Organisational structure

The organisational structure is designed to develop and coordinate the work of an international network of young peacebuilders. A network by definition is loosely structured and the present structure has been developed considering the history of the organisation, existing needs, nature of activities and available resources. UNOY Peacebuilders structure should strive to be flexible, inclusive and open, and at the same time, consider the limitations in human, financial and other resources that are inherent to a voluntary youth-led organisation. These structures and guidelines will be periodically reviewed as it is envisaged that our network will evolve, change and develop. UNOY Peacebuilders functions on the principle of added value to its members. Its work supports and complements members’ activities, drawing their specific expertise and joining efforts in areas that are better dealt with in cooperation. Activities are initiated by members and the International Secretariat, led and supported by a small international team based in The Hague, The Netherlands, guided by an International Steering Group, and advised and supervised in issues of financial and legal nature by a Board.

International Steering Group (ISG)

The ISG consists of 7 members:

4 members are active young people within member organisations coming from different regions;
2 members are from secretariat;
1 member from the board.

ISG members should be exsperienced and knowledgeable in the field of youth work and peacebuilding and committed to the work of UNOY Peacebuilders.
ISG members are individuals, not organisations, and are up to 30 years of age and ISG should always be composed by an odd number of members.
The ISG’s main function is to make strategic decisions on planning of activities and decide priorities and thematic orientation, taking into cosideration members and affiliates needs, cocerns and proposals.
The ISG also advises on decisions related to hiring of paid interns (or staff in the futere when financially possible), fundraising and other financial decisions.
Members of the ISG are proposed by the members and the secretariat responding to an open call and the members are selected for a peirod of two years.
Members of the ISG should seek to promote the work of the network as a whole and not the interests or positions of their organisation of origin and they can communicate directly to the secretatiat and the ISG to express their views and concerns.
The ISG is in charge of selecting its new members, in consultation with the members, board and secretariat.
TheISG makes decisions on 50% quorum rule once a year during a face-to-face meeting and if there is no agreement, decision is made by Management team at the secretatiat and the Board.

Board

The Board is the legal body of the Foundation as registered in The Netherlands.
The Board’s main function is to approve overall plans and budgets, overview financial administration and they also make decisions related to hiring of paid interns (or staff in the future) in consultation with the ISG.
The Board has 5 members based in The Netherlands and composed of: Chair; Secretary; Treasurer; Two members.
Board members are selected according to gender and age balance, qualifications and experience in the field of peacebuilding, institutional development and financial management and past involvement in UNOY Peacebuilders’ activities.
Decisions are taken by consensus and if no agreement can be taken, the chair will have a qualified vote.

Members

Members are youth-led peace organisations or youth led groups within adult peacebuilding organisations, able to work in English and selected on the basis of their thematic orientation, activities, experiences, interests and on geographical balance.
Organisations can apply for membership any time during the year but only once a year their application will be reviewed and decided upon by the ISG.
Members must have the capacity to participate in and benefit from the work of UNOY Peacebuilders, complete an application form including information about their activities, their motivation to become members and letters of reference.
Member organisations should appoint two contact persons under the age of 30, one female and one male and pay an annual fee in peace tokens, that is, services and activities for the network.
Members are actively involved in the network and can become Action partners. Action partners are decided upon by the ISG and approved by the board, considering the project proposals in line with the strategic plan.

Affiliates

Affiliates are individuals and/or organisations who support the mission and vision of the UNOY Peacebuilders and work in related areas. Affiliates only receive information electronically.

International Secretariat

The International Secretariat is composed of young people who commit to the organisation for a minimum of:

one year (paid internships);
6 months (unpaid internships);
or at least one day a week (volunteers).

The International Secretariat should strive for a team in which there is geographical balance and young people who have been active in member organisations should be included.
The team is led by a group of 2-4 persons, consisting of at least the International Coordinator and a Projects and Communications Coordinator, who form together a Management Team.
The team is further composed of project coordinators and regional network officers.
Young people up to 30 years old can become team members and can remain involved until they are 35 years old.
The main function of the secretariat is to coordinate and implement the activities of the network and provide administrative support in cooperation with the members and in consultation with the ISG and the board.

Pool of resource persons

The pool of resource persons is composed by persons with expertise in the fields of peace building, conflict transformation, youth work and relate and previous involvement within the UNOY Peacebuilders activities will be a plus.
The pool of resource persons is sub-grouped according to age (younger and older than 35); field of expertise; geographical areas and time-availability.