The Eastern Regional Organization for Public Administration (hereinafter referred to as 'EROPA') was established to advance the economic and social development of the region through the promotion of the study, practice and status of public administration and management. It provides a forum to exchange information and ideas on innovative approaches to efficient, effective and ethical public service.

CONSTITUTION

Article 1.
The Eastern Regional Organization for Public Administration (hereinafter referred to as 'EROPA') was established to advance the economic and social development of the region through the promotion of the study, practice and status of public administration and management. It provides a forum to exchange information and ideas on innovative approaches to efficient, effective and ethical public service.

Article 2.
EROPA was formally constituted at the first meeting of the General Assembly which was held in the Philippines from 4th to 10th December 1960 and adopted this Constitution as amended.

Article 3.
The Executive Council shall define the EROPA region by designating by name the countries and territories comprising this region, and shall, when necessary, redefine and redesignate the same. This definition shall take effect upon approval by the General Assembly.

Article 4.
The general objectives of EROPA are, while being mindful of the distinct cultural and social values of countries in the region, to:
  1. promote good practice and conduct in public administration and management within the region in order to achieve a high standard of service to the governments and their publics
  2. develop an appreciation of the value and importance of effective and efficient public administration
  3. develop and promote the study of public administration
  4. foster cooperation, communication and understanding amongst organizations and individuals having an interest in public administration
  5. develop leadership qualities and management expertise, especially at the executive and middle management levels

Article 5.
In order to realize the above objectives, EROPA, among other things:
     a.   organize international or inter-regional conferences
     b.   conduct research and publish research papers and journals
     c.   establish and maintain an information resource centre and distribute and exchange documents
     d.   establish committees for research and documentation
     e.   affiliate and liaise with other international organizations involved in public administration
     f.   conduct training programs
     g.   establish professional training centers
     h.   establish national and/or local chapters or branches of EROPA
     i.   establish programs for the exchange of public administration practitioners, academics and students
     j.   establish endowment funds to finance its operations

Article 6.
The membership of EROPA, with voting privileges as set out below, shall consist of:
  1. State Members
  2. Group Members
  3. Individual Members
 Members without voting privileges shall consist of:
  1. Associate Members
  2. Honorary Members

Article 7.
Any country within the region may apply to join EROPA as a State Member and nominate an institution to act as its corresponding agent to EROPA.

Article 8.
An organization, association, institution or society in a country within the region, whose purposes and activities are in consonance with the objectives of EROPA, may apply to join as a Group Member. This includes local governments, local authorities, government corporations, statutory authorities, public administration and management associations, professional organizations, non-governmental organizations and other private sector organizations.

Article 9.
An individual in a country within the region, whose profession or activities would serve to promote the interests of EROPA, may apply to join as an Individual Member.

Article 10.
States, organizations and individuals of countries who are not inside the region but who possess the qualifications for State, Group or Individual membership as specified in articles above, may join EROPA as Associate State Members, Associate Group Members or Associate Individual Members as the case may be. Associate Members shall have the privilege of participating in the deliberations of the General Assembly without the right to vote.

Article 11.
Individuals who are considered to have a distinguished contribution to EROPA and/or to public administration in the region may be nominated as Honorary Members.

Article 12.
Applications for State, Group, Individual or Associate membership shall be made in writing to the Secretary-General and shall be in a form and shall contain such information as may be determined by the Executive Council from time to time. The Secretary-General shall transmit any such application to the Executive Council for consideration at its next meeting.

Article 13.
Nominations for honorary membership may be made by members of the Executive Council or by the Secretary-General.

Article 14.
Admission of State Members and Honorary Members shall be by a simple majority of the General Assembly present and voting, with approval of at least half of the number of State Members, upon the recommendation of the Executive Council. The General Assembly may also, upon recommendation of the Executive Council, invite a non-member State within the region to become a State Member, by a simple majority of the total votes of members present and voting with approval of at least half of the number of State Members. Admission of such a state as a State Member becomes effective on the date of acceptance by the Executive Council at any of its meetings of a formal application for membership. All other categories of membership shall be admitted by decision of the Executive Council.

Article 15.
A State Member may, for a period of two years at a time, nominate up to three other institutions and up to ten scholars or practitioners in public administration who would be considered members of EROPA under the State membership of the country. These institutions and individuals shall be exempted from payment of the membership fee for so long as the membership of the State continues, but shall be ineligible to vote in proceedings of the General Assembly.

Article 16.
The General Assembly, upon the recommendation of the Executive Council, may establish classes within each category of membership and determine rates of annual membership fees.

Article 17.
The Executive Council may make rules governing the payment of such fees and action to be taken upon failure by any member to pay such fees for three consecutive financial years.

Article 18.
In order to promote good practice in public administration and management, the Executive Council is authorized to coordinate the following Technical Centers:
  • Development Management Center
  • Training Center
  • Local Government Center
Any other Centers or Services that may be established from time to time subject to the approval of the General Assembly, upon recommendation of the Executive Council.

Article 19.
The Development Management Center, the Training Center, the Local Government Center, and other such technical centers of EROPA, shall enjoy a large measure of autonomy in their internal operations. The heads of these centers, on their own, may initiate the necessary steps towards strengthening their respective centers, including initiating moves to solicit subsidies from organizations and individuals.

Article 20. 
The Executive Council may establish rules or guidelines in relation to the application process for recognition as an EROPA Center and for the liaising with and monitoring of any such centers.

Article 21. 
Any member may resign their membership from EROPA by notifying the Secretary-General in writing, upon settlement of all outstanding financial obligations.

Article 22. 
Members who have not paid their membership fees for a period of two years will be considered to be inactive and their names will be deleted from the list of active EROPA members. Active membership status can be resumed upon payment of appropriate fees.

Article 23. 
Any member whose conduct proves incompatible with or detrimental to the objectives of EROPA may have their membership suspended or revoked upon recommendation of the Executive Council. Any such suspension or revocation shall be decided by a vote of two-thirds of the total votes of members present and voting with approval of at least half of the number of the State Members at a meeting of the General Assembly.

Article 24. 
The General Assembly shall be constituted by the gathering of State, Group and Individual Members and convened by the Chairperson of the Executive Council. Ordinarily, the General Assembly shall meet every two years at a place and date to be determined by the Executive Council. When required, an extraordinary meeting of the General Assembly shall be convened by the Executive Council or upon the specific request of one half of the State Members.

Article 25. 
The Secretary-General shall give at least six months' advance notice to all members, of the date and place of a meeting of the General Assembly, provided that in exceptional circumstances, where this is not practicable, a minimum of ninety days' notice must be given.

Article 26. 
The General Assembly shall govern the affairs of the organization and shall determine policies and issue guidelines to the Executive Council for the general operation and management of the organization's activities, and shall have the power to:
  1. confirm the officers of the Council
  2. admit State, Group, Individual, Associate and Honorary Members to the Organization
  3. receive, consider and adopt with or without amendment a report from the Council including audited accounts
  4. approve the appointment of the Secretary-General
  5. approve a future work program and the budget recommended by the Council
  6. establish and maintain Technical or other specialist Centers or Services that may be deemed appropriate

Article 27.
The General Assembly shall elect a conference President and Vice-President for the Assembly Period.

Article 28. 
Unless otherwise provided for in the Constitution, all questions in the General Assembly shall be decided by an absolute majority of the members present and voting, with each State Member having ten votes, each Group Member two votes and each Individual member one vote, with the approval of at least half the number of State Members.

Article 29. 
The quorum for the General Assembly shall be the State, Group and Individual Members present at the meeting, provided that this includes at least half of the number of its State Members and a total of at least ten Group and Individual Members combined.

Article 30. 
The management of the business of EROPA, subject to such directives as may be given by the General Assembly, shall be vested in an Executive Council consisting of:
  1. all State Members
  2. representatives of Group Members, whose number shall be one third of the number of State Members
  3. representatives of the Individual Members, whose number shall be one third of the number of State Members
  4. the immediate past Chairperson of the Council

Article 31.
The Associate Members may nominate a representative to act as an observer and participate in discussions at meetings of the Executive Council, but may not vote.

Article 32.
There shall not be more than three nationals of any State in the Executive Council.

Article 33.
Subject to the provision of Article 31, the representatives of Group Members and Individual Members shall be elected through secret ballot during the period of the General Assembly from among the members of their respective categories by a majority of those categories present. In the event of a tie, the President of the General Assembly shall cast the deciding vote.

An alternate representative from each category shall be elected through the same process and shall become the member of the Executive Council in the event that the elected representative from the relevant category is for whatever reason unable to continue as a member of the Council.

Article 34.
All State Members shall formally designate their members to the Executive Council of EROPA. Letters of accreditation for such appointments shall be transmitted directly to the Secretary -General of EROPA who shall, accordingly, notify the Executive Council of such accreditation prior to the beginning of the Council meeting.

Article 35.
Each Group Member shall designate an official representative to the General Assembly who shall participate in the election of Group Members to the Executive Council. The groups concerned shall formally designate their representatives to the Executive Council with official accreditation to the Secretary-General in the same manner as the designation of the Council member by State Members.

Article 36.
The Executive Council shall, upon its election, elect from its members a Chairperson and three Vice Chairpersons. The Chairperson shall serve for two years without reelection. The Vice Chairpersons shall be eligible for reelection for one further term of two years.

Article 37.
The Chairperson of the Executive Council shall have supervisory responsibility over the execution of decisions of the Council and General Assembly.

Article 38.
The three Vice-Chairpersons shall assist the Chairperson and one of them shall act as Chairperson in his/her absence.

Article 39.
If the Chairperson or any one of the three Vice-Chairpersons of the Council ceases to be an accredited representative of their government, they shall relinquish their office and continue as an individual member of EROPA for the balance of their term without payment of a membership fee and their government shall nominate a person to fill the vacant position.

Article 40.
The Executive Council shall be responsible for:
  1. the general direction of the activities of EROPA;
  2. convening meetings of the General Assembly and determining the agenda, date and place of such meetings;
  3. presenting a financial report, including audited annual accounts, for the previous financial year and a budget for the forthcoming two years for consideration by the General Assembly;
  4. presenting a report on the activities of EROPA for the previous year and a proposed work program for the forthcoming year for consideration by the General Assembly;
  5. presenting other such reports as it thinks fit or as may be requested by the General Assembly;
  6. recommending to the General Assembly candidates for approval as Secretary-General and determining the remuneration and other terms and employment associated with the position;
  7. appointing a person or persons to sign specific documents and instruments on behalf of the organization; and
  8. undertaking any such measures and actions which it considers necessary or appropriate to achieve the objectives of EROPA.

Article 41.
The Executive Council shall meet ordinarily once a year, and at any other convenient date, at a place to be decided by the Council. The Secretary-General shall attend the meetings of the Council without the right to vote.

Article 42.
To be able to exercise their voting rights, members of the Executive Council must be active members at the time of the Executive Council meeting concerned.

Article 43.
Decisions of the Executive Council shall be taken by a vote of two-thirds of its members present and voting with a minimum of six affirmative votes.

Article 44.
The Chairperson of the Executive Council may, in extremely urgent matters and provided that there is no time to convene the Executive Council Meeting, propose in writing to make a decision by correspondence which has the same effect as if it had been made at the Executive Council Meeting. The Chairperson's proposal shall be approved with concurrence of at least two-thirds of the Executive Council. The Chairperson must allow at least 30 days for each member of the Executive Council to submit its response to the proposal.

Article 45.
The head office of EROPA, to be known as the EROPA Secretariat-General, shall be located in Manila or in a location determined by the General Assembly.

Article 46.
There shall be a Secretary-General, nominated by the Executive Council and approved by the General Assembly. The Secretary-General shall be responsible to the Executive Council and shall reside in the country where the Secretariat-General is established.

Article 47.
Any state, Group or Individual Member may submit a proposal to the Executive Council for the relocation of the EROPA Secretariat-General. Such proposals must be supported by detailed statements as to:
  1. the benefits and facilities such relocation will bring to EROPA
  2. estimates of relocation and initial set-up costs
  3. annual running costs and charges that would need to be met by EROPA
  4. the resources, support and access that would be made available to EROPA and its members by the new 'host' location.


A decision to relocate the EROPA Secretariat-General shall be taken, upon the recommendation of the Executive Council, by a majority of two-thirds of the General Assembly provided that those present and voting include at least half of the number of the State Members. In the event of a vote on nominations for the site of the Secretariat-General, any such nominees would not be eligible to cast a vote.

Article 48.
The responsibilities of the Secretary-General shall include:
  1. administering the day to day business and affairs of EROPA and the activities of the Secretariat-General
  2. acting as Treasurer of EROPA and Secretary to the Executive Council and the General Assembly
  3. negotiating the location of General Assembly and Executive Council meetings to be held in each succeeding year
  4. maintaining the accounts of EROPA
  5. submitting to the Executive Council each year an audited financial report for the previous financial year, a budget for the forthcoming two years, a report on the activities of EROPA for the previous year and a proposed work program for the forthcoming year
  6. liaising with Technical and any other Centers of EROPA member countries
  7. handling communications and correspondence
  8. issuing publications of EROPA
  9. carrying out such other duties as maybe required from time to time by the General Assembly or Executive Council.

Article 49.
The Secretary-General shall appoint members of the Secretariat to assist with the work of the Secretary-General. All expert personnel of the organization shall be appointed by the Chairperson of the Executive Council upon the recommendation of the Secretary-General.

Article 50.
The funds of EROPA shall consist of:
  1. members' annual fees and subsidies from States or other fees
  2. payments for services rendered by EROPA
  3. proceeds from the sale of publications
  4. donations, legacies or subsidies from organizations or individuals
  5. earnings from investments of endowment funds or the EROPA Foundation
 The funds of EROPA shall be devoted exclusively to fulfilling the objectives of the Organization.

Article 51.
The financial year of EROPA shall be from 1 July to 30 June.

Article 52.
The accounts of EROPA shall be audited annually by a qualified auditor appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Executive Council. The remuneration of the auditor shall be fixed by the Council.

Article 53.
The Executive Council may, subject to report to the General Assembly, make bylaws within the framework of the Constitution to further the objectives of the organization and implement the Constitution.

Article 54.
The Constitution may be amended by the General Assembly upon a proposal recommended by the Executive Council, or upon a proposal recommended by an absolute majority of State Members. Any other member can submit its proposal of constitutional amendments to the Executive Council. Amendments shall be adopted by a two-thirds majority of the General Assembly present and voting with approval of at least half of the number of the State Members.

Article 55.
EROPA may be dissolved only by a meeting of the General Assembly convened by the Executive Council for this purpose, through a vote of three-fourths of the total number of all members present and voting and of at least two-thirds of the total number of State Members and Group Members.

Article 56.
In the event of dissolution, EROPA's assets and liabilities shall be allocated in accordance with the specific wishes of the General Assembly to an organization or organizations having a similar purpose or to other recipients considered to be meeting the objectives of EROPA.