International Network of Basin Organisations was established during the constitutive assembly in 1994 at Aix-les-Bains, France, by organisations whose common goal was to implement integrated basin water resource management, which made a voluntary act of joining the charter adopted in 1996 at Morelia, Mexico, and then confirmed at the following general assembly meetings in Valencia, Spain, 1997 and in Salvador, Brasil, 1998.

Currently, the Network requires operational reinforcement suggesting that it should be given an appropriate personality. To this end, a general assembly convened in Zakopane, Poland, on 30 September - 4 October, and adopted these Statutes:

Its members established an association governed by the French Law of 1 July 1901 and by the Decree of 16 August 1901 in accordance with the following statutes.

The French name of the association is "Réseau International des Organismes de Bassin" with the acronym "RIOB".

As the official working languages of the association are French, English and Spanish, the Spanish name of the association is " Red Internacional de Organismos de Cuenca " with the acronym "RIOC", and its English name is "International Network of Basin Organizations ", hereafter called INBO.

INBO objective is to promote integrated water resources management at the level of river basins, as an essential tool for sustainable development. According to this objective, INBO endeavors:

• to develop lasting relations between the organizations interested in such a comprehensive management, and favor exchanges of experiences and expertise among them;
• to facilitate the implementation of tools suitable for institutional and financial management, for knowledge and follow up of water resources, for the organization of data banks, for the concerted preparation of master plans and action programs in the medium and long term;
• to develop information and training programs for local elected officials, for users' representatives and for the different stakeholders involved in water management as well as for the executives and staff of the organizations in charge of water management at the river basin level;
• to encourage education of the population regarding these issues;
• to promote these principles in international cooperation programs;
• to evaluate ongoing actions initiated by the member organizations and disseminate their results.

Clause 3 - durATION OF THE ASSOCIATION

The duration of the association is unlimited.

Its social seat is located at the Permanent Technical Secretariat: this is located in Paris (France). It may be transferred to another location upon decision of the General Assembly.

Any moving of the social seat shall result in a similar moving of the Permanent Technical Secretariat.

The following legal entities may be members of INBO:

• "Basin Organizations", this implies organizations which have been entrusted by relevant public administrations with integrated water resources management at the level of imporant river basins, either national, federal or transboundary as well as the cooperation structures they have developed among them.

These organizations must be entrusted with a mission of public interest, have legal existence and their own budget, in accordance with national or federal legislation or international agreements in force.

The term " important river basins" means the catchment areas of rivers and lakes including their aquifers and the catchment areas of their various small tributaries.

The candidates belonging to one of the above mentioned categories become INBO members as soon as they have applied to enter the Network by signing the "Declaration of Membership" and approved by the General Assembly on proposal of the Liaison Bureau.

Admission only becomes effective after payment of the annual subscription fee.

The Liaison Bureau shall look into the condition of those members who might find it difficult to pay the subscription fees, and may determine special conditions and, possibly, a transition period.

Membership is lost:

• through resignation,
• or through the striking off decided by the Liaison Bureau for non-payment of the subscription fee or for serious grounds, the interested parties being invited by registered mail to provide explanations to the Bureau.

Other public organizations involved in integrated water resources management or organizations interested by INBO objectives can become "permanent observers".

Their application is forwarded by the Liaison Bureau and accepted by the General Assembly.

The title of permanent observer is lost through the observer's resignation or through striking off by the General Assembly on proposal of the Liaison Bureau.

The General Assembly is made up of all INBO members.

It is chaired by INBO President.

It holds at least a meeting every 2 years.

The successive General Assemblies are held in a different geographic region whenever possible.

The General Assembly is convened:

• either on the President's initiative,
• or upon the request of the Liaison Bureau,
• or upon the request of half the Network's members plus one.

The President convenes the meetings at least three months in advance.

The agenda is set by the President with the Bureau approval. Working documents shall be distributed with an appropriate advance notice.

On the proposal of the Liaison Bureau, the General Assembly approves:

• the admission of new members and new permanent observers, or their striking off,
• the orientations of INBO activities up to the following meeting,
• joint projects and, whenever necessary, designates the member organization(s) entrusted with their implementation,
• the accounts of the association prepared by the Liaison Bureau,

It ensures that INBO is promoted to the national authorities in the countries and to the bi and multilateral cooperation agencies concerned.

It decides of the amount of the annual subscription fee proposed by the Liaison Bureau.

It elects the members of the Liaison Bureau among its members according to the process given in the clause hereafter.

In addition, on the proposal of the Bureau, the General Assembly approves:

• the statutes of the Network and their amendments,
• the content of the "Declaration of Membership" and its modifications,
• the creation of Regional Networks, their statutes as well as their amendments.

The decisions made by the General Assembly are adopted by consensus between the attending Members. When a consensus cannot be reached, the President may request a vote as a last resort.

When a vote is decided, conclusions are adopted with a relative majority among the attending or represented members.

However, a two-third majority among the attending or represented members is needed when the vote concerns INBO statutes, the content of the "Declaration of Membership", the creation or modification of Regional Networks.

Each member has one vote. Should a tie occur the President shall have a casting vote.

A member may represent another member only with a written mandate from the latter.

The permanent observers are invited to attend the Ordinary General Assemblies. They cannot vote or be elected as members of the Bureau.

Qualified personalities or interested organizations may be invited by the host-member(s) to attend in the same way as the permanent observers.

Clause 8 - THE LIAISON BUREAU

INBO is managed by its "Liaison Bureau".

The Liaison Bureau is made up of:

• the serving President of the Network,
• the last two former Presidents,

together with the incumbent or substitute members chosen among INBO member organizations according to their geographic origin:

• 2 incumbents and 2 substitutes for Africa,
• 5 incumbents and 5 substitutes for America,
• 2 incumbents and 2 substitutes for Asia,
• 6 incumbents and 6 substitutes for Europe.

Its composition may be revised during each General Assembly depending on the new coming members for each geographic region.

The President and the Secretary of each Regional Network, as planned in Clause 11, participate in the meetings of the Liaison Bureau as incumbents or substitutes representing the region as indicated above.

The Bureau members are elected during each General Assembly.

The members of each above-mentioned geographic region:

- propose to the General Assembly, when a consensus is reached among them, the country/ies that will represent them at the Liaison Bureau;

- the INBO members of each of the chosen countries propose, among them, incumbent and substitute organizations which will nominate their representative.

The General Assembly makes a decision regarding these proposals.

Whenever possible, the Bureau member organizations endeavor to keep the same representative until the next election. Should they decide to choose another representative they have to inform the President in writing before the meetings.

The Bureau :

• is chaired by INBO President,
• holds at least 2 meetings between two general assemblies,
• prepares the meetings of the General Assembly and approves their agenda,
• carries out the decisions made by the General Assemblies,
• coordinates joint projects,
• After examining the applications of new INBO members and new permanent observers, it proposes their admission or refusal to the General Assembly,
• prepares the accounts of the association and proposes them to the General Assembly for approval,
• examines the progress report of the association for approval by the General Assembly,
• defines INBO communication policy and its means, submits it to the General Assembly for approval and ensures its implementation by the Permanent Technical Secretariat.

It adopts recommendations by consensus between the attending members. When a consensus cannot be reached, the President requests a vote to obtain a majority among the attending members. The President has a casting vote.

When an incumbent member is attending, his/her substitute cannot vote.

The incumbents may be replaced by their substitutes who then vote. They cannot mandate another Bureau member.

The President:

• is nominated by the General Assembly on proposal of the members hosting the meeting,
• represents INBO up to the next meeting of the General Assembly,
• convenes the General Assembly and sets its agenda,
• ascertains that the recommendations of the General Assembly are carried out with the support of the Bureau and the Permanent Technical Secretariat, the work of which it organizes,
• ascertains that the decisions of the Bureau are taken into account.

The Chairmanship's Secretariat.

It is organized by the member(s) which take charge of the logistics for the meetings of the Liaison Bureau and General Assembly.

It is designated by the General Assembly for four years on proposal of the Liaison Bureau.

Under the President's authority, it is responsible for:

The Head of the Permanent Technical Secretariat participates in the meetings of the General Assembly and Liaison Bureau.

The Manager of the organization which had been in charge of the Permanent Technical Secretariat in the previous period, also participates in these meetings during the four following years to ensure a continuity in ongoing actions and to provide his support to the serving Technical Secretariat.

INBO member organizations belonging to the same geographic region may create a "Regional Network" if they wish so in order to:

• strengthen relations between members from neighboring countries,
• develop joint activities of INBO in the region,
• organize joint activities of regional interest.

The regional network is made up, on a voluntary basis, of INBO member organizations and observers located in the region.

The statutes of a regional network should comply with INBO statutes and especially with clauses 2 and 11 that should be taken up in full.

The Liaison Bureau submits the creation projects and the draft statutes of a Regional Network to INBO General Assembly as well as their subsequent changes.

All activities carried out by the regional networks are:

• in conformity with INBO objective and statutes,
• consistent with INBO general program,
• implemented in partnership with the INBO members in other geographic regions.

INBO President and Permanent Technical Secretariat have to be invited to the meetings and events organized by each regional network and participate in the meetings of its managing board.

The President and the Secretary of each Regional Network have the right to participate in the meetings of INBO Liaison Bureau under the conditions set out in clause 8.

INBO:

• assists the regional networks whenever possible, according to its means and their requirements;
• favor exchanges of information and experiences among the regional networks ;
• suggests to the regional networks to organize, whenever possible, the meetings of its Bureau and General Assembly in the same location and at the same date to facilitate exchanges.
• the regional networks submit to the General Assembly their activity progress report and the program of their future actions.

The documents published by regional networks refer to their belonging to INBO and bear its logo. They are systematically sent to INBO President, the other members of the Liaison Bureau and to the Permanent Technical Secretariat.

The financial resources of the association include:

• annual subscription fees,
• subsidies from administrations and public organizations,
• funding from bi and multilateral cooperation agencies,
• the income generated by service providing and the sale of documents,
• the financial contributions requested to the participants to attend events organized by INBO.

In order to finance their activities, regional networks may directly mobilize financial resources from central and local administrations of the countries concerned and from bi and multilateral cooperation agencies. They inform INBO Liaison Bureau of their request for financing and of the corresponding budgets.

INBO Bureau is in charge of coordinating and supporting the requests for financing made by regional networks.

INBO accountancy is in compliance with the official accounting system.

The Liaison Bureau will designate an Auditor.

Clause 13 - TERMINATION OF THE NETWORK

The winding up of INBO can be decided by an Extraordinary General Assembly, through the voting of at least two-thirds of the members either attending or represented, and representing at least half of the Network members having paid their subscription fee.

In such a case, this Assembly will designate one or several liquidators and the assets, if there are any, will be devolved upon in accordance with Clause 9 of the French Law of 1 July 1901 and the Decree of 16 August 1901.

The draft statutes and any amendment brought are notified and transmitted to the authorities within three months after their approval.

Yearly accounts are checked by auditors, whose task is to certify that they are in order and straightforward and that they provide a clear picture of the tasks implemented during the financial year. The audit report is presented to the General Assembly before the yearly accounts approval.