Our compliance and Regulatory section is not only handle registration but also overseer and ensure Co-operative Societies ACT CAP 152 and other relevant legislation relate to the establish, maintaining and development of Co-operative Societies are being comply throughout the complete cycle of the business.

The key legislation that we ensure everyone to work accordingly includes, Co-operative Societies ACT CAP 152, its Rules and Regulations, By-laws of the society, as well as related main strategic documents such National Co-operative Policies.

Other related legislations that we also expected all co-operatives societies to comply with are;

• Labour ACT – Pertaining disputes, renumeration and other
• Customs and Inland Revenue ACT – Permits & VAT
• Vanuatu National Provident Fund ACT – VNPF contribution
• Industry Development ACT – Value addition
• Tourism Development ACT
• Environmental ACT
• AML & CTF ACT
• Financial ACT
• Disaster Risk Management ACT

In order to ensure these legislations are effectively followed our compliance team would engage, cause someone to engage on behalf of the Registrar officers to carry out audits and inspections to determine how well the society have been performing over that financial year and the extent of which they as a society have been comply with the relevant legislation mentioned above.

The outcome of the audits reports later submitted to the Registrar of the society to be signed off and endorsed before presentation can be made to the members.

Apart from auditing which normally happen at the end of a financial year period, we also engage in random inspections throughout the year. The purpose of the exercise again is to ensure societies are comply with their By-laws which promote healthy governance, of course relevant legislations as outline earlier above. Officers in the provinces are expected to carry out these inspections according to their workplan over the year, however, we can also carry out these activities upon request from the client.

Another key function of the section is to deal with complaints, conflicts or disputes within the society, either between members and society, or between board members and the society.

Whenever there arise complaints & conflicts clients can seek assistance from ORCBDS through Compliance Section by way of writing, calling on phone or visit your nearest office for assistance.

Establishment

The Cooperative Development Fund is a body corporate established under the Cooperative Societies Act (CAP 152) and Section 40 of the Cooperative Societies Rules of 1987.

The Fund’s registered office is located at the Ministry of Tourism, Trade, Commerce and Ni-Vanuatu Business premises, sis at Montfort Street, George Pompidou Area, Port Vila, Vanuatu.

Status of the Fund

1        The Fund:

(a)     is a body corporate with perpetual succession; and

(b)     shall have a common seal; and

(c)     may acquire, hold and dispose of property and assets; and

(d)     may sue and be sued in its corporate name.

Purpose and Objectives of the Fund

The Purpose of the Fund shall be to foster economic growth and co-operation within the Vanuatu’s productive sector in general and to contribute to enhance the economic development potential for the active actors of the cooperative sector of Vanuatu.

The Objectives of the Funds are:

-         to enhance grant-funding and financing access for cooperatives

-         to tailor support towards producers’ cooperatives throughout Vanuatu

-         to enable the provision of technical assistance to cooperatives

-         to improve market access conditions through specific intervention at secondary and tertiary cooperatives’ levels

-         to foster investment in the cooperative sector of Vanuatu

Functions of the Fund

To fulfill its purpose, the Fund shall have the following functions:

(a)     to promote investment in the cooperative sector of Vanuatu of public and private capital for development purposes;

(b)     to utilize the resources at its disposal for financing development of the registered cooperative societies in Vanuatu, giving priority to those local, provincial as well as national projects and programmes which will contribute most effectively to the harmonious economic growth of the cooperative sector as a whole, and having special regard to the needs of the smaller or less developed cooperative societies in Vanuatu;

(c)     to meet requests from primary, secondary, tertiary and multi-sectoral cooperatives of Vanuatu to assist them in the coordination of their business and economic development aspirations with a view to achieving better utilization of their resources, making their processes and business models more competitive and complementary, and promoting the orderly expansion of their domestic trade, in particular intra-island trade, as well as their foreign trade activities;

(d)     to provide technical assistance for the preparation, financing and execution of development projects and programmes, including the formulation of specific project proposals;

(e)     to co-operate, in such manner as the Fund may deem appropriate, within the provisions and terms of this Constitution, with the Government of the Republic of Vanuatu, its organs and subsidiary bodies and with public and private international organizations and other international institutions, as well as national entities whether public or private, which are concerned with the investment of development funds in the cooperative sector of Vanuatu, and to interest such institutions and entities in new opportunities for investment and assistance; and

(f)      to undertake such other activities and provide such other services as may advance its purpose.

Powers of the Fund

1. The Fund shall have the power to do all things that are necessary or convenient to be done in connection with the performance of its functions.
2. Notwithstanding Paragraph 1 of this Article, the Fund shall not have the power to contract loans or any similar long term or fixed debts or liabilities, and shall operate within the annual or multi-year budget allocated to its account(s). The only liabilities of the Fund shall consist of:

-         monies owed to the Executive Management for the strict accomplishment of its functions under the Constitution; and

-         monies owed to beneficiaries of the Fund, subject to the provisions of Article 20 Paragraph 8 of this Constitution, consistent with the relevant grant agreements and Partnership Agreements (or similar) with recipients of the funds.

Establishment

The Cooperative Development Fund is a body corporate established under the Cooperative Societies Act (CAP 152) and Section 40 of the Cooperative Societies Rules of 1987.

The Fund’s registered office is located at the Ministry of Tourism, Trade, Commerce and Ni-Vanuatu Business premises, sis at Montfort Street, George Pompidou Area, Port Vila, Vanuatu.

Status of the Fund

1        The Fund:

(a)     is a body corporate with perpetual succession; and

(b)     shall have a common seal; and

(c)     may acquire, hold and dispose of property and assets; and

(d)     may sue and be sued in its corporate name.

Purpose and Objectives of the Fund

The Purpose of the Fund shall be to foster economic growth and co-operation within the Vanuatu’s productive sector in general and to contribute to enhance the economic development potential for the active actors of the cooperative sector of Vanuatu.

The Objectives of the Funds are:

-         to enhance grant-funding and financing access for cooperatives

-         to tailor support towards producers’ cooperatives throughout Vanuatu

-         to enable the provision of technical assistance to cooperatives

-         to improve market access conditions through specific intervention at secondary and tertiary cooperatives’ levels

-         to foster investment in the cooperative sector of Vanuatu

Functions of the Fund

To fulfill its purpose, the Fund shall have the following functions:

(a)     to promote investment in the cooperative sector of Vanuatu of public and private capital for development purposes;

(b)     to utilize the resources at its disposal for financing development of the registered cooperative societies in Vanuatu, giving priority to those local, provincial as well as national projects and programmes which will contribute most effectively to the harmonious economic growth of the cooperative sector as a whole, and having special regard to the needs of the smaller or less developed cooperative societies in Vanuatu;

(c)     to meet requests from primary, secondary, tertiary and multi-sectoral cooperatives of Vanuatu to assist them in the coordination of their business and economic development aspirations with a view to achieving better utilization of their resources, making their processes and business models more competitive and complementary, and promoting the orderly expansion of their domestic trade, in particular intra-island trade, as well as their foreign trade activities;

(d)     to provide technical assistance for the preparation, financing and execution of development projects and programmes, including the formulation of specific project proposals;

(e)     to co-operate, in such manner as the Fund may deem appropriate, within the provisions and terms of this Constitution, with the Government of the Republic of Vanuatu, its organs and subsidiary bodies and with public and private international organizations and other international institutions, as well as national entities whether public or private, which are concerned with the investment of development funds in the cooperative sector of Vanuatu, and to interest such institutions and entities in new opportunities for investment and assistance; and

(f)      to undertake such other activities and provide such other services as may advance its purpose.

Powers of the Fund

1. The Fund shall have the power to do all things that are necessary or convenient to be done in connection with the performance of its functions.
2. Notwithstanding Paragraph 1 of this Article, the Fund shall not have the power to contract loans or any similar long term or fixed debts or liabilities, and shall operate within the annual or multi-year budget allocated to its account(s). The only liabilities of the Fund shall consist of:

-         monies owed to the Executive Management for the strict accomplishment of its functions under the Constitution; and

-         monies owed to beneficiaries of the Fund, subject to the provisions of Article 20 Paragraph 8 of this Constitution, consistent with the relevant grant agreements and Partnership Agreements (or similar) with recipients of the funds.