ESEAP Hub/Roles and Responsibilities Document/Annex 1: Community Process

ESEAP Hub

Next meeting: September 8, 2024

This annex outlines the community processes that will help elect the ESEAP Board and the Community Council

Contents of this annex should be:

• Consulted with the community through an open and transparent process after the first elected board meeting is held
• Reviewed at least once every two/four years thereafter

ESEAP Board processes

Members are appointed via an election process overseen by at least two election officers. The election process should be fair, equal, and held on the Meta.

Election Officer

The election officer can be

• Staff or contractors working for the Wikimedia Foundation whose main responsibility is to connect with communities
• Staff employed by the ESEAP hub; or
• Co-lead or council members not standing for election.

There will be at least two election officers

• • [First election only]
    • The first election will be overseen by interim committee members not standing for election; and
    • WMF MSG Staff

The selection process

This process

• Should be fair, equal, and held on meta.wikimedia.org or other appropriate platform as resolute by the board
• Consist of voters who are considered to be ESEAP members, including
  • Members of the various ESEAP communities and affiliates, and
  • Users of Wikimedia Projects in ESEAP languages whom identify themselves as residing in the ESEAP regions and have voting rights in their community’s administrator selection process

Term limit

• Every non-official member is elected for a two year term, with two streams (Stream A and Stream B)
  • [First election only]: For members elected as Stream B member, they will serve only a 1 year term
• 3 members and a co-chair will be selected in each tranche
• One person will be selected as a Finance for Stream A, Secretary for Stream B
  • [First election only]: 6 members and 2 co-chairs will be elected in the process, and the person cannot run for Stream A and Stream B consecutively
• All selected members cannot sit for more than 4 years consecutively, unless as mandated by a support percentage higher than 85% from the third election.
• This does not limit member serving in nonconsecutive terms
• Board candidates should undergo a screening process that is similar to the initial screening process for a travel scholarship to Wikimania (in good standing, etc.)

Note: The term of the official member (project manager / staff) will serve as long as the person is in position. This seat will remain vacant until appropriate staff structure is set, or if the seat is vacant.

Loss of community mandate

Board members will lose their seat automatically, when

• The Board has passed a non-confidence motion to remove the person;
• The person has accepted a paid role with the WMF, the Hub, or an ESEAP affiliate including contract positions;
• Appointed to the Board of the Wikimedia Foundation;
• Been sanctioned by the Wikimedia community or the Wikimedia Foundation;
• Been removed from the list of users who have signed the Confidentiality agreement under the Access to nonpublic personal data policy;
• Incapacity legally declared;
• Have missed 3 board meetings consecutively;
• Voluntarily resigned; or
• Death

In case of loss of mandate

If a co-chair, finance or secretary resigns, they should appoint a member in their respective streams to fill the person's position, and request the community to select a council member to the board to fill the stream’s remaining tenure.

• The person will not be able to run for the same position for 2 years from the resignation date if they have resigned voluntarily
• If the official member has been vacated, the board should select another staff member to sit on the board as replacement official member.
• If there are no staff member, the seat remains vacated until there is one

Section for non-voting members

• Non-voting members will be appointed by the board to sit in the board. These members’ term will end before the start of the second community process from the date of appointment. However, they can be re-appointed by the board.
• Appointed non-boting members will still be required to sign the Confidentiality agreement under the Access to nonpublic personal data policy before participating in any Board meetings or act as a non-voting member of the board.

ESEAP Community Council Processes

Council members represents affiliates and organizations. For each community/affiliate,

• One seat will be are selected by the affiliates and communities respectively, by a process that respects the Universal Code of Conduct, Friendly Space Policy and other behavioral policies mandated by the Wikimedia Foundation
  • If the community/affiliate has paid staff, one of the paid staff (per community/affiliate) will also sit on the council. This paid staff will be selected by the board.

For emerging communities with an ESEAP perspective,

• Co-leads of the ESEAP board or the head of council may invite one person from the community.
• These communities can also recommend their own ones to sit in the council for the council to decide if the person should be accepted to the council.
• However, a Council member cannot represent more than one community at the same time

Term

• The representatives will have a term that equates to the length of the trust from the community/affiliate involved
• As a consulting organization, there is no upper term limit for community representatives
• For council members appointed by the board, they will serve 2-year renewable terms.

Vacation of council seat

A Council member seat will be automatically vacated when

• The council has passed a non-confidence motion to remove the person;
• Appointed to the Board of the Wikimedia Foundation;
• Appointed to the Board of the ESEAP Hub;
• Been sanctioned by the Wikimedia community or the Wikimedia Foundation;
• The community/affiliate that the member sits in declared no-confidence;
• Left the position as a staff member of their respective community (community staff seat only);
• Incapacity is legally declared;
• Voluntarily resigned; or
• Death

Communities/Affiliates that the removed member sits in should select another member to replace the person's seat in a reasonable time period; unless The community/affiliate is dissolved; or the seat of the removed member is a staff seat and there are no remaining staff left.