The New 2020 Vision Campaign Association

Florence, November 22nd 2007 - Mayors for Peace established a body appointed by and answerable to the Executive Conference for regular direction and oversight of the International Secretariat of the 2020 Vision Campaign (herein referred to as the Campaign Secretariat).

Political/practical motivation:

The Mayors for Peace Secretariat in Hiroshima, financed by the Cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, (herein referred to as the H/N Secretariat) is encumbered by city regulations and procedures, as well as language limitations, which prevent it from the making decisions as rapidly as the Campaign requires.  In addition, the H/N Secretariat can no longer bear the economic burden and workload of a rapidly growing global campaign.  It is necessary to establish an independent campaign structure through which to request, receive and effectively utilize financial support from other members of the network.

Decisions taken by the Executive Conference:

  1. Authorized formation of the Campaign Association

  2. Adopted the Statutes of the Campaign Association (Articles of Incorporation)*

  3. Elected initial Board of Directors of the Campaign Association*

  4. Approveed initial staff of the Campaign Association (Campaign Secretariat)*

  5. Approved activities and a general budget for the 2020 Vision Campaign*

  6. Authorized the Campaign Association to solicit and receive voluntary donations from the members of Mayors for Peace


Association Structure:

General Meeting

Identical in membership to the Executive Officials of Mayors for Peace; must meet once each year (telephone or video conferencing acceptable); elects the Board of Directors; approves general plans, budgets, and reports; sets basic policy.

Board of Directors

Elected by the General Meeting; should include NGO representatives as well as city representatives, but must be at least one member smaller than the General Meeting; Chairman of the Board will be the mayor of Ypres; responsible for monitoring and guiding implementation of the general plan and budget approved by the General Meeting; must meet twice each year.

Campaign Staff

Initially, the current staff of the International Secretariat; hired and fired by the Board of Directors; responsible for planning, implementing and raising funds for the 2020 Vision Campaign; will work closely with the H-N secretariat in Hiroshima, but will report directly to the Board of Directors.


Relationship to Mayors for Peace

The 2020 Vision Campaign Association will be commissioned by Mayors for Peace to manage the 2020 Vision Campaign.  The Campaign Secretariat (based in Ypres), as supervised by the Board of Directors and, ultimately, by the General Meeting (Executive Conference of Mayors for Peace) will be responsible for all tasks related directly to the campaign.

The H-N Secretariat (based in Hiroshima) will continue to serve the non-campaign policies and tasks of Mayors for Peace, as determined by the Executive Committee and the General Conference. These tasks will include planning and implementing Executive Conferences and General Conferences, and managing all formal matters associated with Mayors for Peace membership registration.

The two secretariats will work jointly to recruit and communicate with members.  They will support each other, offering and requesting assistance as needed, but will not be in a chain-of-command relationship.