VNGOC Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM)

The VNGOC Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) will happen at 2pm on Friday 10th December 2021. 

The main purpose of the EGM will be to select a Nominations Committee to manage and oversee the Board elections in March 2022.

The reason this decision has been delayed until now is to allow the membership time to consider and discuss a new Terms of Reference for the Nominations Committee. The document has been developed following a proposal submitted by a group of members in March 2021, followed by discussions at the AGM, deliberations by a working group over the summer, and then a series of member consultations in September and October.

The aim of the Terms of Reference is to supplement the existing governance documents and provide greater clarity and support to the Nominations Committee. It also introduces a new part of the process – whereby the Nominations Committee is invited to agree and share a ‘slate’ of recommended candidates for members to consider when voting – taking into account the aspirations of balance, representation and suitability for the role of a VNGOC Board Member. Every VNGOC member will remain entirely free to vote for whomever they want – regardless of whether or not they are on the Nominations Committee ‘slate’.

At the EGM, the board will present this new document, and seek a decision on its adoption prior to selecting the new Nominations Committee itself.

We are also now inviting volunteers to join the Nominations Committee. This is a really important part of how the VNGOC runs in a transparent and open way, so if you are interested, please email info@vngoc.org any time between now and the start of the EGM.

In line with our Statutes and Rules, you can participate in this EGM online, or you can allocate a proxy to ‘vote’ on your behalf, or you can submit a ‘vote’ via email in advance on whether or not to adopt the new Nominations Committee Terms of Reference. Please see below for more details.

Please take note of the following additional information:

1. Decisions will be made on agenda items 5 and 6 (ToR Nominations Committee & Appointment of the Nominations Committee).
   All members in good standing are permitted to vote. Members in good standing are member organisations that have paid their membership fees or send in their commitments forms for 2020 & 2021.
2. Attending online: The meeting will be held via Zoom, please register using this link to receive your individual access link. Due to the current COVID-19 restrictions in Austria the meeting will be held ONLINE ONLY.
3. Proxy Votes: Members in good standing who cannot attend the meeting can assign proxy votes. If you want to assign your vote to a proxy, complete the official form no later than Thursday, 9th December 2021 at 11:59 PM CET.
   Both organisations have to be in good standing, an organisation may not hold more than three proxy assignments.
4. Voting in Advance: Members in good standing who cannot attend the meeting can vote in advance. If you want to vote in advance send an email with your vote on agenda item 5 to info@vngoc.org no later than Thursday, 9th December 2021 at 11:59 PM CET.

Relevant Documents:

• Agenda
• Draft Terms of Reference
• Statutes and Rules of Procedure