1.1 These Guidelines are made under the Constitution that established the African Forest Forum, and shall come into force immediately they are approved by the Governing Council.
1.2 Words and abbreviations in these Guidelines have the same meaning as in the Constitution, and refer herein to “Members”, “Governing Council”, “Executive Committee”, “Secretariat”, “Chair”, “Vice-Chair”, “Executive Secretary”, “Forum”, “AFF” “GC” and “EC”.
SECTION 2: MEMBERSHIP
2.1 Members in the Forum will be drawn from a mix of backgrounds in the spheres of management, research and education (both in forestry and other relevant disciplines and subjects), national governments and politics, private industry, land managers (including farmers), associations and NGOs with programmes of relevance to forests and trees, independent experts and consultants, international and regional institutions, and any other relevant field.
2.2 The Forum will also aim for a membership that reflects the geographic, linguistic, ethnic and gender diversity of Africa, although it will not be an aim in itself to achieve a “perfect balance” – individual strengths and ability to contribute to the Forum’s goal and work, experience and focus will be the paramount reason for membership. Also individuals from outside Africa, with proven expertise in and commitment to African forests and trees (“friends of African forestry”) can become members.
No person, who qualifies for membership, shall be denied membership because of race, color, sex, creed, national ancestry, national origin, age, marital status, or physical disability.
2.3 Membership will be by application and subsequent approval by the Governing Council.
2.4 The individual Members of the Forum must demonstrate that they: (a) have considerable and relevant experience and knowledge of, or interest in forest and tree resources, and/or (b) are in positions in public or private life to influence the management, use and conservation of these resources and/or (c) have reached a degree of seniority in their chosen professions or positions in society.
2.5 Key organisations/institutions can also become members, but with an observer status.
2.6 Founder Members are all those individuals who conceptualised and established the Forum.
2.7 Membership fees shall be handled as follows: (a) The Governing Council, acting on a recommendation of the Executive Committee, shall set the first annual membership fees and announce when they shall be effective.
(b) Revision of membership fees shall be determined by the Executive Committee, as and when necessary, and approved by the Governing Council. The new fees shall be communicated to members immediately following the relevant Governing Council meeting. They shall also be published in any relevant fora of the Forum.
(c) Members can pay upfront their membership fees for five years. Such Members will not be affected by fee changes in the period they have paid. Otherwise Members shall pay their annual fees by end of March each year. Fees are to be paid by way of a bank transfer to a Forum bank account specifically set up for this, and with notification to the Executive Secretary.
(d) New members who have registered for the Forum and paid their fees will be issued with a receipt and Forum card.
2.8 Cessation of membership can take place in the following ways: (a) A Member may withdraw from the Forum at any time by giving written notice to the Executive Secretary. (b) If a Member dies. (c) If a Member has not paid membership fees for two consecutive years. (d) The Executive Committee may decide, with sufficient reasons, to recommend to the Governing Council to dismiss a Member.
Upon the withdrawal, dismissal, or death of a Member his/her name shall be removed from the Register of Members without any refund of any donation or membership fees made.
2.9 Voting members are all members who are in good standing (those who have paid annual fees) with the exception of Honorary Members and Observers.
2.10 The Secretariat shall keep a Register of the Forum Members in two different places and in hard and soft forms, with at least the following particulars: the names, full mailing address (including phone and fax numbers, and email address), qualifications, profession, occupation, employer, interests and experience in forestry, the date of application for membership and date of membership approval.
The Forum may publish a list of its Members as and when the Governing Council decides.
SECTION 3: ORGANS OF THE FORUM
Efforts should be made to ensure a good representation of qualified and capable women in the various organs of the Forum.
3.1 Members Forum This is a forum of all members. It can be conducted electronically or through meetings.
It shall be convened once every four years, but with possibility of extraordinary meetings/consultations.
3.2 The Governing Council The business and affairs of the Forum are vested in and managed by the Governing Council. (a) Governing Council (GC) shall have twenty one (21) members: (i) The Chair of the GC (ii) The Vice- Chair of the GC (iii) Fifteen (15) African representatives equally distributed by geographical sub-regions from which the Chair and Vice-Chair are elected. (iv) Two (2) individuals from outside Africa (from ‘friends of African forestry’). (v) Two (2) individuals from relevant civil organizations (vi) Two (2) individuals from the private sector in forestry. (vii) The Executive Secretary, who shall also serve as a Secretary in the Forum Meetings and shall be an ex-officio member.
(b) The Governing Council may wish to invite, as observers, representatives of other institutions such as the African Forestry Research Network (AFORNET), the African Network for Agriculture, Agroforestry and Natural Resources Education (ANAFE), the Network for Natural Gums and Resins in Africa (NGARA), the African Development Bank , The Commission of the African Union, the United Nations Forum on Forestry (UNFF), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Bank, the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), the International Union of Forest Research Organisations (IUFRO), the African Forestry and Wildlife Commission, the IUCN , WWF, the Forest Stewardship Council-African Regional Office, Bioversity, the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), academies of science with relevant forestry, environment and natural resources components, African sub-regional organizations/institutions like ECOWAS, EAC, IGAD, COMESA, COMIFAC, SADC-FANR, NEPAD, and CORAF-FORET, selected donors and key individuals, to meetings the GC feels their presence is relevant.
(c) In any case, the total number of persons (excluding Secretariat) in any one GC meeting should not exceed thirty.
(d) With the exception of the first Executive Committee of the Forum, the GC shall appoint an Executive Committee of six members, and shall ratify the procedure for and appointment of the first Executive Committee as well as the recommendations from the first meeting of the Executive Committee, which among other things, shall have nominated members of the first Governing Council.
3.3 The Executive Committee (a) The Executive Committee shall have six Members: (i) The Chair (ii) Four (4) African representatives one each from four geographical sub-regions, that of the Chair excluded, from which the Vice-Chair will be elected. (iii) The Executive Secretary (as Secretary)
3.4 Rotation, Vacancies, Resignations and Termination of Members in GC and EC (a) Voting members of the GC and EC shall, in principle, hold tenure for a maximum of four consecutive years
(b) Rotation of Members in the GC and EC (i) At the Governing Council and Executive Committee meetings at the end of the first four years, a number of Members of the GC and EC, not exceeding one-third, shall retire from office. An office bearer member of the GC and EC retiring at a Meeting shall retain office until the close or adjournment of that meeting. (ii) The GC and EC shall establish the criteria to identify who to retire at their subsequent meetings. (iii) The Chair and Vice-Chair of the GC, and the Chair and Vice-Chair of the EC shall each hold office for a period of two consecutive years and may be re-elected, only once, for another period of two years.
(c) Vacancies in the GC (i)The office of the Chair, Vice-Chair of the GC and that of the Chair of the EC becomes vacant if: • The office bearer ceases to be a member of the Forum. • The office bearer voluntarily resigns from the GC or EC. • The office bearer becomes grossly incompetent and the GC votes him/her out. • The office bearer becomes incapable by reason of mental disorder. • The office bearer dies. (ii) A vacancy in any of the offices shall be filled at the GC and/or EC meeting where this vacancy is recognized and accepted. (g) Resignation from the GC and EC A GC or EC Member may resign at any time by giving written notice to the Chair of the GC. Unless otherwise specified in the notice, the resignation shall take effect upon receipt thereof by the Chair of the GC. The resignation letter will be tabled at the following meeting of the GC which will then decide on it.
(h) Termination of membership to GC and EC GC and EC members may only be removed by a meeting of the GC on grounds the GC finds legitimate.
3.5 Meetings of the Governing Council and the Executive Committee (a) The GC and EC shall decide on the procedures for conducting their meetings. The GC shall endorse the procedures adopted by the EC. (b) Meetings of the EC shall be held at least once every year, and those of the GC shall be held at least once every two years. (c) The GC and EC may wish to hold extra-ordinary meetings when necessary, and preferably electronically. (d) The quorum at GC and EC meetings shall be fifty percent of the voting members, otherwise the meetings which do not have a quorum can be held and their minutes ratified at a subsequent meeting. (e) If the EC cannot hold two consecutive meetings with a quorum, the GC shall dissolve its membership and appoint another one. (f) If the GC cannot hold two consecutive meetings with a quorum, the EC and voting members of the GC attending the second meeting shall hold a joint meeting to reconstitute a new GC. (g) The Chair of the GC shall instruct the Executive Secretary to issue a call for the GC meeting three months in advance or at shorter notice if circumstances so dictate. The agenda and documents for the meetings are to be circulated to members at least two weeks in advance of the meeting.
(h) The Chair of the EC shall instruct the Executive Secretary to issue a call for the EC meeting three months in advance or at shorter notice if circumstances so dictate. The agenda and documents for the meetings are to be circulated to members at least two weeks in advance of the meeting. (i) The place and time of each meeting shall be determined at the preceding meeting, whenever possible. (j) The Executive Secretary will take minutes of the GC and EC meetings, distribute them to members or post them on the AFF web site within two weeks of the meeting. Signed minutes for each meeting are to be duly entered in books specially provided for that purpose as well as stored on the computer, together with: • Copies of letters of appointment of Officers of the GC and EC. These will be signed by the Chair, with the exception of letters to members to the first GC and EC. • All orders and resolutions made by the Governing Council and the Executive Committee and any committees and signed by the Chair (of the GC), Chair (of EC) and chairs (of the other committees). These could then constitute instructions to the Secretariat. Those emanating from the other committees should be channeled to the EC for discussion and endorsement (and possibly to the GC) before being channeled to the Secretariat as instructions. (k) The approved Minutes of any Meeting of the Governing Council, the Executive Committee, or any other committee of the Forum, if signed by the Chair (of GC) or Chair (of the EC) or chair persons (of other committee meetings), shall be receivable as prima facie evidence of the matters stated in such Minutes. (l) There shall be no discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, creed, national ancestry, national origin, age, marital status, or physical disability with regards to members being selected for the GC and EC or any of its committees, working groups and task forces.
SECTION 4: OFFICERS OF THE GOVERNING COUNCIL AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
(a) The Chair of the Governing Council will preside over all GC meetings or special meetings of its members. (b) The Vice-Chair of the Governing Council shall perform the duties of the Chair in his/ her absence, and s/he shall perform such other duties as may be assigned to him/her by the Chair. (c) The Chair and Vice-Chair of the GC shall ensure that the GC performs effectively and efficiently the tasks identified for it in the Constitution. (d) The Chair of the Executive Committee will preside over all EC meetings or special meetings of its members. (e) The Chair of the EC shall ensure that the EC performs effectively and efficiently the tasks identified for by the GC.
SECTION 5: SPECIAL COMMITTEES AND WORKING GROUPS
The Governing Council may constitute special committees, working groups, and task forces, composed either wholly of Members of the Governing Council or partly of such Members and partly of others, and other people who are not members of the Forum provided that they are involved in or interested in the mission of the Forum, for such purposes and with such powers and authorities as the Governing Council may determine. Any Committee so formed shall conform to any regulations that may be imposed upon them by the Governing Council.
SECTION 6: SUB-REGIONAL AND LIAISON OFFICES, NATIONAL CHAPTERS, AND NATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS.
In furtherance of the principal objects of the Forum as described in the Constitution, the Governing Council may, at appropriate time, establish. (a) Sub-regional offices depending on the sub-regional division of the continent it finds most relevant, e.g. geographic or ecological. An electronic consultation of the Forum members on this will be necessary, and will include, among others, the desirability of such offices and their relationship to the organs of the Forum and the Secretariat.
(b) Chapters for selected individual countries or group of countries (like countries in EAC, ECOWAS, IGAD, etc) provided that a majority of the members concerned in the country or group of countries wish to do so. The demand for this should come from individual countries or group of countries, not from the GC. Evidence of consultations on this should be presented to the EC and GC. The Governing Council assisted by the Executive Committee shall facilitate such a process, including advice on setting up the relevant organs for the chapters and their relationship to those of the Forum
(c) Liaison Offices in countries outside Africa that have potential to significantly contribute to the furtherance of the objects of the Forum. The GC will consult electronically with members of the Forum on this in order to strengthen the legitimacy of this action. There are many ‘friends of African forestry’ outside the continent.
(d) Identify effective ways and means of engaging the national forestry associations/societies in promoting forestry on the continent. These associations/societies are the pillars of the Forum on the continent, as such they should be consolidated and strengthened where they exist, and established where they do not exist.
SECTION 7: STAFF OF THE SECRETARIAT
(a) The Executive Secretary shall identify the staff requirements at the Secretariat, their qualifications, remuneration, means for performance evaluation and disciplinary mechanisms. These will be tabled at the first meetings of the EC and GC for refinement, approval and implementation.
(b)The Secretariat shall have a lean structure and with minimal bureaucracy. Apart from the Executive Secretary, it shall have support for financial administration and procurement, administration, information management, project management, development of science in African forestry, in addition to supporting services.
(c) There shall be no discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender, creed, national ancestry, national origin, age, marital status, or physical disability with regards to employment, assignment, promotion, or other conditions of engaging staff, consultants and fellows.
SECTION 8: PROCUREMENT
The Executive Secretary shall draft procurement procedures for the EC and GC to refine and approve for implementation, which emphasize, among others, transparency, accountability, and cost effectiveness.
SECTION 9: FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATION
(a) The Governing Council shall cause necessary and proper accounts to be kept of:
All moneys received and expended by, or on account of, the Forum and the manner in respect of which such receipt and expenditure takes place, and
The assets, credits and liabilities of the Forum.
(b) The Books of Accounts shall be kept at the Secretariat, and shall always be open to the inspection of all members of the Governing Council.
(c)The Governing Council shall present to all Members of the Forum proper accounts for the period since the preceding GC meeting.
(d) Such accounts shall be accompanied by a report of the Governing Council as to the state of the affairs of the Forum.
(e) The Governing Council shall appoint one reputable auditor to audit the accounts annually.
(f) Bank accounts held by AFF shall be titled “The African Forest Forum” and shall only be opened upon resolution of the Governing Council.
The signatories to all AFF accounts shall be the Executive Secretary and any one of the following two: 1. The Chair, 2. One other signatory duly appointed by the Governing Council.
(g) Regional and liaison offices and national and sub-regional chapters shall open their own bank accounts.
(h) The Governing Council shall institute procedures and rules for administration of financial resources that emphasize, among others, transparency, accountability and efficiency in financial management and administration which will be administered in the same manner.
SECTION 10: THE SEAL OF THE FORUM
(a) The Governing Council shall provide for the design and safe custody of the Seal of the Forum. (b) The Seal of the Forum shall not be affixed to any instrument except by the authority of the Governing Council. (c) Any instrument that shall have the Seal of the Forum shall be signed by the Chair of the Governing Council and the Executive Secretary, and in the presence of at least two Members of the GC.
