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Articles of Association

Name & Legal Form

The Megacity Think Tank Alliance (MeTTA), founded on July 11, 2014, is an international alliance of representative think tanks of megacities. MeTTA aims to find solutions to urban development problems faced by megacities and to improve the quality of life for their citizens.

The institutions below are the founding members of MeTTA:

  1. The Seoul Institute (SI);
  2. Beijing Municipal Institute of City Planning and Design (BICP);
  3. Singapore Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC);
  4. Shanghai Urban Planning and Design Research Institute (SUPDRI);
  5. Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Development Studies (HIDS)

Purpose

  1. By building an international cooperative network of megacity think tanks, MeTTA provides its members with information on solutions to urban problems, and coordinates problem-solving efforts.
  2. By encouraging collaborative partnerships among megacity governments on implementing sustainable urban solutions, MeTTA aims to improve the quality of life for megacity citizens.

Scope of Cooperation

MeTTA members agree to promote and develop research cooperation as follows:

  1. Have regular meetings among scholars and experts via conferences and workshops;
  2. Cooperate in planning and executing research projects;
  3. Exchange research materials, publications, and other scientific information.

Membership

The member categories consist of Active Members and Associate Members.

  1. Active Members are representative research institutions in a megacity region, working directly with the local or city government to formulate and implement city policies.
    • Beginning with highly urbanized Asian megacities, MeTTA shall ultimately expand its membership to include megacities and organizations in all other parts of the world.
  2. Associate Members consist of international organizations who are interested in participating in MeTTA.
    • In addition to urban think tanks, MeTTA shall encourage participation and support by international bodies that are interested in urban problems and are active in exploring solutions to the problems, including, but not limited to CITYNET, ICLEI and Metropolis
  3. All membership admissions need approval of the General Assembly.

Member Responsibilities

  1. All members shall actively participate in the meetings and projects in the spirit of cooperation.
  2. The Active Members shall take turns hosting the annual General Assembly, stated here in their sequential order of membership.
    • The Seoul Institute (SI), Beijing Municipal Institute of City Planning and Design (BICP), Singapore Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC), Shanghai Urban Planning Design & Research Institute (SUPDRI), Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Development Studies (HIDS), Tianjin Academy of Urban Planning and Design (TAUPD), and Busan Development Institute (BDI).

Secretariat

The Secretariat of MeTTA shall be located at The Seoul Institute (located at 137-071, Nambusunhwan-ro, Seocho-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea).

  • The location of the Secretariat may be transferred or rotated by majority decision at the General Assembly.
  • The role of the Secretariat will include: 1) Supporting the organization of the General Assembly, such as finalizing the agenda and date, and facilitating communication among members. 2) Developing and main taining an online platform where all members can collect and share information regarding the member

Board of Directors

  1. The Board of Directors shall consist of the five(5) founding members of MeTTA.
  2. The Board of Directors shall appoint the Chairman each year and can recruit additional institutions.
    • The Chairman can call an assembly of the Board of Directors if requested by board members, or when discussions are necessary on important issues.
  3. International organizations which are Associate Members can participate in board meetings with the approval, by the majority, of the Board of Directors.
    • Associate Members will act as advisors on drafting documents and on making decisions regarding operational procedures of MeTTA.

General Assembly

  1. The General Assembly is held by the Active Members. They alone have voting rights. The General Assembly and academic seminar will be held on a yearly basis as a venue for setting an annual agenda as well as facilitating the exchange of research expertise. - At each General Assembly, the date, theme, and venue for the subsequent General Assembly shall be decided.
  2. Associate Members are also invited to participate in discussions at the General Assembly. They are kept completely informed of the work of the General Assembly, and may be requested to prepare technical reports on specific subjects.

Financial Arrangement

  1. The members agree to develop research projects each year as cooperative activities of MeTTA.
    • Each member shall finance their own projects or obtain support from national and international organizations.
  2. The members agree that all specific arrangements and plans for activities shall be negotiated and are subject to the availability of funds.
  3. The host city of the General Assembly shall use its own funds for hosting the General Assembly.

Amendment

Any member may initiate a proposal to amend provisions in the Statute.
Amendment proposals shall be submitted to the Secretariat no later than three (3) months prior to the date of the General Assembly where the proposal will be discussed and a possible decision will be made.
The Secretariat will circulate the proposal in a written form to all members two (2) months before the date of the General Assembly.
Both Active Members and Associate Members can suggest amendments to the Statute.

Official Language

The official language of the General Assembly will be the language of the hosting city. Translation services shall be provided in English and necessary languages of the key participants.

Entry in Force

The Statute shall come into force upon the approval of the founding members participating in the Inaugural General Assembly held on July 11, 2014 in Seoul, Republic of Korea.