(1) Name: The name of the organization shall be O LE FALEULA O FATUA’IUPU O
LE GAGANA SAMOA”,

(2) Interpretation: In this constitution unless explicitly provided otherwise in the text:

(a) “Commission” shall mean the “Samoan Language Commission”;

(b) “Samoan Language Community” shall refer to all geographical and political areas where some or all of the peoples speak the Samoan language;

(c) “Delegation” shall mean all the accredited delegates to a General Meeting of the Commission within a particular geographic region;

(d) “Year” means the period from the conclusion of one General Meeting of the Commission to the conclusion of the next such meeting.

(3) The aims or goals of the Commission shall be:

(a) to share ideas and information about ways in which the Samoan language in both its written and spoken form can be better maintained and promoted in the home, in education, in the media, in the arts and humanities, in the public service, in the law and in everyday life;

(b) to share and exchange new words created in the Samoan language through the maintenance of a common database and in other ways;

(c) to share and exchange ideas, information and experiences about the methods of expanding vocabularies, including the retrieval of words no longer used and the coining of new terms;

(d) to share and exchange information, research and experiences about the methods of learning and teaching the Samoan language;

(e) to share and exchange ideas, information, and experiences about producing teaching and learning materials, such as books, posters, videos and computer software, and to facilitate the adoption of such materials for use in Samoan language communities;

(f) to promote aims or goals and objectives of the Samoan Language Commission throughout the world;

(g) to keep the governments of the Samoan language communities informed, when necessary, of the state of the Samoan language

(4) That the objectives of the Commission:

(a) to increase the number of people who know the Samoan language by increasing the opportunities to learn Samoan;

(b) to improve the proficiency levels of listening, speaking, reading, and writing in the Samoan language;

(c) to increase the opportunities to use the Samoan language by increasing the number of situations where Samoan can be used;

(d) to increase the rate at which the Samoan language develops so that it can be used for the full range of modern activities;

(e) to foster among Samoans and non-Samoans positive attitudes, accurate beliefs, and positive values about the Samoan language;

(f) to work so that Samoan-English bilingualism becomes a valued part of Samoan communities abroad;

(g) to encourage the use of indigenous words.

(5) Membership. The Commission shall consist of Members:

(a) Members shall be representatives of organization whose principal activities or objectives include the maintenance, teaching, revitalization, development, defense or propagation of the Samoan language;

(b) Participation in the Commission by any member shall be at a level considered to be appropriate to his or her needs and circumstances.

(c) There shall be sixteen members: four from American Samoa, four from the Independent State of Samoa, three from New Zealand, three from Hawaii and two from California.

(6) Admission to Membership. Membership the Commission is granted to the representatives of the organizations whose members signed the “AGREEMENT TO ESTABLISH THE SAMOAN LANGUAGE COMMISSION” drafted in Apia, Samoa on April 9, 2000. Other members may be admitted under the conditions laid down in subsequent sections in this article.

(a) Representatives of organizations based in a particular Samoan language community shall be admitted to full membership on application to the Secretariat provided that their application is endorsed by at least one full member of the Commission from that geographical or political region, and membership must be approved by the Commission.

(b) Where there are no existing full members of the Commission from a particular geographical or political region, applications for full membership shall be referred by the Secretariat to the Commission, which shall act on the application by resolution.

(c) Where an individual applicant is not associated with an organization or a geographical or political region as indicated in the above but who can work for the aims or goals and objectives of the Commission applications for full membership shall be referred by the Secretariat to the Commission which shall act on the application by resolution.

(7) Conditions of Membership. Full members must accept responsibility for supporting the on-going work of the Commission either directly through the provision of material resources or indirectly, through the active participation of their members or staff in the activities and projects of the Commission.

(a) A general meeting of the Commission may recommend a subscription to be paid by members to support the work of the Commission; however, the payment of a particular level of subscription shall not a condition of membership in the Commission.

(b) Membership may cease or be suspended by a 2/3 vote of the full membership.

(8) Working Languages. The working languages of the Commission shall be Samoan and English. However, the Commission is encouraged to use the Samoan language whenever possible when conducting its internal affairs.

(9) Secretariat. There shall be a rotating Secretariat of the Commission, the length of term and site of which shall be determined by resolution at a General Meeting of the Commission. The duties and responsibilities shall include but not be limited to the following:

a) acting as a center of official communications and correspondences for the Commission;

b) the development of a Directory of those involve in Samoan Language maintenance and development;

c) the storage and safe keeping of the Commissions records.

d) assisting in planning and implementing of General Meetings

e) assisting in the development of an online database and web site of the Commission

f) the development and dissemination of a Commission newsletter

g) to provide assistance and advise to the establishment of the succeeding Secretariat.

(10) Presidency. The Presidency of the Commission shall be assumed by the geographic or political region responsible for hosting the General Meeting of the Commission from the conclusion of the immediately proceeding General Meeting until the conclusion of the General Meeting which that geographic or political region. The geographic or political region concerned shall designate from within their members the President and Vice-President of the Commission.

(a) The President shall be responsible for the chairing general sessions of the Commission and convening meetings of special committees; The Vice-President shall assume the responsibilities of the President in his or her absence.

(b) The immediate past President shall act as advisor to the new President.

(c) The President shall report to the General Meeting of Commission on the activities of the Commission since the preceding General Meeting and on other matters related to the aims and functions of the Commission.

(11) Special Committee. Special Committees may be appointed at each General Meeting of the Commission to hold office until the next General Meeting. Membership to special committees shall be drawn from the Full membership of the Commission. The President is an ex-officio member of all special committees.

(12) General Meetings. The Commission shall hold a General Meeting at a date and site to be determined by the Commission at the previous General Meeting. The site of the General Meetings shall be rotated among the geographic and political region of the Commission, ensuring that each region, has an opportunity but not an obligation to host a General Meeting. The location of the subsequent General Meeting will be decided by mutual agreement between members of the Commission.

a) All members shall have full speaking rights at all sessions of the Commission. Observers shall have speaking rights at the discretion of the Chair.

b) Whenever possible, decision at General Meetings shall be made by consensus. Where voting is necessary, only full members shall be entitled to vote. The President or a member chairing a meeting shall only vote in the event of a tie.
c) the General Meeting shall:

i) Receive and discuss the report of the President;
ii) Receive and discuss the reports from each geographic and political region;
iii) Receive and discuss the reports of the secretariat.
iv) Discuss and dispose of such other matters relevant to the aims and activities of the Commission as may be put before by members, the president, the secretariat or the special committees.
v) Decide any budgetary and financial matters put before it.

d) the Commission shall have the sole right to add to, amend or rescind this Constitution. Any change to the Constitution shall require the assent of not less than 2/3 of the members.