CONSTITUTION OF THE UNAIDS SECRETARIAT STAFF ASSOCIATION
CONSTITUTION OF THE UNAIDS SECRETARIAT STAFF ASSOCIATION
(Revised April 2011, approved by 274 out of 284 votes of the membership - 2011 USSA elections)
Chapter I: Name and Objectives
The name of the association shall be the “UNAIDS Secretariat Staff Association,” hereinafter called the “Staff Association.”
The purposes of the Staff Association are:
Every staff member of the UNAIDS Secretariat – regardless of type of staff contract or duty station – is a member of the Staff Association, unless one exercises the right to opt out of membership by so notifying the Executive Committee in writing. Every staff member will be provided with the USSA Membership Form that must be completed and returned to the USSA Secretariat. A staff member who fails to complete the form within 120 days of their recruitment may be recorded as a staff member who has opted out of the Staff Association. Staff members who are deemed to have opted out will be informed in writing of his/her status.
Every member of the Staff Association has the obligation to pay membership dues. Locally recruited staff members of the UNAIDS Secretariat who are not appointed on a UNAIDS Secretariat/WHO contracts shall pay their dues to USSA where possible to do so. Where payroll deduction of USSA membership dues is not possible, members shall make a donation to an HIV-related cause in an amount equivalent to their membership dues, and provide proof of this donation to the USSA Secretariat.
Every member of the Staff Association whose dues are current has the right to (i) vote in all elections and referenda, (ii) seek elected office, and (iii) make formal requests of the Executive Committee for actions consistent with the purposes of the Staff Association.
The Staff Association will be governed by its Executive Committee.
Any decision of the Executive Committee can be overturned by a referendum of the members, conducted in accordance with this Constitution. An item approved in a referendum is higher authority than a decision of the Executive Committee. The text of approved referenda shall be published on the USSA web site.
The Executive Committee will be the executive organ of the Staff Association. It shall establish policies and methods for implementing the responsibilities given it by this Constitution and by decisions of the members.
Members who take up elected functions must conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution, as well as other rules and procedures that may be adopted by the Executive Committee in order to ensure the smooth functioning of the Staff Association.
The Executive Committee strives for balanced representation, taking up issues affecting all UNAIDS Secretariat staff around the world – General Service and Professional category staff, Geneva and non-Geneva based staff, and nationally- and internationally-recruited staff.
Chapter IV: The Executive Committee
The Executive Committee shall consist of fifteen elected members of the Staff Association whose dues are current. Eight will be Geneva-based staff. Seven will be non-Geneva based staff. An elected Committee Member who is changing duty station within the organization during his/her 2-year term will retain his/her seat on the Committee until the end of his/her term.
“Geneva-based staff” refers to UNAIDS staff whose recognized duty station is Geneva; “non-Geneva-based” staff refers to all staff posted outside Geneva in UNAIDS Country Offices, UNAIDS Regional Offices (as defined by the Organization) and the UNAIDS Liaison Offices in Addis Ababa, Brussels, New York and Washington.
It is a condition of service on the Executive Committee that one’s dues remain current while serving on the Executive Committee. A grace period for payment of arrears may be established in a written policy by the Executive Committee. Failure to become current within the period established by the said policy automatically results in the loss of one’s seat on the Executive Committee.
The Executive Committee shall hold one annual meeting of the USSA membership at a time and place it determines. It may decide to hold additional special meetings when necessary. In between physical meetings of the Executive Committee, it shall conduct business by whatever means of communication it chooses in accordance with a schedule of its choosing.
At any meeting of the Executive Committee, a quorum is eight. A majority of whatever number is present at a meeting, assuming a quorum is present, is sufficient to make decisions.
A term of office is two years. Terms of office shall be staggered such that, under normal circumstances, seven of the members will be elected in one year, and eight will be elected in the next year.
Executive Committee members nearing the completion of their term of office are eligible to run again for election.
After each election, the Executive Committee will choose from among its members by consensus, and otherwise by a secret ballot with a 2/3 majority, a Chair, a Vice-Chair, a Treasurer and a Rapporteur. Other tasks incumbent upon the Executive Committee will be apportioned equitably amongst the Executive Committee Members based on skills, capacities, and, where possible, preferences for particular Executive Committee tasks.
All Executive Committee members, including the Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer and Rapporteur, may vote on every issue that comes before the Executive Committee.
A minimum of 4 Geneva-based Executive Committee Members and 4 non-Geneva-based Executive Committee Members is a requirement for the USSA Executive Committee to function adequately.
Any Executive Committee member seat that becomes vacant during the term of office shall be filled by the candidate of the same staff category (Geneva-based or non-Geneva-based) who, during the preceding election, obtained the next largest number of votes to the last-elected candidate. The candidate thus appointed shall serve out the remainder of the term of office of the Executive Committee member they have replaced.
If it is not possible to fill Executive Committee vacancies through this manner, up to a maximum of 3 USSA members can be appointed by the Executive Committee to fill the vacant seats until the next elections. For more than 3 vacant seats, a special election to fill all vacant seats must be called by the Executive Committee. USSA members elected to the Executive Committee in such special elections will serve the remaining term of office for the seat to which they are elected. Where there are different term lengths among the seats being filled through a special election, individuals receiving the highest number of votes will be appointed to the longer terms of office.
The Chair shall preside over the meetings of the Executive Committee and shall be the point of contact between the Executive Committee and the rest of the world. The Vice-Chair shall carry out the duties of the Chair when the latter is unavailable. The USSA Rapporteur shall keep the minutes of the meetings of the Executive Committee and archive correspondence and other records pertaining to the Staff Association. The Rapporteur shall carry out the duties of the Chair when neither the Chair nor the Vice-Chair are available. The Treasurer shall keep the financial records of the Staff Association. The Treasurer shall carry out the duties of the Chair when none of the other three officers is available.
The Executive Committee may appoint persons to constitute working committees of the USSA, and serve in other advisory or representative roles, as it deems advisable. Said appointed persons can include Staff Association members who are not members of the Executive Committee.
Chapter V: Finances
The Staff Association shall be financed by (i) dues from the membership, (ii) grants from the Organization, (iii) donations from any party, provided that the Executive Committee may reject any donation that is subject to conditions, and (iv) such revenue generating activities that the Executive Committee may authorize and that are allowable under the employment rules of the Organization.
The dues shall be established by the Executive Committee.
Article 19
The Executive Committee shall establish a fiscal year and publish this fact to the members of the Staff Association. The Treasurer shall prepare an annual report of the past fiscal year’s financial activity. The report will be audited by an external Board of Auditors.
The Treasurer shall prepare a budget for each succeeding fiscal year for submission to staff on an annual basis. Until such time as a new budget is approved by the Executive Committee, the Executive Committee is authorized to make expenditures in accordance with the prior year’s approved budget. The Executive Committee may reprogram up to 20% of the approved budget.
The Executive Committee shall maintain the Financial Rules of Procedure of the Staff Association. The Treasurer shall carry out the functions of that office in accordance with said Financial Rules of Procedure.
Chapter VI: Elections, Referenda and Voting
Elections and referenda will be conducted by polling officers who are appointed by the Executive Committee. No polling officer may be a candidate for any position that is up for election.
The Rules of Procedure for Conducting Elections and Referenda shall be maintained by the Executive Committee. Such Rules must be consistent with this Constitution and democratic principles.
Any member whose dues are current may be a candidate for the Executive Committee. In order to be placed on the ballot, a candidate must self-nominate by informing the polling officers in writing of one’s interest in running for office.
In an election, each member with the right to vote may cast as many votes as there are positions on the ballot, but no more than one vote for each position. In order to be elected, a candidate must receive at least 10% of the vote of the total dues-paying membership.
In the event that two or more candidates receive the same number of votes for the last remaining seat in their respective category, Geneva-based or non-Geneva-based, the concerned candidates will be informed of the tie result and an additional round of elections will be held to decide that particular seat. The additional round of elections will be conducted by the polling officers.
In a referendum, each member with the right to vote may cast as many votes as there are items on the ballot, but no more than one vote per item. Except where otherwise stated in this Constitution, a referendum item is approved by a simple majority of votes cast, provided it receives at least 10% of the vote of the total dues-paying membership.
An amendment to this Constitution may be proposed by the Executive Committee or by a petition signed by at least 10% of the total dues-paying members. An amendment must be proposed as an exact text.
ARTICLE 28
A proposed amendment must be submitted for ratification through the referendum process by the polling officers. An amendment is approfve if (1) it receives a two-thirds majority of the votes cast and (2) it also receives at least 12% of the vote of the total numbr of total dues-paying members.
An approved amendment enters into force at the moment the polling officers publish the results of the referendum or at a later date if the amendment itself contains a later effective date.
A copy of the amended Constitution shall be provided to every member of the Staff Association by any means and shall be posted on the USSA web site.
Chapter VIII: Additional Provisions
In the event of a dispute about the meaning of any provision in this Constitution, a majority of the Executive Committee shall decide the official interpretation. Any such interpretation shall be published to all the members of the Staff Association. The Executive Committee’s interpretation may be overruled by a referendum or by an amendment to the provision in question.
The Staff Association will be an Associate Member of the Geneva Staff Association of the World Health Organization.
This Constitution shall enter into force if it is approved in a referendum in which (1) it receives a two-thirds majority of the votes cast and (2) it also receives at least 12% of the vote of the total number of total dues-paying members.