Terms and conditions of the membership agreement between Madaniya and its member organisations. 

1. Introduction 

• Madaniya is a Syrian-led and funded initiative, independent of political and foreign influence, aimed at enhancing the political agency of the Syrian civic space.  

• Madaniya is registered as a charitable company limited by guarantee incorporated with the UK’s Companies House (Company Number 14017708) and the Charity Commission for England and Wales (Charity Number 1204378). Address: Unit A, 1 Canfield Pl, London NW6 3BT, United Kingdom. 

• Unless otherwise defined herein, the defined terms used in these Terms and Conditions shall have the same meaning as ascribed to them in the Madaniya Bylaws which concern the governance arrangements of the Madaniya charity registered in England. 

2. Membership Guidelines 

• Every Syrian Civil Society Organisation can request to become a member of Madaniya by submitting a membership request. Approval of requests will depend on the organisation's alignment with and commitment to Madaniya's Charter of Ethics, and its acceptance to the Membership Terms and Conditions. 

• The membership of a member organisation continues until the organisation retires as a member (please see paragraph 2c) or the organisation is removed as a member in circumstances where it has contravened Madaniya's vision, mission, values, or membership vetting criteria (please see paragraph 2d). 

• A member organisation may suspend or terminate its membership in Madaniya after providing written notification to the executive team, detailing the reasons for suspension or termination. 

• Madaniya reserves the right to terminate the membership of any member organisation found to violate Madaniya's vision, mission, values, or membership vetting criteria.  

• In cases where termination of an organisation's membership is necessitated by reasons unrelated to violating Madaniya's vision, mission, values, or the vetting criteria, the concerned organisation shall be notified immediately of the reasons, and the organisation shall be given a period of six months to address the issue, during which its membership shall be suspended.  In the event that the organisation is unable to remedy the issue during this period, its membership will be terminated. The organisation will have the right to apply for membership again whenever it fulfils the conditions.  

3. Rights 

• Access to Opportunities 

  • All member organisations have equal rights to access opportunities presented by Madaniya regardless of their size, location, or sector of work. Activities and events related to such opportunities will be designed and communicated in a participatory way that is commensurate with the needs, realities, and contexts of member organisations.  

  • Each member organisation has the right to appoint a representative to Madaniya’s membership platform, serving as the main focal point of contact between Madaniya and the member organisation. This representative facilitates the exchange of information and updates to regulate member participation and assists in deriving the highest added value from their membership in Madaniya. 

• Sensitive Representation 

  • Members have the right to publicly indicate their membership in Madaniya, and Madaniya has the right to publicly indicate the membership of its member organisations. 

  • To maintain independence and security, Madaniya cannot speak on behalf of any member organisation within its network unless formally authorised by the organisation to do so. 

  • No member of Madaniya is entitled to speak on behalf of Madaniya or any of its member organisations unless formally authorised by Madaniya or the member organisations. However, members retain the right to reference their engagement with Madaniya and other member organisations including by referring to shared activites and initatives. 

• Elections 

  • All members of Madaniya have equal rights to participate in the elections of Madaniya’s Board of Directors. 

  • Participation in the elections entails the right to nominate and elect members to Madaniya’s Board of Directors in accordance with Madaniya’s Bylaws and relevant elections guidelines. 

  • Transparency is upheld in all aspects of the elections process to ensure fairness and accountability to all members. 

4. Duties

• Charter of Ethics 

  • Members of Madaniya agree to, and undertake to abide by Madaniya’s vision, mission, and values, as well as its vetting criteria concerning independence, integrity, reputation, and due diligence processes as set out in our Charter of Ethics. 

• Governance 

  • Members agree to be bound by the Bylaws of Madaniya which set out and explain the governance framework of Madaniya setting out the respective roles of Madaniya’s Trustees, Board of Directors, its Chairman, its Board Committees, Membership Platform and the Executive Team.  

  • Financial contributions 

  • Members recognise the importance of maintaining Madaniya’s financial independence and thus commit to financially supporting it by making annual donations. The amount of these donations will be determined according to the financial capacity of each member organisation, in consultation with Madaniya. 

5. Organisational Guidelines 

• Information Security  

  • Madaniya commits to comply with the information security policy when processing any data it retains about its members in accordance with the governing laws in its licensing locations. Please see our privacy policy here which explains how we store and use your information. 

• Liability 

  • Madaniya is not a regulatory body. It therefore does not monitor or regulate the activities, outputs, or points of view of member organisations, nor can it be liable for their actions.