Statute

of the International Federation of Resistance-fighters (FIR) – Association of Anti-fascist
[Fédération Internationale des Résistants (FIR) – Association antifasciste]

Preamble

“Never again!” – this was the common conviction of all people who as an opposition fighter, as a fighter of the armies of Anti-Hitler-Coalition or as a victim of persecution of the Nazi regime could experience the liberation from fascism and war.

Based of the community of fighting against the fascist barbarism the member organizations of the FIR today stand up for peace, for political and social human rights and democracy.

Together with the members of present generations we act against neo-fascism and extreme rightwing, xenophobia and anti-Semitism, war and terrorism as well as their social roots.

Thus we create a “new world of the peace and freedom!” (oath of the prisoners of the concentration camp Buchenwald).

Article I (name)

The organization bears the name
Fédération Internationale des Résistants (FIR) — Association antifasciste.

This name can be translated in the language of every member association with the addition (FIR).

The activity of the organization isn't limited geographically.

Article II (who can be a member?)

The federation unites national associations, which ones include

a. the resistance fighters, the partisans and all patriots these taken part in the liberation of their native country during the fascist occupation;
b. the deported, the internees, the political prisoners and all other persons persecuted by the Nazism and fascism;
c. the surviving dependant and their relatives;
d. organizations of present generations which support the preserving of the memory and the political will of resistance and pursuit.

Article III (seat)

The seat of the federation is Berlin and can be transferred by decision of the leading committees to another place. A durable transfer requires a confirmation by the congress.
Article IV (aims)

The FIR stands

  • for peace, democratic and social rights and human dignity in all parts of the world
  • for the fulfillment of the principles and aims of the Charta of the United Nations
  • for a fair world economy and respect the nations right of their own resources
  • for the realising of principles of international law in international relations. The FIR rejects preventive wars and retaliatory strikes as means of the penetration of political interests.
  • for a world, where the social and political roots of inhuman terrorism are eliminated, where public terrorism is banned
  • against all attempts with the key word of the “terrorism” intersperse interests of world domination,
  • against the inhuman consequences of globalisation in social and political fields,
  • against every form of racialist, political, ideological or religious discrimination, anti-Semitism and against a regrowing of fascism and Nazism in all their forms
  • for the keeping of the legacy of the resistance and the ideals of the opposition movement and the documentation of her historical role
  • for the honor bestowed upon the women and men from resistance and pursuit and this ones which has fallen for the defence of the liberty of her native country and the preservation of their memory
  • for preservation and keeping the places of fascist crimes as memorial places in all countries
  • for the defense of the social rights and demands of the women and men from resistance and pursuit, for the political realisation of material and moral rights against the perpetrators or their successors in law. The succession states and their governments must accept their responsibility.

Article V (principles of the behavior)

The federation follows up these aims with the support of her respective national member associations on all legally permitted ways.

Therefore the federation promotes the following measures: Explanations to politically responsible persons, media and public, publication of documentations, newspapers and a regular bulletin, participation on and/or realising of conferences and meetings, support of research and publications to topics, which concern the goals of the federation, collection from materials, archival and publications to the history of occupation, resistance and pursuit, consultation within the legal border.

FIR does particularly its best to report her targets as a non-governmental organization (NGO) with the commissions of the United Nations, UNESCO, the Council of Europe and the European parliament.

Article VI (membership)

The organization embraces full and associated members.

Full members are unions which correspond to the determinations led in article II, to the aims and principles the federation confess and pay their contributions. The contributions varies according to the article order to be passed at the congress.

Full members send entitled to vote delegates to the congress and their representatives can be elected to the leading organs of the FIR.

Associated members can be organisations who follow the activity of the FIR and pay a contribution. They take part at the congress and the annual meetings with a consulting voice.

On suggestion of the congress and the leading committees personalities who have done the FIR a great service can be appointed honor members.

Article VII (joining)

Every application for membership by associations or persons must be addressed to the leading committee of the federation. This committee decides on the acceptance or the rejection. In case of rejection the application can be presented to the congress whose decision is definite.
Article VIII (end of the membership)

The membership ends

1. by leaving
2. by cut
3. by dissolving of the national organization
4. by death (the associated members)

The leaving and the dissolving of the organization have to be reported to the office in writing.

The cut can be carried out because of non-payment of contributions or grave violation of the statutes of the federation. The leading committee decides on the cut under reservation of the confirmation by the congress.

Article IX (leading committees)

The leading organs of the FIR are

  • the congress
  • the executive committee

Article X (representation of the FIR)

The organization is represented (legally) by the president, the vice-presidents or another member of the executive committee. On the right business explanations for more than 250 € require the signature of the cashier and another member of the executive committee.

Article XI (congress)

The highest authority of the federation is the congress. It is called by the executive committee and sits at least every 3 years. An extraordinary congress is called on desire of a third of the full members.

Time, place and agenda are layed down by the executive committee by suggestion of the executive committee. The invitation with agenda has to be carried out at least 2 months before meeting, with the except of the case of an extraordinary congress

According to the size of the member organizations the executive committee also decides on the number of the delegates. Every member organization has the right to at least one delegate.

Article XII (The tasks of congress)

The congress takes the report of the executive committee on their activities, the report of the cashier and the financial control commission.

The congress advises and decides on the reports and fixes the main emphases of the future work of the federation.

The congress votes by name for the president, two vice-presidents, the secretary general and further members of the executive committee.

It votes for the cashier and the members of the financial control commission.

The congress designates an honour presidency, which consists of no more than 10 persons and in its rows are taken up honourable representatives of the FIR and important member federations. The members of the honour presidency can participate in all meetings of the leading committees and the annual meetings with advisory voice.

All decisions of the congress are carried out with a simple majority with the exception of the cases provided for article XVIII and XIX.

The decisions attain validity if a regular congress has taken place and the decision ability has been stated.

Article XIII (executive committee)

The highest authority between the congress is the executive committee. The members voted for at the congress belong to him (cf. Article XII) and the cashier. All members of the executive committee get in internal decision concrete fields of work, for which they are responsible.

The executive committee has the right to consult further members. These members aren't drawing authorized according to the article X.

The executive committee

  • sit at least twice every year
  • realize the decisions of the congress together with the national associations
  • seize own political initiatives for the fulfillment of the aims of the federation
  • decide on the registration of new members as well as the cut
  • call the congress and prepare it.

The executiv comittee is answerable to the congress.

Article XIV (annual meetings)

Between the congresses annual meetings take place. To them the presidents and/or chairman's of all member organizations are invited. They can leave themselves if necessary represented.

These annual meetings stands under a content wise emphasis, which by the executive committee is specified and prepared, and on those definitions are met over the political work to this topic.

Elections do not take place on these annual conventions.

Article XV (finances)

The remedies for the attainment of the organization purposes are as a matter of priority found by membership dues and donations as well as cares of the public hand (at national and international level).

Article XVI (average use)

The federation pursues exclusive and immediate charitable purposes according to the section “tax privileged purposes” of the tax law. The federation is selflessly active; it doesn't pursue primarily self-economic purposes.

The financial means of the federation may be used only for the statutory purposes.

The members do not receive payments from means of the association. Expenditures of the leading committees are refunded only to the extent of the expenditures actually developed. A remuneration of the honorary activity in the leading committees is excluded.

Article XVII (financial world control)

The work of the cashier is checked by the financial control commission. The commission is chosen by the congress and consists of at least three members who don't belong to the executive committee.

The commission checks the register documents and presents a report to the congress.

Article XVIII (change of the statutes)

The statutes only can be changed by the congress. The suggestion of the statute change must be expelled in the invitation for the congress. Change suggestions must be presented to the executive committee at least three months in front of the meeting of the congress.

A statute change requires a two third majority of the congress.

Article XIX (dissolving of the federation)

Only a congress can decide on a dissolving of the federation. This congress must particularly be called to this end. A two third majority of the voices of the delegates is required for the dissolving of the organization.

In the case of the voluntary dissolving by congress decision the congress votes for a liquidation commission.

In the case of voluntary dissolving the federation or with omission of tax-privileged purposes their fortune falls to the Vereinigung der Verfolgten des Naziregimes – Bund der Antifaschistinnen und Antifaschisten (VVN-BdA), which has to use it directly and exclusively for tax-privileged purposes.

Decided on the XIII. regular congress,
November 2004 in Berlin