is the supreme body of the Association, and it is composed of all its members. It must be convened at least one every three years, and it gives a ruling on the items on the agenda proposed by the board, and on various others issues. It elects the President and the members of the Board. Board: the Association is governed by a Board of 5 to 9 members: the President, the Secretary General and from three to seven members. It meets at least once a year. Presidency: the President represents the Association in all acts of civil life, and he is invested with all the powers to this effect. The mandate of the President covers the period from one General Assembly to the other. The Presidency has been held by Barcelona, Marseille, Tangier, Limassol and Rome (at the present time). General Secretariat: it is an administrative body which helps the Association's President and Board in their respective tasks. It is managed by a General Secretary and it takes care of the management of the network, identifying the needs of the cities, representing the Medcities network in international events (together with member cities), ensuring technical and financial coordination, the preparation and follow-up of field projects, the organisation of the General Assembly and the Board's meetings and the publishing of presentation material. The General Secretariat has a four-years mandate, and may be re-elected. Limassol, Marseilles and Barcelona (at the present time) have held the function of Secretary General. Network activities Institutional activities Medcities is a tool that reinforces the environmental management capacity of local administrations. The network identifies areas where joint actions could contribute to improve regional environmental conditions. A key objective of Medcities is promoting sustainable urban development as a general policy in the Mediterranean. To this effect, it participates in the Nations Mediterranean Action Plan, and it is also a member of the Commission on Sustainable Development in the Local Government Area. Medcities is also a member of the steering committee for the European Sustainable Cities and Towns Campaign and of the Mediterranean Working Group of the Union of Cities and Local Governments. Operational activities The network's normal working procedure is based on environmental audits and medium-term environmental plans, followed by specific programmes to pursue the priorities that have been identified. Experts from Northern cities take part in developing these programmes, and those cities provide financing for one half of