Constitution
Article 1. Name
1. The name of the Society shall be “United Nations Staff Recreation Council (UNSRC) Korean Cultural Society (aka Kimchee Society)” hereinafter referred to as the Society.
2. The Society shall function under the auspices and supervision of the UNSRC.
Article 2. Purpose and Objectives
1. The purpose of the Society is to promote and disseminate Korean culture and traditions among its members and among members of the United Nations (UN) staff and diplomatic community.
2. The Society shall fulfill its purpose through the organization of a range of activities related to Korean culture, including, but not limited to, cultural, social, recreational, charitable, scientific and educational activities.
3. The activities organized by the Society shall be consistent with the purposes, principles, dignity and good name of the UN and shall not be motivated by political and/or commercial purposes.
Article 3. Membership
1. Membership shall consist of staff members of UN (including UN specialized agencies, programmes and funds), their families, retired staff members, members of missions to the UN, members of the press accredited to the UN, persons under contractual status with the UN and members of organizations with UN-accredited NGO status and their families.
2. Membership is established upon payment of an annual membership fee.
3. No member of the Society, who is in arrears, shall be eligible to vote or enjoy any of the rights granted by membership to the Society.
4. Annual membership fee shall be $20 (twenty dollars), subject to occasional revision and, as required, by decision of the Executive Council of the Society, which should duly inform all members of the Society about the change, at least 30 days before it becomes effective.
Article 4. Organization
1. The main organs of the Society shall be the Assembly and the Executive Council.
2. The Officers of the Society shall be defined in Article 8.
Article 5. Assembly
1. The Assembly shall be the main deliberative organ of the Society. It shall consist of all members of the Society and shall meet at least once a year. Other Assembly meetings shall be held upon request of a minimum 10 (ten) Society members to the President. The notice and agenda of the meetings shall be circulated at least one week before its scheduled date.
2. It is the competency of the Assembly to:
a. Bring matters to the attention of the President;
b. Elect every two years from among its members the Officers of the Society. The Officers shall be elected for a term of two years and shall be eligible for reelection;
c. Review and approve the Annual Report of the President, as well as the
Financial Report; and
d. Approve any amendments to these bylaws.
3. Decisions in the Assembly are adopted by simple majority of those present and voting, with the exception of decisions on amendments to these bylaws, which require a majority of those present and voting; and
4. Ten (10) members of the Society shall constitute quorum at any meeting of the Assembly.
Article 6. Elections
1. At least one month prior to the Annual Meeting per year, at which elections are to be held, the Executive Council shall appoint a Nominating Council of three persons, who shall present to the Annual Meeting names of candidates they recommend for election as officers for the ensuing year.
2. The Nominating Committee shall invite nominations from the membership for election to the Executive Council. Each candidate must indicate a willingness to serve. The names of the candidates shall be communicated in writing to the membership at least one week prior to the Annual Meeting. Additional nominations may be made from the floor at the Annual Meeting.
3. At the Annual Meeting, the President shall appoint three polling officers, who shall not be eligible as candidates for election. The polling officers shall tally and certify the results of the election by signing the relevant form by the end of the meeting.
4. Absentee ballots for the election of officers may be accepted, if they are presented to a member of the Nominating Committee prior to the Annual Meeting in a sealed envelope bearing the name and signature of the absentee member. Such absentee ballots shall be opened by the polling officers at the time of voting. Absentee ballots may include candidates who are subsequently nominated from the floor.
5. Voting shall be by written ballot. In each case, the candidate who receives a majority of the votes cast shall be elected. Except for the announcement of the successful candidates, the results of the election shall remain secret. The ballots shall be kept in a sealed envelope by the Executive Council until the following election.
Article 7. Executive Council
1. The Executive Council shall consist of the Officers of the Society.
2. The Executive Council shall be responsible for the administration, overall policy and direction of the Society.
3. The Executive Council shall conduct regular meetings, of which at least one week notice shall be given to each of its members. Quorum shall be four members of the Executive Council.
4. When a vacancy on the Executive Council exists, such vacancy may be filled by members of the Executive Council until the end of the particular member’s term.
5. The Executive Council may create committees, as needed.
Article 8. Officers
The officers of the Society shall be: President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Public Relations Officer, Program Coordinator, Assistant Program Coordinator, Technical Adviser, and Assistant Technical Adviser. The President, Secretary and Treasurer shall be currently serving UN staff members, while the other officers shall be either currently serving or retired staff members or their family members. The President shall be elected at the annual meeting of the Society for a term of two years and shall be eligible for re-election. All other officers are designated by the President.
President
- Convenes and chairs Executive Council monthly meetings;
- Convenes and chairs the Annual General Meeting;
- Coordinates and supervises Executive Council members in the discharge of their tasks;
- Manages the Society’s affairs in accordance with this constitution, policies and rules and procedures of the Executive Council;
- Ensures minutes of meetings are drafted and distributed; and
- Issues instructions to members of committees regarding their duties and responsibilities.
First Vice President
- Understudies the President and acts on his/her behalf in his/her absence;
- Coordinates, supervises and undertakes ad hoc tasks, as assigned by the President;
- Coordinates and instructs committees in the organization of activities; and
- Overseas and updates membership list in conjunction with the Treasurer.
Second Vice President
- In the event of the absence or inability of the First Vice President to exercise his/her functions, act as First Vice President of the Society, with all the rights and duties of that office.
Treasurer
- Opens bank account in the name of the Society;- Ensures all cheques are signed by the Treasurer and other authorized member(s) of the Executive Council;
- Maintains records of revenues, expenditure, accounts payable, accounts receivable, assets and liabilities of the Executive Council, and presents records of periodical and ‘no notice’ audits;
- Prepares financial statements and submits copies to the Executive Council members twice a year and/or, as required by the Executive Council;
- Establishes and maintains security measures for safekeeping funds of the Society;
- Guides, advises and instructs Society/activities representatives in the financial aspects of their activities and monitors the preparation and submission of financial reports;
- Prepares a combined bi-annual budget based on submissions of each activity; and
- Collects membership dues and periodically submits an updated membership list.
Assistant Treasurer
- In the event of the absence or inability of the Treasurer to exercise his/her functions, act as Treasurer of the Society, with all rights and duties of that office.
Secretary
- Ensures that members get timely notice of meetings;
- Maintains accurate minutes of all Executive Council and General Meetings; and
- Distributes minutes of Executive Council meetings after review and approval by the President.
Assistant secretary
- In the event of absence or the inability of the Secretary to exercise his/her functions, act as Secretary of the Society, with all the rights and duties of that office.
Public Relations Officer
- Disseminates information on various Society activities;
- Oversees volunteer work related to these activities;
- Provides information on a monthly basis to the membership on activities; and
- Liaise with outside contacts related to a specific activity.
Programme coordinator
- Liaise with outside contacts related to a specific activity;
- Searches for related cultural events/exhibits and informs Society members; and
- Prepares and provides background explanations, if needed, to members on specific cultural events and activities.
Assistant Programme coordinator
- In the event of the absence or inability of the Programme Coordinator to exercise his/her functions, act as Programme Coordinator of the Society, with all the rights and duties of that office.
Technical Adviser
- Designs and maintains the website of the Society.
- Updates information contained in the website.
- Responsible for all communications in electronic form to members.
Assistant technical adviser
- In the event of the absence or inability of the Technical Adviser to exercise his/her functions, act as Technical Adviser of the Society, with all the rights and duties of that office.
Article 9. Property and Funds
1. The Society shall maintain accounts with such banks, as may be designated by the Executive Council. The signatures of an officer, either the Treasurer or Assistant Treasurer, shall be required on all checks issued.
2. All articles acquired by the Society shall remain the Society’s property. List of such properties shall be maintained by the Executive Council.
Article 10. Ratification of Constitution
This Constitution shall be ratified by a vote of two-third of the members of Society, either at a regular meeting of the Society, or through mail ballot.
Article 11. Amendment of Constitution
This Constitution may be amended by a vote of a majority of the members of the Society, either at a regular meeting of the Society, or through mail ballot, provided that the text of the proposed amendment has been given at least two weeks before the meeting to all members of the Society.
Article 12. Bylaws
The Executive Council is authorized to make and occasionally revise and amend rules and regulations that are not consistent with the Constitution, as appropriate for the conduct of Society and its committee meetings and business affairs.
Article 13. Dissolution
In the event of dissolution of the Society, any assets not disposed of shall become the property of the UNSRC.