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Statutes / Constitution

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Name

Art. 1. - The name of the Association shall be: MANKIND 2000 (in French HUMANITE 2000).

Registered Office

Art. 2. - The registered office of the Association shall be in a municipality of the Brussels conurbation, and at present at 1 rue aux Laines, 1000 Brussels. It may be relocated to any other address in the Brussels conurbation by a decision of the Board of Directors.

Purposes

Art. 3. -  MANKIND 2000 shall be an independent transnational Association of cultural, scientific and educational character, without profit motive, whose purpose shall be to support and promote all aspects of human development: in the individual: within and between groups; and in the emerging world community, with special reference to the mental, moral and essential well-being of each person and of the human community as a whole.

Furthermore, it shall encourage such conditions and techniques as may ensure that the future development of mankind becomes centred on the person as a human-being.

In pursuance of these main objectives, MANKIND 2000 shall:

1. Undertake and support research into basic human needs and into the principles and laws governing the developmental processes in man, and in particular the psychosocial and essential growth of individuals and communities, in order to discover how best to resolve the problems hindering creative human development and personal fulfilment;
2. Collect, collate and disseminate information and help organize exhibitions, conferences, meetings and working parties concerned
   with the investigation and communication of any aspects of personal and social development;
3. By educational and all other appropriate means, assist individuals and groups to understand and practice the principles of creative human development for the general well-being of the human family.

The central role of MANKIND 2000 in pursuance of the general aims as stated, shall consist in facilitating the recognition of significant distinctions and the establishing of appropriate relationships, thereby developing the capacity of mediation in the many fields of human inter-action.

Membership

Art. 4. - The membership shall comprise individuals and corporate bodies having a particular concern for the present and anticipated needs, goals, value priorities and welfare of the human community in general and the human individual in particular.

Art. 5. - The Association shall consist of:

• Founder Members : those who present the Association for registration in the first instance. Following the registration of the Association they shall acquire the same rights and responsibilities as Full Members.
• Full Members : elected to such responsibility by the Board of Directors on a two-thirds majority vote. They shall have full voting rights. They shall be subject to payment of an annual due the amount of which shall be decided annually by the General Assembly*
  Such Membership shall terminate in the event of failure to exercise voting responsibility or lapse in the payment of annual dues after a cautionary period of one year following the default.
• Life Members : individuals whose services to MANKIND 2000 in particular or to mankind in general the members may wish to recognise by inviting them to membership of the Association for life. They shall have full voting rights and shall be absolved from the payment of any annual due. Proposals for such membership shall require a two-thirds majority of the General Assembly and a unanimous majority of the Board of Directors.
• Consultative Members : experts in any field whom MANKIND 2000 may consult periodically and whose continuing services may in this manner be recorded by mutual consent. They shall have no voting rights and shall not be liable for payment of annual dues.
  They shall be elected annually by the Board of Directors on a two-thirds majority vote.
• Associate Members : elected to such membership by the Board of Directors on a simple majority vote* They shall have no voting rights or responsibilities. They shall be liable for payment of a minimum annual  the amount of which shall be decided by the General Assembly. This category of membership is included for those who may wish to mark their interest in and support for the aims, intentions and activities of MANKIND 2000 through such associative membership.

All members holding full voting rights shall be entitled to receive full information concerning the affairs and operations of the Association relevant to their exercising their responsibilities toward the association.

Members without voting rights shall periodically receive information concerning the affairs and operations of the Association which may be considered of general interest to them.

Art. 6. - All applications for membership shall be subject to a decision of the Board of Directors.

Art. 7. - AnyMember may resign at any time by giving three months notice to be delivered in writing to the Executive Director.

Art. 8. - Any Member may be excluded from the Association by a two-thirds majority decision of the General Assembly. No member shall be excluded except upon three months notice from the Executive Director by mail specifying the grounds upon which exclusion is based, and after having been given the opportunity to be heard.

Art. 9. - A member who resigns or is excluded shall forfeit any right to any part of the assets of the Association. Resignation or exclusion of a member shall not relieve such member from the obligation to pay dues for the financial year in which  resignation or exclusion takes place.

General Assembly

Art. 10. - The General Assembly of Members shall have all powers for the performance and execution, of the purposes of the Association.

Art. 11. - The General Assembly shall be held at least once a year, at such time and place as the Board of Directors may decide.
Convening notice shall be sent, at least four months prior to the date of the General Assembly by the Executive Director as the representative of the Board of Directors.

Members of the General Assembly may require the Board of Directors to hold an extraordinary General Meeting on written request to the Executive Director on the part of a two-thirds majority of the voting membership.

Each full voting member may be represented at the General Meeting by another full voting member. No member shall hold more than two proxies.

A quorum shall be constituted by the presence of one quarter of the total full voting membership including the Board of Directors and any members represented by proxy.

Art. 12, - The General Assembly shall only discuss the items appearing on its agenda.

Art. 13• - Except In special cases provided for by the Constitution or Rules of Order, decision shall be carried by a simple majority vote of the full voting members present or represented. Votes shall be cast according to the procedure described in the Rules of Order.

Administration

Art. 14. - The Association shall be administered by a Board of Directors, consisting of at least three and not more than twenty one members, all physical persons. At least one of them shall be of Belgian nationality.

Art. 15. - Directors shall be elected by the General Assembly for a term of four years. They may be re-elected. They may be relieved of their duties by the General Assembly. Such decision shall require a majority vote of at least two thirds of the full voting members present or represented.

Art. 16. - The Board of Directors shall elect from amongst its members a Chairman an Executive Director, and a Treasurer, Their term of office shall be two years* They may be re-elected.

Art. 17. - Meetings of the Board shall be held at such time and place as the Board may decide,  but must be held at least once in every year. At least one month's prior notice of the Board. Meetings shall normally be given by the Executive Director. Each Board member may be represented at Board meetings by another Board member* No member of the Board, shall hold more than two proxies.
Except in special cases, provided for by the Constitution or Rules of Order, decisions shall be carried by a simple majority vote. Yotes shall be cast according to the procedure described in the Rules of Order.

Art. 18. - The Board of Directors shall have full powers of administration and management subject to the prerogatives of the General Assembly. The Board may delegate the day-to-day management of the Association to the Executive Director who shall also have authority to call special meetings of the Board of Directors in circumstances considered by him to be exceptional. All the deeds committing the Association shall, except for special proxies, be signed by the Executive Director and one other, who shall not be required to produce proof of their powers/to third parties.

Legal proceedings, both as plaintiff and as defendant, shall be tTaken, with due action, by the Board of Directors represented by the Chairman or a Director designated for this purpose by the latter.

Budget and Accounts

Art. 19. - The accounts shall be closed on 31st December of each year.

Art. 20. - Every year, the Board of Directors shall communicate the accounts of the closed financial year and the estimated budget for the ensuing year for the approval of the General Assembly.

Amendments to the Constitution and Dissolution

Art. 21. - Any proposal regarding amendments to the Constitution or the dissolution of the Association shall emanate from the Board of Directors or from three quarters of the Association full voting members. The Board of Directors shall advise the members of the Association at least four months 'in advance of the date of the General Assembly which shall deliberate on the proposals aforesaid.    

No decision shall be adopted unless it is voted by a two-thirds majority of the Association full voting members. However, if less than two-thirds of the full voting members are present or represented at the meeting, a new General Assembly shall be convened in the same conditions as the preceding one, which subsequent meeting shall definitely and validly decide on the proposal in question, by a majority of two-thirds of the full voting members present or represented.

In the event of dissolution, the General Assembly shall determine the method of winding up and liquidation of the Association.

General Provision

Art. 22. - Anything which is not provided for by the present Constitution, and in particular the publications to be made to the Belgian. Official Gazette shall be settled according to the provisions of the Belgian law of 25th October 1919 amended 6th December 1954.

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