Organizational Principles
5.1 The name of the association will be: South Asian Women in Media—SAWM.
5.2. The logo: 
5.3: Membership: Any woman media professional (print, radio, television, films and online) who agrees with the objectives and goals of SAWM can become a member of the association by filling the Membership Form, subject to approval by the local committee.
5.4: Delegate: Every member is entitled to become a delegate to the General Body of SAWM, participating in its activities, elect office bearers and freely express her opinion on all matters at various forums of the association.
5.5: National Unit: There will be a National Unit in each country of South Asia with an elected Executive Body.
5.6: The General Body: It will consist of all members of state/provincial units, or their elected/designated representatives in the National Unit, who will set policy, direction and frame rules. It will meet once every two years and act as the highest decision making body in the NU.
5.7: The National Executive: The National Executive of each country chapter of SAWM will be elected by the General Body which will also determine numbers and officials of the National Executive. It will report on all matters to the General Body and will pursue all objectives set by the Regional Conference of SAWM and set its own goals according to local conditions. The state-level / provincial chapters of SAWM may form the National Unit. The National Unit shall form as many branches as are required. It will meet whenever required or when summoned at the request of one of the NE members. All decisions ought to be taken by consensus, but a majority decision will be binding on all members.
5.8: Regional Conference: The Regional Conference of SAWM (RCWM) is the highest decision making body that will set the direction and make rules. It will take all decisions with a broad based consensus. The Central Secretariat will determine the ratio of delegates to the conference, whereas the National Unit will finalise the list of delegates from the respective countries, taking due care to strike a balance in the composition of the delegation. The RCWM will elect the members of the Regional Executive on the recommendation of the respective National Executive.
5.9: Regional Executive: There will be a Regional Executive Body consisting of three members from each country including President, General Secretary and one other member of the NU. It will also include three members from the Central Secretariat. The REB will implement all decisions of the Regional Conference, take policy-decisions, finalise work plans, and give directions to chapters and office bearers. The REB will be composed of the following office bearers: President, 6 Vice Presidents, General Secretary, Joint Secretary and Information Secretary. The Executive Director of Free Media Foundation or his/her designated official will be the ex-officio member of the regional Executive Body of SAWM for better coordination between FMF and SAWM.
5.10: President: The President of the National Unit hosting the RCWM will be the President of SAWM and will remain in office till the holding of the next RCWM. She will preside over the REB and the Regional Conference and coordinate with the General Secretary in all organisational and other matters. However, if the General Secretary is from the host country, the President shall continue in office until the next conference.
5.11: Vice Presidents: There will be six vice-presidents –one from each country except the chapters where the President and General Secretary are from. The vice presidents will assist the President and General Secretary in performing their duties while guiding the work of their respective National Unit, being senior officials of the REB. The vice-presidents shall be elected by the REB.
5.12: General Secretary: There will be a General Secretary to be elected by the REB for a period of three years. The General Secretary will run all administrative and financial affairs of SAWM as mandated by the RCWM and from time to time, will be guided by REB, or take decisions in consultation with the REB members on important events/issues. The General Secretary will implement all decisions of RCWM and REB. She will represent SAWM, plan and execute all programmes, besides running the organisation and managing the Central Secretariat. She will also raise and manage funds, besides keeping the accounts. The General Secretary will present her report, including accounts, to the RCWM, and consult members of REB on major decisions. She will also have the discretion to allocate funds, take decisions, negotiate contracts, plan and implement the programmes.
5.13: Joint Secretary: The Joint Secretary will assist the General Secretary in all organisational matters, and act as acting General Secretary in the absence of the General Secretary.
5.14: Information Secretary: There will be an Information Secretary who will handle SAWM’s website, update SAWM’s blog, and be responsible for media relations.
5.15: Central Secretariat: It will be formed by SAWM’s General Secretary for running the organizational matters of SAWM. All matters of the Central Secretariat will be decided by the General Secretary who will enter into a contract with the Free Media Foundation, Lahore to act as its implementing agency. All coordinators, officials and staff appointed by the Central Secretariat/Free Media Foundation shall be responsible to the General Secretary and will follow the FMF’s Project Cycle Operations Manual.
5.16. SAWM will be completely independent in its policies and decision making, both creative and financial, and will be free to develop fraternal relations with other media organisations, including the South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA). SAWM recognises that the finances and accounts of SAWM will be managed by the Free Media Foundation, Lahore, which also manages the accounts and finances of SAFMA until SAWM is free and able to do so on its own. SAWM members are free to become SAFMA members and attend meetings, as they are free to do with other organisations.
Appendix 1
The CEDAW Principles
The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is an international treaty signed by 185 States calls for substantive equality, non-discrimination and obligations of state. This is a comprehensive bill of rights for women and combines concerns that had been hitherto addressed in an ad-hoc manner through the United Nations system. The broad structure of the CEDAW Convention as follows:
Articles 1 defines discrimination. Articles 2-4 outlines State obligations in eliminating discrimination, including sex roles and stereotyping and customary practices detrimental to women (article 5), prostitution (article 6), political and public life (article 7), participation at the international level (article 8), nationality (article 9), education (article 10), employment (article 11), health care and family planning (article 12), economic and social benefits (article 13), rural women (article 14), equality before the law (article 15), marriage and family relationship (article 16). The CEDAW principles provide the framework for formulating strategies to advance the human rights of women and make the articles meaningful.