Statutes of Dyrenes Alliance

Adopted on June 10, 2024

 § 1 Name and registered office

The name of the association is Dyrenes Alliance.

The registered office of the association is Denmark.

§ 2 Purpose clause

Dyrenes Alliance is a youth association and primarily carries out work for and with children and young people. Dyrenes Alliance's purpose is through education and activism to influence society to recognize animals as living, sentient individuals who are entitled to rights. 

Our methodology is based on: 

  • Committed communities.

  • Only legal activities.

  • Activism supported by research from leading research organisations in the movement.

    • The National Association can always refer to research from leading research organisations in the movement.

§ 3 Members

  1. Anyone who supports the association's purpose can become a member.

  2. Persons over the age of 30 can only be admitted as supporting members by paying a membership fee. However, these supporting members have no voting rights in the association, but may run for the Board.

  3. All members who have paid their membership fee in the current year, have an active payment agreement and have been a member for at least three weeks prior to the General Assembly are entitled to vote.

§ 4 Contingent

Members are obliged to pay the membership fee set by the General Assembly. The amount of the membership fee shall be determined by the General Assembly. If the membership fee is paid as a monthly amount, the applicable membership fee rate shall count as the first part of this amount and the rest as a gift to the association. Dues may be paid to the national organization or one of its local associations.

§ 5 Statutes

  1. Amendments to the Articles of Association require a majority of ⅔ of the members present at the General Meeting. 

  2. Amendments to the Articles of Association shall enter into force with effect from the General Meeting at which they are adopted.

§ 6 Exclusion

  1. Membership rights lapse the moment a member has not paid the subscription until the arrears are paid.

  2. The Board of Directors may expel a member who opposes the Dyrenes Alliance's community policy, purpose, program or activities. A Board of Directors must vote unanimously in favor before a member can be expelled. for the expulsion. The expulsion shall be effective immediately.

  3. It is the member's right to challenge an exclusion at the next General Assembly. The decision to exclude requires at least two-thirds of the votes cast. 

§ 7 Board of Directors

  1. The General Assembly elects a Board of Directors consisting of 3-5 members, and the Secretariat appoints 2 of its representatives to the Board, one of whom shall be the Secretary General. In total, the Board consists of 5-7 members. 

  2. The Board of Directors is constituted after the General Assembly with the chairperson, Vice President, Treasurer and the Secretary General as one of the representatives from the secretariat.

  3. The board period runs from the end of the General Meeting to the start of the next General Meeting. 

  4. The Board of Directors is the highest authority between General Meetings.

  5. The Secretariat's representatives on the Board of Directors have the right to veto decisions that conflict with the association's purpose or program of principles, as well as decisions that may harm the organization's effectiveness, reputation, or financial health, if justified by the association's long-term strategy or legal obligations. Such veto must be justified in writing and presented to the Board for review at the next Board meeting.

  6. All members, regardless of membership type, may run for the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors decides how often Board meetings are needed. 

  7. The term of office of the Board shall not exceed 2 years and 1 month. 

  8. The Board assists in the preparation of the budget and at the end of the year approves the budget
    for the coming year. 

  9. The board sets a distribution key that determines what percentage of the membership fee from
    the affiliated members may be allocated to each local association. The amount may not exceed 30% of the total membership fee. The amount is transferred in the 1st quarter of each year.

§ 8 Local Associations

  1. Local associations may be freely established where such associations do not already exist. The local association is approved by the Board of Directors after the founding General Assembly. 

    1. The local association democratically determines its own statutes.

    2. The statutes must be democratically structured, be within the framework of Dyrenes Alliance's purpose as described in article 2 of these statutes, and no part of the statutes may contradict these statutes. 

  2. Local associations must identify themselves by a name that includes Dyrenes Alliance and the geographical
    affiliation. 

  3. President and Treasurer together represent the local association in a financial context. The coordinator represents the local association in terms of communication. The board constitutes itself. 

  4. The Local Board submits to the National Office no later than 14 days after the local
    General Assembly; 

    1. Report on the bylaws of the local association, if they have been amended. 

    2. The revised budget. 

    3. A set of the local association's dues. 

    4. Notice of Local Association dues. 

  5. The accounting and membership year of the Local Association shall follow the calendar year. 

  6. If a local association acts in violation of its articles of association and/or this article 8,
    the national association's Board of Directors may revoke its approval and dissolve the local association. In that case, the local association's assets etc. will be transferred to the national association.

§ 9 Economy

  1. The financial year is January 1 - December 31. 

  2. The Association's liabilities shall be borne solely by its assets, and no one else shall have any personal liability for the Association's liabilities. 

  3. The accounts are audited by the registered auditor elected by the Annual General Meeting, who is elected for one year at a time. 

  4. The signatories are the Association's President, Treasurer and Secretary General.

§ 10 General Assembly

  1. The General Assembly is the highest authority of the Association.

  2. The Annual General Meeting is held every year in the 2nd quarter. 

  3. Supporting Members do not have voting rights.

  4. Non-members may request observer status by contacting the Board of Directors by email at least 8 days prior to the General Assembly.

  5. The general meeting may be held as a hybrid meeting, but may not be held exclusively digitally. The exception to this is if a physical meeting could be hazardous to health.

  6. The General Assembly shall be convened with at least 14 days' notice.

  7. Voting is by show of hands. However, the vote shall be taken in writing if at least 10% of those present so request. 

  8. All decisions are made by simple majority vote. A duly convened General Meeting is quorate regardless of the number of members present. 

  9. Votes may not be cast by proxy. 

  10. The Annual General Meeting is convened with the following agenda, and the agenda must as a minimum include: 

    1. Election of the President. 

    2. Election of the rapporteur. 

    3. Annual report. 

    4. Approval of the accounts. 

    5. Visions and campaign goals until the next General Assembly. 

    6. Adoption of the budget. 

    7. Adoption of the quota. 

    8. Proposals received. 

    9. Election of the Board of Directors. 

    10. Contingency.

  11. Proposals to be considered at an ordinary General Meeting must be received in writing by the Board of Directors no later than 8 days before the General Meeting. 

  12. An Extraordinary General Meeting may be convened by the Board of Directors at any time and must also take place when at least 500 of the association's members submit a written request. 

§ 11 Dissolution

  1. The Association may be dissolved by at least a two-thirds majority at two consecutive General Meetings, the last of which is convened extraordinarily for this purpose only. Dissolution of the association requires that representatives of at least two-thirds of the local associations of the association are present at the General Meetings.

  2. In the event of the termination of the association, its assets/profits will be transferred to another association, foundation, trust, institution, etc. or religious community domiciled in Denmark or in another EU/EEA country with a charitable or otherwise non-profit purpose, if possible an animal rights organization or an animal sanctuary.