1. The attached Charter of the Council of Representatives of Public Organisations of National Minorities of Ukraine shall be approved.

2. The Ministry of Justice of Ukraine shall provide the organisational support to activities of the Council of Representatives of Public Organisations of National Minorities of Ukraine.

Leonid Kuchma, President of Ukraine
City of Kyiv, 22 July 2000
#908/2000

1. The Council of Representatives of Public Organisations of National Minorities of Ukraine (hereinafter referred to as the �Council� is an advisory body to the President of Ukraine set up in order to support the increasing role of public organisations of national minorities of Ukraine in the process of state authorities� taking decisions on the development of the ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious originality of national minorities of Ukraine, deepening the democratic principles of the Ukrainian society and ensuring the interethnic harmony in Ukraine.

2. Activities of the Council shall be governed by the Constitution of Ukraine (254k/96-VR), laws of Ukraine, acts of the President of Ukraine, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and this Charter.

3. The major tasks of the Council are to prepare proposals on:

- the support to the development of the tolerance and harmony in interethnic relations;

- the improvement of the legislation of Ukraine on national minorities and mechanisms of its implementation;

- the protection of rights of national minorities, the satisfaction of needs of their ethnocultural development;

- the development of ethnocultural and humanitarian relations of public organisations of national minorities of Ukraine with countries of their ethnic origin.

4. In line with its tasks, the Council shall:

1) prepare proposals on shaping the state ethnonational policy, the protection of rights of national minorities of Ukraine, their involvement in the development of the state;

2) analyse the status, trends and prospects of the ethnonational development of Ukraine, the status of national minorities of Ukraine;

3) consider draft laws, acts of the President of Ukraine and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, target programmes approved by central executive agencies, which are related to national minorities of Ukraine, and prepare proposals in respect thereof;

4) make proposals according to the established procedure on issues related to the ethnocultural development of national minorities of Ukraine, which require the regulation by law;

5) develop proposals on issues related to the application in Ukraine of international treaties accepted as binding by the Supreme Council (Parliament) of Ukraine and submit them according to the established procedure;

6) make proposals regarding the organisation and holding pan-Ukrainian and international conferences, forums, symposia dedicated to problems of national minorities of Ukraine.

5. In order to perform its tasks, the Council shall have the right:

- to set up temporary and permanent task forces;

- to involve specialists of central and local executive agencies, staff of scientific and other institutions and organisations, creative unions (subject to consent of their management) in the consideration of issues, which belong to its scope of competence;

- to receive the information, documents and materials necessary for the performance of its tasks from central and local executive agencies, and local self-administration bodies according to the established procedure.

6. The Council shall be set up of the Chairperson, deputy chairpersons and members of the Council.

The initial membership of the Council shall be approved by the President of Ukraine. The Chairperson of the Council shall have the right to modify its membership, if necessary.

The Chairperson, deputy chairperson and members of the Council shall take part in its activities on a voluntary basis.

7. Sessions held as necessary but at least twice per quarter shall be the organisational form of activities of the Council.

A session of the Council shall be deemed capable, if it is attended by at least one half of its membership. Sessions of the Council shall be chaired by its Chairperson or, in case of his absence, by the deputy chairperson.

Decisions of the council shall be made by majority vote. In case of the equal distribution of votes, the Chairperson shall cast the deciding vote.

Decisions of the Council shall be issued in the form of protocols. They shall be of recommendation nature.

8. The ongoing work of the Council shall be organised by the working presidium elected by the Council.

The technical support to activities of the Council shall be provided by its secretariat, whose charter shall be approved by the Council.

In its activities, the Council shall use letterheads with its name.

V. LYTVYN
Head of Administration
of the President of Ukraine

Source: Unofficial translation