(As amended by the 14th Annual General Meeting in
Chichester, England 15 September 2004)
Piran Declaration
'Timestones of History' Walled Towns are unique inheritances from times long past and should be treasured, maintained and safeguarded from neglect, damage and destruction and passed on into perpetuity as irreplaceable 'Timestones of History'
1. Name
1.1. The official name of the body shall be the Walled Towns Friendship
Circle.
(For the purposes of this document the Walled Towns Friendship Circle is called “the Circle”)
2. Legal Status
2.1. The Circle will operate under the law of England and Wales as an ‘Unincorporated Association’. It will operate on the basis of a co-operation agreement signed by all members agreeing to abide by and work within the regulatory framework of the Constitution.
2.2. It will operate within the terms of this Constitution as a not for profit Association, compatible with the laws of other Member Nations as far as is legally possible.
2.3. Should the Circle acquire assets or property then these will be held by a group of members acting as a Trust. The trust will hold such assets benignly on behalf of the members of the Circle. Any surpluses generated will be reinvested in the activities of the Circle.
3. Aim
3.1. The Circle was founded in 1989 as an International Forum to promote the many mutual interests shared by walled towns throughout the world.
3.2 Principles
3.3 The Circle will aspire to uphold the key principles of democratic accountability and member solidarity in pursuing its aim and objectives and in carrying out its activities.
4. Objectives
4.1. The objectives of the Circle are:
- To encourage friendship between the inhabitants of all ages in walled town communities and to encourage and to foster the interchange of visits by individuals, associations, schools and colleges.
- To enrich each other’s lives through appreciation of each other’s historical, traditional, cultural and artistic inheritance.
- To promote tourism whilst considering the challenges of motor vehicles, pedestrianisation, access to homes and businesses, building and road maintenance, grants and assistance for the preservation and conservation work.
- To establish links with other walled towns and to develop joint marketing strategies to increase world-wide awareness of walled towns as historic treasures and tourism attractions.
- To convene regular symposia in member towns to address topics of key importance and to organise study tours.
- To support the conservation and the protection of the walled towns and their environmental context.
- To develop common strategies for proper methods of planning and conserving ancient towns and their environmental context.
4.2. A rolling three year Business Plan will form the basis of developing the Circle and will provide the following characteristics:
* It should retain a strong friendship function
* It should have a culture of sharing good practice, and,
* It should be a strong and active network.
5. Activities
5.1. The activities of the Circle will relate to its aim and objectives and may include:
- organising conferences, seminars and workshops
- Holding cultural events
- Organising study tours
- Holding regular symposia
- Commissioning research
- Establishing working groups
- Preparing reports and publications
- Developing and promoting common policies
- Disseminating information on a systematic and regular basis e.g. via newsletters and web site
- Maintaining contacts with the media
- Facilitating staff exchanges and delegate visits
- Establishing and maintaining up to date data bases and communication networks
- Production of an annual report
- And such other activities as may from time to time be agreed as part of the Business Plan.
6. Membership Criteria
6.1. The Circle adopts the following membership categories:
* Full Membership
To qualify for full membership a town must be inhabited and have a significant portion of its wall intact and should be of historic interest to visitors and residents.
* Associate Membership
Associate membership is open to municipalities, official bodies, societies and organisations, companies and professionals, schools and colleges, youth organisations and individuals.
6.2. Decisions as to eligibility will rest with the Circle’s Secretariat with reference, where necessary, to it’s Executive Committee.
6.3. All categories of membership will be expected to follow the Circle’s Aim, Principles and Objectives and to pay the approved membership fees.
6.4. The removal of all categories of membership will be the responsibility of the Annual General Meeting.
6.5. Procedures for terminating the activity of the Circle or for modification of its membership structure will be the responsibility of the Annual General Meeting.
6.6.
The proceduresor terminating the membership of a
member/town/organisation, will be the responsibility of the Executive Committee.
The Executive Committee will make
recommendations and give its reasons for such termination to the Annual
General Meeting
In such circumstances the member/town/organisation
will have the right to speak and put their case to the Annual General meeting
The Annual General meeting may accept or
reject any such proposal of the Executive Committee.
7. Financial Arrangements
7.1. The activities of the Circle will be funded from a combination of sources including:
- Subscriptions from all categories of membership
- Sponsorship
- Grants
- Donations
- Advertising
- In-kind contributions
7.2. The membership subscription fees will be set by the Annual General Meeting on the recommendation of the Executive Committee and will be reviewed annually.
8. Decision Making Structure
8.1. Annual General Meeting
8.1.1. The General Meeting will be held annually
8.1.2. All classes of members will be eligible to attend the Annual General Meeting
8.1.3. Full Members will be eligible to vote on the basis of one vote per town
8.2. Executive Committee
8.2.1. The Executive Committee will comprise the President, Deputy President, Vice President, Treasurer and up to two delegates representing each country and a representative from future Symposium towns.
Additionally two places on the Executive will be reserved for Associate members.
They will be selected by a ballot of the Associate membership for a term of 3
years in the year of the election of the President.
The Executive Committee, in conjunction with the Officers, will control all the affairs and business of the Circle. Normally, it will meet twice a year. Every country shall decide itself which of its representatives should represent the country on the Executive Committee from amongst its member towns.
8.2.2. The President and the Executive Committee shall have the power to co-opt members onto the Executive Committee but such co-opted members shall not be entitled to vote.
8.3. Officers
8.3.1. The Circle will have the following Officer positions:
- President – The President will be elected by the Annual General Meeting for a term of three years in accordance with the terms of the Business Plan. He / she will not normally serve more than three terms. The President will be responsible for the day to day running of the Circle’s activities and will preside over the Annual General Meeting and the Executive Committee. The
President will manage the activity of the Circle’s Secretariat.
- Deputy Vice President –
The Deputy Vice President will be elected by the
Annual General Meeting for a term of 3 years, the
election will take place in the year following the year
of the election of the President.
- Vice President – The Vice President will be elected by the Annual General Meeting. He / She will normally be the Mayor, or other Official, of the next Symposium host town.
-
Treasurer – The Treasurer will be elected by the Annual
General Meeting for a period of three years and will be a
member of the Executive Committee. He / She will be
responsible for the financial affairs of the Circle and
will present an Annual report of the Accounts. In
the third year He/She will present a fully audited Statement of Accounts for the approval of the Annual
General Meeting.
- Honorary Life President - An Honorary Life President for the Circle may be appointed by the AGM.
8.4. Secretariat
8.4.1. Secretary General – The Secretary General will be appointed by the President and confirmed by the AGM and will be responsible for the efficient and effective administration of the affairs of the Circle. He / She will be accountable to the President and the Executive Committee. The Secretary General will be supported by a small secretariat the nature and size of which will relate to the size of the Circle, the scale of its activities and the availability of resources.
8.4.2. The Secretariat. This will be appointed by the President and endorsed by the Annual General Meeting. It will be responsible to the President and the Executive Committee for the day to day running of the Circle’s affairs.
9.0. Language and Translation
9.1. The working language of the Circle will be English.
9.2. Specifically the principal language of the Circle will be supplemented, subject to the availability of resources, by:
- Additional interpretation, as appropriate, at events, conferences and meetings
- Translation of published material and other documentation into other languages
- Translation of material will be generally undertaken by either the Secretariat or individual member towns.
Signed
John Price
President
15 September 2004
