WLFD

World League for Freedom and Democracy

WLFD 

CHARTER OF THE WORLD LEAGUE FOR FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY

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Prepared by WLFD Secretariat
January 2006

Preamble

We, the people from various parts of the world, without distinction as to race, nationality, religion, occupation or sex, dedicated to the ideals of human rights, freedom, democracy and world peace, having faith in divine providence that guides the destinies of human kind, do unite and hereby constitute and adopt this Charter.

Chapter I
General Purposes

Article 1
The name of the Organization shall be the World League for Freedom and Democracy, and is to be abbreviated as the WLFD.

Article 2
The general purposes of the League are:
1. To advocate and universally support the causes of freedom, democracy     and world peace;
2. To promote respect for, and observance of, human rights and the fundamental freedoms of all peoples;
3. To be a coordinating center for international cooperation in economic development and educational and cultural exchange designed to contribute to social progress and a better standard of life; and
4. To combine staunch efforts against international terrorism, aggression, imperialism, totalitarianism and authoritarianism in whatever form it should take.

Chapter II
Membership

Article 3
1. Upon adoption of the present Charter, the Members of the World League for Freedom and Democracy shall, as of January 23, 2005, automatically retain membership of the League.
2. National, regional or international organizations that subscribe to the purposes of the League are eligible for membership.

Article 4
1. Membership shall consist of Regular Members with voting rights and Associate Members without voting rights.
2. Regular membership shall comprise of two categories:
2a.  A national chapter recognized and accepted by the Executive Board as representing a country or territory.
2b.  An international organization dedicated to the ideals of the WLFD and composed of two or more branches not in the same country. Such an organization may be granted regular membership, provided that none of its branches have been accepted as a Regular Member. Youth groups in all parts of the world, dedicated to the cause of freedom and democracy and united in a duly organized body, may be accepted as an international organization.
3. Other organizations dedicated to the ideals of the WLFD and accepting its charter may be accepted as Associate Members.

Article 5
1. All Regular Members shall have equal rights and obligations in the League.
2. If a country or territory is represented in the League by a Regular Member, other organizations from the same country or territory may only be accepted as Associate Members.
3. The basic rights and obligations of the Regular Members shall be carefully considered and drafted by a sub-committee of 3-5 members chaired by the Secretary-General. Its conclusions will be presented to the Executive Board and the Annual General Conference.
4. The basic rights and obligations of the Associate Members will be determined in the same manner as those of the Regular Members, except that they do not have voting rights.

Article 6
All new application for membership shall be submitted directly to the Secretariat of the League. The Executive Board shall consider the application and make recommendations to the General Conference. Any decision on membership shall be made by a majority vote of the Executive Board, and approved by the WLFD General Conference, also by majority.

Chapter III
National Chapters and International Organizations

Article 7
1. All Regular Members representing a country or territory shall be known as National Chapters of the League.
2. When a National Chapter is reorganized or makes changes in its organization, it shall notify the Secretariat of the League accordingly at least two months prior to the national conference. The said Chapter must also submit its statute and a list of names of its officers to the Secretariat. Continued representation is subject to the ratification of the Secretariat.
3. An international organization accepted as a WLFD Regular Member should provide the Secretariat with full information about its activities.

Chapter IV
Structure

The General Conference

Article 8
1. The General Conference shall be vested with supreme authority in the League.
2. The General Conference shall be composed of delegations representing Regular Members of the League and delegations representing Associate Members without voting rights.
3. Each Regular Member shall have one vote in the General Conference.
4. A simple majority of the Regular Members of the League shall constitute a quorum.

Article 9
1. The General Conference shall be held once a year in the territories of national Regular Members on a rotation basis unless otherwise decided by the Executive Board.
2. An Extraordinary Conference may be convened, when necessary, by a resolution of the Executive Board or upon the request of a majority of the Regular Members of the League.

1. The General Conference shall be held once a year in the territories of national Regular Members on a rotation basis unless otherwise decided by the Executive Board.
2. An Extraordinary Conference may be convened, when necessary, by a resolution of the Executive Board or upon the request of a majority of the Regular Members of the League.

Article 10
1. The presiding officer of the Member hosting the General conference shall serve as the Chairman of the General Conference until the beginning of the next Annual General Conference. He or she shall transfer his or her Chairmanship to the new Chairman at the opening session of the next Annual General Conference.
2. The Secretary-General of the League shall serve as the Secretary-General of the General Conference.

Article 11
The General Conference shall have authority to discuss, approve or implement the following:
1. Adoption of principles, policies, declarations, and resolutions of the League;
2. Amendments to the Charter;
3. Reports and suggestions submitted by the Regular Members of the League;
4. Decisions taken by the Executive Board;
5. Other matters that come within the scope of the present Charter.

Article 12
The General Conference may set up such subsidiary bodies, as it deems necessary for the performance of its functions.

Article 13
The standing rules and procedures of the General Conference shall be separately prescribed by the Secretariat.
The President of the League

Article 14
1. The President of the League shall be elected by and from the members of the Executive Board of the League. The result of the election shall be reported to the General Conference. The President shall hold office for a term of four years and shall be eligible for re-election.
2. The President shall be the top official of the League and shall represent the League. The President shall supervise the performance and development of the League in compliance with the Charter.
3. The President can appoint two to five Vice Presidents to help him supervise the League activities.

The Executive Board

Article 15
1. The League shall establish an Executive Board, and Members of the Executive Board are:
1a.  Nominated by the President and approved by the Regular Members of the League at the General Conference.
1b.  The Secretary-General of the League is the ex officio Member of the Executive Board.  
1c.  The Chairman of the General Conference shall be a Member of the Executive Board for that year.
2. Members of the Executive Board serve a term of four years that expires upon the election of new board members at the next meeting of the General Conference.
3. The President and the Secretary-General of the League shall serve as Chairman and Secretary-General of the Executive Board, respectively.
4. Members of the Executive Board shall number between 17 and 21. 

Article 16
1. The Executive Board shall, when the General Conference is not in session, discuss any matters that come within the scope of the Charter and shall have the authority to perform their duties in the name of the League, such duties having been entrusted to it by the General Conference of the League.
2. The Executive Board shall prepare the provisional agenda of the General Conference, draft proposals and prepare other materials to be submitted to the General Conference.
3. All decisions of the Executive Board shall be made by a majority of the Members present.
4. The next meeting site of the General Conference shall be proposed by the President in consultation with the Executive Board.

Article 17
The President may convene the Executive Board at any time or at the request of at least five Members of the Board. The quorum for a legitimate Executive Board meeting is the presence of more than half of its members.

The Secretariat

Article 18
The Secretariat of the League shall act under the instructions of the President.

Article 19
The Secretariat shall be responsible for the execution of the matters entrusted to it by the Executive Board and also as a liaison and coordination work among the Members of the League.

Article 20
1. The Secretary-General shall be nominated by the President of the League and appointed subject to the approval of the Executive Board. The appointment shall be reported to the General Conference.
2. The President shall appoint one to two Deputy Secretaries-General to assist the Secretary-General in the performance of his or her duties.
3. The Secretary-General shall serve under the direction of the President. The Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General hold office for a term of four years and shall be eligible for re-election.

Article 21
Rules for the organization of the Secretariat shall be separately prescribed with the approval of the Executive Board.

Rules for the organization of the Secretariat shall be separately prescribed with the approval of the Executive Board.

Chapter V
Finances

Article 22
1. The expenses required for the maintenance of the Secretariat shall be borne mainly by the Member in whose territory the Secretariat is located.
2. It is mandatory on the part of each Member to pay the annual membership fee upon its registration before the opening of the General Conference.
3. The amount of the membership fee and admission fee shall be decided by the Executive Board annually.
4. The Secretary-General will submit an annual financial report to the General Conference.

Article 23
1. A Member will be suspended from the exercise of the rights of membership upon failure to pay the fees due in two consecutive years.
2. Should a Regular Member of the League fail to support the principles and purposes of the League, its membership in the League shall be disqualified upon decision by a majority vote of the Executive Board, subject to the approval of the General Conference of the League.

Chapter VI
Supplementary Provisions

Article 24
Amendments to the present Charter shall come into force upon adoption by a simple majority of the Regular Members present at a General Conference, provided that the draft amendments have been submitted by no less than one tenth of the Regular Members and received by the Secretary-General with a request for circulation at least six weeks prior to the holding of the General Conference.

Article 25
The present Charter shall come into force upon adoption by the General Conference of the League in the year 2006.