RULES OF PROCEDURE The procedural arrangements in the APPF were set out in the 1994 Annual Meeting in the Philippines, and are updated from time to time. They are as follows:   Structure and Role   1. The APPF will be a loosely-structured and non-exclusive forum of national parliamentarians who will participate either as delegates of their parliaments or in their personal capacities. 2. The APPF will act to promote greater regional identification and cooperation with particular focus on: a. cooperation for the further advancement of peace, freedom, democracy, and prosperity; b. open and non-exclusive cooperation for the expansion of free trade and investment, sustainable development and sound environment practices; c. non-military cooperation, which gives due consideration to issues relating to regional peace and security; and d. preservation and promotion of the diverse cultures of the peoples in the region.         Membership     3. Membership of the APPF will in principle be open to all national parliamentarians in the Asia-Pacific region, in particular from member nations of ASEAN, the APEC group and the South Pacific Forum, who: a. have an active interest in promoting dialogue among parliamentarians in the region; and b. accept the objectives and principles of the APPF as stated in the Tokyo Declaration., d. Membership of the APPF will be reviewed from time to time. e. National parliamentarians of the Asia-Pacific region may be invited to attend meetings of the APPF as associate members, observers, or in any other appropriate status as determined by the APPF Annual Meeting. f. The APPF will meet annually a. The host, date and venue of each Annual Meeting will be determined at the preceding meeting b. Representatives will attend the annual Meeting from national parliaments, hereinafter referred to as "Participating Delegates". Where a national Parliament is represented by an official delegation, the attendance of other parliamentarians from that Parliament in a personal capacity can only be with the advice and consent of that parliament. c. Associate members, observers, or others with appropriate status may also be invited to attend APPF meetings. d. The host of the Annual Meeting will make the necessary arrangements for the meeting including coordination of the provisional agenda of the meeting, in consultation with the Executive Committee, and for the provision of a secretariat for the Annual Meeting. e. The host parliament will bear the cost of organizing the meeting and the participantswill cover their expenses for attending the meeting. Membership of a delegation will be limited to a maximum of ten parliamentarians. This limitation shall not apply to the host parliament. f. The President shall preside at the commencement of the Annual Meeting until the Chairman of the meeting has been elected g. The Chairman of the Annual Meeting shall be a member of the host parliament and shall be elected by the Annual Meeting. h. The APPF shall appoint the founding APPF President as Honorary Chairman in order to ensure the APPF benefits from continuity of leadership. There shall be no limit to the term of the Honorary Chairmanship. i. The Honorary Chairman shall advise the Executive Committee and Annual Meeting as required. j. The Agenda shall be approved by the Annual Meeting on the advice of the Executive Committee. k. The Chairman of the meeting shall direct the work of the meeting and see that the rules are observed. The Chairman shall also open, suspend, and close the sessions, make known the results, and declare the meeting closed. l. The Chairman of the meeting may appoint deputies, who may be members of the Executive Committee, to chair particular sessions of working groups during the Annual Meeting, as necessary. m. Decisions of the APPF will be made by consensus at the Annual Meeting as prescribed in the Tokyo Declaration. Each delegation will have one vote only. Members will be free to discuss any issue. However, when decisions are required on substantive matters, the principle of unanimity shall be observed. n. Parliamentary delegations will be requested by the host parliament to submit motions for discussions at the next Annual Meeting by a specified date. o. Requests for supplementary items may be considered by the Executive Committee for inclusion on the agenda. p. A proposed resolution must be made available for circulation to all participating delegates before it is moved. q. A speaker may only address the meeting on the call of the Chairman of the meeting. r. A participating delegate may, on the call of the Chairman speak on any matter included in the agenda. s. In inviting participating delegates to speak, the Chairman of the meeting will be guided by two of the principles of the Tokyo Declaration: 1. commitment to frank and constructive dialogue; and 2. equal respect for the views of all participants. t. Priority to speak will be given to participating delegates. Associate members, observers and other official participants, may also speak with agreement of the Meeting, on the call of the Chairman.     Presidency     7. The host country shall appoint a President from the host parliament who shall serve as President from May in the year preceding the Annual Meeting until April following the Annual Meeting.” a. The President will represent the APPF and will serve as Chairman of the Executive Committee. b. The President shall preside at the commencement of the Annual Meeting.     Executive Committee     8. The Organization of the Executive Committee a. The Executive Committee shall consist of sub regional representatives totaling nine countries or less, including the representatives of the host country of the next APPF Executive Committee Meeting and the Annual Meeting. b. Qualification for an Executive Committee Member (1) Membership on the Executive Committee is open to all member countries of the APPF. 1. .Executive Committee members must be active members of the national assembly. 2. .If any of the Executive Committee members becomes incapable of performing his/her duties because of his/her resignation, death or disqualification as a member of the national assembly, the national assembly to which the member belongs shall designate an alternative member to serve for the remaining term of office until the next Annual Meeting. 3. Executive Committee member countries may be re-appointed. (2) The Chairman's country of the Executive Committee Meeting shall have a seat on the Executive Committee (3) The host country of the next Executive Committee Meeting and the Annual Meeting shall have a seat on the Executive Committee. (4) With due regard to balance in regional representation, the Asia-Pacific shall be divided into the following four sub-regions with two countries being elected from each sub-region. 1) Northeast Asia (5 countries): People's Republic of China, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mongolia, Russian Federation 2)Southeast Asia (8 countries): Kingdom of Cambodia, Republic of Indonesia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Republic of the Philippines, Republic of Singapore, Kingdom of Thailand, Socialist Republic of Vietnam (Negara Brunei Darussalam not included as it has an observer status) 3) Oceania (6 countries): Australia, Republic of Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands 4) The Americas (8 countries): Canada, Republic of Chile, Republic of Colombia, United Mexican States, Republic of Peru, United States of America, Ecuador, Costa Rica. c. c Duties of the Executive Committee a. The Executive Committee shall be chaired by the APPF President b. .The Executive Committee may submit recommendations to the Annual Meeting with regard to policy issues which the APPF wishes to address or APPF’s management policy c. The Executive Committee shall engage in coordination with the host country of the Annual Meeting concerning the draft agenda and schedule of the Annual Meeting d. .The Executive Committee shall advise the host country of the Annual Meeting concerning the matters deemed necessary for the Annual Meeting e. .The Executive Committee shall accept applications for membership in the Forum from each country and individual national assembly members, and submit the recommendations to the next Annual Meeting with regard to such applications. d. Term of office for an Executive Committee Member: The term of office for an Executive Committee member shall be two years, from May of the year of an Annual Meeting until April two years later, subject to the following conditions. a. Half of the Executive Committee members shall be reelected each year b. .The term of office for An Executive Committee member representing the host country of an Annual Meeting shall be from May of the year preceding the Annual Meeting until April following the Annual Meeting. e. The method of election of Executive Committee members shall be decided by each sub-region in order to respect its voluntary will.     Working Groups     9. a. Working Groups may be established by the Annual Meeting on the advice of the Executive committee, to examine specific issues referred for consideration. b. A Working Group will be established at the Meeting to prepare a draft joint communiqué for consideration, adoption and release at the conclusion of the Annual Meeting. c. Working Groups, when in session, shall determine their own priorities. At the conclusion of their deliberations they will report to the plenary session of the Annual Meeting. d. Reports of the Executive Committee and of Working Groups on their work may be made orally or in writing at the Annual Meeting.     Matters Not Covered by Rules     10. The President shall decide on all matters not covered by these rules, on the advice of the Executive Committee.