University of the Republic

GENERAL COOPERATION AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE
INTER-AMERICAN CHILDREN’S INSTITUTE AND
THE UNIVERSITY OF THE REPUBLIC 

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In the city of Montevideo, on the 9^th day of the month of October 2002, ON THE ONE HAND: The Inter-American Children’s Institute (hereinafter “the IIN”), represented by its Director General, Alejandro Bonasso, with legal residence in Avda. 8 de Octubre 2904,  AND ON THE OTHER HAND the University of the Republic of Uruguay (hereinafter "UDELAR"), represented by its Rector, Engineer Rafael Guarga, with legal residence in Avda. 18 de Julio No 1968, and the Faculty of Psychology, represented by its Dean, Professor Victor Giorgi, with legal residence in Tristán Narvaja street No 1674, hereby sign this General Cooperation Agreement, as per the following terms and conditions:  

WHEREAS: 

The IIN is a Specialized Organization of the Organization of American States (hereinafter “the OAS”), created through a Resolution adopted by the Fourth Pan American Child Congress in 1924 and established in 1927, for the purpose of promoting cooperation programs among the countries in the American Continent, aimed to improve the condition of children, youth and families on the health, educational, social, cultural and juridical areas, among others;   

The IIN assigns priority to the search for effective solutions to problems affecting childhood, as well as to watch over the compliance with and enforcement of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, with the cooperation of the OAS Member Sates and the society as a whole;

Since its creation, it has developed ongoing actions on training, technical cooperation, information and dissemination on child-related issues in the Hemisphere, as well as joint activities with other organizations within the Inter-American system and with public and private institutions;  

Since 1981, the IIN has carried out an intensive technical cooperation work directed to the countries in the Inter-American system on the advocacy of the rights of boys, girls and adolescents, among others; on the prevention of the unlawful use of drugs and the promotion of mental health; on the prevention of the commercial sexual exploitation of boys, girls and adolescents; on the promotion of disabled children’s inclusiveness; on the encouragement of juridical provisions ensuring the rights established in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and on the creation of various information systems for children;  

The interest and need have been detected to deepen the training of professionals working on several child and adolescent-related areas;  

On the basis of its Program for the Integral Promotion of the Rights of the Child, the IIN has developed the Inter-American Project of Higher Studies in order to respond to the above needs, as well as to generate horizontal cooperation mechanisms among various universities in the Americas which count on post-graduate study programs;

UDELAR, as provided for in Article 2 of Organic Act Nº 12.549 of 29th October, 1958, is the public institution for higher education that pursues the following objectives: (a) higher public education in all cultural areas;  (b) qualification for the exercise of scientific professions; (c) art education; (d) scientific research; (e) development and dissemination of culture within our society; contribution to the study and public understanding of issues of general concern; (f) advocacy of moral values and principles of justice, freedom, social welfare, human rights and democratic republican government;  

In order to comply with the above mentioned goals, UDELAR develops graduate and post-graduate courses on the widest range of subjects, by means of its Schools, Institutes and Regional institutions;  

Both organizations acknowledge the need and mutual interest for the development of joint action areas in the field of university training, reciprocal assistance and technical cooperation to the countries in the Americas, within the framework of the promotion of the rights of boys, girls and adolescents, as stated in the Convention on the Rights of the Child; 

The IIN is empowered to sign agreements for the implementation of technical cooperation projects, subject to the rules, resolutions, executive orders, regulations and operational proceedings provided for in its Statutes and by the IIN’s Directing Council,  

THEY AGREE ON THE FOLLOWING: 

ARTICLE I
PURPOSE 

The purpose of this Agreement is to set the general basis for the fulfillment of the following objectives:

a.         To develop cooperation and reciprocal exchange actions on the production, dissemination and
            transfer of knowledge, as well as on childhood and adolescence-related research, in order to
            contribute to a more substantive and better implemented compliance with the Convention on the
            Rights of the Child.  

b.        To coordinate the planning and execution of activities concerning the training of  university and
           non-university professionals by means of Courses, Workshops, Conferences and Curricular
           Specialization Programs in areas related to the enforcement and pursuance of the Convention on
           the Rights of the Child, such as the Prevention of Drug

          Addiction, social inclusion of disabled children and among others, the Promotion of Health. 

c.       To establish the legal framework for those specific projects in this area which are of common interest
          for both PARTIES.

ARTICLE II
AREAS OF COOPERATION 

The UDELAR and the IIN will agree on their areas of cooperation based upon their individual and joint experiences, as well as on the interest expressed by other individuals or institutions to participate in their programs.  

Notwithstanding the above, the PARTIES agree to work jointly on the following areas of cooperation:            

a.       Training of University Professionals on various academic areas related to the rights of children and 
    adolescents, starting by Seminars areas of Drug Addiction, Social Inclusion of Disabled Children and
    Health Promotion.  

b.      Development of joint research on childhood and adolescence-related areas. 

c.       Compilation, Production, Dissemination and Promotion of Information on the issues covered by this
    Agreement. 

d.      Development of pilot academic experiences on the specific areas provided for in this Agreement.  

ARTICLE III
COOPERATION MODES 

In order to implement the cooperation set forth in Article II, the PARTIES may adopt various modes according to their own purposes, taking the following into due consideration: 

a.     Joint or individual cooperation and technical advice for the design and implementation of projects or
        activities;

b.   Cross-coordination of activities by means of missions, permanent electronic communications or other
        means as deemed suitable;
 

c.      Dissemination of information on the issues provided for in this Agreement;   

d.      Mutual assistance on human and financial resources, through the exchange of experts or funding
        pursuant to the purposes of this Agreement.

ARTICLE IV
EXECUTION OF THE AGREEMENT 

In order to execute this Agreement, the PARTIES should, as soon as possible and suitable, act as per the following guidelines: 

a.     The highest authorities of each PARTY, or whoever they appoint as their representatives, will keep in
        permanent official contact; 

b.    In accordance with paragraph b. in Article I, and paragraph d. in Article III, the implementation of specific
       projects will be governed by means of Memoranda of Understanding which should define for each case
       the purposes; activities; participation form; obligations of the PARTIES; technical, financial and human
       resource contributions; budgeting and funding, including the corresponding administrative and technical
       overhead, as well as other elements ensuring the normal and adequate compliance with the agreed terms.
       On behalf of the IIN, such Memoranda of Understanding will be signed by its Director General, and will be
        exempt of any approval proceedings by the IIN’s Directing Council. 

c.     Whenever necessary, the PARTIES will be able, by means of specific execution agreements, to create
        technical groups or missions in order to study and submit proposals on the nature, intensity and
        extension of programs, projects and activities, either underway or to be carried out as per this Agreement,
        and 

d.    The specific execution agreements set forth in this Agreement may include the participation of other
       entities for technical cooperation and financial assistance, or Governments of countries showing interest
       in the prevention of the unlawful use of drugs and demand reduction of drugs, or private institutions with
       purposes consistent with those of the PARTIES, and provided the PARTIES deem it suitable and
       necessary.

ARTICLE V
AMENDMENTS 

As per their mutual agreement, the Parties may amend the provisions set forth in this Agreement, provided that they do so in writing. 

ARTICLE VI
VALIDITY AND DURATION 

This Agreement will come into force after being signed by both PARTIES and will have an indefinite duration. Nevertheless, either PARTY will be able to terminate this Agreement subject to a prior and justified notice to the other PARTY. The termination will come into effect six months after receiving the above notice. The termination of this Agreement will not affect the development and completion of projects underway. 

IN WITNESS THEREOF, the representatives of both PARTIES, duly authorized for this purpose, sign this Agreement in two equally valid copies, in the city of Montevideo, Republic of Uruguay, on the 9th day of October, 2002.

On behalf of                                                                                 On behalf of
THE INTER-AMERICAN                                                                 THE UNIVERSITY OF
 CHILDREN’S INSTITUTE                                                              THE REPUBLIC

Lic. Alejandro Bonasso                                                    Ing Rafael Guarga               
Director General                                                               Rector

On behalf of
THE FACULTY OF PSYCHOLOGY

Ps. Victor Giorgi
Dean

The Director General of the IIN signs this Agreement "ad referendum" of the IIN’s Directing Council.