applicant, to be submitted to the member bodies, and an affirmative vote of three fourths of the member bodies shall be required for admittance; 1.2.6 Any body desiring to be an associate member may make a written application to the Council, stating inter alia that it has its concern and interest in promoting standardization, and is ready to conform to the Constitution and Rules; 1.2.7 The Council shall place the application for consideration before the members of the Council and shall be satisfied by the application before admitting, the applicant must satisfy the conditions for admission; 1.2.8 A positive vote of the majority of the member bodies of the council shall count to admit a coordinate member.

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WITHDRAWAL, SUSPENSION AND CESSATION OF MEMBERSHIP Rule 2 2.1 Any member of the Organization may withdraw from the Organization at any time after the expiration of one year from the date on which it became a member of the Organization by giving written notice of its withdrawal to the Secretary General who shall forthwith inform all members of the Organization of the receipt of such notice of withdrawal. Withdrawal shall become effective one year from the date of receipt by the Secretary General of the notice of withdrawal. Provided that any member of the Organization withdrawing from the Organization shall nevertheless remain liable for the fulfilment of its financial obligations to the Organization including the payment of contributions in respect of the entire year in which the notice of withdrawal takes effect. The Council may suspend a member of the Organization who fails to meet its financial obligation towards the Organization after one year;

2.2

2.3

2.4

2.4.1 The suspension of a member of the Organization shall not relieve that member from the fulfilment of its financial obligation incurred prior to its suspension unless otherwise decided by the Council; 2.4.2 During the suspension of a member of the Organization, it shall not hold office in the Organization, participate in the activities of the organs of the Organization nor receive documents and publications of the Organization; 2.4.3 The suspension of a member of the Organization shall be revoked upon the payment by it of the arrears of its financial obligation to the Organization; such a member shall thereupon enjoy all the facilities and privileges of a member of the Organization; 2.4.4 A suspended member of the Organization who does not meet his financial obligations to the Organization for three consecutive years shall automatically cease to be a member of the Organization; 2.4.5 The suspension, revocation or cessation of a membership of the Organization

shall be communicated by the Secretary General to all other members of the Organization; 2.4.6 If a member body which under the terms of sub-rule 2.1 of these rules has ceased to belong to the Organization, formally asks to be admitted again, the Council shall decide upon the financial conditions for its readmission to the Organization.

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COUNCIL MEETINGS Rule 3 3.1 The Council of the African Organization for Standardization (hereinafter referred to as the Council) shall meet in ordinary session at least once a year at the Headquarters of the African Organization for Standardization (hereinafter referred to as the Organization) or at such other place as the Council may decide. The Secretary General of the Organization shall convey to the members of the Council information concerning all meetings of the Council and shall do so by air mail and electronic means at least two months in advance. Each member of the Council shall, upon receipt of a notice of a meeting, notify the Secretary-General, at least one week in advance, who will represent it at the meeting. A simple majority of the members of the Council present shall constitute a quorum. If the Council is satisfied that a person representing one of its members:

3.2

3.3

3.4 3.5

3.5.1 has been absent from two consecutive meetings of the Council without informing the Secretary General as soon as possible of the reason for such absence; or 3.5.2 is for any reason unable or unfit to discharge the function of a member of the Council; 3.5.3 the Council may advise the member of the Council of the circumstances. 3.6 The validity of any act or proceedings of the Council shall not be affected by any vacancy among the members thereof, or by any defect in the appointment of any member thereof, or by reason that some person who was not entitled to do so took part therein. Subject to the provisions of sub rules 3.10 and 3. 12 of these rules, decisions of the Council shall be taken by acclamation or by a simple majority of the members present and voting. Each member of the Council shall have one vote. If the vote is equally divided, the person presiding shall exercise a casting vote. For the purpose of these Rules, the phrase members present and voting means members casting an affirmative or negative vote. Members abstaining from voting or casting an invalid vote shall be considered as not voting. The Council may make standing orders, not inconsistent with the provisions of these Rules, with respect to the holding of meetings of the Council, the notice to be given of such meetings, the proceedings thereat, the keeping of minutes of such proceedings and the custody, and production for inspection, of such minutes.

3.7

3.8 3.9 3.10

3.11

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3.12

When there is no meeting of the Council, decisions by the Council may be taken by correspondence. In this case, a majority of the entire Council shall be required for a decision.

3.13. The Council may refer matters to Members of the Organization for advice, or for decision by the General Assembly in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution. 3.14 Any of these Rules may be amended by a simple majority of the members of the Council at any of its sessions or by correspondence.

3.15. Subsidiary organs of the Council shall follow these Rules in so far as they are applicable to them. 3.16 Before the closing of each meeting of the Council, the place and date of the next meeting shall, as far as may be possible, be decided upon. CONSULTATION OF MEMBER BODIES Rule 4 4.1 4.2 The Council may refer matters to the Member Bodies for advice or decision, without calling a General Assembly meeting. In such cases, ballots may be cast by letter or by electronic means. PRESIDENT Rule 5 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 The term of office of the President shall be three years. He shall not be eligible for re-election for six years from his retirement. He shall remain in office until his successor has been elected. Twelve months before the expiration of the term of office of the President, the SecretaryGeneral shall invite nominations for President from the Member Bodies to be submitted within three months. Each nomination shall include a statement by the proposer that the nominee has given his assent to the presentation of his name. The nominations shall be circulated by the Secretary-General to the Member Bodies, without stating the names of the proposers. In case of death or resignation of the President, the Vice President shall immediately instruct the Secretary-General to invite nominations and arrange for an election, if necessary by letter ballot. In the event of fundamental decisions becoming necessary as a result of its findings, the Executive Committee shall present its recommendations through the intermediary of the President to the Members of Council for consideration and action.

5.5 5.6 5.7

5.8

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VICE PRESIDENT Rule 6 6.1 6.2 The term of office of the Vice President shall be three years in such away that it shall not expire at the same time as that of the President. He may be re-elected for a further term of office, provided that his Member Body, at the commencement of his new term, is a member of the Council, but if the Vice President has served for two successive terms, he shall not be eligible for re-election as Vice President until four years have elapsed. The Vice President shall remain in office until his successor has been elected. Unless otherwise decided by the President, the Vice President shall be the Chairman of the Executive Committee. TREASURER Rule 7 7.1 The Treasurer shall be elected for a term of office of three years. He shall be eligible for re-election for another term of three years. The Council may, however, by an affirmative vote of three-fourths of the members terminate the appointment of the Treasurer at any time at its discretion. If the Member Body of the Treasurers country is, during any part of the term, a member of the Council, he may, at the discretion of that Member Body, be its representative on the Council. Otherwise he shall be a member of the Council in a personal capacity, but shall be entitled to vote only on matters broadly or directly affecting financial affairs of the Organization. The Treasurer shall remain in office until his successor has been elected. SECRETARY GENERAL Rule 8 8.1 The Secretary General shall have the privilege of taking part in all meetings, except when the Chairman of the meeting considers his presence inopportune. He shall have no vote.

6.3 6.4

7.2

7.3

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FINANCE Rule 9 9.1 The fiscal year shall be the calendar year. The date of presentation of the yearly accounts of the Organization to the Member Bodies shall be not later than 01 March of the following year. The budget for the ensuring year shall be submitted to the Member Bodies not later than 01 March of the year in contention. The Membership dues of Member Bodies shall be determined by allotting to each of them a certain number of units and attributing to the unit a monetary value. Unless the organization decides otherwise, the Council shall decide the value of the unit for each financial year. Unless the Organization decides otherwise, the Council shall after negotiation with interested parties determine the number of units allotted to new Member Bodies; likewise it may, always after negotiating with interested parties, revise the number of units allotted to present Member Bodies. The Council shall immediately inform all Member Bodies, giving all necessary explanations and indicating in particular when any Member Body disagrees with the number of units allotted to it. A recapitulatory report shall be presented to each General Assembly. The General Assembly may establish any other basis for the determination of dues of Member Bodies. 9.4 A Cheque of a value exceeding an amount to be determined by the Council, shall be signed by the Secretary General and countersigned by the Treasurer and, if the latter is unable to set, by the President or the Vice President. 9.5 If, however, the Secretary General is at any time unable to sign cheques, the President may designate for a specified period another officer of the Central Secretariat to sign all cheques in the place of the Secretary General. Immediate action shall be taken to notify the Secretary General of any cheques drawn without his signature. Certified financial Auditors shall be appointed annually by the Council.

9.2 9.3

9.6

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