1. Name

The name of this Association shall be “Asian Strategic Alliance for Pneumococcal disease prevention” (ASAP).

2. Mission

Contain and control pneumococcal disease in the Asian region through Awareness, Surveillance, Advocacy and Prevention

3. Objectives

The objectives of the Alliance are to:

• Collate and disseminate available data on pneumococcal disease epidemiology within the region
• Create awareness about pneumococcal disease and its prevention among professionals and the public
• Communicate and engage with policy makers regarding the importance of pneumococcal disease and its prevention
• Encourage and support surveillance of pneumococcal disease
• Generate consensus based on evidence-based medicine and best clinical practices

4. Membership

Membership shall comprise key opinion leaders in the field of paediatrics and pneumococcal disease control from across the region. The alliance will liaise with national paediatric societies, to nominate interested members to be national representatives.

4.1 Tenure of membership is three (3) years with the possibility of re-appointment.

4.2 Responsibilities of members shall include but are not limited to

• Attendance at three ASAP meetings annually (or one half of the total number of meetings for the year) and other related meetings as necessary. There should be at least one country representative at each meeting
• Report on pneumococcal disease activities in home country at the meetings
• Realise the mission and objectives of the group by actively contributing in agreed activities, which include organising the scientific content of the regional pneumococcal disease conference; collating country-specific data for publication; liaising with media on educational and awareness campaigns

4.3 Affiliate members shall consist of representatives of countries and regional bodies that are not presently represented in the Alliance.

4.4 The original members of the Alliance will be Founding Members.

4.5 Termination of membership shall be in writing with at least three (3) months’ notice.

5. Executive Members

5.1 A Chairperson shall be elected from among the members for a two (2)-year term with the possibility of serving a maximum of two (2) terms.
|The Chairperson is responsible for conducting meetings of the Alliance and representing ASAP at national and international meetings.

5.2 A Vice-Chairperson shall be elected for a two (2)-year term with the possibility of serving a maximum of two (2) terms to assist the Chairperson or conduct meetings in the absence of the latter.

5.3 A Secretary/Treasurer may be elected to maintain accounts of the Alliance and present a Financial Report every two (2) years to the membership.
Each incumbent Chairperson will send a notice calling for nominations 3 months before completing her/his tenure of office.
Voting will be by secret ballot. Proxy votes are to be submitted to the secretariat in the event the member is unable to attend.
Only Members and Founding Members are eligible to vote and hold office.

6. Chapters

ASAP members may form individual Chapters in their respective countries. Chapters will be approved by, and report to, the main ASAP committee. The constitution and by-laws of ASAP will apply to the Chapters.
Activities and responsibilities of the Chapters will be the responsibilities of the individual members as stated above.
Country specific chapters will be responsible for their own finances and accounts.

7. Conferences and Meetings

ASAP will endeavour to organize annual conferences. Chapters/Members may host these conferences in rotation with the agreement of the ASAP committee.
Meetings will be called at least once per year to discuss and update members on data and activities related to the scope of the Alliance.
A quorum consists of more than half of the total number of members.
All resolutions will be passed by a simple majority vote. The Chairperson will have the casting vote.

8. Secretariat

The Secretariat will be appointed by the Chairperson upon the recommendation of the Executive Members for a period of three (3) years. The term of office is renewable upon review by the Committee.
Responsibilities include planning and logistics of meetings, keeping minutes of each meeting, coordinating correspondences and maintaining accounts in consultation with the Chairperson and/or Secretary/Treasurer.

9. Affiliation

ASAP will be affiliated to regional and international societies with similar objectives.
The Alliance will also liaise with National Specialty Societies with similar interests.

10. Dissolution and Liquidation

The decision of dissolution shall be taken only on a majority vote of at least two-thirds of the Members.
In case of dissolution, the Council Meeting shall decide on the disposition of the assets of the Alliance, and shall elect the persons to be charged with carrying out of the liquidation.

11. Language

The official language of the Alliance shall be English.

 

By laws

Funding

Running costs for activities, meetings and conferences will be met by donations.
Grants from companies will be accepted with no obligatory expectations to ensure the neutrality of efforts/materials by the Alliance.
Accounts of the Alliance will be audited annually through an internal auditing process.

Constitutional amendments

Amendments to the constitution will have to be submitted and circulated to members at least 2 months prior to a meeting. Amendments will take effect after a vote of two
thirds majority of members.

Sub-committees

Sub-committees may be appointed to manage and achieve various activities and functions as agreed by the Alliance.

Corporate Representatives

Corporate representatives will be invited by the Alliance to each meeting.
These representatives will have no voting rights and are not eligible to hold office in ASAP.

Appendix 1: ASAP Founding Members

	Member	Country
1.	Prof. Lulu Bravo	(Philippines)
2.	Dr. Chok-Wan Chan	(Hong Kong)
3.	Prof. Kenneth Lee	(Hong Kong)
4.	Dr. Nitin Shah	(India)
5.	Dr. Shyam Kukreja	(India)
6.	Prof. Sri Rezeki Hadinegoro	(Indonesia)
7.	Prof. Cissy Kartasasmita	(Indonesia)
8.	Prof. Hoan-Jong Lee	(Korea)
9.	Dr. Musa Mohammed Nordin	(Malaysia)
10.	Dr. Zulkifli Ismail	(Malaysia)
11.	Prof. Iqbal Memon	(Pakistan)
12.	Prof. Sajid Maqbool	(Pakistan)
13.	Dr. Anna Lisa Ong-Lim	(Philippines)
14.	Dr. Cecilia Maramba	(Philippines)
15.	Assoc. Prof. Daniel Goh	(Singapore)
16.	Dr. Cheng-Hsun Chiu	(Taiwan)
17.	Prof. Ping-Ing Lee	(Taiwan)
18.	Prof. Somsak Lolekha	(Thailand)
19.	Prof. Usa Thisyakorn	(Thailand)