The Constitution of SARBICA was adopted at the Inaugural Conference in Kuala Lumpur on 9th July 1968 and amended by the Extraordinary Session of General Conference in Singapore on 13th May 2009.
Whereas the State Parties to this Constitution desire to contribute to peace and the common well-being of the people of the Southeast Asian region by promoting collaboration among these nations for the advancement of mutual knowledge and understanding, the preservation and spread of culture, and the promotion of education and research;
Whereas Article 55 of the 2007 Constitution of the International Council on Archives provides that members of ICA wishing to further the aims of ICA and to strengthen co-operation within a particular geographical area, may group themselves into regional branches;
Whereas at the Extraordinary Session of General Conference held at Singapore on 13th May 2009 we are desirous of strengthening the regional branch of the International Council on Archives for the Southeast Asia region with the objects and functions consistent with the constitution and activities of the International Council on Archives;
Now therefore the Extraordinary Session of General Conference in Singapore on 13th May 2009 hereby adopts the following Constitution:
1. The name of this Organisation shall be the Southeast Asia Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives (SARBICA).
2. The general aims and objectives of SARBICA shall be:
- To establish, maintain and strengthen relations between archivists of all countries in the region and between all institutions, professional bodies and organisations which are concerned with the custody, organisation and administration of archives;
- To promote all measures for the preservation, protection and defence against all manner of hazards to the archival heritage of the region, and to further the progress of all aspects of the administration and preservation of these archives;
- To facilitate the use of archives of the region by making them more widely known and by encouraging greater ease of access;
- To promote, organise and co-ordinate activities in the field of archives in the region;
- To sponsor professional training of archivists in the region;
- To co-operate with other organisations or institutions, concerned with the documentation of human experience and the use of that documentation for the benefit of mankind;
- To generally carry out the aims and objectives of the International Council on Archives.
3. The membership of SARBICA shall be grouped into the following categories:
- Category A – National Archives within the region of Southeast Asia.
- Category B – Associations and regional, state, municipal and provincial archives within Southeast Asia and other regions as observers and non-voting members. In this category both Institutional and Individual membership are available
- Category C – Representatives of non-archival institutions, vendors and industry players concerned with or interested in the administration or preservation of records and archives, or with archival training and education, but not necessarily confined to the region of Southeast Asia, may join SARBICA as observers and non-voting members. In this category both Institutional and Individual membership are available.
- Category D – Retired national archivists or retired archivists holding senior positions within the Southeast Asia region, who have made outstanding contributions to archival work or who have rendered service to the archive profession may be nominated and elected to honorary membership of SARBICA by the General Conferenc
4. All Category A members should be registered members of International Council on Archives. However if they are unable to continue as a paid member of ICA for any valid reason, they could remain on SARBICA Executive Board, subject to continual payment of membership fees due to SARBICA. Category B, C and D members need not be ICA members.
5. Any member may withdraw from SARBICA by notice addressed to the Chairman. Such notice shall take effect on 31st December of the year during which notice was given. No such withdrawal shall affect the financial obligations owed to SARBICA nor will remain of the paid membership fees be refunded on the date withdrawal takes effect.
6. Membership fees shall be annexed as a schedule of fees and shall be determined by the General Conference.
7. No fees shall be paid by Honorary Members.
8. SARBICA shall include a General Conference, an Executive Board and a Secretariat.
9. The assets and income of SARBICA shall be applied exclusively to the promotion of its objectives and no portion shall be paid or distributed directly or indirectly to the members of SARBICA except as a bona fide remuneration for services rendered or expenses incurred on behalf of SARBICA.
COMPOSITON
10. The General Conference shall be open to members from all categories as stated in Article 3.
FUNCTIONS
11. The General Conference shall determine the policies and operational procedures of SARBICA. It shall take decisions on programmes submitted to it by the Executive Board.
12. The General Conference shall receive and consider the reports submitted periodically by members as requested by the Executive Board.
13. Any member has the right to submit proposals to the Executive Board.
14. The General Conference shall elect the members of the Executive Board and, on the recommendation of the Board, shall appoint the Chairman.
QUORUM
15. The presence of a majority of the Category A members at the General Conference shall constitute a quorum.
VOTING
16. The right to vote at the General Conference is reserved for members in Category A only. Each country represented by Category A Member shall have two votes in the General Conference. Decisions shall be made by a simple majority of members present and voting.
17. The General Conference may prevent a Category A Member from voting if the total amount of contributions due from it exceeds the total amount of contributions payable by it for the current year and the immediately preceding calendar year.
PROCEDURE
18. The General Conference shall meet in Ordinary Session biennially. It may meet in Extraordinary Session if it decides to do so, or if summoned by the Executive Board, or on the demand of at least two-thirds of the Category A Members.
19. At each General Conference the venue of its next ordinary session shall be designated. The venue of an Extraordinary Session, unless pre-designated by the General Conference, shall be decided by the Executive Board.
OBSERVERS
20. In addition to the non-category A members specified in Article 3, the General Conference, on the recommendation of the Executive Board, may invite or admit as observers at specified sessions of the Conference representatives of international organisations, other State Governments, archives organisations or institutions, and individuals. Observers shall not have the right to vote.
COMPOSITION
21. The Executive Board shall be elected by the General Conference from among the delegates appointed by the Category A Members. It shall consist of a Chairman, a Vice-Chairman, a Secretary-General and a Treasurer, and as many other members as necessary to represent each country on the Executive Board.
22. Members of the Executive Board shall serve from the close of the session of the General Conference which elected them until the close of the next Ordinary Session. The incumbent officers shall be eligible for re-election to the same office, but shall not serve consecutively for more than two terms in the said same office.
23. In the event of an office vacancy left behind by a member of the Executive Board, the vacancy for the remainder of his term shall be filled by appointment of the Executive Board after consultation with and upon the recommendation of the Category A Member concerned.
FUNCTIONS
24. The Executive Board shall adopt the agenda prepared by the Secretariat for the General Conference and recommend the programme for work and corresponding budget estimates.
25. The Executive Board shall be responsible for the execution of the programme adopted by the General Conference.
26. The Executive Board shall recommend to the General Conference the admission of new members to SARBICA.
27. Subject to decisions of the General Conference, the Executive Board shall adopt its own rules of procedure.
28. The Executive Board shall meet at a regular session at least once a year and may meet at an Extraordinary Session if convoked by the Chairman on his own initiative or upon the request of the majority members of the Executive Board.
29. The Executive Board shall send a report on its activities to the Secretary-General of the International Council on Archives three months before the date fixed for its next General Assembly.
30. Although the members of the Executive Board are representatives of their respective Governments, they shall exercise the powers delegated to them by the General Conference on behalf of SARBICA as a whole.
QUORUM
31. The presence of two-thirds of the members at a meeting of the Executive Board shall constitute a quorum.
32. The Secretariat shall be seated at the National Archives of Malaysia, and shall consist of such staff as may be required.
33. The Secretariat shall be the administrative office of the Executive Board and shall be responsible to the Chairman.
34. The Secretariat shall administer and be the custodian of all properties of SARBICA.
35. Each member shall make such arrangements as necessary to suit its particular situation for the purpose of bringing its principal bodies interested in the activities of SARBICA into a broadly representative national organisation.
36. The General Conference shall approve and give final effect to the budget and to the apportionment of financial responsibility among the Category A Members.
37. The Treasurer, with the approval of the Executive Board, may receive gifts, bequests and subventions directly from international organisations, governments, public and private institutions, associations and individuals.
38. The Treasurer shall present to the Executive Board an annual Statement of Accounts, copies of which shall be furnished to the members of SARBICA.
39. SARBICA shall provide regular communication with its constituency in an appropriate format, be it electronic or paper, including a newsletter or journal published at least once in two years and other publications as required.
40. The Executive Board may appoint an Editor who may or may not be a member of the Executive Board. The Editor may be assisted by an Editorial Committee.
41. Any draft publications should be circulated and approved by the Executive Board before it is published.
42. Members of SARBICA of all categories are entitled to free copies of the SARBICA newsletter or journal.
43. Publications may be sold to non-members of SARBICA on a subscription basis at rates determined by the Executive Board.
44. SARBICA shall work in close collaboration with the International Council on Archives and its organ in the pursuit of their common aims and objectives.
45. The Chairman of SARBICA shall be the ex-officio on the Executive Committee of the International Council on Archives. The substitute for the Chairman will be the Vice-Chairman.
46. Proposals for amendments to this Constitution shall become effective upon receiving the approval of the General and/or Extraordinary Conference by a two-thirds majority. The draft texts of proposed amendments shall be communicated by the Secretary-General to the members at least three months in advance for consideration by the General Conference.
47. The English text of this Constitution shall be regarded as authoritative and final.
48. Any question or dispute concerning the interpretation of this Constitution shall be determined by the General Conference under its rules of procedure.