JOINT MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF
AN ASIA SOIL CONSERVATION NETWORK FOR THE HUMID TROPICS

ARTICLE VIII - National Networks

1. Each Participant shall appoint a senior officer from the department with primary responsibility for conservation at the small-scale farm level as their National Co-ordinator.

2. The National Co-ordinator shall serve as the focal point in his country for ASOCON and shall be responsible for ASOCON activities at the national level. He shall also be responsible for the co-ordination of all inputs from the national institutions and projects supplying information to the Co-ordination Unit.

3. Each Participant shall establish a National Netw ork Coordinating Committee, comprising representatives of the different interested agencies involved nationally in soil conservation programmes, to assist the National Coordinator in co-ordinating ASOCON activities within the country.

4. Each Participant shall determine the organization and operating procedures of its National Network.

5. Each Participant shall be responsible for providing the requisite financial and manpower resources to operate its National Network.

ARTICLE IX - Revenues and Disbursement

1. The Regional Co-ordinator shall submit to the Consultative Board the annual budget for ASOCON for approval.

2. The financial accounting period of ASOCON shall be the calendar year.

3. Each Participant undertakes to pay an annual contribution. Decisions on the amount and/or form of the annual
contribution shall be taken by the Consultative Board in consultation with the appropriate financial authorities of the Participants.

4. The financial resources of ASOCON shall be derived from:

i) Annual contributions by Participants; and

ii) voluntary contributions from Participants as well as grants and donations from other sources as well as other income.

5. The Regional Co-ordinator, acting on behalf of the Consultative Board, shall have full power and authority to:

i) incur expenses in connection with the administration and operation of ASOCON;

ii) collect, receive and acknowledge contributions and place them in appropriate bank accounts, on behalf of ASOCON;

iii) open, operate and close bank accounts in the countries of the region or any other countries approved by the Consultative Board on behalf of ASOCON; and

iv) authorize, record and    account for all the disbursements made by or on behalf of ASOCON.

ARTICLE X - Cost-sharing

1. Each Participant shall provide an annual contribution as a cost sharing contribution to the operating costs of the Coordination Unit and for the production costs of the newsletter.

2. Each Participant shall meet the costs (airfare, DSA and transit expenses) involved in the participation of its National Co-ordinator in the meetings of the Consultative Board.

3. In the initial years of ASOCON cost sharing between the Coordination Unit and the Participants with regard to the convening of regional workshops, expert consultations and training courses as part of ASOCON work programme shall be as per the following breakdown:

a) Responsibility of the Co-ordination unit using voluntary contributions from Participants, grants and donations from other sources and other incomes:

* International airfares (and any domestic air travel in the country in which the meeting is being held) for the external participants

* Board and lodging and pocket money allowance for the external participants.

* All costs associated with consultants and external resource persons.

* Honoraria and any board and lodging expenses associated with the use of local resource persons and guest speakers.

* Honoraria for administrative support staff such as secretaries and drivers.

* Part of the costs of materials for the workshop/training course (eg. bags, stationery, maps., air photos, etc).

b) Responsibility of the host country:

* All costs (transport, board and lodging) of the participants from the host country.

* All costs associated with the provision of the transport required for the running of the workshop/training course.

* Salaries of the local resource persons, guest lecturers, administrative support staff.

* Part of the costs of materials and local running expenses for the workshop/training course eg photo copying paper, telex and fax messages.

* Provision of a photo copier, word processing equipment, overhead and slide projectors, and other non-expendable items needed for the workshop/training course.

c) Responsibility of the other Participants:

* All in country costs of their participants (eg. domestic travel to and from the international airport, obtaining of visas and exit clearance, etc) prior to boarding the international flight taking them to the country in which the workshop/training course is being held.

* Salaries of their participants during the time they are away from their duty stations.

* All costs associated with the preparation of country review papers for presentation at a workshop/training course in which they have agreed to participate.

ARTICLE XI - Participation of observers

1. Institutions which are not Participants of ASOCON, and regional and international organisations, may, upon written request and approval of the Consultative Board, attend regional workshops and other technical meetings organised under the auspices of ASOCON as observers.

2. Participation of regional and international organisations in the work of ASOCON shall be governed by the relevant provisions of the Memorandum of Understanding and the decisions of the Consultative Board. The Regional Coordinator, acting on behalf and in consultation with the National Co-ordinators, shall have the right to invite regional and international organisations to attend meetings of the Consultative Board and subsidiary bodies of ASOCON in an observer, and where appropriate advisory, capacity.

3. Unless the Consultative Board expressly determines otherwise, observers from regional and international organisations may attend the working sessions of Consultative Board meetings and participate in discussions.

4. Observers shall not have voting rights.

ARTICLE XII - Ad-hoc Bodies, Working Parties and Consultations

The Participants, through their participation in the Consultative Board, under Article III of the Memorandum of Understanding, may establish ad-hoc bodies, technical committees, working parties and consultations, subject to the following rules and procedures:

i) Such bodies, working groups and consultations may be established, on an exceptional basis where the Consultative Board considers that such action is conducive to facilitating its own work.

ii) Before taking a decision on the establishment of such bodies, the Consultative Board shall examine the administrative and financial implications of such a decision.

iii) The Consultative Board shall define the terms of reference, composition and as far as possible, duration of the mandate of each subsidiary ad-hoc body.

iv) Subsidiary ad-hoc bodies shall report to the Consultative Board and the report shall be made available for the information of all Participants.

ARTICLE XIII - Rules and Regulations

For the discharge of subsidiary functions under the Memorandum of Understanding, rules and regulations may be framed by decision of the Consultative Board on the following matters:

i) personnel management of the staff of the Co-ordination Unit directly employed by ASOCON, including recruitment, promotion and disciplinary actions;

ii) financial management, such as opening of the bank account, preparation of accounts and financial statements and travel allowances;

iii) procedures to conclude contracts and agreements with other organisations; and

iv) procedures to receive donations.

ARTICLE XIV - Amendment of the Memorandum of Understanding

1. The Consultative Board may adopt amendments to this Memorandum of Understanding by a unanimous decision of all Participants represented at a meeting of the Consultative Board, provided that no written objections thereto are received by the Regional Co-ordinator, within 30 days of the circulation of the amendment, from any Participant not represented at the meeting.

2. Proposals for amendment of the Memorandum of Understanding may be made by any Participant through its National Coordinator in a communication addressed to the Regional Coordinator. A proposal for the amendment of the Memorandum of Understanding shall be included in the agenda of a meeting of the Consultative Board on condition that prior notice thereof has been dispatched by the Regional Coordinator to the Participants, at least 30 days prior to the opening of the meeting.

3. An amendment to the Memorandum of Understanding which has been adopted by the Consultative Board shall be communicated to all the Participants by the Regional Coordinator and shall become effective 30 days after the amendment has been communicated, subject to the provisions of paragraph 1 above.

ARTICLE XV - Settlement of Disputes

Any dispute arising between Participants of ASOCON concerning the interpretation and application of the provisions of the Memorandum of Understanding which cannot be settled by unanimous decision of the Consultative Board shall be submitted to independent arbitration.

ARTICLE XVI - Termination

1. The Memorandum of Understanding may be terminated by a three-fourths majority of Participants. The termination of the Memorandum of Understanding shall entail dissolution of ASOCON.

2. In the case of dissolution of ASOCON, the responsibility for settlement of outstanding liabilities, if any, or receipts from sale of assets after settlement of liabilities, if any, shall be shared equally by all Participants.