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Home Events/Documents General Assembly 2009

General Assembly 2009

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GA/09/RECORD

20 November 2009

GREYCELLS

GENERAL ASSEMBLY, THURSDAY, 19 NOVEMBER 2009

10.30 am, Room 2, Ecumenical Centre

RECORD

1. Adoption of the agenda: the agenda (GA/09/1) was adopted without change. The list of participants is in Annex 1.

2. Election of Chairperson: Jack Martin was elected Chairman by acclamation.

3. Report on activities: the President of the Executive Committee (EC), Fermin Alcoba, and other members of the EC, introduced the various sections of the annual report (GA/09/2), which provided a briefing on what the Committee had been doing in the period December 2008 to November 2009.

4. The first point worth noting from this discussion was that after the year of setting up in 2008, the Association had become much better known, and it was highly valued for what it could bring to the table, especially in Geneva circles. The Swiss authorities in particular were keen to involve the Association in their ongoing work wherever this was appropriate. It was important therefore that it not sell itself short. The various activities described in the report were briefly outlined, and gave rise to discussion, as summarised in the paragraphs that follow:

a) The Association’s website (www.greycells.ch) had been revised using new software, thanks mainly to the efforts of Claude Mercier. It would thus be possible to avoid some of the heavy costs associated with the use of commercial website managers. In this connection, it was planned to put on line the search engine designed by Piers, with the help of his son, which would provide two levels of information: one more complete for members, and another, which would allow the general public, including potential clients, to be informed about the skills and qualifications of members. But for this to be effective, it was necessary to have a more complete database; the replies to two requests for information so far had been limited. The forms would be circulated again, and everyone would be encouraged to respond.

b) Consideration of the three courses that were being planned (Central African Republic, Université ouvrière de Genève, Herzen University) gave rise to a discussion about the importance of fund-raising to finance the Associations activities outside Geneva, in particular. It would be useful if at least one member had professional fund-raising experience and skills. This was not something that should be improvised if the Association were to have a realistic chance of tapping into the aid money that was known to be available. It could also be interesting to set as a condition of Greycells’ participation that the local counterpart had to provide at least some of the funding needed, for example by canvassing local representatives of donor countries and financing institutions. It would also be appropriate to send letters to the donor community again, to follow up on those sent in 2008, and to which there had been very little response. Things might be different now that activities had got off the ground. It was also important that members come forward if they could contribute to such activities, which appeared to be in great demand. Putting more information about projects on the website would also not be amiss.

c) The next project of some importance that was on the cards was to act as guides for the “Murs” exhibit that was taking place on the Pont de la Machine. The groups to be guided were made up of high school students, and all members were encouraged to participate.

5. The report was adopted unanimously.

6. Financial reports: the Treasurer, Catherine Bertrand, presented the accounts for 2009, as at 31 October 2009 (GA/09/3). There were 43 paid up members. Income had amounted to CHF 16,900 (including a one-off payment of CHF 10,000 from the Swiss government to cover start-up costs), as against expenditure of CHF 7,065. The carry over in 2010 would be some CHF 9000 once account was taken of some expenses still to be incurred before the end of the year.

t;p style="margin-left: 14.2pt; text-indent: -14.2pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;" class="MsoNormal">7. As for the budget for 2010 (GA/09/5), it was proposed that payment of the dues for 2010 be waived as an exceptional measure, so as to avoid having too large a carry-over at the end of the year. The Assembly, however, considered that this might jeopardize future solvency, bearing in mind that the Swiss had agreed to pay the rental for the office for two years only. Paying dues was also seen as an earnest of members’ commitment. The consensus was therefore that dues should be collected as usual in 2010. At the same time, the EC was encouraged to review all aspects of the dues, including the possibility of life memberships, as well as to consider what to do about those persons who were listed as members, but had not paid their dues since inception. As for presentation, it was suggested that the income side of the budget be revised to reflect the above consensus on dues, as well as the contribution toward rent by the Swiss. A number of new members paid their dues for 2010 at the meeting, and a general appeal for payment would be made separately.

 

8. The accounts for 2009 and the budget for 2010 (as amended) were approved unanimously.

9. Other business Executive Committee: a number of changes would take place in the EC with immediate effect, due to the fact that some officers did not wish to continue in their functions, and other members were leaving the EC altogether. Fermin Alcoba and Marjory Dam were stepping down as President and Vice President respectively. René Kirszbaum had agreed to take over as President, and Neel Mani and Alberto Campeas as Vice Presidents. Three other members were stepping down from the EC, so an appeal was made to members who might volunteer to serve. Tribute: The Assembly wished to record its gratitude to Fermin Alcoba for his untiring efforts as President in the first two formative years of the Association.

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GA/09/RECORD/Annex 1

20 November 2009

List of Participants


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