Our statutes

The Statutes of the Association “Le Monde des Bonobos” 
established under the French Law of
Associations of 1^st July, 1901, and the Decree of 16^th August, 1901.

The text below is the English translation of the French version of the Statutes.
Only the French version is authentic.

Article 1 - NAME

> An association governed by the law of July 1, 1901 and the decree of August 16, 1901 is founded between the members of the present statutes, with the following title: "Le Monde des Bonobos".

Article 2. - PURPOSE

>  The purpose of this association is to promote the preservation of the Bonobos (pan paniscus), an endangered African great ape species, by:

• increasing scientific knowledge about bonobos and their environment;
• improving health care and in particular the infectious problems that are specific to them;
• encouraging positive interactions between local people and these animals, notably through:
  • educational measures
  • help in the fight against subsistence hunting and poaching;
• protecting their biotope by seeking sustainable agricultural and craft development methods;
• promoting synergy by collaborating with associations and actors already working for the protection of the bonobo and their environment.

Article 3. - HEAD OFFICE

>  The registered office is located at:

• 14, avenue Carnot - 78290 CROISSY SUR SEINE

It may be transferred by simple decision of the Board of Directors.

Article 4. - DURATION

>  The duration of the association is unlimited.

Article 5. - COMPOSITION

>  Its members are distributed as follows:

• Honorary members
  Honorary Members are persons who have rendered outstanding services to the Association and are exempt from paying membership fees.
  Founding Members are Honorary Members with full rights.
• Active members
  Any person whose application has been validated by the Board of Directors or who has had at least one article published on the website www.bonoboworld.org becomes an "Active member".
• Benefactor members
  Any natural or legal person who makes a donation for the benefit of the association becomes a "Benefactor member". In the case of a legal entity, it must designate a proxy by name.

Article 6. - ADMISSION

>  The association is open to any person of legal age, without condition or distinction.
To be part of the association, it is necessary to have applied for membership and to be approved by the Board of Directors, which decides on the applications for membership at each of its meetings.

Article 7. - MEMBERS - SUBSCRIPTIONS

• "Active members" are those who have undertaken to pay an annual subscription of 50 €uros.
• "Honorary members" are those who have rendered outstanding services to the association; they are exempt from paying membership fees;
• "Benefactor members" are those who have paid their annual subscription and who make a donation of more than 100 €uros.

Article 8. - CANCELLATIONS

>  Membership is lost by:

• resignation;
• death;
• removal by the Board of Directors for non-payment of the membership fee or for serious cause, with the Member being invited by registered letter to provide explanations before the board and/or in writing. If necessary, a conciliation can be organised.

Article 9. - MEMBERSHIP

>  This association may join other associations, unions or groups by decision of the Board of Directors.

Article 10. - RESOURCES

>  The association's resources include:

• the amount of the contributions of its Active Members;
• donations from Benefactor Members and Patrons;
• subsidies from the State, departments and municipalities and all resources authorized by the laws and regulations in force.

Article 11. - ORGANIZATION OF BODIES

>  On the occasion of the Annual General Meeting, Members of all types elect the members of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors elects its Bureau from among its members - there must be at least three Officers. The President of the association is elected by the Bureau, which he is a mandatory member of.

>  The methods of election, the durations of the mandates and the roles and mode of operation of each of these bodies are specified in the Internal Regulations of the association.

Article 12. - ORDINARY GENERAL ASSEMBLY

>  The ordinary general meeting includes all members of the association in whatever capacity. It meets every year in May

At least fifteen days before the fixed date, the members of the association are convened by the Secretary General. The date, place and agenda appear on the invitations that are sent by e-m@il to the address provided by each member when registering via the association's website.

The president, assisted by the members of the council, chairs the assembly and explains the moral situation and the activity of the association. The treasurer reports on his management and submits the annual accounts (balance sheet, income statement and appendix) for the approval of the assembly. The general assembly fixes the amount of the annual contributions to be paid by the different categories of members. Only items on the agenda can be discussed.

If unable to attend the meeting, a member may be represented by another member. A single member can only have two proxies.

>  Decisions are taken by majority vote of the members represented. In the event of a tie, the President's vote is decisive. Once the agenda has been completed, the outgoing members of the Board of Directors are replaced.

All deliberations are taken by a show of hands, except for the election of board members. The decisions of general meetings are binding on all members, including those absent or represented.

Article 13. - EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING

>  If necessary, or at the request of half plus one of the registered members, the President may convene an Extraordinary General Assembly, according to the procedures provided for in these statutes and only for modification of the statutes or dissolution or for acts relating to buildings.
The convening procedures are the same as for the ordinary general meeting.
Deliberations are taken by a two-thirds majority of the votes cast.

ARTICLE 14. - BOARD OF DIRECTORS

>  The association is managed by a Board of Directors whose number of members, elected by the General Assembly, and the duration of their mandate are set out in the Internal Regulations. Members may be re-elected.

Half of the Board is renewed each year, and in the first year outgoing members are chosen by lot.

In the event of vacancies, the Council shall provisionally replace its members. Their final replacement shall be decided by the next General Assembly. The powers of the members thus elected shall end with the expiry of the term of office of the members replaced.

The Board of Directors shall meet at least once every six months, upon convocation by the President, or at the request of one quarter of its members.

>  Decisions shall be taken by majority vote; in the event of a tie, the President shall have the casting vote.

Any member of the Council who, without excuse, fails to attend three consecutive meetings shall be deemed to have resigned.

Article 15. – THE BUREAU

>  The Board of Directors shall elect from among its members, by secret ballot, an Executive Committee composed of:

• a President;
• If applicable, one or more Vice-Presidents;
• A General Secretary and, if applicable, a Assistant Secretary;
• A Treasurer, and, if necessary, an Assistant Treasurer.

The functions of President and Treasurer cannot be combined.
The respective functions, duties and powers of the members of the Bureau are specified in the Internal Regulations.

Article 16. – INDEMNITIES

>  All functions, including those of the members of the Board of Directors and the Bureau, are unpaid and voluntary. Only expenses incurred in the performance of their duties are reimbursed on the basis of receipts. The financial report presented to the Ordinary General Assembly sets out, by beneficiary, the reimbursements of mission, travel or representation expenses.
The internal regulations specify the nature of the missions, the expenses that can be taken into account and the status of the beneficiaries.

Article 17. - INTERNAL REGULATIONS

>  The Internal Regulations established by the Board of Directors shall be submitted to the Members for approval at the General Assembly. This approval must be given again for each modification of the rules before they are applicable.

These rules are intended to set out the various points not provided for in these Articles of Association, in particular those relating to the internal administration of the association.

Article 18. - DISSOLUTION

>  In the event of dissolution in accordance with Article 13, one or more liquidators shall be appointed and the net assets, if any, shall be transferred to a non-profit organisation or to an association with similar aims in accordance with the decisions of the Extraordinary General Assembly deciding on the dissolution. The net assets may not be transferred to a member of the association, even partially, unless a contribution is taken over.

Article 19 - GIFTS

>  The annual report and accounts, as defined in Article 11 (including those of the local committees) shall be sent each year to the Prefect of the department.
The association undertakes to present its registers and accounting documents to any administrative authority requesting information on the use of donations it is authorised to receive, to allow representatives of these competent authorities to visit its establishments and to give them an account of the operation of the said establishments.

Made in Croissy sur Seine, November 22, 2018

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Statutes of the association (fr)