GENERAL COOPERATION AGREEMENT BETWEEN PLAN AND THE INTER-AMERICAN CHILDREN’S INSTITUTE 


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The Inter-American Children’s Institute, hereinafter “the IIN”, represented by its Acting Director General, Alejandro Bonasso Lenguas, and Plan, hereinafter “Plan” , represented by its Regional Director, Paul Bode, hereby sign this General Cooperation Agreement, subject to the following considerations and clauses: 

WHEREAS: 

  1. The IIN is a Specialized Organization of the Organization of American States, created through a resolution adopted by the Fourth Pan American Child Congress in 1924 and established in 1927 in order to promote cooperation programs between countries in the Americas, aimed at improving child and family health, educational, social, cultural and legal conditions.

  2. It is a priority for the IIN to search for effective solutions for the problems affecting children and the family, and therefore to safeguard the fulfillment and validity of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

  3. Since its inception, the IIN has permanently carried out tasks concerning technical cooperation, information, diffusion and training on different subjects related to children in this hemisphere, as well as joint activities with other organizations from the Inter-American system, and with both public and private institutions.

  4. Plan is a child-focused humanitarian international organization for community development, with no religious, political or governmental affiliation, whose organizational basis is the protection of children.

  5. Plan’s Vision is that of a world where all children are able to develop their potential within societies that are respectful of people’s dignity and human rights.

  6. Plan works in order to achieve enduring improvements on child living conditions in developing countries, through a process that unites people from different cultures and adds value and meaning to their lives by:

  • enabling children, their families and communities to meet their basic needs and improve their ability to participate and benefit from their societies ;
  • promoting relationships that increase the degree of understanding and unity amongst people from different cultures and countries ;
  • promoting the rights and interests of children worldwide.

  1. During 2001, both organizations signed a Memorandum of Understanding  providing for a research on birth registration to be conducted in six countries in Central America, the creation of an Information Center in the Secretary of Social Welfare of the Republic of Guatemala, and another one in Plan’s National Office in Guatemala, as well as the development of joint activities in connection with the preparation of the United Nations Special Session on Children.

  2. Both organizations recognize that the results of the Memorandum of Understanding that was signed in 2001 were successful.

  3. As part of the development of the new IIN Strategic Plan for 2005-2008, a meeting was held at the IIN headquarters in Montevideo, with the participation of senior officials from both institutions, where the following  issues were highlighted:

            -        universal enforcement of birth registration,
-        making of promotional videos on the universal enforcement of birth registration,
-        analysis of regulations in force concerning birth registration,
-        development of tools for impact evaluation in institutions,
-        National Child System
-        The creation of courses on children’s rights addressed to communication experts specifically focused on the
         universal  enforcement of birth registration. 

  1. The IIN is empowered to sign agreements for the implementation of technical cooperation projects, subject to the rules, resolutions, executive orders, regulations and operational procedures provided for in its Statute and by its Directing Council.

The Regional Director of Plan, Paul Bode, is empowered to sign technical cooperation agreements with other organizations and with national and international child-related institutions.  

The PARTIES agree:

ARTICLE 1 - PURPOSE 

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

a)   To ensure the exchange between the IIN and Plan with regard to the development of policies and actions aimed at promoting compliance with the rights established by the Convention on the Rights of the Child; specifically, with the right concerning birth registration.

b)   To provide the legal basis for future agreements between both organizations in order to implement specific agreements on matters of common interests  at the request for cooperation made by one of the parties. 

            ARTICLE 2 – IMPLEMENTATION           

In order to fulfill the objectives set by this Agreement, the parties commit themselves to:  

a.         Specific projects will be implemented through operational agreements defining the technical, financial, human resources, or any other kind of contributions, as well as the basis of such specific projects, and all the elements that ensure the adequate development of this Agreement.

b.         If necessary, the parties shall create work teams to study the nature, depth and scope of the programs and activities to be implemented as part of this Agreement or of any adequate projects. 

ARTICLE 3 – FORMS OF COOPERATION

The area of responsibility in terms of exchange and cooperation shall be channeled through the IIN and Plan. It shall be defined in accordance with the IIN Strategic Plan and the Strategic Framework of Plan in the Americas, aside from other cooperation areas that shall be commonly agreed upon between Plan and the IIN.

ARTICLE 4 – FINAL PROVISIONS 

This Agreement will come into force after having been signed by the parties and its duration will be of four years, including its possible extension for the same period of time, as well as the possibility of its amendment at any time at the explicit request of any party.

It may be terminated subject to a 90-day prior notice in writing, but such termination will not preclude the agreements underway, which will be regulated by their specific provisions.

IN WITNESS THEREOF, the representatives of both PARTIES, having been duly authorized, hereby sign two equally valid copies of this Agreement on the 26th day of April of  2005. 

Plan                                                                                                            IIN

By                                                                                                               By

 

Paul Bode                                                                                                   Alejandro Bonasso Lenguas
Director Regional                                                                                          Director General a. i[1]   
                              

 

[1] The Director General a.i. of the IIN has signed on an "ad-referendum" basis, pending approval by the Directing Council of the IIN.