Bye-laws of the Harald Edelstam Foundation
The Foundation’s name
1§ The Foundation’s name is the Harald Edelstam Foundation.
The Foundation’s objective and tasks
2§ The Foundation stands for a humanistic view, based on those values and principles that mainly are expressed in the United Nations’ Declaration on Human Rights from 1948, along with the conventions that followed and internationally accepted public law. The Foundation is a politically and religiously independent organization. The Foundation’s objective is to collect and manage funds that will finance the awarding of the Edelstam Prize in the spirit of the Swedish diplomat and Ambassador Harald Edelstam (1913-1989). Prize winners shall be individuals or persons who represent a government or a or an international organization, that in their actions have met all or many of the following criteria: * have acted in Harald Edelstam’s spirit in a country/countries where crimes against human rights have been committed by a government or other strong power * have shown a significant ability to quickly analyze a complex situation and find ways, even in an unconventional and creative way, to in practice defend human rights * have in a such difficult or chaotic situation acted in a way that has had decisive importance for many threatened people or directly saved human lives * have through their actions demonstrated great civil courage, dared to go against the tide, and shown that even in the darkest of times it is possible to contribute to the defense of human rights * have acted with great competence, persistency, and cleverness, and with the bravery of not allowing one selves to be stopped by formal obstacles or threats.
It is planned that the Edelstam Prize will be continually and repeatedly awarded. Those monies collected after the attached Proclamation shall as an independent capital permanently support the above objective.
The Foundation reserves the right to reject gifts or collaboration that are not in accord with the Foundation’s values or working practices.
The Foundation’s management
3§ The Foundation shall be managed and represented by a Board of Directors based in Stockholm.
4§ Every year, after the previous year’s accounts are audited and approved, the Board shall decide if any prize shall be awarded prior to the next Annual Meeting. If the Edelstam Prize is to be awarded, the Board will decide on a budget for it, which includes both prize(s) and related costs. In determining the level of this budget, the Board shall have the possibility of saving as much of the total funds available as is required in order to award the Prize a number of years thereafter. This is in order to further the Foundation’s long-range objective.
5§ The Board’s primary task is to manage incoming monies to the Prize Fund in a responsible fashion so that * investment earnings will be as high as possible while maintaining a low level of risk * the Foundation’s investment practices follow ethical rules * the collection and administrative costs are kept as low as possible.
6§ The Harald Edelstam Foundation administrates the Edelstam Prize, awarded for outstanding contributions and exceptional courage in standing up for one’s beliefs in the defense of human rights. Further, the Harald Edelstam Foundation encourages civic courage in Ambassador Harald Edelstam’s spirit, works with formation of opinion and advocacy, education and information, research, and observation within the defense of human rights. The Harald Edelstam Foundation is responsible for: * the practical carrying out of the entire process around the Edelstam Prize * the fond collection activities of the Foundation * information dissemination about Harald Edelstam’s achievements and about work carried out in the spirit of Harald Edelstam, in cultural and societal debate, in schools, and in adult education”. The Board appoints a Prize Jury consisting of at least five persons, of which at least one person is from the Board. This person, or one of these persons, is chairman with a deciding vote in the prize jury, whose task it is to select the winner(s) of the Edelstam Prize.
7§ The Board shall consist of at least six members. At least one of the members shall reside in Sweden. The Board and its chairman are appointed by the Board of the foundation for a period of two years and can be reappointed. Whenever a vacancy arises, it is up to the Board of the foundation to appoint a new member. Half of the Board is appointed each year. When the Board is first appointed, the mandate of half of the members, or the next highest number if there are an odd number, will be one year.
8§ The Board is capable of making decisions if at least half of the members are present. A decision is valid if half of the members present vote in favor of it or, if the votes are evenly divided, the side that the chairman votes for.
9§ The Board shall at the call of the chairman meet at least twice per accounting year. In addition, the chairman shall call a meeting whenever two members of the Board so demand.
Minutes of the Board meetings shall be recorded and approved by the chairman and by someone designated for that purpose by the Board meeting.
10§ Besides Board members, other persons designated by the Board may sign for the Foundation.
11§ No fees shall be paid to Board members, only reimbursement for necessary and reasonable expenses.
Accounts
12§ The Foundation’s accounts shall be maintained in accordance with the Accounting Act (1999:1078).
13§ The Foundation’s accounts year shall be the calendar year.
The Board shall annually, by 30th April, produce Annual Accounts and an Annual Statement för the prior calendar year, according to the regulations in the Annual Accounts Law (1955:1544), and these shall include information as to how the objective has been furthered during the accounting year.
14§ The Board’s management shall be audited by an authorized auditor or a registered auditing firm.
Amendments
15§ Amendments to these Bye-laws, with the exception of the Objective and Tasks (§2), may without approval of the authorities be decided by a three-fourths majority of the Foundation’s Board.
