1. UNI Apro MEI Founding Conference – Conference Standing Orders
UNIAproMEIFoundingConference
Bangkok,28-30August2013
CONFERENCE STANDING ORDERS
CONTENTS PAGE
Article 1: Preamble
Article 2: General
Article 3: Duties of the President
Article 4: Conference Committees
Article 5: Credentials Committee
Article 6: Resolutions Committee
Article 7: Voting Procedures
Article 8: Motions and Amendments
Article 9: Right to Address the Conference and Speaking Time
Article 10: Alteration of Standing Orders
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UNIAproMEIFoundingConference,28–30August2013 Article 1: Preamble
1. These Standing Orders are intended to promote the smooth running of the
Conference business within the confines of the UNI Apro Statutes, which shall
be binding in the case of any conflict. They shall become operative following
their approval by the Conference by a simple majority.
Article 2: General
1. The UNI Apro Executive Committee shall act as the Standing Orders
Committee of the Conference. The responsibilities of the Standing Orders
Committee shall be to propose Standing Orders for adoption at the first
working session of the Conference; to arrange the programme of the
Conference; to fix the time and, subject to the provisions of Article 6.4 of the
Statutes, the agenda of the Conference and to report to the Conference on
any other question requiring a decision for the proper conduct of its business.
2. The official language of the Conference shall be English and Japanese.
However, delegates not having a sufficient command of the official languages
shall be entitled to speak in another language, but they must provide their own
interpreter in case the Regional Secretariat cannot cope with the
interpretation.
3. The President, Deputy President, Vice Presidents and Secretary of the
Conference shall be the President, Deputy President, Vice Presidents and
Regional Secretary of UNI Apro.
Article 3: Duties of the President
1. The President shall declare the opening and close of the sittings. Before
proceeding to the agenda, he/she shall bring before Conference any
communication, which may concern it.
2. He/she shall direct the debates, maintain order, ensure the observance of
Standing Orders by such means as circumstances may demand, accord or
withdrew the right to address Conference, put questions to the vote and
announce the result of the vote.
3. The President shall not take part in the debates.
4. In the absence of the President during a sitting or any part thereof, the Deputy
President or one of the Vice Presidents shall preside.
5. The Deputy President or Vice President acting as President shall have the
same rights and duties as the President.
Article 4: Conference Committees
1. At its first working session, the Conference shall elect a Credentials
Committee consisting of six members, and a Resolutions Committee the
membership of which shall not exceed fifteen. The Regional Secretary shall
appoint the Secretary for each committee. The sessions of both Committees
shall be private.
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Article 5: Credentials Committee
1. The Credentials Committee shall examine the credentials of all delegates to
the Conference and any objection thereto and shall submit a report to
Conference.
2. There shall be no substantive vote until the report of the Credentials
Committee has been approved by the Conference. No delegate whose
credentials are under question by the Credentials Committee shall participate
in the vote on the Credentials Committee’s report.
3. The decisions of Conference in regard to delegates’ credentials shall be final.
Article 6: Resolutions Committee
1. The Resolutions Committee shall be responsible for examining motions and
amendments submitted by affiliated organisations in accordance with Articles
6.5 to 6.9 of the Statutes, including any motions received which are
considered by the Standing Orders Committee to be of an emergency nature.
In so doing, the Committee shall where necessary combine, redraft and/or
delete all or part of motions and amendments.
2. The Resolutions Committee shall not introduce any new subject matter, which
was not originally present. The Resolutions Committee shall take account in
its deliberations of any advice that the Standing Orders Committee may give
concerning the various motions and amendments.
3. At an appropriate stage during the Conference, the Resolutions Committee
shall submit a report setting out clearly the Committee’s recommendations in
respect of each motion or amendment, which has been submitted. As far, as
may be feasible, it shall also give a brief indication of the reasons for each
decision, and whether it was reached unanimously or by a majority vote. The
Resolutions Committee may also recommend remittance of any motion or
amendment by Conference to the Regional Executive Committee.
4. The report shall be structured in separate sections, each of which groups
together motions and amendments relating to a particular subject. It shall be
open to any delegate to put questions to the Resolutions Committee
concerning the report or to move the reference back of one or more sections.
If reference back is moved and carried by Conference, the remaining sections
of the report shall stand.
5. Debate on a motion to refer back one or more sections of the Resolutions
Committee’s report shall be confined to a brief statement of not more than two
minutes by the mover, followed by a reply of similar length by the Chairperson
of the Resolutions Committee. On any section or sections of the report being
referred back, the Committee shall meet as soon as is practicable to consider
the matter and shall then present a further report to the Conference.
Article 7: Voting Procedures
1. Only delegates shall have the right to vote. Voting shall normally be by show
of cards. Every delegate shall have one vote; however, affiliates represented
by fewer delegates then they are entitled to send shall, nevertheless, be
entitled to exercise their full voting strength.
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2. At the request of two or more delegates or, if the Standing Orders Committee
so proposes, a secret ballot shall be taken. If the delegates of at least three
organisations unanimously request it or the Standing Orders Committee so
proposes, a vote shall be taken by roll call of the affiliated organisations.
3. Voting shall be by a simple majority except on amendments to the Statutes,
suspension of Standing Orders, or challenges to the President’s rulings, which
shall be by a two-thirds majority of those present and voting. For simple
majority voting, in the case of equal votes a proposition shall be deemed to be
lost.
Article 8: Motions and Amendment
1. Except as provided for in paragraph 5 of this Article, no motion, amendment or
other substantive propositions shall be put before the Conference unless it
has been submitted in accordance with the time limits set out in the Statutes.
2. The following procedural motions may be moved verbally and without notice.
They may be moved at any time except after the President has called a
speaker and before the speaker has terminated his speech:
a) A motion to refer the matter back.
b) A motion to postpone consideration of the question.
c) A motion to adjourn the sitting.
d) A motion to adjourn the debate on a particular question.
e) A motion that the Conference proceed to the next item of the agenda.
f) A motion to close the list of speakers.
g) A motion for the closure of the discussion.
h) A motion to challenge the ruling of the President.
3. A motion on procedure shall be put immediately to the vote. The President
may allow one delegate to speak in favour of it and one against it.
4. A point of order other than on a procedural motion shall be taken immediately.
The President shall then give a ruling on the point of order, which shall be
binding unless challenged by a two-thirds majority of those present and
voting.
5. Emergency motions on subjects not included in the motions and amendments
originally submitted to Conference shall only be discussed with the permission
of the Standing Orders Committee.
Article 9: Right to Address the Conference and Speaking Time
1. Guests will only be allowed to address the Conference at the request or with
the permission of the President.
2. Applications to speak shall be handed to the President in writing except on a
point of order or a procedural motion. The President shall normally call upon
the speakers in the order in which the applications have been handed in. A
delegate may not speak more than once on a question without the permission
of the Conference.
3. Speaking time except for rapporteurs shall be limited to 5 minutes. Time limits
for rapporteurs shall be at the discretion of the President. The President with
the approval of Conference may propose shorter time limits than 5 minutes.
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Article 10: Alteration of Standing Orders
1. These Standing Orders may be altered only by means of a motion submitted in
accordance with the provisions of Article 6.4 to 6.9 of the Statutes.