Constitution of the International Committee for the Promotion of
Chinese Industrial Cooperatives
(Adopted by the General Assembly of the Committee, June 19, 2005 )
The International Committee for the Promotion of Chinese Industrial Cooperatives (called “Gung Ho International Committee,” or “ICCIC” for short) was founded in January 1939 in Hong Kong. Its activities had been suspended from 1952 to 1986, and resumed in Beijing in 1987.
Article I Registration
The Committee is a non-governmental international organization created by cooperative workers, specialists, scholars and people of all walks of life at home and abroad who are concerned with China’s socialist construction, enthusiastic about the promotion of the Gung Ho movement. It is registered in the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People's Republic of China, and has body corporate capacity.
Article II Mission
The Committee aims to further the establishment and the development of cooperatives in China, to become a mainstay of China’s economy as well as the social coordination and development through unremitting efforts.
Article III Objectives
The objectives adopted by the ICCIC in pursuit of its mission are:
1．Develop extensive liaison with international cooperative organizations, friendship organizations which volunteer to support the development of Chinese cooperatives, and individuals who are enthusiastic about the cooperative movement; and seek to strengthen international support for the cooperative development. Such support may take various forms, such as cooperative aid projects, donations, human resources development, technical aid in cooperative legislation，investigations of overseas cooperatives and exchanges of experience, international cooperative symposiums，exchanges of cooperative publications and materials，and international economic and trade contacts among cooperatives, etc;
2．Make use of any opportunity and form to publicize and spread the cooperative principles developed in the international cooperative movement；
3．Probe into feasible ways for cooperatives’ growth in accordance with China’s national conditions and promote the establishment and development of cooperatives of various types and forms with the guidance of the cooperative principles developed in the international cooperative movement;
4．Push forward the establishment and development of various cooperative supporting systems which provide cooperatives with social service;
5. Exchange ideas with the government through all possible channels; lobby for legislation and policy adjustment of the cooperatives, in order to create favorable policy foundation and legal environment for the development of the cooperatives;
6．Provide training courses for personnel in the cooperatives, especially organizers and management personnel in the cooperatives;
7. Provide consulting services about cooperatives;
8. Develop and enhance contacts and cooperation with current cooperative organizations;
9. Accomplish tasks entrusted by government departments relating to economic growth of the cooperatives in conformity to the purposes of the ICCIC;
10. Support the study on cooperative theories and practice as well as exchange of information and experience of cooperatives at home and abroad.
Article IV Committee Members and Corporate Members
Individuals and legal entities (legal persons) who agree with the principles of the Committee, accept the Constitution of the Committee may apply for membership. Individuals admitted shall be committee members; legal persons admitted shall be corporate members. Each corporate member may an individual as its representative on the Committee.
The ICCIC admits cooperative enterprises, cooperative organizations and those enterprises, organizations and corporations that support the cooperative movement to be its corporate members. Such corporate members should be legally registered entities.
To be a member of the Committee, the applicant should make an application according to the prescribed procedure, i.e. be recommended by one committee member, seconded by another committee member, and approved by the Executive Board.
The ICCIC may award honorary titles or honorary posts to those who have made outstanding contributions to the Committee, or invite them as its advisors, with the approval of the Executive Board.
Members enjoy the following rights:
1.Have the right to vote at the General Assembly;
2. Have the right to vote and to be elected to office;
3. Have the right to take part in the activities of the Committee, and get access to the materials compiled and printed by the committee; the Committee will arrange at least one activity for the members each quarter (member participation shall be voluntary);
4. Have the right to know, to suggest and to supervise the work of the Committee;
5. Have the right to cancel its own membership at any time.
Corporate members enjoy the following rights:
1. Have the right to appoint one individual as its representative member who enjoys all the rights of individual members;
2. Have the right to send certain people to take part in the activities of the Committee;
3. Have the priority to receive the training and consulting services as well as other services provided by the Committee;
4. Have the right to get access to the training textbooks and other materials compiled and printed by the Committee as well as the information of cooperatives at home and abroad;
5. Have the right to know, to suggest and to supervise the work of the Committee;
6. Have the right to cancel its own membership at any time.
The obligations of the individual members and corporate members are:
1. Abide by the Constitution of the Committee, not take part in any activity undermining the purposes of the Committee;
2. Support and take part in the activities of the Committee;
3. Support and take part in the promotion undertakings of cooperatives;
4. Pay membership fees as prescribed; those who fail to pay the appropriate membership fees within the prescribed period shall be considered to have resigned their membership.
Article V General Assembly
The highest organ of power of the Committee is the General Assembly.
The General Assembly shall be held every five years, its function and powers are:
1. Elect and recall the members of the Executive Board;
2. Formulate or amend the Constitution;
3. Review and approve the work report of the Executive Board as well as the treasure’s report and financial report;
4. Formulate the development strategy lines and policies of the Committee.
5. Decide on termination of operations of the Committee;
6. Make decisions on other major issues.
The General Assembly may be held by mail when it is necessary.
The documents relating to the items which shall be submitted to the General Assembly for discussion and approval should be delivered to all the Committee members by the Secretariat at the latest ten days before the voting.
Article VI Executive Board
During the interval between two Assemblies, the Executive Board shall be the organ of power.
The number of executive board members, including the chair and the vice-chairs, should not be less than 9 (including 9), and no more than 13 (including 13), including not more than 11 formal executive members, and not more than2 alternate executive members. The term of service of executive members is five years, and can be renewed and reappointed through re-election. Alternate executive members enjoy all the rights of full executive members, except that they can only vote in lieu of absent full members.
The Executive Board is accountable to the General Assembly, its functions include:
1. Election and recall of the chairman, vice-chairmen, or acceptance of the resignations from the chairman and vice-chairmen;
2. Appoint or dismiss the Secretary-general, decide his/her responsibility and salary;
3. Carry out the Constitution of the Committee, implement the development strategy lines and policies of the Committee;
4. Examine and supervise the implementation of the annual work plan, and make decisions on major issues;
5. Call regularly the General Assembly, and report the work and financial statement to it;
6. Report annually to the Committee members by mail, detailing its work and the major issues involved (including a financial statement);
7. Appoint and remove the treasurer, formulate and supervise the implementation of the financial regulations, appoint auditing organizations, and take measures of adjustment and reforms to the problems found in the auditing process;
8. Set up the structure of the organization; formulate the systems of internal management.
During the interval between two Assemblies, the Executive Board may exercise part of its power. In case of a change of executive member is necessary, the move can be brought to the Executive Meeting for discussion and approval, and subsequently submitted for endorsement by the next General Assembly.
The Executive Board shall meet at least once every three months, and may meet at any time upon the specific request of the chairman, or the majority of the Executive Board, or more than 20 members of the Committee.
The Executive meeting shall only be valid when at least two thirds of the Executive members attend it. A resolution adopted by the Executive Board shall only come into effect when it gains the vote of the majority of the Board members who are present at the Executive Meeting, unless otherwise regulated. The documents of the Executive meeting should be delivered to the Executive members who attend the meeting by the Secretariat for review and approval.
The agenda of the Executive meeting and the relevant documents which shall be submitted to the meeting for discussion should be delivered to all the Executive members by the secretary-general at least one week before the meeting.
The Executive members should undertake the obligations to keep participating in the Executive meetings and the decision-making process, and to take on his responsibilities and the work entrusted by the Committee. The Executive member who fails to perform the obligations may resign from the Executive Board. Those who fail to attend the Executive meetings for three consecutive times without stating the reasons beforehand should be considered as having resigned. Such resignation shall be made known to all the Committee members by the secretary-general who is authorized by the Executive Board. The Secretary-general shall have on record of the names of the Executive members who are present at or absent from Executive meetings.
The Committee has one chairman, two vice-chairmen. Their functions are:
1. Host the General Assembly and the Executive meetings;
2. Exercise the resolutions of the General Assembly and the Executive meeting; direct the day-to-day work during the intervals between two Executive meetings;
3. Review the work report from the Secretary-general, handle the matters which the Secretary-general asks for instructions;
4. Make decisions on the problems needing solving on time in the day-to-day work in accordance with the spirit of the resolutions of the Executive meetings, and report the issues approved to the next session of the Executive meeting;
5. The Chair shall sign agreements with other organizations authorized by the Executive Board.
Article VII Secretary-general and Secretariat
A Secretariat shall be established which is composed of the secretary-general and working staff.
The secretary-general shall be nominated by the chairman and assume his/her post upon approval by the Executive Board with approval by at least two thirds of the Executive members attending the meeting.
The secretary-general shall attend the Executive meeting, has the right to speak, but has no right to vote.
The secretary-general shall report to the Executive Board, and perform duties as follows:
1. Handle day-to-day affairs according to the Constitution and the resolutions of the General Assembly and the Executive Board;
2. The secretary-general shall be in charge of the work of the Secretariat, and perform the administrative regulations formulated by the Executive Board;
3. Work out the annual work plan and quarterly work schedule, and submit them to the Executive Board for discussion and approval.
4. Report to the Executive Board of the work and fiscal situation;
5. Prepare documents and administrative matters for the General Assembly, the Executive meetings and other meetings;
6. Make proposals to the Executive Board about the development and improvement of cooperative movement;
7. Compile and print Gung Ho Newsletter and maintain the website of the ICCIC.
Article VIII Supplementary Articles
The fiscal year of the Committee is from January 1 to December 31.
The Constitution shall come into effect upon approval by the General Assembly. The Executive Board shall work out the by-laws for the implementation of the Constitution. The right of the interpretation for both the Constitution and the by-laws lies with the Executive Board.
(Polished by Michael Crook, 2005.10.10)
