Postponement of General Assemblies Restricts Civil Society Activities

 

The decision taken in the first days of the pandemic to postpone the general assembly meetings of non-governmental organizations was updated last month and the period was extended until October 31st. 

Due to the relevant legislation, non-governmental organizations cannot hold general meetings online. However, the general assemblies that could not be convened or postponed under epidemic conditions and the problems that came with it seem to have restricted the activities of non-governmental organizations.

 

Speaking to Derya Kap from Civil Pages, Tezcan Eralp Abay said that the postponement decision taken due to the pandemic created various problems. He explained that they foresee that the General Directorate of Civil Society Relations may take steps to use digital opportunities in case the process prolongs.

 

Abay pointed out that NGOs have question marks regarding the scope of the decision and said that the legal infrastructure is needed to organize an online general assembly.

 

Abay stated that although STGM held a significant number of online training, seminars and workshops during the pandemic, STGM's communication with associations was limited compared to normal conditions, and that his observations on other associations were limited, and the problems were explained as follows.

 

“The first is about the scope of the rule. We are faced with many questions about whether the decision to postpone creates a postponement opportunity for associations in cases where the general assembly cannot be convened, or whether it means a general assembly ban for all associations. We direct associations that are hesitant about this issue to Provincial Directorates of Relations with Civil Society. We know that at least some associations can hold a General Assembly. However, many associations decided to postpone their general assemblies.

 

The current boards of directors continue their duties. I don't think it's a big problem in this respect. However, the duties of the general assemblies other than the election of the board of directors cannot be fulfilled. Steps that require a decision of the general assembly, such as by-laws change and branch establishment, are also suspended. Ultimately, the impact of these problems will be limited, as the activities of the associations are severely restricted.

 

" In the event that new constraints come due to the pandemic and if the general assembly cannot be held for a while, Tezcan Eralp Abay was asked about the possibilities of the associations to continue their executive activities with digital opportunities and solutions, and that the digital opportunities experienced during the pandemic process show that many activities can be done remotely, and these remote / online tools. He also drew attention to the fact that the infrastructure is spreading rapidly.

 

“While online meeting was the exception before the pandemic, today there is hardly any home left without online meetings for educational or business purposes. Therefore, it seems technically that an online general assembly can also be held. However, there is a need for a regulation regarding the legal infrastructure of this. Otherwise, online general assemblies may cause a wave of lawsuits for cancellation. " said. Reminding that STGIM has announced that this infrastructure will also be used to improve digital facilities during the amendment of regulations and laws that require notification of all members of associations, Abay predicts that we can expect STIGM's regulations in this direction if the process is prolonged.