Charter

Chapter 1. General Provisions
Article 1 – Objectives
The GPDNet aims to:
a. Encourage cooperation between Members to create synergy effects;
b. Promote the creativity of public diplomacy by sharing practical knowledge;
c. Raise public awareness about the importance of public diplomacy by developing adequate
forms of collaboration

Article 2 – Membership
a. The GPDNet’s membership is comprised of two classes:
(1) Full Membership: National-level non-profit institutions and state bodies devoted to promoting public and cultural diplomacy are eligible to apply. Heads of the Full
Members shall be entitled to vote at the meetings and elected to the Board.
(2) Associate Membership: Subnational non-profit institutions engaged in public and cultural diplomacy and organizations involved in research related to cultural and public diplomacy are eligible to apply. Representatives of the Associate Members are not
entitled to vote or to be elected to the Board.
b. Inclusion as a Member requires a written expression of interest to the Secretariat, a consensus of approval by the Board, and the signing of the MOU and the Charter.
c. Members may terminate their membership by written notice to the Secretariat. Termination
of membership shall not take effect until the Member’s responsibilities for any current joint project(s) has been fulfilled.

Chapter 2. Governance

Article 3 – Assembly

a. The Assembly shall adopt the plans, approve the budgets, and monitor the activity of the Board.
b. The meeting of the Assembly shall be held once a year. Annual meetings must be held no later than 18 months from the last preceding annual meeting. Additional meetings can be set up if determined necessary by mutual agreement.
c. The staffs of the Members and representatives of the non-Member organizations involved in development and research related to public diplomacy may participate in the Assembly meeting with the permission of the Board. However, only heads of the Full Members are entitled to cast a vote at the meeting.

Article 4 – Board

a. The Board shall manage the activities and affairs of the GPDNet including specific policies, administrative rules, guidelines, and financial management.
b. The Board shall consist of each Full Member head until the number of the Full Members reaches sixteen. Once the number is reached, the Board shall transition to an entity consisting of five to seven Directors elected by the Assembly for a term of three years.
c. If any vacancy shall occur for any reason, the Board by majority vote may appoint the new Director to fill the vacancy. The replacement would hold the seat until the current term.

Article 5 – Presidency

a. The President shall be from the Board and be elected by the Assembly.
b. The President shall preside at meetings of the Assembly and serve as the chair of the Board.
c. The President shall hold office for three years.

Article 6 –Secretariat

a. The Member that holds Presidency shall be entitled to hold the office of the Secretariat.
b. The Secretariat shall devise specific agendas for the meetings of the Members and keep proceedings of the meetings.
c. The Secretariat shall maintain and update the information of the GPDNet’s activities, and provide necessary information to the Members (the Host of the meetings, in particular, in assuming its roles).

Article 7 – Working Group

a. The Board may set up relevant Working Groups for the concrete implementation of joint projects.
b. The Working Group shall effectuate decisions made at the meetings in to concrete plans including budget and schedules.
c. The Working Group shall comprise of heads or staffs of the Members which wish to participate in the particular project.
d. The chair of each Working Group shall be elected among the heads of the participating Members.
e. Relevant experts may participate in the Working Group to provide constructive proposals for the project.

Chapter 3. Meetings of the Members

Article 8 – Host of the meetings

a. Members interested in hosting the upcoming meeting shall submit written proposal to the Secretariat at least 14 days before the first day of the previous meeting.
b. The Host shall be decided by the Board’s consensus at the previous meeting.
c. The Host may organize side events such as conferences related to public and cultural diplomacy.
d. The Host should appoint an officer to coordinate and organize the meeting with the cooperation of the Secretariat.

Article 9 – Notification of the meetings
a. The Host shall notify Members of the dates and venue of the meeting at least 90 days before the first day of the meeting by electronic communication.
b. The Host may postpone the meeting under special circumstances and shall notify the Members at least 30 days before the first day of the meeting.

Article 10 – Agenda

a. The agendas for the meetings of the Members shall be drafted by the Secretariat.
b. The Secretariat shall circulate a provisional agenda at least 30 days before the first day of the meeting.
c. Any Member may submit proposals to the Secretariat for the agenda at least 14 days before the first day of the meeting.

Article 11 – Quorum and Proxy
a. The quorum at any meetings of the Members shall be 51 percent of the Members entitled to vote at the meeting.
b. In case of unavoidable absence of the head of the Member, he or she shall appoint an alternate who is an executive-level employee of its organization by sending a form of proxy to the Secretariat.

Article 12– Expenses

a. The primary expenses of the meeting shall be borne by the Host.
b. The primary expenses for the meeting shall include logistical arrangements such as conference facilities, domestic transportation, and accommodations. International
transportation to and from the location of the meeting shall be borne by the participating Members.
c. The Host may seek voluntary contributions from Members and other organizations.

Chapter 4. Joint Activities

Article 13 – Activities
To further the objectives of the GPDNet, as prescribed in Article 1, Members shall strive to promote (but not be limited to) the following collaborative activities:
a. organization of educational events such as conferences, seminars, workshops and others;
b. collaboration in the visual arts, exhibitions, performances and publications;
c. promotion of people-to-people exchanges; and
d. implementation of joint research and training programs in the field of public diplomacy

Article 14 – Project Proposal and Eligibility

a. Any Member may propose a joint project by sending the proposal to the Secretariat through electronic communication.
b. Projects should not be linked with specific political agenda or areas currently in the middle of intense internal conflict.
c. The proposed project must be discussed and approved by the Board.
d. A project should involve at least three Members.

Article 15 – Responsibility and Financing

a. The Members are at liberty to determine the financing of joint initiatives. These shall be discussed and agreed upon on a case-by-case basis.
b. The division of responsibilities and specific policies regarding expenses and income shall be agreed on by relevant Members on a case-by-case basis.

Chapter 5. Final Provisions

Article 16– Liaison

Each Member shall nominate one or more liaison officers for cooperative purposes undertaken under the articles of this Charter and shall notify any changes to all other Members.

Article 17–Intellectual Property Rights

In carrying out any cooperative or exchange-based activity on the GPDNet platform, Members shall respect the intellectual property rights of their owners hereto.

Article 18– Applicable Laws and Regulations

The GPDNet sets the basic direction of exchange and cooperation between Members and creates no legal rights or obligations concerning Members. Any activity carried out by Members on the GPDNet platform must comply with existing laws and regulations in the location where the activity will take place.

Article 19– Amendments

Members may, by common consent, make amendments or additions to this Charter of the GPDNet by consensus at the Assembly meeting.