Charter

The Statutes of

The Federation of Associations for Barrier-free Living-FABL

(ENGELSİZ BİLEŞENLER FEDERASYONU

ARTICLE 1- Name, Location, and Logo

Name of Federation: The Federation of Associations for Barrier-free Living

Headquarters of the Federation: Diyarbakır.

The Logo of the Federation: There is a blue coloured roof located above the title of the Federation of Associations for Barrier Free Living, which symbolises common living space; under the roof is a symbol created in five different colours to symbolise disability, and a green human hand holding these symbols openly.

The Purpose of the Federation and the Field of its Activities

ARTICLE 2-Purpose of the Federation

The Federation aims to gather national and foreign associations under a single roof and to use this power to socialize the disabled persons in terms of social, economic, cultural, educational, sportive, and legal aspects and to include them in working life; to protect common rights and interests; improve those rights; to advocate a democratic management style based on the rule of law, performing social justice and enabling all disabled people to live in rights-based welfare and peace; and to ensure cooperation and coordination among member associations.

Fields of Activity

1. To make every attempt to solve the disabled persons’ diagnosis, treatment, education, rehabilitation, employment and living problems, to develop projects for this purpose, to start training, nursing and rehabilitation centres both in Turkey and abroad, and to make technical, administrative and educational studies to ensure its spread,
2. To produce and implement innovative, social and public projects for all disadvantaged groups including physically, mentally, psychologically, socially, and visually impaired people of all kinds, especially women and children with disabilities; to produce joint projects in Turkey and with relevant institutions in foreign countries seeking solutions to the problems of the society and conduct research and knowledge exchange experience.
3. Conducting studies that will ensure that the needs and expectations of all disabled people are taken into consideration in the determination of disability policies,
4. Everyone has the right to live in all spheres of life and to receive service and to work in their mother tongues, so it is aimed to ensure the free and equal participation of people with hearing, linguistic and speech disabilities and making every effort to make the sign language, which is their mother tongue, used in all areas of life,
5. To establish educational, cultural, health, tourism, technology and sports infrastructure serving all kinds of groups with physical, mental, psychological, social, hearing and visual disabilities.
6. To implement projects on social transformation and productive participation. To conduct research on project issues in national and international platforms and to establish training and rehabilitation centres. To establish institutes of culture, art, education, informatics and health. Set up holiday camps.
7. To create health, education, culture, tourism and sports infrastructure for people with diabetes, asthma, epilepsy, sspe, muscle and joint diseases, genetic diseases (Down syndrome, dwarfism, etc.), autism, schizophrenia and other groups of congenital or acquired chronic diseases and all social disability groups.
8. To organize workshops, to establish research commissions and to prepare panels, symposiums, conferences and reports on all issues emerging locally and country-wide,
9. To provide all kinds of information, documents, and publications necessary to accomplish its goals, to establish a documentation centre,
10. It can conduct informative and educational works nationally and internationally by means of books, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, web pages, films, videos, records, cassettes and all kinds of other means of publication; establish and operate the necessary facilities and infrastructure for this purpose and transfer its operation rights to others. By obtaining the necessary legal permits, it can carry out these activities in cooperation with foreigners and/or may carry out its activities abroad.
11. To provide all kinds of technical tools and equipment, fixtures and stationery materials in order to set up a healthy working environment,
12. To launch charity funds, to open cultural, sportive, housing, recreation and etc. facilities, to open and operate libraries, studios, radio and TV stations and lounges,
13. In accordance with the relevant legislation, following necessary permits, to carry out charity activities and accepting donations from Turkey and abroad.
14. To establish and operate financial, commercial and industrial enterprises, and revolving fund enterprises in order to obtain the income they need for accomplishing its purposes,
15. To establishing and furnish recreational, social and cultural facilities for the disabled,
16. To organise dinner meetings, concerts, proms, theatres, exhibitions, sports, excursions and entertaining events, etc. for the development and maintenance of human relations between member associations and members,
17. To support the projects and activities of the member associations to the extent possible, in order of importance and priority.
18. To purchasing, sell, rent movable and immovable property needed for Federation activities and establish in-kind rights on immovable properties,
19. To establish a confederation or participate in an established confederation if deemed necessary for the realization of the objective.
20. To engage in international activities, to become a member of organizations abroad and to cooperate with these organizations on a project basis,
21. In order to achieve its goals, if necessary, to prepare and implement joint social projects for the benefit the disabled persons with public institutions and organizations, without prejudice to the provisions of Law No. 5072 on the Relations of Associations and Foundations with Public Institutions and Organizations,
22. In order to achieve its objectives, the Federation has the right to open a kindergarten, special education centre (Day Care House), special education school, special education course and disabled care centres in accordance with the provisions of Article 26 of the Law no 5253. It provides training, rehabilitation, therapy and other services through these facilities.
23. To establish platforms to achieve a common purpose with other federations or foundations, trade unions and similar non-governmental organizations in areas that are related to the purpose of the Federation and which are not prohibited by law,
24. To carry out joint activities with the press, media, universities, relevant public institutions and non-governmental organizations in order to take measures to prevent disability and reduce the causes of disability at the country level.
25. To create principles, objectives and policies regarding the establishment of language unity, ensuring uninterrupted and healthy communication among all associations, institutions and organizations, whether or not members, on disability,
26. To prepare and implement local, national and international projects that will add value to society and disabled people, and to participate in similar projects prepared by other institutions. The Federation can also design projects as part of European Union, World Bank or other grant funds. It may transfer the project generation and implementation works supported by various grant funds to another suitable company or organization, or cooperate with them.
27. The Federation acts as an intermediary for reporting the complaints and problems of the disabled to public institutions and organizations.
28. To make statements, to hold press conferences and publish a press releases about the problems of disabled people and social events on radio, TV, and in print media. It conducts all kinds of work as a democratic pressure group against human rights violations, especially against the rights of the disabled. Organize demonstrations, marches and rallies,

ARTICLE 3- Rights and Obligations of Member Associations

A. RIGHTS

Federation members have the following rights:

1. To attend the General Assembly with its delegates,

2. To select the organs indicated in the Statutes,

3. To benefit from the activities written in the relevant articles of the Statutes.

B. OBLIGATIONS

Member associations of the Federation fulfil the following obligations: They are supposed to

1. Accept and undertake to comply with all the provisions of the Federation Statutes and the decisions of the competent bodies.

2. Inform the Federation management about their General Assemblies at least 15 days in advance

3. Pay of Federation dues regularly.

4. Not violate the purposes of the Federation, and not use their powers except for the benefit of the Federation.

5. Participate in research and investigation studies.

6. Fulfil the duties given by the bodies of the Federation.

ARTICLE 4- Membership, Termination of Membership

1. MEMBERSHIP 

Any association, which was founded to defend the rights and interests of disabled people and over half of whose members consist of disabled persons, has the right to apply for membership provided that it accepts the Federation’s Statutes, purposes and obligations and declares to comply with it in its conduct, after deciding in its general assembly. The resolution of the general assembly, the decision of the board of directors, the statutes of the association and the member list of the association shall be added to this application. The Board of Directors of the Federation shall discuss and decide on this application within 30 days.

2. TERMINATION of MEMBERSHIP 

1.      On the condition that the member association terminates itself or loses its legal personality for any reason, membership will automatically fall.

2.      Membership is terminated when the member association voluntarily leaves the Federation membership upon the decision of the General Assembly.

3. DISMISSAL from MEMBERSHIP

1.      Failure to comply with or obstruct the decisions of the Federation bodies. A member who insists on not paying his dues until the end of the period given by the Board of Directors upon written notice may be expelled from the membership by a resolution of the board of directors. If the exported member objects, the objection is discussed and resolved at the first meeting of the General Assembly. The decision of the General Assembly is final. The issued member may apply for membership again one year after the first ordinary meeting of the General Assembly.

2.      Acting in violation of the Federation's statutes and purpose.

3.      Committing illegal activities is the reason for dismissal.

4.      A member association may be dismissed from the federation only by a decision of 2/3 (two thirds majority) of the General Assembly. The association is obliged to pay its debts accrued until the date of removal from membership.

ARTICLE 5- The Structure of the Federation

The bodies of the Federation are:

A. Mandatory Bodies

1. General Assembly,

2. Board of Directors,

3. Board of Auditors (Audit Board)

B. Subsidiary Bodies

1. All presidents of the member associations constitute the presidents' board (or the Council of Presidents). The Council of Presidents may convene at least once every three to six months at the Federation Headquarters or in other provinces where association centres are located. Decisions taken by this board shall be recorded in minutes and implemented by the Federation’s Board of Directors.

2. Formation, duties and powers of the subsidiary organs of the Federation and the number of board members shall be determined by Board of Directors..

Formation and Meetings of Federation General Assembly

ARTICLE 6- Establishment of General Assembly

The General Assembly is the highest decision-making body of the federation and consists of the following delegates.

1. Any association without a branch, regardless of the number of registered members, shall attend the General Assembly with 5 delegates.
2. Associations with branches shall attend the general assembly with 5 (five) delegates from the headquarters and 1 (one) delegate from each branch.
3. Former presidents of the federation directly participate in the general assembly.
4. The members of the board of founders are natural delegates. However, in the event that the founding member ceases to be a member of the association or the founding association leaves the federation, their delegacy is terminated.
5. The previous members of the board of directors and the regular members of the board of auditors of the Federation are considered as delegates.
6. Delegates to attend the General Assembly shall be notified in writing by their associations to the Federation in such a way as to arrive at the Federation (30) days before the date of the General Assembly.

ARTICLE 7 – MEETINGS OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

            The Assembly holds two types of meetings, namely ordinary and extraordinary.

            a. ORDINARY GENERAL ASSEMBLY: The General Assembly is hold in October once every three years. The General Assembly is convened by the board of directors

b. EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL ASSEMBLY: The Assembly convenes upon the written request before a notary public of at least one fifth of the Board of Directors, Board of Auditors or the delegates of the General Assembly of the Federation.

ARTICLE 8 – THE PROCEDURE FOR CALLING THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

The Procedure for Calls

The Board of Directors prepares the list of the delegates of the member associations which have the right to attend the general assembly in accordance with the federation statutes. Delegates entitled to attend the General Assembly shall be notified at least fifteen days prior to the meeting date about the date, time, place and agenda of the meeting in at least one newspaper or on the website of the federation, or in writing by sending a message to the e-mail address or contact number or by means of local media outlets. In this notice, the day, hour and place of the second meeting shall be indicated, if the meeting cannot be held due to lack of quorum. The period between the first meeting and the second meeting cannot be shorter than seven days and longer than sixty days.

If the meeting is postponed for any other reason other than the absence of a majority, this shall be announced to the members in accordance with the call procedure for the first meeting, stating the reasons for the delay. The second meeting must be held no later than six months after the date of first meeting. The members are called to the second meeting according to the principles stated in the first paragraph.

ARTICLE 9- Quorum (Majority) for the Meeting

The General Assembly convenes with the presence of more than half of the delegates entitled to participate. The meeting, which will also discuss the amendment of the statutes and the dissolution of the association, can be held with the participation of two thirds of the number of delegates. If there is not enough quorum in the first meeting, majority is not sought in the second meeting. However, the number of delegates attending the second meeting cannot be less than twice the total number of members of the board of directors and board of auditors.

ARTICLE 10- Procedures for General Assembly Meetings.

1. The General Assembly meeting shall convene on the date, time and place specified in the announcement.
2. Delegates enter the meeting hall by signing the names in the list arranged by the Board of Directors.
3. Those who do not show their identity card, who do not sign the list and who do not have the right to attend the general assembly shall not be taken to the meeting place. These persons and guests can watch the general assembly meeting in a separate section.
4. If a majority is achieved, the situation shall be recorded in minutes and the meeting shall be opened by the Chairperson or the deputy Chairperson, or if not found, by one of the members of the Board of Directors.
5. After the opening, the Council Board, consisting of a Chairperson, a vice-Chairperson and a clerk, is elected to direct the meeting.

ARTICLE 11- Issues to be Discussed at Meetings

Only the items on the agenda are discussed at the General Assembly meeting. However, it is obligatory to include the issues offered by at least one tenth of the delegates present at the meeting.

ARTICLE 12- Right to Vote

Delegates attend the meeting in person. Each delegate has one vote. Delegates are obliged to sign their names in the list of attendants by showing their identity to the council committee during the election of the federation bodies. Delegates are not permitted to vote in a session of an issue regarding themselves.

ARTICLE 13- Rules and Procedures of Voting and Decision Making of the General Assembly

Elections of the members of the board of directors and supervisors (auditors) may be made by secret ballot and decisions on other matters may be made by open ballot. In the open ballot, the method to be applied is specified by the Chairperson of the general assembly.

In case of secret voting, the papers or ballots sealed by the Chairperson of the meeting are used by the delegates and ballots are placed in an empty ballot box, and after the voting, the votes are counted by the Council Board under the supervision of one observer assigned by each presidential candidate..

The decisions of the General Assembly are taken by the absolute majority of the members attending the meeting. However, the decisions on amendments to the statutes and dissolution of the Federation can only be taken by a two-thirds majority of the members attending the meeting.

In case of equal votes of those elected to the bodies of the Federation, the list with a high number of women is selected.

Decisions taken at the General Assembly are also binding for the members who are not present at the meeting.

ARTICLE 14- Duties and Powers of the General Assembly

1.  Election of the bodies of the Federation for a period of 3 years,
2.  Amendment of the Federation Statutes,
3. To examine the reports of the Board of Directors and of Auditors and the balance sheet and profit and loss account statement, to take decisions on the acquittal of the Board of Directors and of Auditors or to take decisions about those responsible according to the results of the review.
4. Review and approve the Federation budget.
5. Deciding on the issues to be included in the agenda or determining the admission and annual membership fees.
6.  Deciding on cooperation and joint action with disabled foundations and similar organizations within the scope of the education, rehabilitation and other works on behalf of the disabled.
7. Deciding whether to join, leave or establish a new confederation and to become a founding member of that confederation. To decide the termination of the Federation.
8.  Determination of the salaries to be paid the members of the board of directors and of auditors, who are not public officials, and also all kinds of allowances, travel and meal allowances and other payments for the services of the federation,
9. To dismiss the members of the board of directors and audit board when necessary and take decisions for legal prosecution of those deemed responsible. To authorize the Board of Directors to inspect the member associations.
10. To examine the complaints and wishes presented to the General Assembly.
11. To review the regulations to be prepared by the board of directors for the works of the federation and to be approved in full or by amendment.
12. Authorizing the board of directors for the purchase of immovable property required for the Federation or for the sale of existing immovable property.
13. Deciding whether the Federation shall carry out international activities, participate or leave as a member of associations or organizations abroad.
14. To authorize the Board of Directors to establish revolving funds and economic enterprises and to purchase or sell movable and immovable property,
15.  To review and decide on other proposals of the board of directors.
16. The General Assembly shall supervise the other organs of the federation and may dismiss them for good reasons at any time.
17. The General Assembly makes the final decision on admission and dismissal from membership. As the most authoritative body of the Federation, it acts and uses the powers not assigned to any other body of the federation.

ARTICLE 15- Board of Directors

1. The Board of Directors shall consist of one president (Chairperson) and 6 members of the board of directors. The president is elected from the General Assembly with the title of president along with other members. Upon the request of one of the presidential candidate, the election for the president shall be held separately from the election of the board of directors and the candidates who have lost the election may be elected for membership of the board of directors.
2. The Board of Directors shall be elected for three years as 7 original and 7 substitute members among the delegates whose names are included in the list of delegates of the general assembly by secret ballot open counting method.
3. A member of the Board of Directors who does not attend the Board of Directors meetings three times without any excuse may be dismissed by the Board of Directors decision.

A new member is elected out of substitute members. If there is an equal vote, a female member is elected, otherwise the name is chosen by drawing lots.

4. If the number of the members of the Board of Directors falls below the absolute majority even though the substitutes are assigned as well, the General Assembly shall be convened upon the proposal by the existing members of the Board of Directors and the Audit Board within one month.
5. The list including the regular and alternate members of the Boards of Directors and Auditors shall be notified by the Chairperson of the Board of Directors (President) within 30 days following the election of the General Assembly by filling out the form on the website of the Department of Associations.

ARTICLE 16- Duties of the Board of Directors

The Board of Directors shall convene under the presidency of the Chairperson within the first week after the election and organises the work-sharing among the members. In the first meeting of the Board of Directors consisting of 7 members together with the Chairperson, a division of duty is made between them and one deputy Chairperson, three deputy managing directors, one general secretary and one general treasurer are elected.

ARTICLE 17- Meetings of the Board of Directors

The Board of Directors of the Federation shall convene once in two months ordinarily. When If it is necessary, it holds an extraordinary meeting with the call of the Chairperson. Meetings shall be held under the Chairpersonship of the Deputy Chairperson in the absence of the Chairperson. The meetings shall be held by absolute majority and decisions shall be taken by absolute majority, but if the votes are equal, the vote of the president shall be decisive. It is mandatory to include any written proposal of a member in the agenda.

ARTICLE 18- DUTIES AND POWERS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Board of Directors is the highest decision-making body after the General Assembly and is responsible to the General Assembly. It represents the Federation against administrative and judicial authorities and against natural and legal persons. This task can be assigned to one or more people.

The duties and powers of the Board of Directors, which is also the executive body of the Federation, are as follows:

1.      Represents the Federation in the presence of executive, legislative and all levels of authority.

2.      Takes decisions and ensures implementation of the duties of the Federation in accordance with the provisions of the bylaws (statutes).

3.       Implements the decisions of the General Assembly.

4.       Uses the budget of the Federation in accordance with its purpose.

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