Statutes of the NGO Committee on the Status of Women Vienna
- The aims of the Committee are to:
a) Advocate for women’s rights, convene meetings, and act as a forum for
the exchange of information among non-governmental organizations
represented at the United Nations in Vienna;
b) Assure strong and persistent engagement and promote solidarity on
gender equality, human rights, climate justice and peace, and other matters
related to the status of women;
c) Facilitate liaison with UN Women and participation in the sessions of the
Commission on the Status of Women, and related UN processes and agencies
in Vienna and elsewhere.
Membership - Membership of the Committee is open to:
a) NGOs having Consultative Status with the Economic and Social
Council of the United Nations, in Category General, Special and the
Roster, by action of the Council, which have a permanent
representative accredited to the United Nations in Vienna;
b) NGOs placed on the Roster by action of the Secretary-General,
which have a permanent representative accredited to the United
Nations in Vienna;
c) NGOs placed on the Roster by virtue of their consultative status with
specialised agencies or other United Nations bodies, which have a
permanent representative accredited to the United Nations in
Vienna;
d) Admission to the Committee requires an application being submitted
to the Chair and approved by the Board;
e) The full membership dues are to be paid on an annual basis. If a
member is in arrears of payment, the Treasurer shall send a written
reminder. If a member is in arrears of payment for more than two
years, the membership ceases automatically.
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Structure - The Committee consists of:
a) The Member Organisations
b) The Board
c) The Officers
d) The Auditors
Work of the Committee - The Committee shall meet regularly, in person or virtually, at least three
times during the year. The Committee shall determine the date and place of
meetings. The Board may convene the Committee sooner, or may postpone
convening the Committee. However, at the request of one-third of the
member organisations of the Committee, the Board shall convene the
Committee within two weeks of the time such a request is received. - The Committee shall review its activities since the previous meeting, review
the state of liaison between UN Women and other relevant UN bodies dealing
with matters concerning women and NGOs, and maintain close contact with
other NGO groupings, especially the NGO Committee on the Status of
Women New York and the NGO Committee on the Status of Women Geneva. - The Committee shall include a Younger Generation Working Group and
support their activities. - The Committee shall elect the Board and its Officers from among the
representatives of member organisations. - The Committee shall decide on the amount of membership dues and
approve the budget of the Committee. - Observers at the Committee may be invited by the Board from:
a) NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC which are not member
organisations of the Committee;
b) National associations and international NGOs not having consultative
status with ECOSOC, but having expertise in the field of the status of
women;
c) Representatives of the UN system;
d) Representatives of Governments. - The Committee may establish Sub-Committees or Ad Hoc Committees at
the request of five or more member organisations. When a decision has been
taken to establish a Sub- or Ad Hoc Committee, the Board shall notify the
member organisations and invite them to an initial meeting.
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Board - The Board of the Committee shall consist of the Chair, the First Vice-Chair,
the Second Vice-Chair, the Secretary, the Deputy Secretary, the Treasurer
and the Deputy Treasurer and a maximum of four other members, and the
Chairs of Sub- or Ad Hoc Committees.
11.1 The Board shall draw up the agenda of the Committee meetings and
submit proposals to the Committee for adoption by consensus.
11.2 The Board shall propose the disbursement of funds to the Committee for
its decision.
11.3 Only one person per organisation shall be eligible for membership on the
Board.
Officers - The following shall be Officers of the Committee:
a) Chair
b) First Vice-Chair
c) Second Vice-Chair
d) Secretary
e) Deputy Secretary
f) Treasurer
g) Deputy Treasurer - The Chair shall convene and preside over meetings and maintain
communications with other NGO Committees, competent groups interested
in the status of women, and representatives of the UN system. He/she shall
represent the Committee as and when required. - The First or Second Vice-Chair shall, in the absence of the Chair, act on
her/his behalf. - The Secretary shall keep minutes of the meetings of the Committee, a
record of membership and records of attendance at meetings. The Secretary
shall arrange for distribution of the Minutes of each meeting and other written
material to the member organisations and to such persons or organisations as
the Committee may decide. - The Deputy Secretary shall, in the absence of the Secretary, act on her/his
behalf. - The Treasurer shall receive the membership dues and other contributions
and be responsible for all disbursements and the maintenance of accounts. In
the absence of the Treasurer, the Deputy Treasurer, shall act on her/his behalf.
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Conduct of Meetings - Decisions shall be normally by consensus except at the request of any
member on specific questions. A quorum shall consist of at least one-third of
the member organisations. - When it is necessary to vote, each member organisation in good standing
shall have one vote. Voting may be in person, online, absentee (by email), or
by written proxy.
Matters of Substance - Any statement of the Committee on matters of substance must be signed
by each member organisation with the approval of their headquarters. Such
matters shall include in particular recommendations or statements of positions
to be adopted in the name of the Committee.
Elections - A Nominating Sub-Committee shall invite nominations for election to the
Board. Members of the Nominating Sub-Committee cannot stand for
election. The Nominating Sub-Committee shall prepare a list of candidates
who have been nominated. The report of the Nominating Sub-Committee
shall be circulated to all member organisations of the Committee at least four
weeks in advance of the election date. Nominations may also be made from
the floor. - The Officers of the Committee and the other board members shall be
elected for a term of two years and no person shall hold the same office for
more than two consecutive terms. - Two auditors shall be appointed for a period of two years from among
those members who are not members of the Board. They can be reappointed once. - The election of the Board Members of the Committee shall be by a
majority of member organisations with fully paid memberships, voting in
person, online, absentee (by email), or by written proxy.
Amendments - A proposal to amend these Statutes may be made by a member
organisation. Only the Committee can decide upon such a proposal. - Proposed amendments shall be notified to the Chair and circulated to all
member organisations of the Committee at least four weeks before its next
meeting. In order to take effect, proposed amendments must be ratified by a
two-thirds majority of the Committee members in good standing, voting in
person, online, absentee (by email), or by written proxy.
As amended and adopted, December 16, 2021
ngocswvienna.org 