Governance

Charter and Operating Rules

GAMAC is governed by written, published rules — not by the discretion of its founder. The Charter and Operating Rules below were adopted and published in September 2026 and are in force from the founding phase.

Status: Version 1.0, adopted and published, in force. The English texts are the sole authoritative versions; the Chinese translations are complete working translations provided for reference only.

GAMAC Charter

Version 1.0 · September 2026 · Adopted and published, in force · English text prevails in case of divergence

The founding instrument of the alliance: purpose, membership categories and voting rights, governance bodies, the free-of-charge principle, and the ICOPC credential framework.

Operating Rules

Version 1.0 · September 2026 · Adopted and published, in force · English text prevails in case of divergence

Procedures adopted under the Charter: membership admission and review, credential issuance and revocation, annual compliance self-assessment, complaints, meetings and voting.

Governance at a glance

Member-controlled standards

Media organizations hold one member, one vote as Voting Members. Cultural entities and technical communities hold defined limited voting rights. No single member — including ICO — holds a veto over professional issuance standards.

Transitional structure

An Interim Steering Committee chaired by ICO without veto power serves until the tenth Voting Member joins or 31 December 2027, whichever comes first; the first election follows within 90 days.

Permanent balance rules

The permanent Steering Committee has 7–11 members, with a media majority, at least 40% Global South representation and at least 40% women; two-year staggered terms, one re-election.

Free of charge, forever

Membership is free of charge. The principle is entrenched in the Charter and can only be amended by a heightened double-majority vote of the membership.

Questions about the governance documents may be sent to the Interim Secretariat at info@icoun.org.