Wikimedia Macau/Charter/en/20100621

Chapter I General Principles

A. Official Name

Chinese: 澳門維基媒體協會
English: Wikimedia Macau Association

B. Address

19 N, Block 4, Edifício Wang Kei, 6, Avenida do Bairro da Concórdia, Macau

Chapter II Nature

The Wikimedia Macau Association (“the Association” thereafter) is the only and non-profit and independent association in the Macau Special Administration Region of the People’s Republic of China (“Macau” thereafter).

Chapter III Goals

To aid and encourage people to collect, develop and effectively disseminate knowledge and other educational, cultural and historic content in the public domain or under a license that allows everyone to freely use, distribute and modify said content by means including (but not limited to):

promoting freely accessible online information repositories whose content is freely and editable;
acting as a voice and representative for the community of Macau citizens who use and edit such repositories;
preserving world heritage, and particularly of Macau;
supporting the charitable work of the Wikimedia Foundation;
enabling, assisting, promoting and promulgating wider participation in the creation, dissemination and expansion of information and educational resources covering the world's knowledge and languages to all persons, everywhere;
furthering the development of electronic, printed, and other resources required to support such participation;
producing, publishing and developing, causing to be produced, published and developed, information resources, whether in printed, electronic or other forms;
making use of or encouraging the use of information resources for the advancement of education
encouraging the adoption of practices and policies to widen education, participation and dissemination of information worldwide.

Chapter IV Organization

The General Assembly of the Association is the ultimate authority.
The General Assembly shall be called only by the Representative Council, elected members of the General Assembly in proportion to the minimum of 10, to practice the rights given by the General Assembly.
There shall be a President, a Vice-president, one Treasurer (minimum), an Executive Committee, a Secretariat, a Supervisory Committee and related Subordinate Committees established on demand.
Any of the Executive Committee, the Supervisory Committee and the Subordinate Committees must be seated by a President, a Vice-president and Members of odd numbers. The President must be neutral when making a resolution. He or she may cast the final vote only if the number of votes received from the pro and the con side are the same.
All posts last for two years. The Rules for the Election, Rights, and Number of Persons Allocated shall be drafted and approved by the Executive Committee.
If a post is vacant for more than six months either because of death, health issues or resignation, a by-election must be held to replace the vacancy according to the related Rules of the Election.

Chapter V General Assembly

A. Calling of the General Assembly

The General Assembly of the Association is the ultimate authority.
The rights of the General Assembly shall be exercised by the Representative Council, elected members of the General Assembly in proportion to the minimum of 10, and the calling of the Assembly.
The post of the Representatives lasts for two years. The Rules for the Election, Rights, and Number of Persons Allocated shall be drafted and approved by the Executive Committee.
The General Assembly must be called at minimum once a year. A written notice shall be issued eight days, at minimum, before the date of the Assembly to the membership.
Only in case of emergency a Special Assembly may be called. A written notice shall be issued five days, at minimum, before the date of the Assembly to the membership. Such an Assembly may be called only by the joint act of ten members, and the approval of the Executive Committee.

B. Presidium

The Assembly shall be seated by a President, the First and Second Vice-Presidents and all members.
The First Vice-President shall oversee the duties of the President if the latter is not unable to do so. The position shall be replaced by the Second President if the First Vice-President is unable to oversee such duties.

C. The Rights of the General Assembly

To elaborate and amend the Charter;
To elect and impeach the President, the Vice-president, members of the Executive Committee, the Secretariat, and the Supervisory Committee;
To approve the amount and means of payment of the admission fee, annual fee and donations;
To approve the Annual Plan, the Annual Report, the Budget and the Final Accounts;
To approve the disqualification of one’s membership;
To approve the allocation of the property;
To approve other major matters related to the rights of the members, and
To approve the dissolution of the Association.

D. Acts include

Those approved by the Executive Committee;
Those Raised by the Supervisory Committee and the Subordinate Committees naturally becomes the Issues during the Assembly, which does not require the approval of the Executive Committee;
Those Jointed Acts Raised by five (the minimum) members naturally becomes the Issues during the Assembly, which does not require the approval of the Executive Committee the Supervisory Committee and the Subordinate Committees.
All jointed Acts signed by less than five members, shall be sent to the Executive Committee, the Supervisory Committee or the related Subordinate Committee and become an Issue during the Assembly after getting the approval.

E. Resolutions

The President and the vice-Presidents must be neutral when the General Assembly is making a resolution. They may cast their votes only if the number of votes received from the pro and the con side are the same.
Any plan or resolution shall be considered officially approved only if it receives approval from half plus one or more, or more than 50.00%, of the members attending the Assembly. Otherwise it is nullified.

Chapter VI President and Vice-president

Rights

To deliberate the qualifications of the Representatives;
To approve the resignation of the President of Executive Committee;
To hire and relieve volunteers;
To approve and sign the Annual Plan, the Annual Report, the Budget and the Final Accounts; and
Other related issues they should execute.

Chapter VII Executive Committee

The Executive Committee must be seated by a President, a Vice-president and Members of odd numbers.

Rights

To approve members (representatives) of the Association in a standing manner;
To elect of impeach the President of the Executive Committee;
To approve the resignation of its Members;
To Draft the Annual Plan, the Annual Report, the Budget and the Final Accounts;
To Establish Committees, and
Other issues it should execute.

Issues must be drafted by the Executive Committee before the calling of the General Assembly.
The President must be neutral when the Committee is making a resolution. He or she may cast the final vote only if the number of votes received from the pro and the con side are the same.

Chapter VIII Supervisory Committee

The Supervisory Committee must be seated by a President, a Vice-president and Members of odd numbers.

Rights

To Supervise and Urge the Operation of the Association;
To Supervise the Operations of the Executive Committee;
To Deliberate the Annual Budget;
To Approve the Resignation of its Members, and
Other issues it should supervise.

The President must be neutral when the Committee is making a resolution. He or she may cast the final vote only if the number of votes received from the pro and the con side are the same.

Chapter IX Secretariat

Formation

There must be one (voluntary) Secretary-general in the Secretariat.
Upon the approval of the Executive Committee in necessary, there may be at most three Standing Secretaries.

Duties

To be responsible for matters related to documents and communications for the Association;
Other matters on the order of the President of Executive Committee. Other workers shall nominated and appointed or relieved by the President of Executive Committee after the approval of the Executive Committee, for the reference of the Supervisory Committee.

Chapter X Subordinate Committees

The Subordinate Committees must be seated by a President, a Vice-president and Members of odd numbers.
The rights and duties of the Committees are drafted by the General Assembly or the President and vice-President of the Association.
The President must be neutral when the Committee is making a resolution. He or she may cast the final vote only if the number of votes received from the pro and the con side are the same.

Chapter XI Membership

The membership of the Association may be categorized as “Basic” （personal）, “Group” and “Honorary”.
Those permanent residents of Macau who are, or have been member of the Wikimedia and subordinate projects, are eligible to apply for the membership.
Those who are assisting, or who assisted in the Wikimedia and subordinate projects, are eligible to become members after two members’ reference and the approval of the Executive Committee.
Interested parties shall fill in application forms and hand in related certification to the Executive Committee for approval.
The Supervisory Committee should raise the case of any member conducting any of the following behavior to the Executive Committee, which shall suspend his or hermembership. A act for resolution shall be sent to the General Assembly or the Special Assembly:
1. Those who breach the Charter;
2. Those who have been sentenced to prison for one year or more in Macau, other countries or regions,
3. Those who conduct in illegal businesses, and
4. Those who damage the fame of the Association by speech or act.

Chapter XII Rights and Duties of the Members

Rights

Any member of the Association (“member” thereafter) shall not be discriminated or assisted due to his or her nationality, ancestry, race, language, gender, political ideology or philosophical belief, level of education, economic issues or social conditions.
Members enjoy the rights of nomination, election, candidacy, voting, making suggestions and criticism, by the regulations made by the Association.
Members enjoy the rights of human dignity and privacy according to Articles 30, 31, 32 of the “Basic Law”, and other related laws.
Members are eligible to enjoy the facilities of the Association and to participate in the activites held by the Association.

Duties

Members shall abide to the Charter and all the resolutions of the Association.
Members shall pay the membership fee and annual fee on time.

Chapter XIII Funding

The Income of the Association includes:
1. The Admission Fee and the Annual Fee of the members;
2. Donations;
3. Profit from activities, and
4. All Proceeds approved by the General Assembly, the Executive Committee or the Supervisory Committee.

Chapter XIV Amendment of the Charter

Any amendment of the Charter must be made by a resolution.

Chapter XV Explanation of the Charter

The explanatory power of the Charter lies in the ultimate resolution of the General Assembly.
An explanatory session may be proposed to the Executive Committee on demand.

Chapter XVI Supplementary Article

Shall there be any matter unmentioned in this Charter, the Executive Committee shall propose an Amendment to the General Assembly.
Any institution under the Association, unless breaching the principles of this Charter, may draft related or extensive regulations.