PREAMBLE

The O.M.A.A.A.E.E.C. was constituted in Rome (Italy) on October 14, 1967. The rapid expansion that it acquired from its beginnings, as a NON-GOVERNMENTAL INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION, made it necessary to update its ORIGINAL STATUTES. This revision was made at the GENERAL ASSEMBLY held in Brussels (Belgium) on October 1, 1983. On March 2, 1989, the Holy See recognized the OMAAEEC as an International Catholic Organization. As a result of this recognition, the new Statutes were modified at the Statutory Assembly held in Issy-Les-Moulineaux (France) on October 28, 1989. The Extraordinary General Assembly held in Venice (Italy), on September 26, 1992, introduced some provisions to take into account the existence of Continental Unions and the growing number of Associate Organizations. At the Extraordinary General Assembly held in Paris (France) on April 10, 2016, the modification of these Bylaws was approved.

BYLAWS

World Organization of Former Students of Catholic Education
OMAEC

TITLE I – GENERAL PROVISIONS

Art. 1 – NAME

The international organization is called the World Organization of Former Students of Catholic Education. Its acronym is OMAEC, which will be maintained in all languages. The organization was established in Rome (Italy) on October 14, 1967.
At the Extraordinary General Meeting of April 10, 2016, it became an association under French law, governed by the French law of 1901.

Art. 2 – SCOPE

OMAEC is a worldwide organization composed of World and Continental Associations, Confederations and Federations of Catholic Education Alumni Associations around the world.

Art. 3 – HEADQUARTERS

The registered office is located in Rome, Via Aurelia, 476 – Rome.
The legal domicile is established in Paris (France).
Representative offices may be established in other locations for operational purposes.

Art. 4 – DURATION

The duration of the Organization is unlimited.

Art. 5 – PURPOSES

OMAEC is a worldwide organization whose purposes are:

a) STIMULATE worldwide the commitment and cooperation of Catholic Education Alumni Associations to safeguard the dignity of persons and the service of the human community without distinction, in accordance with the principles of Catholic education.
b) TO SERVE the Associated Organisms in the realization of their own purposes and to stimulate among them relationships of understanding, mutual help and common actions based on Christian values and the charisms that animate the Institutions in which their members have been educated. (Catholic Colleges and Universities, etc.).
c) PROMOTE the creation of World Organizations of former students of institutes of consecrated life and diocesan and continental unions and national federations, where they do not exist.
d) TO PROMOTE, on a worldwide level, the knowledge, affirmation and diffusion of the evangelical values on Education and, particularly, the freedom of teaching.
e) REPRESENT its organizations in all matters concerning common initiatives at the international level and in particular the United Nations Organization – UN and its agencies.
f) TO SUSTAIN on a permanent basis at the world level, the relations with the International Organizations that are directly or indirectly interested in educational issues and the promotion of the person.
g) To give opinions on social, cultural, economic and political issues, always defending the Christian values related to its purposes.

Art. 6 – METHODS OF ACTION

The official languages of OMAEC are French, English and Spanish, so official documents shall be drawn up in the three languages; documents and speeches at meetings may only be in one of these three languages (as defined in the internal regulations).

TITLE II – CONSTITUTION

Art. 7 – MEMBERS

The members that make up OMAEC are designated, in these bylaws, with the name of Organisms and are divided into:

1. WORLD ORGANIZATIONS that bring together associations of former students of educational establishments linked to a Congregation or a Religious Order dedicated to Catholic education.

2. CONTINENTAL ORGANIZATIONS that bring together National Organizations of Catholic Education Alumni/ae and the continental and congregational organizations.

3. NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS that include all the Catholic Education Alumni Associations of the same country.

OMAEC may accept “Observer Organizations” that wish to be in relationship with OMAEC. They do not have the right to vote in the General Assemblies and their representatives may not hold management positions or positions of responsibility in the OMAEC. The Executive Council shall consider an organization as an “observer member” and the decision shall be ratified at the following General Assembly.

Art. 8 – ADMISSION OF MEMBERS

The Organizations wishing to join OMAEC must enclose, in support of their application for admission, a commitment to respect the present Statutes, a copy of their own Statutes and various documents defined in OMAEC’s internal rules and regulations.
The Executive Council shall decide on the application for admission at its first meeting, after verifying that the by-laws submitted are in harmony with those of OMAEC.
In the event of a favorable decision, admission shall be granted on a provisional basis and its ratification shall be submitted to the following General Assembly.
In the event of a negative decision, the Organism-candidate may appeal, requesting the Executive Council to include its request for admission on the Agenda of the next General Assembly, at whose session the Organism-candidate shall be present.

Art. 9 – REMOVAL OF MEMBERS

Any Organization may withdraw from OMAEC, after communicating and explaining to the Executive Council directly the reasons for its withdrawal by registered letter addressed to the OMAEC headquarters, to the attention of the President.
Such termination shall be effective immediately and implies the waiver of any rights to OMAEC funds existing at the time of termination.

Art. 10 – EXCLUSION OF A MEMBER ORGANIZATION

The Executive Council may propose to the General Assembly to exclude an Organization if its actions do NOT respect the present Statutes or if it does not comply with the directives of the General Assembly.
The Agency concerned shall be invited to present its defense, if it so desires, at the General Assembly at which its exclusion will be discussed.
This exclusion entails the loss of all rights to OMAEC funds.

Art. 11 – CORRESPONDENTS, DELEGATES AND HONORARY MEMBERS

OMAEC may appoint, with the approval of the Executive Council:

1. Correspondents: The Executive Council may appoint an OMAEC correspondent in countries where there is no Association or Federation. Its mission is to disseminate the existence of OMAEC in the country, coordinate and encourage the creation of an Association or Federation. Correspondents must be nationals of the country concerned, except in exceptional cases decided by the Executive Council.
2. DELEGATES: A Delegate may be appointed to the International Organizations to which OMAEC belongs, with a specific mission of a commission or a working group.
HONORARY MEMBERS: any person who has rendered eminent services to OMAEC.

These members do not have voting rights

The duration of the appointment of correspondents and delegates coincides with the period between General Assemblies and their ratification at each General Assembly.

TITLE III – GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Art. 12 – ORGANIZATION

The supreme and sovereign body of OMAEC is the General Assembly of members or General Assembly, composed of all the members who are in full use of their social rights and are present at the assembly and/or represented.
Those mentioned in Art.11, i.e. honorary members, correspondents and delegates may attend the General Assemblies, but only as observers without political rights.
It must be convened at least three (3) months in advance.
The call will be sent by personalized e-mail with notice of receipt. For this purpose, the general secretary shall be in possession of an updated list with the addresses of the members.
Extraordinary General Assemblies may be called at the initiative of the Executive Council or at the request of the majority of the associated Organizations, within a period reduced to two (2) months.
The General Assembly, both ordinary and extraordinary, shall be validly constituted at first call, when one third of the members, present and represented, are present, and at second call, whatever the number of attendees.

Art. 13 – OPERATION

The ordinary General Assembly adopts its resolutions by absolute majority of members present and represented and shall be convened every calendar year.
The General Assembly is presided over by the President, accompanied by the Ecclesiastical Assistant, the Vice Presidents, the Treasurer and the General Secretary, who is in charge of taking the minutes of the assembly. A moderator of working sessions shall always be appointed.
All delegate members must understand and speak at least one of the three official languages of OMAEC.
The Executive Council determines the agenda of the Assembly, taking into account the suggestions of the associated Member Organizations. All proposals submitted by one third of the associated Member Organizations must be included in the agenda. This agenda must be communicated to the interested parties two (2) months prior to the opening date of the session for Ordinary General Assemblies and one month prior for Extraordinary General Assemblies.
In the Ordinary and Extraordinary General Assemblies, the associate member organizations must be up to date with their contributions in order to be able to exercise their right to vote.
The RDRI (Internal Regulations) fixes the number of votes per body. Each year the Executive Council applies the rule of the internal regulations to confirm the number of votes of each body.
An Agency must send the name of its representative to the General Assembly if none of its members is unable to attend. For this purpose, it shall send an authorization to another Agency to ensure its representation. No member may hold more than one representation.
If applicable, the vote by mail must be in the possession of the OMAEC Secretariat by sending a signed pdf file three (3) days prior to the date of the Assembly.
The proxy or delegation of vote shall only be valid for the meeting or call at which it is issued, and any indefinite proxy or representation shall be null and void.
It shall be recorded in writing, indicating the details of the delegating and represented members, signed and initialed by both.
The decisions of the General Assembly are approved with the votes of the majority present or represented, except for:
– Election of Chairman (Art.15).
– For the dissolution of OMAEC. (Art. 30).

Art. 14 – AGENDA

The Ordinary General Assembly:
1) It studies all the issues proposed in the Agenda.
2) Sets the objectives and guidelines to be followed in the following year.

The functions of the Ordinary General Assembly are as follows

a) TO REPRESENT on the reports presented by the Executive Council (activities, finances) or by duly authorized officers.
b) APPROVE the financial statements.
c) To fix the annual contribution of the associated Member Organizations.
d) VOTE the financial budget.
e) TO REFER to the admissions of associate members, made on a provisional basis by the Executive Council.
f) DECIDE exclusions.
g) RATIFY the articles of the Internal Regulations modified or added by the Executive Council since the previous General Assembly.
and once every 3 years:
h) To nominate and ELECT the President according to the conditions established in Art. 15.
i) APPROVAL of the composition of the members of the Executive Council as proposed by the President.
j) ELECT account supervisors.

The modification of the statutes shall be made at an Extraordinary General Assembly, according to the conditions provided for in Art. 28.

Art. 15 – ELECTIONS

Each Member Organization may present one candidate for election as President of OMAEC, and must submit an informative dossier, according to the indications in the RDRI.
The OMAEC Secretary General shall submit the official list of candidates who meet the established requirements, as specified by the RDRI, within the established deadlines.
Voting for the election of the President shall be by secret ballot, unless decided by the General Assembly.
To be elected President it shall be necessary to obtain 2/3 of the valid votes cast, including blank ballots. If the required 2/3 of the votes are not obtained, a second vote shall be taken with the same percentage. In the event that no candidate is elected, the two majority candidates shall be voted upon, and the candidate with the highest number of votes shall be elected President.
Once elected, the President shall propose to the General Assembly the persons and functions that will form the Executive Council.

TITLE IV – THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

Art. 16 – COMPOSITION

The Executive Council is the executive body of OMAEC. He/she is in charge of carrying out the directives of the General Assembly and of preparing, in due course, the agenda for the next General Assembly.
It is composed of the following members: President, Vice Presidents, Secretary General, Treasurer General, the Ecclesiastical Assistant and the President of the Youth Commission.
Other members may be invited, depending on the needs of the agenda.

Art. 17 – OPERATION

The Executive Council is the OMAEC’s general action body:

1) It is responsible for carrying out the directives of the General Assembly.
2) The Executive Council shall meet at least twice a year, convened by the President or at the request of half of its members. In the latter case, the meeting must take place within three months of the arrival of the last request addressed to the President.
3) The Executive Council may appoint Honorary Members, Delegates, Commission Chairmen, Correspondents and any other type of services with a defined duration.
4) Decisions of the Executive Council are made by simple majority vote. Each attendee is entitled to one vote, except for special guests. In the event of a tie, the Chairman shall cast the deciding vote.
5) The Executive Council decides the exact address of OMAEC’s legal headquarters in Paris (France).

Art. 18 – THE PRESIDENT

The President is elected for a term of three (3) years, taking into account the procedures set forth in Art. 15 of these Bylaws.
The President animates OMAEC and represents it at all levels. He/she may delegate to the Vice Presidents or to the Representative of an Associate Member Organization designated by him/her.
In case of death or resignation, the Executive Council elects one of the Vice Presidents as President until the next General Assembly.
The President may only serve a maximum of two terms.

Art. 19 – THE CHURCH ASSISTANT

The Ecclesiastical Assistant is responsible for the spiritual service of the OMAEC.
He shall be elected for a period of three (3) years by the Executive Council, from a list of candidates proposed by the Member Organizations and his appointment shall be communicated to the Vatican.
He shall be a full member of the Executive Council.

Art. 20 – THE VICE-PRESIDENTS

The Presidents of the Continental Unions and other appointed Vice-Presidents are Vice-Presidents by right.

Its functions:
– SUPPORT the President in all activities.
– ENCOURAGE Working Committees.
– ENSURE the coordination of OMAEC activities in a geographically delimited region where there is no Continental Union.
– ASSUME the responsibilities entrusted to them by the President.
– TO SUBSTITUTE the President in case of death, resignation or incapacity until the next General Assembly is held.

Art. 21 – THE SECRETARY GENERAL

The Secretary General directs the secretariat and ensures the execution of the resolutions of the General Assembly and the Executive Council.
Their appointment is regulated by Art. 15 of these Bylaws.
He is in charge of OMAEC’s internal and external communications.
Prepares the meetings of the Executive Council and the General Assemblies. In all these meetings, he presents activity reports and takes minutes.
Maintains records of meeting minutes
He may be assisted by an Assistant Secretary General.
His work will be coordinated with the President of OMAEC.

Art. 22 – THE ADMINISTRATOR – GENERAL TREASURER

He is responsible for OMAEC’s financial management. All financial transactions must be made in a bank account opened in the name of OMAEC.
Their appointment is regulated by Art. 15 of these Bylaws. He/she may be assisted by an Assistant Treasurer.
The General Treasurer shall render an account of his functions to the Executive Council at least once a year and shall present to the Ordinary General Assembly the annual report, the estimated budget and the state of OMAEC’s finances, as well as the bank accounts and their movements.
He shall be the head of such Finance Committee as may be appointed by the Executive Council.
His work will be coordinated with the President of OMAEC.

Art. 23 – ACCOUNT SUPERVISORS

The Supervisors of Accounts are elected by the General Assembly, which elects the OMAEC Chairman, for a term of three (3) years. May not have other responsibilities on the Executive Board
The candidacies must be presented by the associated Member Organizations at the opening of the General Assembly, which shall proceed to their election by simple majority in a single round.
The Supervisors of Accounts have the task of controlling the accounts, deeds, justifications and all economic factors affecting the movement of funds presented by the General Treasurer, as well as presenting the corresponding report to the General Assembly.

Art. 24 – CONSULTANTS

The Executive Council may be assisted by external advisors specializing in specific issues.
These Advisors have an advisory role only.

TITLE V – CONTINENTAL UNIONS

Art. 25 – OPERATION

OMAEC wants Continental Unions to be formed on all continents.
Depending on the specialty of certain geographical areas, it will be possible to form regional Unions in the main regions within the 5 continents. Hereinafter, the term “Continental Unions” shall define Continental Unions and Regional Unions.
The Continental Unions include on the one hand the national federations of alumni of Catholic education, and other continental alumni organizations of the same Religious Congregation.
The objectives of the Continental Unions are:
– Coordinate the actions of its members within the continent.
– Ensure representation of Catholic education alumni with continental bodies.
– Encourage the creation of National Federations of Catholic Education Alumni/ae in those countries of the continent where they do not yet exist.
– To maintain on the continent the same purposes as those of OMAEC, as mentioned in Art. 5.
For the formation of a Continental Union there must be at least five members who can constitute it.
The Continental Unions are members of OMAEC.
Existing national organizations on a continent are necessarily members of OMAEC and the Continental Union.
The Continental Union may appoint correspondents in those countries of the continent that do not yet have national bodies to prepare for the establishment of such bodies. If necessary, OMAEC will appoint correspondents.
The Continental Union is an association legally registered in one of the countries of the continent and must also have a bank account in its name.
The name of the Continental Union should be “Union” followed by the continent and “Alumni/ae of Catholic Education” and its acronym: UNAEC followed by the name of the continent. Example: African Union of Former Students of Catholic Education, with the acronym UNAEC-Africa.
The statutes of the Continental Union must have the same objectives as those of OMAEC, with the possibility of adding specific objectives in the continental context. These statutes must define a truly democratic functioning of the Union, in particular an annual general assembly and the election of executive bodies, including a president and a treasurer.
The statutes of each Continental Union, its rules and possible subsequent modifications, must be recognized by the OMAEC Executive Council.
Like any OMAEC member, the Continental Unions must send, each year, to OMAEC, a report of their activities and financial statements.
The heads of OMAEC and the Continental Unions, by mutual agreement, shall establish the common membership fees in their respective structures.

TITLE VI – FINANCE

Art. 26 – RESOURCES

OMAEC’s financial resources are:
– The annual fixed dues paid by the associate Member-Organizations to be established by the General Assembly (Art. 14 c).
– Any other remedy permitted by law.

OMAEC’s funds will be deposited in a bank account. The proxies shall be the president and the treasurer without distinction.
Any resigned or excluded associate member organization has no right to the funds of OMAEC nor can it claim the return of its dues, contributions or donations.

Art. 27 – EXPENSES

OMAEC’s operating expenses are financed from the budget approved by the General Assembly.
Payments shall be ordered and authorized in accordance with budgets or extraordinary decisions approved by the President or the Treasurer General.
The fiscal year shall have the duration of the calendar year from January 1 to December 31 of the same year.

TITLE VII – MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

Art. 28 – AMENDMENT OF THE BYLAWS

Any amendment to the Bylaws may be submitted by the Executive Council or by an Associate Member Organization. In the latter case, the Associate Member Organization submits its proposal to the Executive Council, which shall decide, by a majority of the votes present or represented, whether to submit the modification to the Extraordinary General Assembly.
In both cases, it is the responsibility of the Executive Council to call an Extraordinary General Assembly, under the conditions provided for in Art. 12 and 13 of these Bylaws.

Art. 29 – INTERNAL REGULATIONS

The Executive Council drafts Internal Regulations, approved by the General Assembly, which develop the modalities for the application of these Bylaws.

Art. 30 – DISSOLUTION

In order to be taken into consideration, the proposal to dissolve the OMAEC, there must be a proposal that includes a number of members greater than half of the associated member organizations.
The Executive Board shall be summoned for such purpose within one month from the date of receipt of the document endorsed with the indicated quorum, and shall have the obligation to call an Extraordinary General Assembly to deliberate and decide on the dissolution of OMAEC.
This Extraordinary General Assembly shall have only this item on the Agenda and shall be convened in accordance with the provisions of these Bylaws.
The dissolution shall be decided by a two-thirds majority of the votes attributed to the associated Member Organizations.
The vote of dissolution entails the full power of the Executive Council, in office, to proceed with the active and passive liquidation of the OMAEC and to decide the destination of the assets for the benefit of a Catholic Organization pursuing similar purposes.

Art. 31 – INTERPRETATION OF THE BY-LAWS

All terms used in these Bylaws such as “Past President”, “President”, “Alumni”, etc., should be interpreted indistinctly as feminine and masculine.
The French text shall be used as a reference for the interpretation of the Bylaws.
A translation in English and Spanish will be made available to all Associate Member Organizations and the Executive Council.