FEE WAIVER

A fee waiver process has been developed so that membership fees may be fully or partially waived in a transparent manner. However, a fee waiver may be obtained only in exceptional circumstances as a result of a formal request according to the conditions set out below.

A full or partial waiver of membership fees may be granted in the following cases:

a. to Producer Organisations in the poorest non-OECD countries*;

b. to a ginner segregating Better Cotton and establishing identification of Better Cotton bales at gin level;

c. to an organisation implementing farmer support activities where these activities are beyond core business activity and beyond their membership obligations;

d. to an organisation carrying out activities within the framework of the BCI Endorsement Procedure (i.e. start to develop the Better Cotton System in a country outside the BCI current focus region).

There are no limitations for Producer Organisations in the poorest non-OECD countries to be eligible for a fee waiver.

No waiver can be granted to a Member

• for the first year of membership; or

• for an activity that didn’t require additional investment (financial or in kind) by this Member.

A waiver may be granted retrospectively, i.e. after the first year of running an activity that qualifies for a waiver.

Members may get their fee waived into the following proportion:

• Up to 100% for Civil Society and Producers;

• Up to 50% for Retailers and Brands and Suppliers and Manufacturers.

1. An application for a waiver of fees must be lodged with the Secretary of the Association at least 2 months prior to the date of payment for the annual membership fee.

2. The application for a waiver of fees shall include:

a. a cover letter from one of the representatives of the Member organisation explaining how the activity carried out by the Member is eligible for a waiver, specifying the requested level of waiver;

b. the previous year report on the activity eligible for a waiver, including a financial report;

c. the plan and budget for carrying out the activity eligible for a waiver of fees the next year.

3. The Council decides on whether to grant the Member a fee waiver, and the percentage of the waiver in its next meeting.

4. The Secretary notifies the Member on the decision of the Council.

* Those countries ranked between 140 and 179 on the UNDP Human Development Index. In terms of major cotton producing countries, this includes Cameroon, Senegal, Togo, Benin, Zambia, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Chad and Burkina Faso, in September 2009.



last update: 5 Oct. 09