1- The name of the network shall be “ Near East and North Africa Regional Network for Agricultural Policies” (NENARNAP), hereinafter referred to as the Network.

2- The Network is established as an autonomous body. It shall have the capacity of a legal person to perform any activities appropriate to the fulfillment of its objectives as laid down in these By-Laws.

3- The Network shall, in particular, have the capacity:

to hold funds or currency of any kind and operate currency accounts;

to accept loans, grants and donations in cash or in kind from governments, national, regional and international organizations, development banks and other sources for the purpose of the Network.

to collect proceeds from the sale of publications issued by the Network;

to conclude agreements and contracts, to acquire, hold and dispose of immovable and movable property and to institute legal proceedings;

4- The Network shall have a temporary seat at the FAO Regional Office in Cairo , , for the first four years following its formal establishment, renewable upon the request of the governing body of the network. After that, the General Conference shall consider the establishment of a permanent seat.

For the purpose of these By-Laws, the Near East and North Africa Region, hereinafter referred to as the Region, shall consist of the following countries:

Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Cyprus, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, the Palestinian territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

1- The developmental objective of the Network shall be to support member countries' efforts to achieve sustainable agricultural development through the adoption of economically viable, environmentally sound and socially acceptable agricultural policies.

2- The immediate objectives of the Network shall be to:

enhance capabilities of agricultural policy analysts, practitioners and institutions in Network members countries; and

collect, document, synthesize, exchange and disseminate information on agricultural policy experiences on a regular basis among Network members.

In pursuance of the above objectives, the Network shall undertake the many functions and activities in member countries of the Network, including:

prepare and distribute a directory of agricultural policy analysts and practitioners in the Region;

prepare and distribute a directory of institutions involved in agricultural policy within and outside the Region;

compile and distribute a bibliography of relevant agricultural policy studies;

identify priority training needs in agricultural policy analysis;

organize regional training courses on selected agricultural policy issues, analysis methods and tools;

identify data and information needs;

carry out specific studies to fill information gaps;

disseminate relevant information on agricultural policy formulation, implementation and training through newsletters and other publications;

facilitate provision of policy advice to member countries based on shared experiences and lessons learned; and

undertake any other activities related to its objectives.

1. There shall be three types of memberships:

Full Membership;

Associate Membership; and

Affiliate Membership.

2. Full Membership shall be open, during the establishment period to the departments/units responsible for agricultural policy and planning at the Ministry of Agriculture or other agencies of the Ministry directly involved in agricultural policy analysis and formulation in member countries of the Network.

3. Associate Membership shall be open to:

Other ministries and agencies involved in agricultural policy analysis, design and implementation;

Universities, colleges, research centers and non-governmental organizations actively involved in agricultural policy research or education in member countries of the Network.

Farmers associations, chambers of agriculture, and other similar farmers and private sector representatives in member countries of the Network.

Relevant regional and international organizations and donor agencies.

4. Affiliate Membership shall be open to individuals from the Region who have expertise/interest in agricultural policies.

5. Full, Associate and Affiliate Membership in the Network shall be acquired by submitting an application to the Executive Secretary of the Network. Admission to membership shall be effective upon approval by the Executive Committee.

6. Full Members shall have the right to vote at the meetings of the Network bodies.

7. Associate and Affiliate Members shall have the right to participate in the meetings of the Network bodies, but shall not hold office nor have the right to vote.

8. Any Member desiring to withdraw from the Network shall notify the Executive Secretary in writing, and such withdrawal shall take effect three months from the date of the receipt by the Executive Secretary of the notice.

The resources of the Network shall consist of:

Grants and donations from governments, national, regional or international organizations, and development banks, individuals and others which may be accepted on behalf of the Network by the Executive Committee;

Proceeds from the sale of publications issued by the Network and approved for sale by the Executive Committee;

Fees, if any, collected from participants in any technical meeting organized by the Network;

Annual membership subscriptions for Full, Associate and Affiliate Members as established by the General Conference at each biennial session. There shall be no membership subscriptions during the first four years following the formal establishment of the Network.

The organs of the Network shall be:

The General Conference; and

The Executive Committee.

There shall be a General Conference of the Network, hereinafter referred to as the Conference, in which one delegate shall represent each institution with Full Membership. Associate Members shall have the right to participate in the deliberations of the Conference but shall not hold office or have the right to vote. Affiliate Members shall have the right to participate as observers.

The Conference shall be the supreme governing body of the Network. In fulfillment of its objectives, the Conference shall determine the policy of the Network, approve the Program of Work and Budget prepared by the Executive Committee, supervise implementation and review progress, and shall exercise other powers conferred upon it by the By-Laws.

The Conference shall meet once every two years in regular sessions, at the date and place decided upon the previous regular session. The Executive Committee shall call all Members for these meetings at least three months in advance.

The agenda for the biennial Conference shall be prepared by the Executive Committee and shall be dispatched to all Members, and to such observers as the Executive Committee shall decide to invite, not less than ninety days before the scheduled dates for the sessions.

The General Conference shall elect, in the conditions mentioned in Article IX, paragraph 1, the five members of the Executive Committee. It will also elect, among the members of the Executive Committee, a President and a Vice-President who shall act, at the same time, as President and Vice-President of the General Conference and of the Executive Committee. The term of office of the President and Vice-President will be of two years.

The Conference may meet in special session:

if at any regular session the Conference decides, by a majority of the votes cast, to meet in the following year; or

if two-thirds of the Full Members so request the President.

Such meetings shall require a minimum notice of sixty days and the agenda shall consist of exclusively of those items listed in the request for such a meeting.

Each Full Member shall have one vote at all sessions. All decisions shall be taken by simple majority vote, except for those decisions relating to amendments to these By-Laws, and those related to the dissolution of the Network (refer to item 2 of Article XV and item 1 of Article XVII). In the case of equality of votes, the President shall have a casting vote.

1- The Executive Committee shall consist of five members, including the President and Vice- President, elected at each biennial session of the Conference from amongst representatives of the Full Members. No country shall be represented by more than one member in the Executive Committee. All officers elected to the Executive Committee shall take office at the end of the Conference session in which they are elected until the end of the next biennial session; they shall not be eligible for immediate re-election to the same office for more than two terms.

2- The Executive Committee shall manage the affairs of the Network in accordance with these By-Laws and the policies and directives adopted by the Conference. It shall prepare the budget estimates of the Network for the consideration and approval of the Conference. The Executive Committee shall report to the Conference on the implementation of the approved program of work and the progress made in fulfilling the objectives of the Network.

3- A Nomination Officer shall be elected by the Conference at the beginning of the Session. He/She shall receive nominations for office in the Executive Committee and report to the conference on the nominations received at the beginning of the meeting earmarked for election.

4- Nomination for office in the Executive Committee of the Network shall be made in writing, duly seconded, and submitted to the Nomination Officer at least twelve hours before the Conference session earmarked for the election of the officers.

5- Voting to elect members of the Executive Committee of the Network shall be by secret ballot. The Chairperson of the Meeting shall appoint from among the delegates, two tellers who will supervise the balloting procedure, count the ballot papers, decide on the validity of these papers in any case of doubt, and certify the result of each ballot.

6- If any one of the offices of President or Vice-President becomes vacant for any reason, the remaining members of the Executive Committee shall select one of their own members to fill the vacancy. The vacated position of the ordinary member of the Executive Committee shall be filled by the unsuccessful candidate who had the highest number of votes in the election of the Executive Committee members at the preceding Conference Session. Persons who become members of the Executive Committee under this provision will remain in office until the next Session of the Conference.

7- The Executive Committee shall meet at least once every year and shall be called by the Executive Secretary at the direction of the President.

1- The President shall normally preside at all meetings of the Conference and of the Executive Committee. He/She shall be the Network’s spokesperson in all maters of policy approved by the Network or the Executive Committee, and he/she shall represent the Network in all legal matters.

2- The Vice-President shall perform all duties of the President in the absence of the latter, and such other duties as may be assigned to him/her by the President.

1- The Executive Secretary of the Network shall be appointed by the Executive for a period of four years renewable once, and according to the rules and conditions and terms of employment set by the Conference. FAO will assume the Secretariat responsibility during the first four years, renewable for another four years upon request of the governing body of the Network.

2- Under the overall supervision of the President, the Executive Secretary shall take all the necessary actions to implement the decisions of the Conference and the Executive Committee and to manage and to run the day-to-day functions of the Network. Reporting to the Executive Committee, the Executive Secretary shall be responsible for the implementation of the Network program. He/She shall specifically have the following duties and responsibilities

• Organize the General Conference and Executive Committee sessions, prepare the minutes and arrange for the publication, distribution and preservation of the reports and proceedings of all meetings of the Network.
• Organize conferences, workshops, training programmes and any other meeting upon the request of the Executive Committee.
• Prepare the Network’s Program of Work and Budget, propose joint work programmes with other regional and international organizations and ensure coordination of all activities among the Members of the Network.
• Manage the financial affairs of the Network and, in particular, raise funds for the Network activities and receive any other financial contributions to the Network, account for all monies received, make payments in accordance with policies established by the General Conference and the Executive Committee and submit audited accounts to the biennial General Conference.
• Organize the issue of the Network’s Newsletter and provide documentation services to facilitate easy access to necessary data and information on agricultural policies in all member countries of the Network.
• Prepare a system for Monitoring and Evaluation of the implementation of the Programme of Work and Budget of the Network.
• Undertake any other duties entrusted to him/her by the Executive Committee.

3- In carrying out the above duties and responsibilities, the Executive Secretary shall be assisted by full/part-time staff as may be required.

The General Rules of Procedure and Financial Regulations shall be prepared by the Executive Committee and approved by the General Conference of the Network. Amendments to the Rules and Regulations may be adopted by simple majority vote at any session of the General Conference.

1- During the transitional period, the accounting system of the Network shall be subject to the rules and regulation of the financial and accounting system of the FAO. After that, auditors (internal and external) shall be appointed by the Conference. All the Network’s accounts, records and documents shall be subject to inspection by the auditors at any time. The Executive Secretary shall produce an account of his/her receipts and payments and a statement of assets and liabilities, which shall be updated not more than sixty days before the biennial General Conference.

2- The auditors shall examine such biennial accounts and statements and certify that they are correct, duly vouched, and in accordance with the Rules and Financial Regulations of the Network, or report in what respect they are found to be incorrect or not in accordance with such Rules and Financial Regulations.

3- A copy of the auditors' report on the accounts and statements shall be made available to all Members at or before the General Conference.

4- The auditors' honorarium shall be determined at the General Conference that appoints them.