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Adopted by the X Congress, Vancouver, Canada, 1978, incorporating
amendments approved at the XIII Congress, Lima, Peru, 1986,
at the XVI Congress, United Nations, New York,1996, at the
XVIII Congress, São Paulo, Brazil, 2003, and at the
XIX Congress, Athens, Greece, 2008
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Socialist International Women is a fraternal organisation
of the Socialist International, representing women's groups,
or organisations, or women's representatives of parties belonging
to, or recognised by, parties adhering to the Statutes of
the Socialist International.
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Objectives
The purpose of Socialist International Women is:
a) to strengthen relations between the members comprising
Socialist International Women
b) to exchange experiences between its members on ways
and means of promoting, among the women of their respective
countries, a knowledge and understanding of the aims and
tasks of democratic socialism
c) to seek to extend relations between members of Socialist
International Women and other socialist-oriented women's
groups not in membership, which desire co-operation
d) to promote action programmes to overcome any discrimination
in society, including any inequality between men and women
and to work for human rights in general, development and
peace.
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Organs
of Socialist International Women
The following organs of Socialist International Women shall
serve its purpose:
The
Congress
The Congress is the highest body of Socialist International
Women; it determines, by a two thirds majority of all the
members with voting rights, both Statutes and programmes of
Socialist International Women. On the recommendation of the
Bureau, the Congress elects its President, Vice-Presidents
and Secretary General. The Congress shall be convened in conjunction
with the Congress of the Socialist International every third
year. The Agenda shall be drawn up by the Bureau. The Congress
shall also receive a report of activities for the period since
the last Congress. The Congress shall be composed of all members
of the Socialist International. Delegations shall be limited
to three in each case, whilst additional representatives may
attend as observers. Each delegation qualified to vote shall
have one vote, the conditions being those relevant in the
Statutes of the Socialist International for the respective
parties. The Socialist International, the International Union
of Socialist Youth and the International Falcon Movement/Socialist
Education International, fraternal organisations of Socialist
International Women, shall also be represented and have the
right to speak, and to vote, each having one vote only. Other
associated organisations shall be invited to speak, but not
to vote.
Resolutions
& declarations adopted by the Congress
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The
Bureau
The Bureau shall consist of all Socialist International Women
members in accordance with clause (1.) as well as one representative
of the Socialist International and one representative of the
International Union of Socialist Youth and of the International
Falcon Movement/Socialist Education International. The function
of the Bureau shall be:
- to assume responsibility between Congresses;
- to prepare the Agenda of the Congress and to arrange for
the preparation of necessary reports and documents;
- to take appropriate action on resolutions of the Congress;
- to convene special conferences, seminars, regional conferences,
as well as to appoint, if necessary, ad-hoc committees on
special questions and determine their terms of reference.
In addition, the Bureau may appoint regional organisers in
consultation with the Socialist International; the Bureau
shall meet at least twice a year,
Resolutions
& declarations adopted by the Bureau
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The
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee shall consist of Socialist International
Women's President, Vice-Presidents and Secretary General.
Its function is to take appropriate decisions between Bureau
meetings. The Executive Committee shall meet at least four
times a year.
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The
Secretariat
The Secretariat shall be based at the headquarters of the
Socialist International.
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The
election of Socialist International Women's Officers
- a) General Regulations: Candidacies for
President, Secretary General and Vice-President of Socialist
International Women should be presented to the secretariat
of Socialist International Women, with a letter of approval
from the candidate's party and organisation, in order to
enable the secretariat to circulate the names of candidates
among the members of Socialist International Women for consultation
and comment. Such candidacies must be presented 90 days
prior to the Socialist International Women Congress and
additional candidates can be presented no later than 30
days after the first round of candidates names have been
circulated among all member organisations. Members of Socialist
International Women may propose a candidate for office from
outside their own party or organisation. The parties and
organisations proposing the candidate shall assist her in
obtaining the approval of her own party and organisation
as required in the previous paragraph.
- b) Election of
the
President:
To be eligible to run for President, candidates
for President of Socialist International Women must either
have served as a member of the Socialist International Women
Executive for at least one term or have served as a representative
to Socialist International Women from their party or organisation
for at least one inter- Congress period. If the aforementioned
conditions are not met, the necessary majority needed in
order to be elected is 60% of the votes. If there are candidates
in both categories, the candidate not meeting the conditions
of previous service in Socialist International Women, must
receive 60% of the votes of those who are present and voting
on the first ballot. Failing this, the remaining candidate/s
will contest the election in the manner laid down below.
If there are one or two candidates for President of Socialist
International Women, the candidate receiving a majority
(i.e., 50%+1) of the votes of those present and voting shall
be elected. If there are more than two candidates and one
of the candidates receives a majority (i.e., 50%+1) vote
of those present and voting, she shall be elected. If no
candidate receives a majority (i.e., 50%+1) vote of those
present and voting, the two candidates with the highest
number of votes on the first ballot, shall be included on
a second ballot. On the second ballot the candidate who
receives the majority (i.e., 50%+1) of votes of those present
and voting shall be elected.
- c) Election of the
Secretary General: If there are one or two candidates
for Secretary General of Socialist International Women,
the candidate receiving a majority (i.e., 50%+1) of the
votes of those present and voting shall be elected. If there
are more than two candidates for Secretary General of Socialist
International Women and one of the candidates receives a
majority (i.e., 50%+1) vote of those present and voting,
she shall be elected. If no candidate receives a majority
(i.e., 50%+1) vote of those present and voting, the two
candidates with the highest number of votes on the first
ballot, shall be included on a second ballot. On the second
ballot the candidate who receives the majority (i.e., 50%+1)
of votes of those present and voting shall be elected.
- d) Election of Vice-Presidents:
Candidates for Vice-President of Socialist International
Women shall be elected by region. If member parties and
organisations of Socialist International Women in the region
agree on one candidate, that candidate shall be elected.
If the member parties and organisations in the region cannot
agree on one candidate, an election for Vice-President of
that region shall be held among the member parties and organisations
in the region. Each member organisation shall transmit their
vote for Vice-President to the secretariat. Each member
organisation in the region shall have one vote. If one candidate
receives a majority* of votes from the region, she shall
be elected. If no candidate receives a majority* of votes
from the region or if no election is held, the Executive
of Socialist International Women will consider the situation
at its meeting immediately prior to the Conference. If it
chooses to do so, the Executive may recommend one candidate
for the Vice-Presidency of the region. If no recommendation
is made, the Conference shall vote. Voting shall be organised
in the same manner described for the election of President.
A substitute chosen in consultation with the region can
be sent by the elected Vice-President as her representative
when she cannot attend.
* A majority of those voting in the election. For example,
if a region had 10 member parties and organisations, but only
three of those members voted, a candidate receiving two votes
would be elected.
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Officers
of Socialist International Women
Every three years, on the proposal of the Bureau, Congress
shall elect the Socialist International Women's President.
The President's mandate shall be renewable for a single term
only. In the event of the President being unable to complete
her term of office, the Executive Committee should elect from
among the Vice-Presidents an Acting President to serve until
the next Congress.
The Bureau shall propose to each Congress the number of Vice-Presidents
to be elected. No Vice-President shall sit for more than two
terms - except in exceptional circumstances, as determined
by the Bureau.
The Secretary General shall be elected by the Congress on
the proposal of the Bureau. Her term of office shall be renewable
at each Congress. In the event of the Secretary General being
unable to complete her term of office, the Executive Committee
should elect an Acting Secretary General. This election should
be ratified by the next Congress. The Secretary General, in
consultation with the President, or in the absence of the
President in consultation with at least one of the Vice-Presidents,
will take such decisions as are necessary in between meetings
of the Bureau. Her duties shall include:
- the supervision of the administrative functions of the
Secretariat; ·
- the responsibility for the organisation of meetings of
Socialist International Women;
- the organising and preparing of meetings of the Bureau
and the Executive Committee;
- the maintaining and fostering of contacts with and between
the members of Socialist International Women; ·
- the presentation to Congress for approval of a report
on the activities and financial expenditure of Socialist
International Women for the inter- Congress period.
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Finances
The expenditure of the Secretariat shall be covered by:
- annual grants from the Socialist International;
- donations.
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