ARTICLES OF
ASSOCIATION OF ASIA-PACIFIC PEACE OPERATIONS TRAINING CENTERS (AAPTC)Name. The name of the association will be, “Association of Asia-Pacific Peace Operations Training Centers (AAPTC)”.
Vision. To be the leading forum for the development and execution of United Nations peace operations around the world.
Purpose. To enhance the operational readiness of peacekeepers by advancing Asia Pacific Peace Operations Training Institutions in conjunction with wider regional and global governmental and nongovernmental efforts through:
- Sharing of resources
- Sharing of best practices and lessons learnt
- Synergizing efforts amongst regional organizations
- Training and Education information sharing
- Attendance at Annual General Meeting
Participation.
The AAPTC is an association comprising nations of the Asia-Pacific region with governmental centers and programs dedicated mainly to train and educate members of national armed forces and security forces and civilian personnel appointed to participate in peace operations under UN mandate. There are three tiers of participation: membership, observer and invitee:
a. Membership. AAPTC will be open to nations with national peace operations training centers and programs of Asia-Pacific countries. Each member nation will have the right to one vote. Those participating members in the annual conference shall be considered as the active / current member for the AAPTC.
b. Observers. Nongovernmental Organizations may be considered as Observers.
c. Invitees. Invitees may also attend as invited by the Association.
General Meeting.
The Association will hold a general meeting annually. The venue, date, agenda and theme of the meeting will be decided after consultation between members and the Secretariat. An example of the Annual General Meeting format is included as an annex to these Articles.
The General Meeting will include two specific and concurrent levels of discussion: Commandants and Training Staff.
Standard Agenda of the General Meeting.
Over and above any other items to be decided by the Annual General Meeting, the following shall be on the standard agenda:
a. Thematic discussion for the year.
b. Progress reports on annual activities.
c. Prospectus for planned courses.
d. Outcome of the AAPTC Annual General Meeting.
e. Agreement on the date and venue of the next meeting.
Chairperson.
The active member nations present at the current Annual General Meeting will confirm the next host and Chairperson-Elect of the Annual General Meeting. The members of the current Annual General Meeting shall also invite the follow-on nation to host and serve as the Provisional Chairperson-Elect of the Annual General Meeting two years hence, with a requirement to confirm hosting at the next Annual General Meeting. A nation will serve as the Chair of the Association for a term of one year, commencing upon the completion of the current Annual General Meeting until the end of the next Annual General Meeting hosted by that nation. Host and Chair of the Annual General Meeting shall rotate among the active members of the association in alphabetical order by nation. Should a nation decline an invitation to host during their appointed year or be unable to confirm their ability to host the next meeting, that nation will be skipped and the Host and Chair responsibilities be extended to the next nation as determined alphabetically. Nations invited as the Provisional Chair-Elect may request to defer the invitation for one year for valid reason (e.g. Provisional Chair-Elect already identified as host of major regional event such as APEC, ASEAN Chairmanship, etc.). The responsibilities are:
a. Calling for and chairing the meeting,
b. Spearheading the activities of the Association and;
c. Organizing, with assistance from the Secretariat, the Annual General Meeting.
AAPTC Executive Committee.
The AAPTC Executive Committee will consist of the Commanders of the member Centers or other designated national representatives; the Chairperson and Secretariat will be selected from the members on a rotational basis.
Its main responsibilities will be:
a. Advise and assist the Chairperson of the Association in his / her executive tasks.
b. Put into action the Association’s programmes according to the decisions adopted by the Annual General Meeting.
c. Recommend to the Annual General Meeting on the topics to cover during the future sessions.
d. Keep the Association members informed about the activities.
e. Propose modification to the articles of the Association.
AAPTC Secretariat.
The Association will at every 3rd Annual General Meeting, entrust the day-to-day operations of the Secretariat to a member nation. Should all nations decline to function as the AAPTC Secretariat, the nation serving as the current Secretariat has the option to offer its continued service as the Secretariat to the Executive Committee for decision. The Secretariat will take the responsibilities on all the administrative and organizational tasks related to the normal Association function, keeping documentation, updating web site, as well as any other function established by the Chairperson and/or AGM, inside their competencies. The host for the Annual General Meeting will be responsible for providing the Secretary pro tempore.
Reforms.
Changes or amendments to these Articles will be proposed by the Chairperson through Executive Committee which may be approved by simple majority at the Annual General Meeting with the chair providing the deciding vote in event of a tie. Current members may propose changes to the Secretariat who shall collect all proposed changes and submit them to the Chairperson for inclusion in the Annual General Meeting.
Funding.
The expenditures will be dealt by the following terms:
a. The organisation hosting the Annual General Meeting shall be responsible for all aspects of hosting the Annual General Meeting in accordance with the theme set out at the Annual General Meeting, except for:
(1) Transportation cost of participants to reach the destination for the Annual General Meeting,
(2) Accommodation and communications associated costs of participating members,
(3) Non-hosted expenses,
(4) Major medical and dental associated costs beyond first aid.
b. All the expenditure stated in paragraph 11.a.(1)-(4) will be the responsibility of individual participants.
Language.
The Annual General Meeting and all documents, publications, web pages etc of the Association will be communicated in English.
(As Modified in Seoul, Korea on 23 May 2018 by AAPTC)
ANNEX to Articles of Association: Annual General Meeting format
In general, the conduct of the meeting can follow the below programme:
• Day 1: Opening Ceremony with all, VIP remark
– Center Commanders/Program Leads meet / ECM
– Staff officers (thematic) meet separately
• Day 2: AAPTC update, 3 -4 centers and forum updates (such as ADMM, ADMM+, ARF and IAPTC) and theme
– PM: Discussion including external SMEs
• Day 3: Thematic discussions, CMDTs, Staff, SMEs
• Day 4: Follow on action, wrap up, Closing and handover ceremony
• Day 4+: Present / future Chair, Secretariat, and staff officers work group about planning of next meeting
AAPTC Secretariat
Bangladesh Institute of Peace Support Operation Training (BIPSOT) presently working as interim Secretariat of AAPTC.
For details please contact: