Rules of Procedure

Preamble

The UNESCO Australian Memory of the World (AMOW) Program is managed by a National Committee. This document sets out the aims of the Program and details how the Committee carries out its work. It lays out the principles underlying the Committee’s operations and the details of how its activities are planned and managed.

The UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Committee is an unincorporated, not-for-profit Committee operating under the auspices of the Australian National Committee for UNESCO. It was established in 2000 and is one of the more than sixty such committees which are part of the UNESCO Memory of the World Program, which was established in 1992 with the broad goal of safeguarding the documentary heritage of the world.

Mission Statement

To be the leading advocate for documentary heritage in Australia.

Aims

The UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Committee (the Committee) seeks to safeguard Australia’s documentary heritage by working with Australia’s collecting institutions and other bodies to develop, initiate and maintain a wide ranging program of activities which are designed to raise awareness of the issues and assist institutions to respond to those issues.

Establishment and operation

The Committee was established by the Australian National Commission of UNESCO in 2000 and operates within the framework specified in the Memory of the World, General Guidelines to Safeguard Documentary Heritage, Second Edition. 2002, Section 5.7.

Role of the Committee

The Committee will

• raise the awareness of and promote the Memory of the World Program in Australia
• work in close cooperation with governmental and non-governmental organisations to maintain the Australian Memory of the World Register
• receive and assess Australian nominations of documentary heritage for entry on the International and Australian Memory of the World Registers
• forward nominations to the Regional and International Advisory Committees of the Memory of the World Program for entry on the Regional and International Registers
• encourage government and private sector sponsorship for specific Memory of the World projects and activities in Australia and the Asia-Pacific Region
• monitor Memory of the World activities taking place in Australia
• work in close collaboration with the Asian and Pacific Regional Memory of the World Committee (MOWCAP)

Membership

Members of the Committee should be representative of all regions and relevant interests within Australia and shall number at least eight persons. Members are appointed in their personal capacity by the Chairperson of the Australian National Commission for UNESCO or their delegate.

Only one member may be appointed from any one organisation or peak body at any one time. Members are chosen on the basis of their knowledge of the field and/or their ability to contribute to the work of the Committee and the achievement of the Program’s objectives. Members need not necessarily be employed by an organisation or peak body.

Ex-officio members may be appointed by the Committee at any time.

Sub-committees of the full Committee may be formed and disbanded as and when the Committee deems it necessary. Convenors of sub-committees will be full members of the Committee while they act as a Convenor.

Details of the current membership are available on the Committee’s website.

Terms of office

Appointments to the Committee will be a four year period, with an option for renewals.

Casual vacancies may be filled by co-option by the Committees to complete the remaining portion of the term.

There will be a Chair, Deputy Chair and a Treasurer who will be elected from and by the full membership of the Committee.

Meeting procedures

At least two meetings will be held in each calendar year and five members will constitute a quorum.

Minutes of each meeting of the Committee will be taken and recorded.

A telephone conference between some or all of the members may be held either as a separate event or as part of a face-to-face meeting. Such a meeting may be conducted at times determined by the Committee.

Finances