1. Introduction

Taking into consideration the importance of the role of civil society for consolidation of democracy as an additional and organized realm of exerting control on governance and realizing institutionalized defense of discrete rights, Civil Society Partnership Network is claimed for coordinating and directing the activities of those organizations, which are concerned by the problem of poverty eradication in Armenia.

2. General Statements

· Civil Society Partnership Network (hereinafter - Network) presents an unregistered coalition of organizations concerned with poverty reduction issue, all the members of which are registered separately according to the laws of the Republic of Armenia.
· The principles of Network’s work are: accountability, transparency,, equality of members, cooperation,, solidarity and effectiveness.
· Network can function on the whole territory of Armenia as well as outside of its borders.

3. Mission of the Network

Short-term mission:
By the joint efforts of NGOs to provide a serious and organized participation on PRSP elaboration, implementation and monitoring processes as a result of which the Program will effectively serve to the growth of security, skills and opportunities of people.
Long-term mission:
Become a powerful structure of exerting control on the national policies that directly or indirectly affect poverty bringing to the widening of space of civil society participation in the processes driving the country.
The pivotal ideological principle for the Network is that economic growth should not be viewed as a guarantee for poverty eradication, but as the most important, the strategic objective for tackling poverty should be considered the achievement of poverty eradication through the creation and development of necessary conditions for the revealing, development and utilization of peoples’ skills and abilities.

4. Objectives of Network

According to the long term and short-term missions, the objectives of Network are as follows:
· Providing an opportunity for participation of the non-governmental sector and civil society representatives in the process of preparation, implementation and monitoring of PRSP as well as other national policy and legislative provisions that have potential connotations on poverty;
· Making an ex-ante analysis of PRSP and its separate components as well as other national policies and legislative provisions that directly or indirectly influence poverty, preparing expertise conclusions, recommendations and proposals for the purpose of their improvement and perfection;
· Defining advocacy strategies around important issues of pressure to ensure that government policies are informed with the policy recommendations suggested by the Network;
· Realizing a coherent and coordinated monitoring of the PRSP;
· Making wider population aware on the processes connected with PRSP and other national programs of importance in the poverty context;
· Defining ways and mechanisms for co-operation with other participants of the PRSP processes (as well as of other important issues of pressure, as deemed necessary) and initiating constructive dialogue with them;
· Becoming member of similar national and trans-national Networks to increase the chances of bringing an impact;
· Initiating and driving advocacy campaigns as deemed necessary in order to influence the national policy agendas according to the priorities of the Network.

5. Forms of activities of Network

In order to achieve the mentioned objectives Network will undertake the following types of activities:
· Organizing working meetings and discussions for analyzing the PRSP and other important issues of pressure in order to prepare necessary recommendations and proposals and to develop advocacy strategies;
· Organizing working meetings for sharing with the experience of separate members of the Network on PRSP monitoring peculiarities to build knowledge and develop joint strategies for enhancing the efficiency of the process;
· Organizing meetings and co-operation with various governmental, non-governmental and international organizations;
· Organizing trainings and implementing awareness-raising projects related to the issues of PRSP and other poverty related government programs and policies in the process of participation;
· Researching of public opinion and attitudes towards the PRSP and other national issues of pressure which are under the scrutiny of Network;
· Implementing publishing activities connected with the objectives of Network
· Organizing press-conferences, briefings and co-operating with mass media for making population aware of its activities;
· Participating in capacity building trainings for the members of Network on the advocacy and lobbying techniques, international financial institutions functioning, civil society functioning, etc.;
· Preparing and presenting projects for donors in order to secure financial sources for achieving its aims;
· Formation of Work Groups in order to implement monitoring and evaluation of PRSP as well as for other working purposes of joint projects in order to raise the effectiveness;
· Any other activities to achieve the above mentioned objectives of the Network that do not contradict to the Law.

6. Membership

· Any non-entrepreneurial, non-governmental organization, registered in RA, that shares the aims of the Network and fundamental principles of the hereby Agreement can become a member of the Network.
· Any organisation willing to become a member of the Network should in writing apply to the Network’s Board that would make decision by simple majority rule within two weeks after receiving the application.

Termination of membership
· Any member can go out from the structure of Network upon the own initiative without any barriers after announcing so in written to the Board.
· A member of the Network can be dismissed in case of incompliance to any of the criteria of the Network by the simple majority’s decision of the Board members.
· A member can be dismissed also in case of conducting of activities that do not comply with the principles of the Network and the taken responsibilities as a member, by the simple majority vote of the Board members.

7. Members’ Responsibilities

Network’s members have responsibility to:
· take part in the Network’s activities by presenting ideas and proposals for improving the work of the Network;
· provide a regular and consistent participation in the activities of Network to achieve the objectives set in the hereby Agreement.
· cooperate with the Network according to the principles of kind will and initiativeness.

8. Management

· Representation and management of the Network is realized by the Board.
· The representatives of the founding organizations comprise the Board.
· The Board gathers according to need, at least once in month.
· Members of the Board have the right of a decisive voice, the members have a right of a consultative voice.
· The Board is plenipotentiary if more than half of plenipotentiary members are present. The Board makes decision by simple majority vote. Any decision related to taking any financial or material responsibility, has to be made with the presence of at least two third of Board members.
· For taking the decision on liquidation of the Network two third of all members vote is needed.

9. Secretariat

9.1. The secretariat represents an executive and co-coordinating body of the Network that is comprised from one to three employees that should not be employed in any of the member organizations and should be selected by the result of a competition.
9.2. the Secretariat
· co-ordinates the work of the Network;
· secures provision the information necessary for the Network’s members and makes decision regarding other communication matters;
· organizes working meetings, discussions, conferences and other events in the frame of the functioning of the Network;
· implements other decisions and directives taken by the Board.
9.3 The secretariat is accountable to the Board and on demand, but not less than once a month has to present to the Board its report on current activities.

10. Ownership

The Network’s property is created by the voluntary donations of individual persons, grants provided by international organizations, donations of its members and other legal sources. The property can only be used for achieving the objectives defined by the hereby Agreement.

11. Transitional remarks

· This agreement will enter into force after the ratification by all founding members.
· Additions and amendments to the hereby Agreement can be done by the decision of the Network’s Board upon two third voices of the members.