Establishment September 12, 1996

Partial Revision October 21, 1998

Partial Revision September 11, 2002

Partial Revision September 8, 2004

Partial Revision October 28, 2010

Partial Revision October 22, 2014

Partial Revision September 27, 2016

Partial Revision October 29, 2018

Partial Revision September 21, 2022

Partial Revision October 25, 2023

Partial Revision March 18, 2024

Partial Revision September 26, 2024

Preamble

In the spirit of reciprocity and equity, representatives of regional governments in the Northeast Asian region, which has unlimited potential to contribute to the international community, have resolved to combine our efforts to accomplish co-development in the region and, at the same time, to contribute to world peace by promoting exchange and cooperation in all fields of administration, economy, and culture. Accordingly, to accomplish these noble aims, the representatives have agreed to the present Charter of the Association of North East Asia Regional Governments and do hereby establish an international organization known as the Association of North East Asia Regional Governments.

Chapter 1 Name and Purposes of the Association

• Article 1 (Name) This organization shall be named “The Association of North East Asia Regional Governments” (hereinafter referred to as "the Association").
• Article 2 (Purposes) In the spirit of reciprocity and equity, the Association has the purpose of pursuing the joint development of the Northeast Asian region and, at the same time, contributing to world peace by building trust based on mutual understanding through the establishment of networks for exchanges and cooperation among member governments.
• Article 3 (Agenda) "The Association" shall perform the following clauses:
  1. Regularly hold the General Assembly of the Association of North East Asia Regional Governments
  2. Collect and distribute information on economic and technological development within the region
  3. Support and execute projects related to exchange and cooperation
  4. Review projects necessary to accomplish the purposes of the Association

Chapter 2 Scope and Rights & Obligations of Members and Others

• Article 4 (Membership Scope) The members of the Association shall be the regional governments of the People’s Republic of China, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Japan, Mongolia, the Republic of Korea, and the Russian Federation which have agreed to the purposes of the Association and obtained the approval of membership by the General Assembly. However, the scope can be expanded by a decision of the General Assembly. (revised on September 27, 2016)
• Article 4-2 (Associate Membership Scope) The associate members of the Association shall be the regional governments of countries located outside the Northeast Asian region, which have agreed to the purposes of the Association and obtained the approval of membership by the General Assembly. (newly enacted on September 27, 2016) (revised on September 26, 2024)
• Article 4-3 (Special Membership Scope) The special members of the Association shall be the regional governments, organizations, and institutions which have made significant contributions to the development of the Association, agreed to the purposes of the Association, and obtained the approval of membership by the High-Level Working Committee or the General Assembly. (newly enacted on March 18, 2024)
• Article 5 (Rights and Obligations of Members) Members shall have the right to participate in various projects and activities performed by the Association and have the obligation to comply with the provisions stipulated in the Charter.
• Article 5-2 (Rights and Obligations of Associate Members) Associate members do not have the right to vote and are not eligible to run for election as addressed in Article 7 and the right to vote as addressed in Clause 1, Article 9. (newly enacted on September 27, 2016)
• Article 5-3 (Rights and Obligations of Special Members) Special members do not have the right to vote and are not eligible to run for election as addressed in Article 7 and the right to vote as addressed in Clause 1, Article 9. (newly enacted on March 18, 2024)

Chapter 3 Organization and Functions

Section 1 The General Assembly

• Article 6 (Structure and Operation) The General Assembly is the supreme legislative body of the Association, which consists of heads of member regional governments. The General Assembly is held biennially. (revised on September 27, 2016)
• Article 7 (Executives) The General Assembly shall be given due authority to appoint executives to positions specified in the clauses below.
  1. The General Assembly shall designate one person as the chair who represents the Association. The head of the regional government, which holds the General Assembly, shall ex officio become the chair of the General Assembly. The chair’s term of office ends on the last day of the General Assembly. However, when the chair is absent, the deputy representative of the regional government shall act as the chair on behalf of the representative. (revised on October 28, 2010)
  2. Each country shall have an auditor. Auditors shall be elected out of director general or director levels at the General Assembly and administer accounting and audit. The auditor's term of office is as stipulated in Clause 1. (revised on September 27, 2016)
  3. In accordance with the Regulation of Member Rights in the Regulations for the Membership Fee System, the right to vote and be elected for chair stated in Clause 1 and for auditor in Clause 2 can be restricted. (newly enacted on September 27, 2016)
• Article 8 (Functions) The General Assembly shall perform the following clauses:
  1. Resolution of member and associate member admission and dismissal (revised on September 27, 2016)
  2. Determination of membership fees
  3. Amendment of the Association Charter
  4. Determination of termination and liquidation of the Association
  5. Determination of the Secretariat venue
  6. Appointment of auditors
  7. Approval of budge · settlement of accounts and project plans
  8. Approval of the Regulations for the Membership Fee System (newly enacted on September 27, 2016)
  9. Determination of agenda related to the next General Assembly
  10. Determination and execution of business plans of the Association
  11. Other functions deemed to be necessary
• Article 9 (Resolution) Decision-making at the General Assembly shall be made in accordance with the following clauses:
  1. Each member regional government shall have one vote. However, the right to vote may be restricted in certain situations as determined by the Regulations for the Membership Fee System. (revised on September 27, 2016)
  2. The particulars specified under Clauses 1 to 5 of Article 8 shall be resolved by a two-thirds majority of the present members voting with more than half of members with the right to vote present. (revised on September 27, 2016)
  3. The particulars specified under Clauses 6 to 11 of Article 8 shall be resolved by more than half of the present members voting with more than half of the members present. (revised on September 27, 2016)
  4. 4. Members with the right to vote can be considered present if they express their intention in writing. (newly enacted on September 21, 2022)
• • Article 9-2 (Decision-making Delegated to Working Committee)
  1. In years that the General Assembly is not held, the decision-making items listed in Clauses 1, 7, and 8 of Article 8 can be commissioned to the Working Committee.<newly enacted on September 27, 2016>

Section 2 Working Committee

• Article 10 (Organization and Operation)　
  1. The Working Committee consists of director-general level or administrator-level staff nominated by the head of each member regional government. The executive or chair of the Working Committee will convene in the year before the General Assembly is supposed to be held. However, if deemed necessary by the executive of the Working Committee, a meeting of the interim working committee may convene. <newly enacted on October 22, 2014> <revised on October 29, 2018>
  2. The chair of the Working Committee shall be the vice head of the chair local government.
  3. The chair of the Working Committee shall report the result of the meeting to the General Assembly.
  4. For smooth operation of individual projects and other works, a separate subcommittee or subcommittees for each field of work may be organized as a supporting organization for the Working Committee. However, the newly established subcommittees shall be reported to the General Assembly. (newly enacted on October 21, 1998) (revised on October 29, 2018)
• Article 11 (Functions)The Working Committee shall perform the following clauses:
  1. Discussion of business plans and individual projects
  2. Documentation of annual reports and audit reports
  3. Coordination of opinions among members
  4. Determination of the establishment of sub-committees(composition, functions, and operations) <newly enacted in September 1998>
  5. Determination of issues delegated by the General Assembly to the Working Committee
  6. Other functions deemed to be necessary

Section 3 The Secretariat

• Article 12 (Organization and Operation)The Secretariat is a standing body of the Association. Each member regional government may set up a liaison body if necessary. The Secretariat will remain in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province. In case of unavoidable reasons, however, the location of the Secretariat may change after the resolution of the General Assembly. <revised on October 22, 2014>
• Article 13 (Executives and Staff)The Secretariat shall have the following executives and staff:
  1. The Secretary-General shall be one person. The Secretary-General shall be recommended by the head of the member regional government where the Secretariat is located and be appointed by the chair of the Association.
  2. The executives and staff of the Secretariat shall be comprised of government officials dispatched by the Association in principle. However, when it is deemed necessary by the Secretary General, it can be constituted separately after receiving approval from the chair of the Association.
• Article 14 (Functions) The Secretariat shall perform the following clauses:
  1. Budgeting and budget execution
  2. Documentation of business plans, annual reports, and accounting reports
  3. Liaison and coordination among members
  4. Execution of decisions made by the General Assembly and the Working Committee
  5. Other functions deemed to be necessary
• Article 15 (Financing)
  1. The accounting of the Secretariat shall be treated as special accounting, and its operations shall be covered by membership fees and other miscellaneous income.
  2. Accounting shall tentatively be carried out in accordance with the following clauses:
     1. The members of the Association shall pay the membership fee and the matters necessary for the management and operation of the membership fee shall be prescribed in the separate Regulations for the Membership Fee System. <revised on September 27, 2016>
     2. All expenses incurred by holding the General Assembly and the Working Committee shall be covered and shared as follows:
        1. All expenses shall be borne by the regional government hosting the conference in principle. However, in accordance with customary practices, a certain amount may be collected from the participating regional governments to cover the daily expenses of their delegations. (revised on September 26, 2024)
        2. In the event that a member regional government is unable to bear a significant portion of the expense due to unavoidable circumstances such as natural disasters etc., the expense to be borne may be partially reduced to a reasonable level based on the agreement of other member regional governments.
     3. The operating expenses of the Secretariat shall be borne by the member government which hosts the Secretariat.
     4. Expenses for other individual exchange and cooperation projects shall be covered by the member government which proposed those projects. However, based on agreement, they may be shared among participating members which desire to join the projects.

Section 4 Associated Supporting Organizations

• Article 16 (Establishment)Aimed at contributing to the development of the Northeast Asian region, each member regional government may establish a supporting organization (hereinafter referred to as ‘Supporting Organization of the Association’) to support the activities of the Association. (newly enacted on September 1998)
• Article 17 (Registration)
  1. In the event that a member regional government establishes a Supporting Organization of the Association, it can register the organization by submitting an application. (newly enacted in September 1998)
  2. The Supporting Organization of the Association shall report its activities to the Association. (newly enacted in September 1998)

Chapter 4 Final Provisions

• Article 18 (Effectuation)This Charter shall take effect from the 27th of September 2016. (revised on September 27, 2016)
• Article 19 (The Scope of Members)The founding members of the Association consist of regional governments, which attended the conference of the Association of North East Asia Regional Governments in 1996 and agreed to the basic spirit of the Charter.
• Article 20 (Language)This Charter shall be written in English and in the languages of the countries where the member regions belong. Original copies of which shall be kept at the archive of the Secretariat and copies of which shall be kept by each member. (revised on October 28, 2010)

The representatives of the regional governments who have been given due authority from each member government have signed the present Charter of the Association of North East Asia Regional Governments in Gyeongju City, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, the Republic of Korea on the 12th day of September 1996.

Supplementary Provision

This Charter shall take effect from October 21, 1998.

Supplementary Provision

This Charter shall take effect from September 11, 2002.

Supplementary Provision

This Charter shall take effect from September 8, 2004.

Supplementary Provision

This Charter shall take effect from October 28, 2010.

Supplementary Provision

This Charter shall take effect from October 22, 2014.

Supplementary Provision

This Charter shall take effect from September 27, 2016.

Supplementary Provision

This Charter shall take effect from October 29, 2018.

Supplementary Provision

This Charter shall take effect from September 21, 2022.

Supplementary Provision

This Charter shall take effect from October 25, 2023.

Supplementary Provision

This Charter shall take effect from March 18, 2024.

Supplementary Provision

This Charter shall take effect from September 26, 2024.