The WORLD BARUA ORGANIZATION is an independent non-profit organization that seeks a pathway forward for all Barua regardless of government, political or ideological creed.
As an apolitical organization it does not support or oppose any government or political system, nor does it support or oppose the personal views of its members whose rights it seeks to have protected.
It is concerned solely with the impartial protection of human rights.
:: PREAMBLE
This organization reflects the position that Barua people find themselves in. They seek a common cultural identity within different states.
We the Barua people, of the original Burma and Greater India, now living in different countries all over the world have decided to create a connection between all our communities to preserve our common heritage.
As a community divided in the past by forced submission to the rule of others, we Barua realize that preserving our unity and sharing our common destiny as a people will depend on the contribution we make toward maintaining our identity.
If we are able to do so our children will still be Barua even if they have different nationalities. If we do not, our community, which is large (approximately 1,300,000), will become smaller and gradually disappear. This was the principal reason behind the World Barua Conference of 2001 - as a first step to evaluating what actions would be required to preserve our heritage and thus our communities.
:: VISION
All Barua enjoy the freedom to adhere to their world view of the three refuges of Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha; they freely exercise their religion and uphold the tenets of their culture, their customs and traditions, and preserve their cultural and religious heritage, should that be their choice.
:: MISSION
The mission of the WORLD BARUA ORGANIZATION is to serve as a forum of support to those who are committed to upholding the rights of all Barua people. It aims at realizing equality of opportunity, thus allowing all Barua to become involved in local, regional and national decision making processes. The aim being to ensure that State policies and development programs worldwide are inclusive and reflect diverse views. The WORLD BARUA ORGANIZATION works towards a world where all people enjoy freedom of conscience, expression and religion, free exercise of cultural rights, as well as freedom from all kinds of discrimination.
:: GOALS AND PRINCIPLES
- To provide and disseminate information at a local and national level on human rights, non-discrimination, development and other relevant topics, in order to increase awareness thereto among the Barua community as well as other communities. It does so by publishing a journal, leaflets, bulletins and other publications (including on a website) and uses the media to further disseminate such information.
- To promote awareness at the international level of the situation of Barua people through publishing articles and presenting declarations in international fora, with the aim to raise awareness of disparities and inequalities that require adjustment in the interest of human rights.
- To undertake legal proceedings at the national level in cases of individual human rights violations and to present submissions to complaint procedures at the international level, whenever required in order to seek reparation and redress.
- To conduct research in order to collect accurate data on the situation of Barua people, in terms of development, education, human rights and other relevant issues.
- To create opportunities for community members to achieve basic as well as higher education, including by promoting studies and research abroad.
- To stimulate interaction with indigenous and minority communities in other countries to promote the exchange of experiences regarding successful initiatives that have allowed people to achieve their full potential in the fields of education and healthy living, technical development, economic development and intellectual property management, free from any element of exploitation or dependency. This exchange shall benefit indigenous and minority communities through learning from each other’s experiences, thus increasing knowledge about how to best improve the situation of community members.
- To provide fora for women to bring their particular concerns to discussions and planning processes of the organization, in a working environment where every opinion is valued.
- To plan strategically all activities of the organization with timeframes to achieve results and frequent evaluation to monitor progress.
:: LOCATION
Many Barua have immigrated to countries outside of Asia. Therefore the international office has been established in Geneva, Switzerland, in order to allow for easy access to the office by all the members of the organization.
The Association is a non-profit association governed by the present statutes and, secondarily, by Articles 60 et seq. of the Swiss Civil Code.
:: STRUCTURE OF THE WORLD BARUA ORGANIZATION
The World Barua Organization shall comprise three distinct organs:
- The General Assembly comprising all members
- The Executive Committee comprising 21 members and staff elected by the General Assembly
- An external auditor appointed annually, by the General Assembly.
The General Assembly will elect the members of the Executive Committee and approve the staff. The offices and staff are as follows; the President, the General Secretary and the Treasurer, the Vice-President, Assistant Secretary-General, Publications and Communication Secretary, Cultural Secretary and Advocacy Secretary.
The affairs of the WORLD BARUA ORGANIZATION shall be managed by the officers of the Committee. The General Assembly assigns to the officers of the Committee all the powers necessary to ensure the functioning of the organization within its stated objectives.
The General Assembly may review, approve or amend any decisions taken by the officers of the Committee.
:: ELECTIONS
The members of the Executive Committee are elected by the General Assembly, and shall hold office for five years. After their term, they can be re-elected to the post they were holding or to any other position within the Committee or the Executive Committee.
A member of the Executive Committee can be obliged to resign before the end of his or her five year term by a majority vote of the General Assembly. Such a vote can be called for upon recommendation of a majority of the members of the Executive Committee. A new member will immediately be elected by the General Assembly. The same shall happen in case a member of the Executive Committee resigns.
:: MEMBERSHIP
- Membership shall be open to any individual who can claim a genealogical relationship to the Barua community.
- The names of members appear in Annex A.
- Members need to pay an annual membership fee, the amount of which will be decided by the Committee.
- Any person fulfilling the membership criteria may request to be admitted as a member of the WORLD BARUA ORGANIZATION by addressing a written request to the President or the General Secretary or the organization.
- Any member who wishes to request suspension or exclusion of a member of the WORLD BARUA ORGANIZATION may address a written request to the President or the General Secretary of the organization.
- For all requests of new membership, suspension or termination of membership, the following procedure will be followed: The President or the General Secretary need to inform all members of the Committee of each such request within one week. The Committee then meets (in person or by electronic means) within one week in order to discuss the request and to adopt a common position. Following this meeting, the President or the General Secretary need to inform all the members and the concerned person of the Committee’s position, including the reasons for accepting or rejecting the request. This shall be done within one week of the Committee’s meeting. All members, including the concerned person, may then give their oral or written feedback on the Committee’s recommendation to the President or the General Secretary within one week. Within three days of this deadline, the Committee will take a final decision on the request and will inform all members and the concerned person thereof. The decision of the Committee takes immediate effect. Neither the Committee nor the WORLD BARUA ORGANISATION shall be required to give reasons for their decisions with respect to membership should there be external enquiries.
:: PROCEDURE AT COMMITTEE MEETINGS
The Committee shall conduct its meetings and regulate its proceedings as it finds convenient, provided that:
The President, or in his or her absence, any other officer of the Committee or the Vice-President shall chair the meetings of the Committee. In the absence of any of the aforementioned persons, the remaining members of the Committee shall elect an InterimPresident from those attending.
Meetings can be called for by any of the officers of the Committee or the Vice-President, or alternatively, upon request of any two of the remaining members of the Committee.
The quorum necessary for a decision is two-thirds of the Committee members (regardless of how many members are attending the meeting). If this quorum is not achieved in the first round, there will be a second vote where a simple majority is sufficient. In case of equality of votes, the President’s vote shall count double.
Minutes shall be kept of the proceedings of the Committee, including a list of members attending the meeting. The minutes shall be signed by the member who chairs the meeting, and shall be made available at all times for members of the Committee, and upon request to any member of the organization. Such a request shall be addressed to any of the officers of the Committee, and the member shall receive a copy of the minutes within two days.
:: GENERAL ASSEMBLIES
a) Annual General Assembly
An Annual General Assembly of the WORLD BARUA ORGANIZATION shall be held within a period of fifteen (15) months of the adoption of this Constitution. Subsequent Annual General Assemblies shall be held within three (3) months of the end of each financial year.
Annual General Assemblies shall be convened by the President on not less than twenty-one (21) days prior written notice to all members entitled to attend the meeting. This notice shall state the date, time and place of the meeting and in broad term the business to be transacted at the meeting.
The business of an Annual General Assembly shall include:
The presentation and adoption of the Annual Report of the President;
The consideration of the Annual Financial Statements;
Strategic plan for the incoming year
The election of members to serve on the Committee for the following year;
Other matters as may be considered appropriate will be dealt with as General Business
Other General Assemblies of the WORLD BARUA ORGANIZATION shall be convened at any time by the President or at the written request of the Committee;
Meetings proceed if no less than one quarter (1/4) of the members of the WORLD BARUA ORGANIZATION requests such a meeting.
Any General Assembly other than the Annual General Assembly shall be convened on not less than fourteen (14) days written notice to all members. The notice shall state the date, time and place of the meeting and in broad terms the business to be transacted at the meeting: provided that: should the President, having been requested to give such notice, fail to give it within seven (7) days of the request, the persons requesting the meeting shall be entitled themselves to give notice of and to convene the meeting.
:: QUORUM
A quorum constituting a General Assembly of the WORLD BARUA ORGANIZATION shall be the lesser of:
1. Twenty (20) members; or
2. One quarter (1/4) of the members.
Should any General Assembly have been properly convened but no quorum is present, the meeting shall stand adjourned to another date, which shall be within seven (7) days thereafter. The notice reflecting such adjournment shall be given to the persons and in the manner provided for in this Constitution. At such reconvened General Assembly, the members then present or represented shall be deemed to constitute a quorum.
:: VOTING ON RESOLUTIONS
- At all General Assemblies, a resolution put to the vote shall be decided by means of a show of hands or by ballot. A vote by ballot shall be held only if demanded by the President or not less than one third (1/3) of the persons voting in person or by proxy. The result of the vote shall be the resolution of the assembly.
If a member is unable to attend a meeting by reasons of illness or bereavement that member shall be entitled to appoint a proxy.
b. Each member present or represented at such meeting shall be entitled to one (1) vote.
- Questions arising shall be decided by a majority of votes. Should there be an equality of votes the President shall have a casting or second vote.
:: MINUTES
Proper minutes shall be kept of the proceedings of all General Meetings, and an Attendance Register will be circulated for updating of addresses at each Annual or General meeting. The minutes shall be signed by the President of the meeting, and shall be available for inspection or copying by any member on two (2) days notice to the Secretary or his or her deputy.
:: NOTIFICATION
a. Notice of all meetings provided for in this Constitution, shall be delivered personally, or sent by prepaid post, to the last
address notified by each person concerned to the WORLD BARUA ORGANIZATION, or in any other manner as the Committee may decide from time to time.
b. The accidental omission to address notice/s to any person shall not invalidate the proceedings of any meeting.
c. If posted, notices shall be deemed to have been received seven (7) days after posting.
d. Members shall take personal responsibility to ensure that the correct address is Supplied at all times.
:: FINANCES
Finances of the organization shall be under control of a Treasurer appointed by the General Assembly. The Treasurer shall report to the Executive Committee, and to the General Assembly.
Sources of Finance: the sources of finance shall be membership dues; donations from individuals; grants from legally-constituted foundations; grants from other organisations; and grants from governments. The latter will be accepted only upon consultation with the officers, and only if the acceptance of such funds is seen to be in accordance with the objectives of the organisation outlined above.
:: Accountability
1. The Funds shall only be used in conformity with the organization’s aims.
2. In all cases the membership fee for the current year remains due. Members who have resigned or are excluded shall have no rights to any part of the Organization’s assets.
3. Only the assets of the organization may be used to meet financial commitments. Members have no individual responsibility.
4. The Committee members act voluntarily and can only be compensated for their effective and travel costs. Eventual fees cannot exceed that paid for official commissions. For activities exceeding the usual function, each committee member can receive appropriate compensation.
5. The paid employees of the organization have only a consultative vote in the committee.
6. The organization shall be validly bound by the joint signatures of the President, Treasurer and Secretary General.
7. The Financial year shall begin on 1st January and end on 31st December of each year.
8. The Treasurer is responsible for the finances of the association.
9. The Auditor appointed by the General Assembly shall audit the organizations accounts every year.
Financial Reports: reports of the Finance Committee shall be made yearly at the General meeting. The General Assembly shall have the power to accept, or refuse to accept, the financial reports.
- In the case of the association being dissolved, the assets should be allotted to a non-profit organization pursuing goals of public interest similar to those of the organization benefitting from tax exemption. The goods cannot be returned to the members, nor be used to their own profit.
:: AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION
The terms of this Constitution may be amended by resolution of sixty six per cent (66%) of the members present at a General Meeting: provided that proper notice of the meeting is given not less than twenty-eight (28) days prior to the date of the Meeting and such notice states the nature of the resolution to be proposed.
:: PRINCIPAL VALUES
Buddhism:
The spiritual life is an important aspect of our reality. In the world, the Barua, wherever they live, should transmit the teaching of Lord Buddha as a spiritual link among our community through all our history from centuries, beyond any border.
Wherever the Barua live, they should feel secure in the three refuges of Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha.We urge all Barua throughout the world to follow the teaching of Lord Buddha that we might share a common freedom and enjoy happiness and experience unity in a common belief.
Culture, Tradition and Heritage
Language, Literature and Scripts are most important as, internationally, they are used as criterion to define the identity of a special group of human beings.
We request the Barua people to maintain attention and care of cultural, traditional and heritage issues and encourage their children to study our language and scripts carefully.
We appeal to the younger generations to learn our common traditions and observe them in practice as they live in different countries and states.
History is an important factor in the preservation of our peoples’ heritage.
We encourage our young people to research and seek advice and stories from our adults to keep alive our particular history for succeeding generations of Barua children wherever they may live in the world.
However preserving our traditions is not enough for its survival. Our culture has to be a dynamic living culture and we encourage Barua creativity in all aspects of the Arts.
c. Health
We need to do more work on health initiatives for greater solidarity in our communities. Those who have the fortune to be healthy should help support those who are sick. Our common identity should be a reason for solidarity, without borders.
We need to act carefully to preserve and share our knowledge on these subjects so important in the daily life of each of us.
Instead of costly foreign medicine, which so many of us cannot afford, we need to transmit the valuable knowledge of our traditional herbal medicine to succeeding generations and enrich their practical knowledge.
d. Women’s Rights:
Barua women wherever they live should feel supported as they seek to create enhanced roles for themselves beyond the household roles of the past. Women in the modern world know no boundaries of restriction in education, employment, social initiatives, commerce and industry. With greater freedom comes greater responsibility and for mothers with working roles beyond the home we need to be mindful of their workloads.
Raising young people to have respect for adults, both men and women, is a two way process. Both parents need to share the workload of raising children to be good citizens.
The Barua community of different countries should support the active promotion of womens’ rights and such support starts at home.
The Voices of our women need to be heard. Every person deserves to experience satisfaction and a sense of fulfillment. Women form a valued part of our humanity.
The 2001 conference carefully noted the problems identified by the Barua women. It resolved to take their recommendations to the appropriate Forum for redress.
e. Education:
Our children in different countries are the most important part of our community.
Each child is born with potential – physical, intellectual, social and spiritual. As a community, beyond countries and states, we have to feel, all of us, responsible for the education of the Barua children. Our future depends mainly on their education, in the long term.
We, the Barua people have to realize that we are interdependent. We need to have all kinds of professions within our community in order to contribute to modern society.
It is our common responsibility to educate our Barua children to enable them to participate with confidence in the societies of the future, having respect for all humanity and making a worthwhile contribution to the greater good wherever they may live.
Our children are now spread throughout diverse communities in different countries and states. We should promote youth meetings to encourage our children to participate, thus fostering unity and purpose in their lives.
We should encourage different voluntary organisations to play an important role regarding education within the Barua community, regardless of discrimination by countries or states.
f. Ecology and Environment:
We have to bring practical knowledge to the Barua community in each country and in the different states where we live regarding our responsibility to protect our environment. The future of our children depends on our awareness and attitudes.
As according to the teachings of Lord Buddha, we should recognise existence of life in all plants and hence, discourage deforestation in order to maintain ecological balance. This may be canvassed through mass media like newspapers, televisions, publishing books, songs, dramas, etc.
g. Human Rights:
Violation of Human Rights in different parts of the globe occurs in different ways. We raise our voices against violations of Human Rights anywhere in the world in all its different forms.
We stand in solidarity with those organisations that are committed to promote the respect of all human rights and protest against violations.
Mr. Sanjoy Ratan Barua
General Secretary
Date : 06-06-2010
