Global Obligations Establishment Association

Draft Constitution INTRODUCTION

Version 1.0 February 2001

This section summarizes the structure of the Association, in a form that is easier to read than the detailed clauses of the constitution itself. If this summary contradicts the actual constitution then the constitution will prevail. The reasons for the major aspects of the proposed structure are explained in the FAQ page on the web site www.GlobalObligations.com..

Purpose of the Association

The Global Obligations Establishment Association is proposed to become the New Trustee of the Global Obligations Establishment Trust, as defined in the Trust Deed. It is proposed that the Association will apply for incorporation in the State of Victoria, Australia, the same jurisdiction in which the Trust was established. This draft constitution is intended to conform to the requirements of the Associations Incorporation Act 1981, Victoria, Australia, and the Australian Tax Office requirements for a deductible gift recipient and income exempt charity.

The sole purpose of the Association is to act as Trustee of the Global Obligations Establishment Trust and fulfil the purposes of that Trust, namely to promote and establish "Global Obligations" as defined in the Trust Deed. As Trustee, the Association will be subject to the controls imposed by the Trust Deed.

Membership

Members of the Association will be admitted on a non-discriminatory basis if they acknowledge support for the key principles of Global Obligations, accept the rules of the Association and pay the entrance fee, based on 3 times the prospective member's estimate of their hourly rate of income, with discounts for dependants.

An annual fee must be paid to renew membership of the Association. The fee will be a tithe, based on the member's income, family and legal obligations, assets and liabilities, according to a formula determined by the Board on the advice of the Fees Officer.

Elected Representatives

Members can choose an electoral group to belong to. Each electoral group will have one elected representative for each full Electoral Group quota of members. The Electoral Group quota is the same across all electoral groups, starts at 1 and rises to 500, depending on the number of members in the Association.

If the number of members in an electoral group falls below the required Electoral Group quota, or the quota rises as members join the Association but perhaps in other electoral groups, then, after allowing for a period of grace during which the electoral group can seek more members, the representative will lose office.

A member may choose to be in the "Unrepresented Members Group", or placed therein if they are unable or unwilling to choose an electoral group, and this group alone shall have no elected representatives.

While the Association has less than 7,500 members, the elected representatives will form the Board of Management. If the Association gets large - over 7,500 members - then the "representatives" will elect "deputies" who will be the Board of Management. If the Associations exceeds several million members then the deputies will elect the Board.

The Board of Management

The Board of Management will run the affairs of the Association and be responsible for administering the funds of the Trust, and establishing Global Obligations as required under the Trust Deed.

The elected members of the Board may appoint up to 5 Board members in addition to those elected.

The Board will appoint Officers as follows:

· a President to preside over Board meetings

· a Vice President to act in lieu of the President if they are absent

· a Secretary to manage the Board's own administration,

· a Membership Officer to manage the admission of new members,

· an Electoral Officer to manage the electoral groups and election of representatives,

· a Fees Officer to determine and collect annual fees,

· a Finance Officer to manage the funds of the Association and those held in Trust,

· an Information Technology Officer to manage and maintain the Global Obligations web site and associated computer systems,

· a Publicity Officer to promote the purposes of the Association,

· an Arbitration Officer to resolve disputes between members or members and the Board,

· a Business Manager to take responsibility for other duties as required,

all operating under the Association's rules and policies set by the Board.

The independent Arbitration Officer is appointed by the Board to resolve disputes between members or between members and the Association. The Arbitration Officer may make recommendations to the Board, and if not satisfied with the response either party may forward the issue to the Guardian of the Trust. Under the Trust Deed the Guardian may constrain the actions of the Association as the Trustee of the Trust.

Meetings

Board meetings may be conducted without a physical meeting, using postal votes or email/internet voting, providing the Secretary of the Board, complying with these rules and accepted policies of the Board, is satisfied that issues for resolution are adequately considered and the votes on the resolutions are genuine under these rules. Similarly, voting by members for representatives may be conducted using postal votes or email/internet voting provided the Electoral Officer is satisfied the process is fair and reasonable.

Annual and special general meetings may also be conducted via the Internet. If the Board wishes, a convention of delegates may be held every 4 years as part of the annual general meeting.

Policy and Financial Statements

Draft policies for Global Obligations, including services to be provided, risk management strategies, tithing and member admissions will be published on the web site www.GlobalObligations.com, as, in due course, will financial summaries and audit reports.

Donations

All donations will be applied for the purposes of the Trust.

Major donors will be invited to join a "Donors Forum" which provides an opportunity for the donors to discuss the activities of the Association with the Board, and allows them to oversight the audit functions.

When "Global Obligations" is established, the Board will cooperate in handing over to the new institution the assets and funds to which it is entitled and assist Association members wishing to do so to transfer to the new organisation and begin the day to day delivery and receipt of human rights services.

In order to obtain tax deductibility under tax law for donations to the Global Obligations Establishment Trust, no benefits will be provided to any member of the Association. Once "Global Obligations" is established, donations used to provide benefits to other members may be tax deductible, but regular subscriptions to cover the costs of services to the members themselves are not expected to be tax deductible without a change in legislation. On winding up the Association, any remaining funds will be assigned to "Global Obligations" or a similar non-profit organisation established for the relief of poverty etc, such as Red Cross and Amnesty.

Modifications to the Constitution

Modifications can be made to the constitution only if the proposed change is passed by a two thirds majority by the Board and the elected representatives.

To contact send email to: Info@GlobalObligations.com. Home Page:www.GlobalObligations.com

Address: Global Obligations Establishment Trust, G.P.O. Box 2004, Melbourne, 3001 Australia