Governance and functioning of the Urunani Network
The Urunani Network is structured around a simple, clear organization designed so that decisions made at the top translate quickly into concrete actions on the ground in each member country. But what makes this structure truly unique is the principle that runs through it from end to end: here, we do not decide for the members, we decide with them.
The Board of Directors
Everything starts with the Board of Directors, composed of the network's founding organizations. It is the body for strategic reflection: it develops major orientations and formulates proposals that engage the future of Urunani. However, these proposals only become decisions after being submitted to the National Focal Points for feedback and validation. The Board of Directors impels, proposes, initiates—it does not impose. This is a fundamental distinction, which says a lot about how Urunani conceives power within a network: as a tool at the service of the collective, not as a prerogative reserved for a few.
The General Secretariat
Once decisions are validated, the General Secretariat takes over. As the operational arm and official face of the network, it is responsible for translating these orientations into concrete actions, ensuring overall coordination, and representing Urunani in national and international spaces. It makes the network live on a daily basis, maintains ties between members, and carries Urunani's voice to partners.
The National Focal Points
This link between central coordination and realities on the ground is then ensured by the National Focal Points. Present in each of the 12 member countries, they play an absolutely essential role: relaying decisions and initiatives to local organizations, but also bringing back the needs, experiences, and successes of the field to the central coordination. This permanent back-and-forth between the local and the global is what gives the network its strength, coherence, and relevance.
The Members
At the base of this entire architecture are the Members, the 67 organizations spread across the continent which are, ultimately, Urunani's raison d'être. They are the ones who act, experiment, and transform their communities. They also bring the network to life through their exchanges, contributions, and engagement. At Urunani, members are not simple beneficiaries of a service: they are the primary actors of a collective dynamic that they contribute to building themselves and whose direction they steer, together.
