I. NAME, OBJECTIVE, ADDRESS, FIELD AND RELATIONS

Article 1. The “Institut de Drets Humans de Catalunya” was set up in the city of Barcelona as an association that is governed by these Statutes and the applicable legislations.

Article 2. The purpose of the "Institute of Human Rights of Catalonia" is the study, investigation, spreading, teaching and promotion of human rights from an interdisciplinary perspective with the objective of, amongst others, improving cooperation with people, peoples and developing countries. 

In order to complete these objectives, the Institute will be open to all opinions having to do with the defence of fundamental rights and it will collaborate with public and private organisations that facilitate the achievement of these aims. In striving to achieve these aims, the association will make use of the means most appropriate to each situation.

Article 3. The association's headquarters is at Pau Claris, 92, entresuelo primera, Barcelona.

The board of Directors will to be able to make decisions on the possible movement of the headquarters within the same locality. Any move outside of the locality will call for the agreement of the General Assembly.

Delegations or dependents will be able to be established in any part of Catalonia.

Article 4. The association will be in existence for an indefinite period.

II. MEMBERS OF THE ASSOCIATION: RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Article 5. Any person above the age of 18 can apply to be a member. Applications must be made in writing and will be evaluated by two members of the association, who will admit or refuse it. The decision of the board of Directors can be contested at the following General Assembly.

Article 6. Member's rights:

a) to participate in all of the association's activities.

b) to participate with vote and voice in the general assemblies in the form specified in these Statutes.

c) to choose and be chosen for the role of head of the directive bodies of the association.

d) to be informed regularly and sufficiently of the progress of the association's activities and of the state of the accounts, payments and costs, before they are submitted to the approval of the Assembly General.

e) to have a copy of the statutes and to be aware of decisions made by the directive bodies.

f) to receive information on all the activities and work carried out by the commissions.

Article 7. It is the responsibility of the members to pay the periodic and entrance charges approved by the Assembly General.

Article 8. Members can terminate their membership voluntarily by informing the association in writing of their wish to do so. This will not exempt them from the completion of any pending obligations.

Article 9. The Board of Directors can penalise any member who acts in an undignified way that repeatedly infringes the Statutes or the agreements of the Assembly General or the Board of Directors, or any member who repeatedly fails to meet the economic obligations.

The penalty can range from the month's suspension of the rights of the member to their permanent exclusion from the association. Any decision can be appealed against at the following General Assembly meeting.

III. DIRECTING BODIES

THE ASSEMBLY GENERAL

Article 10. The supreme decision making body of the association is the Assembly General, made up of all the members and meeting according to the Statutes.

Article 11. The Assembly General normally meets once a year in order to approve the Board of Directors' management, the general plan of action, the state of the accounts and the budget for the following year.

And at other times - whenever called by the President of the Board of Directors, a majority of the Board of Directors, any Work Commission or ten per cent of the members of the association - in order to decide any other point. Any request for the calling of a General Assembly meeting must be made to the President who will announce, in a clear and definite manner, the purpose and contents of the meeting.

Article 12. Any calling of a General Assembly meeting will be announced by the President with a minimum of fifteen days' notice, along with the theme of the meeting, to all the members of the association. The Assembly will be judged to be validly constituted if a majority of the members are in attendance. If not, the Assembly meeting will take place one hour later, whatever the number of members present.

For the election of members to the Board of Directors, the modification of the Statutes or the merger or dissolution of the association, it will be necessary that two thirds of the members are present.

Article 13. All Assembly General decisions are made according to the votes of the attendees. Each member has one vote.

Article 14. The following are the specific functions of the Assembly General, they cannot be renounced or delegated:

a) to revise and examine the general functioning of the association and to approve reports presented by the Board of Directors.

b) to analyse a approve the management of the Board of Directors.

c) to approve the association's general plan of action, to highlight the priorities of work and the general orientations necessary fro the carrying out of objectives.

d) to choose the members of the Board of Directors.

e) to approve the state of the accounts and the budget of the following year.

f) to resolve the issues that arise over the interpretation of the Statutes.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Article 15. The Board of Directors is the executive body of the association and is made up of:

• President
• 2 Vice-presidents
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• 5 - 10 Members

In the case of illness or justified absence, the President will be substituted by the elder Vice-President; the Secretary, by the youngest Member; and the Treasurer, by the Member chosen by the Board.

Article 16. All positions are unpaid and last for four years. The positions are renewed every two years.

Article 17. The functions of the Board of Directors are:

a) to carry out all the decisions of the Assembly General.

b) to prepare and direct social activities and to promote and co-ordinate the work of the commissions.

c) to oversee the administrative and economic management of the association.

d) to prepare the annual budget and the state of the accounts from the previous year before presenting them to the Assembly General for approval.

e) to ensure the carrying out of the aims of the Institute, to determine the general orientation of the teachings and to approve the study plans that are followed for the courses.

f) to name the Director and the Manager.

Article 18. The Board of Directors meets a minimum of once a trimester plus any time that the President calls a meeting or at the request of a third of the Board:

Decisions can be made as long as half the Board is present and that a majority of those present vote in favour of the decision.

Article 19. Each work commission chooses a delegate. If the delegate is not a chosen member of the Assembly General, he or she will attend the meetings and have their say, as long as it has to do with an issue directly related to the work commission, but will not be entitled to vote.

Article 20. The functions of the Director are:

a) to direct the functioning of the Institute in accordance with the general guidelines determined by the Board of Directors.

b) to design and supervise, in collaboration with the Director and the Manager, the content of the activities, programmes and projects of the Institute.

c) to produce study plans for courses with the collaboration of the professor.

d) to assume, if necessary, and by delegation of the President, the legal representation of the Institute in the dealing with public and private institutes: the signing of agreements, application for grants, etc.

e) to assist, if not a member of, the Board of Directors, in this case without the right to vote.

Article 21. The functions of the Manager are:

a) to direct the strategic, administrative and economic organisation of the Institute and to co-ordinate its different projects and activities, in accordance with the general guidelines of the Board of Directors.

b) to appoint the necessary auxiliary personnel, with the approval of the Director and the President.

c) to prepare the annual budget and the state of the accounts from the previous year and to present them for the approval of the General Assembly.

d) to assume, if necessary, and by delegation of the President, the legal representation of the Institute in the dealing with public and private institutes: the signing of agreements, application for grants, etc.

e) to assist, if not a member of, the Board of Directors, in this case without the right to vote.

PRESIDENT

Article 22. The legal representation of the association is the responsibility of the President. He or she will act upon the decisions of the Assembly General and the Board of Directors. He or she will participate in the taking of decisions of the directing team of the Institute in the terms established in these Statutes.

SECRETARY

Article 23. The Secretary has the responsibility for all the documents and books of the Assembly, except those of the accounts. He or she will take the minutes of all the meetings of the General Assembly and of the Board of Directors and will dispatch, with the approval of the President, any requested certifications referring to the documents of which he or she is the custodian.

TREASURER

Article 24. The Treasurer is responsible for the documents and books relating to the association's accounts and economic fund. All cash transactions require the signature of both the treasure and the accountant. In the case of the illness or justified absence of one of the two, the member named by the Board will take their place.

PRESIDENTS OF HONOUR

Article 25. Members who have carried out the functions of president or other directing positions, and who have contributed in a relevant way to the promotion of human rights may be named Presidents of Honour.

IV. WORK COMMISSIONS

Article 26. The Assembly General, by its own initiative, or that of the Board of Directors, will create all those work commissions necessary for the completion of the objectives of the association, in agreement with article 2 of these Statutes.

Article 27. Each work commission will choose, by vote, a representative before the Board of Directors which will, at the same time, preside over and moderate the commission meetings.

Each work commission will meet as often as is necessary to develop its functions. Meetings will take place when called by the representatives or when requested by a third of the members. The commissions will inform the Board of Directors of their planned activities in order for them to be approved.

Article 28. The Board of Directors will entrust projects to the work commission that it believes to be the most suitable for the job.

V. FUNDING OF THE ASSOCIATION

Article 29. The association was formed without initial capital - the following economic means will be available to it:

a) The periodic quotas that are proposed by the Board of Directors and approved by the General Assembly.

b) The grants or donations that are received from organisations or individuals that want to collaborate with the objectives of the association.

c) The payments that are received for the activities carried out, within the framework of the objectives of the association and agreed to by the Board of Directors.

VI. DISSOLUTION OF THE ASSOCIATION

Article 30. The association can be dissolved with the agreement of the General Assembly, called specifically for that reason with a month's notice and with the completion of the requisite statutes. In order for the decision to dissolve the association to be made, two-thirds of the members present must vote in favour.

If the Assembly General agrees to the dissolution of the association it will name five liquidators. These liquidators, once all the pending economic responsibilities have been attended to, will give any remaining assets to any organisation dedicated to similar objectives.

ADDITIONAL PROVISION

In the case of the "Institute of Human Rights of Catalonia" modifying it's legal nature in order to become a foundation or other type of entity, the Board of Directors would take on the role of creating and carrying out the constitutive process.

CERTIFICATION

These Statutes were approved by the Assembly General meetin of the “Institut de Drets Humans de Catalunya” that took place on the 8th of October 2007.