Statute

Article 1: Name

1.1. The name of the Association will be Asian Association of Women’s Studies (AAWS). 

Article 2: Objectives

2.1. The Association’s objectives are:

  1. To provide a forum for the discussion and co-operation on new ideas in feminist education and research with a focus on Asia; and to promote the dissemination of information on relevant community programs;
  2. To establish an institutional basis for feminist education and research on Asia, linking associations of women’s studies, research institutions, resource centers, as well as individual scholars and practitioners in the region, with the purpose of dealing with issues of common interest in Asia.

2.2. This institutional basis will serve to promote co-operation and exchange on two levels:

  1. Among individual scholars and practitioners in feminist education and research, to advance the development of this field throughout Asia. Special emphasis will be placed on the development of multicultural perspectives in the Asian context;
  2. Among institutions, individual scholars and practitioners in the field of women’s studies, including resource centers such as libraries, information services, and archives dedicated to feminist research and information on women.

Article 3: Membership

3.1. There will be two types of membership:

  1. “Institutional membership”: This may be accorded to national, regional, local, and professional associations as well as research institutions in Asia;
  2. “Individual membership”: This may be accorded to individual feminist scholars, researchers, and activists.

3.2. Membership will be approved by the Council (see Article 7 below). A current list of members will be kept by the Secretary and made available to members (see 8.3).

Article 4: Membership Fee

4.1. Members will be obliged to pay an annual membership fee, to be determined by the General Assembly (see Article 5 below). Fees for institutional and individual membership may differ.
4.2. The Council may grant whole or partial fee waivers to institutions or individuals on a case-by-case basis.

Article 5: The General Assembly

5.1. The General Assembly will consist of institutional and individual members.
5.2. Each individual member will be entitled to attend and address the General Assembly, to present proposals, as well as to cast one vote.
5.3. Each institutional member will be entitled to attend and address the General Assembly, but will not have the right to vote.
5.4. All sessions of the General Assembly will be open to all members, except when items on the agenda require protection of personal data. One example is debates on candidates for office.
5.5. Prior to meetings all members will inform the Council (see Article 7 below) if they will exercise their vote in the General Assembly.
5.6. The General Assembly will be held once every three years. In the interim period and as when deemed necessary by the Council, decisions will be made by postal vote.
5.7. The General Assembly will be entitled to the following powers:

  1. The election of the President
  2. The approval of the Vice-President
  3. The approval of the Council
  4. The approval of the annual membership fees
  5. The approval of the annual accounts
  6. The making of amendments to the Articles of the Statute
  7. The liquidation of the Association

5.8. The General Assembly will be entitled to all the powers not bestowed on the Council by the Articles of the Association.
5.9. Resolutions will be adopted with a majority of votes unless stipulated otherwise by the Articles of the Association.
5.10. The General Assembly will be entitled to place unresolved matters before the Council for resolution.

Article 6: President and Vice-President

6.1. The Association will have a President and a Vice-President who may speak on behalf of the Association. The AAWS President shall legally represent the Association both internally and externally and shall have general responsibility for the implementation of the Association’s policy and for supervision of activities by the Association.
6.2. The President will be elected by and from the General Assembly for a period of three years and may be elected for two consecutive terms.
6.3. The Vice-President will be nominated by the President and approved by the General Assembly for a period of three years and may be nominated for two consecutive terms.
6.4. The President shall chair the meetings of the Council and the Executive Committee; in the President’s absence, the meeting will be chaired by the Vice-President.

Article 7: The Council

7.1. The Council will consist of up to 30 members. Each candidate for the members of the Council is recommended by at least five members. The members of the Council will be nominated by the President from these candidates and approved by the General Assembly for a period of three years. Each Council member may serve for two consecutive terms. The President should strive for a balanced representation of the different regions on the Council as well as a balanced representation of disciplines.
7.2. A delegate representing the absent regular Council member may be present at Council meetings with the right to vote.
7.3. The Council will be entrusted with the Association’s administration including:

  1. Administration of the Association’s funds and other properties
  2. Affairs delegated to it by the General Assembly
  3. Affairs falling within the scope of the budget as authorized by the General Assembly

7.4. Judicially, and extra judicially, the Association will only be represented by the Council with a quorum.
7.5. The Council’s resolutions will be adopted by majority votes.
7.6. By means of a written resolution, the General Assembly may stipulate that without the General Assembly’s prior consent the Council may not take decisions negating the resolution taken by the General Assembly in a written resolution.
7.7. The quorum will be more than half of all members of the Council.

Article 8: Executive Committee

8.1. The Executive Committee will consist of the President, the Vice-President, the Secretary, and other members. Members of the Executive Committee will be appointed by the President for a period of three years.
8.2. The Executive Committee will:

  1. Recommend policies to the Council
  2. Administer policies decided upon by the Council
  3. Recommend membership dues to the Council
  4. Administer matters of urgency and daily running of the Association
  5. Submit an annual report to the Council

8.3. The Secretary will be in charge of the daily administration of the Association and attend the Council meeting as an observer.

Article 9: Congress

9.1. The AAWS Congress will be an international conference aiming for networking and providing professional development opportunities for women’s and gender studies scholars and women’s center administrators. The Congress will be held once every three years.
9.2. The Council will determine the host and venue of the Congress in accordance with the objectives of the Association. The location of each Congress shall be chosen in advance, based on proposals invited from all members.

Article 10: Termination of Membership

10.1. Membership may be terminated:

  1. By means of a letter of resignation by the member to the Secretary,
  2. If a member fails to pay the annual membership fee, or
  3. If a member does not comply with the requirements of membership.

10.2. Termination of the membership, either by the member or by the Association, will normally take place at the end of the Association’s financial year. However, membership may be terminated with immediate effect if either the Association or the member cannot be reasonably expected to continue membership.
10.3. The member whose membership is terminated by the Association may appeal within a year to the General Assembly which will make the final decision.

Article 11: Liquidation

11.1. The liquidation of the Association will require the agreement of three-quarters of the members of the Association.
11.2. The credit balance after the settlement shall fall to those who are members at the time of the resolution to liquidate. However, when adopting the resolution to liquidate, the credit balance may be allocated for other uses as decided upon at the last General Assembly. Members take the risk of losing only their membership fees.

Appendix A

The first President will be elected by the Promotion Committee members for the first period of three years.

Appendix B

The Promotion Committee members will be the Council members for the first period of three years.

  • The provisional statute was drafted by the Promotional Committee in the AAWS inaugural meeting in November 15, 2007 in Seoul, Korea.
  • The current statute was revised in December 9, 2010 by the Council and the General Assembly of the 2nd Congress of AAWS, December 11, 2010 in Penang, Malaysia.