Wikimedia Macedonia/Bylaws

Consistent with the regulations of the articles 20 of the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia and the articles 5, 20 and 76 of the Law for the citizen associations and foundations (“Official newspaper of the Republic of Macedonia ” no. 31 from 02.07.1998) Founding assembly of the “Citizens' Association Wikimedia Macedonia ”, on the session held on ______________ in Skopje passed

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S T A T U T E
OF THE CITIZENS' ASSOCIATION
Wikimedia Macedonia

PREAMBLE

Article 1

The Citizens' Association Wikimedia Macedonia (referred in the text of this document as "Association") has the purpose of finding an answer to the problem of how knowledge can be free and therefore accessible for all human beings.

goals of the association and means of their accomplishment

Article 2

The Association is founded as a non-partisan, non-governmental and non-profit association of citizens, with the goal to support not-for-profit creation, the gathering and reproduction of free content, and to support the idea that all people have equal access to knowledge and education. According to the understanding of the Association, the term free content denotes every product that is licensed by its author in a fashion that allows everyone to freely use, reproduce and modify it.

form of association and internal organization

Article 3

The Association has the status of a legal entity, and it performs its activities in accordance with the positive law of the Republic of Macedonia , respecting the principles of public transparency and equal members' rights.

Article 4

For the purpose of gathering and reproduction of free content, the "wiki" software is taken as the most widespread, though not the only one. "Wiki" software is a computer program system available on the Internet which enables the users to view and modify the content, thus facilitating the creation of free content. The most significant example of the application of this principle is the online encyclopaedia "Wikipedia", founded by Jimmy D. Wales and run by Wikimedia Foundation (Wikimedia Foundation Inc. incorporated in Florida , USA ).

Article 5

The Association is independent. The Association will closely collaborate with the Wikimedia Foundation (in the following text just as Wikimedia), and other organizations that share similiar goals.

Article 6

The purpose of the Association is to conduct the following activities:

Promotion of the idea of production, gathering and reproduction of free content on the Internet, and manage and dispose of the assets marked for this purpose. The focus of interest is on several international Wikimedia projects.
Reproduce and support the reproduction of the free content in digital, printed and other forms, with accent on content of international Wikimedia projects.
Gathering, publishing and reproduction of information, and do public relations, in connection with the free content and with the Wikimedia’s projects through events and informative literature.
Examination of scientific, social, cultural and legal questions related to free content and "wikis", using opinions of experts, displays and stipend grants in the process.
Promoting and taking care about the Macedonian language and its orthography.

Article 7

The Association may assemble funds and allocate them to other associations, enterprises or public institutions, if these funds are to be used exclusively for the purposes described above. Association may take part or have interest in such associations and enterprises, or be a member thereof.

Article 8

The Association may engage only and exclusively in non-profitable activities.

Article 9

Assets of the Association may be used only for the purposes defined by the Statute of the Association. Members of the Association do not and may not receive any benefit from the assets of the Association. No person may benefit through unnecessary expenses for promotion of the Association or through non-proportionately large expenditures.

Article 10

To accomplish its goals, the Association will conduct, among others, the following activities to:

Collect and process scientific and professional literature in the fields of information technology, information society, free content, library science, encyclopaedia, journalism, as well as other fields included in the work on Wikimedia's international projects;
Organize, alone or in collaboration with others, specialized meetings, conferences, seminars and other forms of professional education in these fields;
Publish books and other publications in the fields included in the work on accomplishing the Association goals;
Organize scientific and professional workshops dealing with scientific, professional and research projects in the fields included in the work on accomplishing the Association goals;
Collaborate with universities, professional associations and other organizations in the country and abroad, which are active in the fields included in the work on accomplishing the Association goals.

name and seat

Article 11

The Association will conduct its actions under the name: “Викимедија Македонија”; and as well as with the Latin name “Wikimedia Macedonia ”.

The Association is seated in Skopje.

Association conducts its actions on the territory of the Republic of Macedonia .

Terms and ways of becoming a member and cessation of the membership, rights, obligations and responsibilities of the members

Article 12

Membership in the Association is voluntary.

Article 13

A member of the Association may be any physical or legal person that accepts the goals of the Association and the Statute of the Association, in accordance to the law.

Article 14

Membership may be regular, supporting and honorary. Every physical person that wants to work actively on projects of the Association may become the regular member. Every physical and legal person that does not want to work actively, but wants to promote and support the activities of the Association may become the supporting member. Through the resolution of the Assembly, the Association may elect honorary members.

Article 15

A status of a member is being acquired by signing application document that is ratified by the Executive board.

Article 16

All members of the Association have equal rights and may elect other members into the institutions of the Association, and may be elected into the institutions of the Association in accordance with the law.

Article 17

Regular members are obliged to actively participate in the work of the Association.

Article 18

All members are obliged to help the work of the Association in other ways as well: in public and through paying membership fee prescribed by the Assembly of the Association.

Article 19

All members have the right to:

Participate in the accomplishing of the goals of the Association, equal righted with the other members of the Association;
Directly participate in decision making process in the Assembly, and via the institutions of the Association;
Be beforehand informed and completely informed about the work and the activities of the Association.

Article 20

All members are obliged to work according to the Statute and other acts of the association.

Membership in the Association cessate in the following circumstances:

On personal request of the member of the Association;
By the resolution of the Assembly of the Association or
In other circumstances provided by the Law.

Institutions of the organization, their rights, obligations and responsibilities

Article 21

The institutions of the Association are:

Assembly of the Association,
President and the members of the Presidium,
Executive board,
Executive director,
Supervision board,
Regional boards,
Expert boards.

assembly of the association

Article 22

The Assembly of the Association is the highest institution of the Association, and is consisted of all members of the Association.

The Assembly meets when needed, and there is no less than one session per year.

The Assembly elects a President and members of the Presidium with a five years long mandate.

The Assembly of the Association is called to session by the President of the Association, or one fifth (1/5) of the regular members.

Article 23

The affairs from the competence of the Assembly of the Association are:

adoption of the Statute of the Association;
electing and suspending the President and members of the Presidium;
adoption of the programme and other documents of the Association;
election and suspension of the members of the Executive board;
review and adoption of the financial and other accounts of the other institutions of the Association;
adoption of the financial plan and adoption of the program of work;
adoption of the Rules of procedure of the Assembly;
adoption of the Rules of procedure of the Executive board;
making the decisions about organizing regional and expert boards, and in case of need, terminating them;
making decisions about awards and acknowledgements;
founding permanent and temporary working bodies;
conducting other affairs in accordance with the Law.

Article 24

All members of the Assembly of the Association have the same suffrage.

Sessions of the Assembly of the Association are public, and decisions are made by proportion of the present members defined in the Rules of procedure of the Assembly and at least by simple majority of the present members, and all in accordance with the Rules of procedure of the Assembly.

The Number of the members present needed for legal decision making of the Assembly, and other details connected with the work of the Assembly of the Association are defined by the Rules of procedure of the Assembly.

presidium

Article 25

The President of the Association has the following rights and duties:

He deputize and represent the Association in relations with the third parties;
He conducts other representative functions, entrusted to him by the Assembly of the Association and the Executive board of the Association.
The President is both President of the Assembly of the Association, and the President of the Presidium of the Association.

Article 26

The members of the Presidium substitute the President of the Association in case of his inability to conducts duties entrusted to him in the manner decided by the Assembly of the Association.

Members of the Presidium conduct other functions entrusted to them by the Assembly of the Association, the President of the Association or the Executive board of the Association.

Article 27

Members of the Presidium of the Association may be members of the Executive board as well.

executive board

Article 28

The Executive board is the administrative and operative institution of the Association.

The Executive board consists of at least five members and maximum of eleven members.

The members of the Executive board elect the Assembly of the Association.

The members of the Executive board elect Executive director.

The sessions of the Executive board may be called up by any member of the Executive board.

The Executive board makes decisions by certain proportion of the present members, defined in the Rules of procedure of the Executive board and at least by majority of the present members, all in accordance with the Rules of procedure of the Executive board.

Article 29

Mandate of the members of the Executive board lasts for four years.

Article 30

Executive board conducts following affairs:

executes decisions and other general acts of the Assembly of the Association;
establishes propositions of the Statute, program of work, financial plan and closing bill;
prepares propositions of general acts and other decisions of the Assembly of the Association;
brings executive decisions about projects that are not embraced in the yearly program of work;
founds permanent and temporary working bodies;
conducts other affairs entrusted by the Assembly of the Association or are placed under it's jurisdiction by other regulations.

executive director

Article 31

The Executive director guides the work of the Executive board of the Association. Mandate of the Executive director lasts for four years.

supervision board

Article 32

Supervision board controls financial affairs of the Association, as well as other activities of the Association and takes care about the legality of the work on the fulfilling the goals of the Association. About all noticed irregularities, without delay, Supervision board informs the Executive board and the Assembly of the Association.

Supervision board has at least three and at most seven members, elected by the Assembly. Mandate of the members of the Supervision board lasts for four years.

Supervision board submits report about its work.

regional boards

Article 33

The Regional boards are organized in regional centres. The Regional boards have at least two members appointed by the Assembly of the Association. Work of the Regional boards is guided by the presidents of the Regional boards, elected by the members of the appropriate Regional boards. Mandate of the presidents of the Regional boards lasts for four years.

Article 34

The Expert boards are organized after the encyclopaedic sections. Expert board is organized by at least two members, and is verified and dismissed by the Assembly of the Association. The work of the Expert boards is guided by the presidents of the Expert boards, elected by the members of the appropriate Expert boards. The mandate of the presidents and members of the Expert boards lasts for four years.

deputation and representation

Article 35

The President of the Association deputizes and represents the Association in legal affairs and has the rights and obligations of the financial order-giver.

The members of the Presidium of the Association are authorized to, in absence of the President of the Association; deputize the Association and sign all financial and money documents on behalf of the Association.

acquirement, usage and disposal of the assets

Article 36

The Association is financed by:

Membership fee from its members;
Voluntary enclosures, donations and bequests of the domicile and foreign legal and physical persons;
the budget and other founds and
other sources, in accordance with the law.

Article 37

Assets of the Association are consisted of:

money and papers of value;
mobile and immobile property and property rights.

Article 38

Decisions about incomes and outcomes are made by the Executive board of the Association in accordance with the financial plan and the program of work.

manner of informing the public about work and the gaining and disposal of the assets

Article 39

The work of all institutions of the Association is public.

The members are informed about postures, conclusions and decisions via circular notices and media.

Article 40

Every member of the Association has the right to access the information about the work of the Association, and is not obliged to disclose publicly the information considered business secret.

manner of making decisions about joining into alliances of the organizations and other forms of associations and joining international organizations

Article 41

The Association may join other organizations from the Republic of Macedonia and other forms of unifications in accordance with the positive Law regulations.

Decision about joining in alliances in accordance with the former posture of this article is valid if it is brought by the Assembly of the Association.

Article 42

The Association may join international organizations in accordance with the positive Law regulations, if this decision is brought by the Assembly of the Association.

The joining within international organizations is registered in the proper official institution, in the 30 days period, in accordance with the Law.

manner of legislation of the changes and additions to the statute

Article 43

Changes and additions to this Statute are legislated by the identical procedure as legislation of the Statute itself.

Article 44

Changes and additions of the Statute are nominated by the institutions of the Association, i.e. a group of five members.

manner of legislating the decision about terminating the organization

Article 45

Cessation of the Association may occur in the following occurrences:

based on the decision of the Assembly of the Association, brought by at least two-thirds of the present members of the Assembly of the Association;
if number of members becomes lesser than the legally prescribed minimum for the work of the Association of the citizens and in other occurrences prescribed by the Law.

manner of disposing the assets in case of cessation of the work

Article 46

In case of cessation of the work, decision about the assets of the Association is brought by the Assembly of the Association.

Article 47

All mobile and immobile assets acquired by the Association in the course of its work is its property and may be used only in the function of fulfilling the program tasks and goals of the Association, in accordance with the decisions of the authorized institutions, and decision about partition of the assets in case of the cessation of the work of the Association is brought by the Assembly of the Association.

public signs of the association

Article 48

In legal affairs, the Association uses stamp with information about the name and the seat of the Association.

The seal takes form of circle on which is written the full name of the Association on the outer side of the seal, the seat of the Association is written on the bottom of the seal and the symbol of the Wikimedia is in the middle of the seal. The symbol is a stylized human figure.

The stamp takes form of square on which is written the name of the Association with a space where should be written the number of the file and the publishing date of the review of the sessions of the Association.

closing statements

Article 49

This Statute is operational on the day of publishing in the Official newspaper of the Republic of Macedonia (in Macedonian "Службен весник на Република Македонија").

President of the assembly of the Association of citizens Wikimedia Macedonia

Name and surname