Interim Secretariat Bylaws

Article I – Purpose

The Vancouver Process Secretariat (“the Secretariat”) exists to facilitate voluntary, non-binding collaboration among participating governments on the policy, institutional, and governance challenges associated with carbon dioxide removal (CDR). The Secretariat does not advocate, negotiate, regulate, or bind its participants.

Article II – Nature of the Secretariat

1. The Secretariat is facilitative, not directive.
2. It has no independent policy agenda.
3. It acts for the benefit of participating governments.

Article III – Participation

1. Participation is open to all national and subnational governments.
2. Participation in all Secretariat-supported activities is voluntary and opt-in.
3. No participant is required to engage in all activities.
4. Different groups of participants may engage at different depths and speeds (“variable geometry”).
5. There is no requirement for consensus for activities to proceed.

Article IV – Activities

The Secretariat may support, among other activities:

1. Information sharing and peer learning
2. Policy comparison and synthesis
3. Convening of interested participants
4. Time-bound working groups or task forces
5. Capture and dissemination of lessons learned.

Article V – Initiation of Workstreams

Workstreams may be initiated through:

1. A request from two or more participating governments; or
2. A time-limited pilot proposed by the Secretariat and taken up voluntarily.

No vote or consensus approval is required.

Article VI – Governance and Oversight

1. The Interim Secretariat will be directed by the CDRNet director
2. The CDRANet director will hire staff as warranted to assist with management of the organizations
3. The Secretariat will be advised by an Expert Advisory Group.
4. The Expert Advisory Group:

• provides strategic guidance
• reflects participant priorities
• does not exercise fiduciary control. 

Article VII – Hosting and Legal Status

1. The Interim Secretariat will be hosted by the Science Communication Institute (a US-based 501c3 which also hosts CDRANet) for administrative and legal purposes.
2. Hosting does not confer agenda-setting authority.
3. Any change in hosting or legal status shall be participant-driven.

Article VIII – Relationship to Other Bodies

1. The Secretariat does not replace or supersede existing initiatives.
2. It may draw on external expertise, including expert networks such as CDRANet, without delegating governance authority.
3. The Secretariat serves as a coordination interface, not a gatekeeper.

Article IX – Amendment and Evolution

These Terms may evolve based on participant experience and demand. No amendment shall create binding obligations without explicit participant agreement.