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! AGREEMENT OF COOPERATION
! ! ! Between ! ! ! MOUNTAIN GORILLA VETERINARY PROJECT (MGVP, Inc.) ! ! ! And ! ! ! !
DAKTARI (Associació Andorrana de Cooperació Veterinària de l’Àfrica de l’Est)
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To collaborate on
Delivery of veterinary services, Surveillance on zoonosis, Research and Capacity building in Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Western Uganda.
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! ! ! THIS COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT (“Agreement”) is entered into by and between the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project (MGVP, Inc.; “Gorilla Doctors”) a non-profit organization of USA, 1876 Mansion House Drive Baltimore Maryland 21217, and Daktari (Associació Andorrana de Cooperació Veterinària a l’Àfrica de l’Est), a non-profit organization of Andorra, C/La Solana de Can Noguer, núm.35, AD700 Escaldes-Engordany, herein after referred to collectively as the “Parties”.
! The purpose of the Agreement is to provide a formal framework for collaboration to provide a holistic “One Health” approach to conservation in and around the parks of Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (“DRC”) containing Eastern Gorillas. A document will be produced as part of this Agreement that outlines the needs of such an approach and the roles of both parties. It is accepted that Jesus Muro has the expertise to complete the livestock and companion animal work while MGVP has the wildlife expertise to complete this approach.
! ! Whereas Gorilla Doctors operates as a non-profit non-governmental organization based at University of California(UC) Davis, California, USA; and has had a long collaboration with the College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Bio-security (COVAB) through an MOU signed in support of activities of the Department of Wildlife and Animal Resources Management (WARM) since 1996. to increase capacity for Wildlife Health and disease surveillance in Uganda via class room and field training of students, offering mentorship in research, providing opportunities for participation of students and lecturers in delivery of community services at human-domestic-wildlife interface. Gorilla Doctors is expanding the student capacity building to Umatura University in Rwanda and Lubumbashi in DRC which will use the Ugandan program as a model.
! ! Whereas Gorilla Doctors is a long-term project that has been providing health care to Mountain Gorillas of Uganda, Rwanda and DRC; and has active Memoranda with Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN)
! Whereas Gorilla Doctors is a long-term project that has been providing health surveillance and health care to domestics in the human-domestic–wildlife interface around the Mountain Gorilla ecosystems of Uganda, Rwanda and DRC; including Employee Health Care Programs
! Whereas Gorilla Doctors is a long-term project that is involved in research in and around the Mountain gorilla protected areas of Uganda, Rwanda and DRC; including investigations on emergence of zoonosis at human-domestic–wildlife interface
! ! Whereas the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Andorra Government via the Andorra Cooperation Agency has been supporting Dr. Jesus Muro through Andorra Farmers Association (APRA) since 2010 to provide veterinary services to farmers living near protected areas in Western Uganda, to investigate zoonosis and provide technical advice in these areas, to contribute to capacity building of both local Ugandans and international future veterinarians, to empower the communities in Western Uganda to ensure sustainability of the program for improved livelihoods.
! ! I. Areas of Collaboration: The Gorilla Doctors and Daktari now therefore agree to work cooperatively to: 1. Increase veterinary services around protected areas in Western Uganda 2. Empower local communities around the protected areas for improved health and livelihoods !3
! 3. Carry out disease surveillance and disease diagnosis in and around the protected areas 4.
Provide in-service training and mentoring of veterinary students
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Carry out research at the human-domestic animal–wildlife interface
6. Provide continued veterinary professional development among government of Uganda veterinary service providers in Western Uganda 7.
Contribute towards transfer of applied technologies deemed essential for execution of this Agreement.
! Expectations of Jesus Muro 1. Provide veterinary expertise to complete both livestock and companion animal care including but not limited to spay neuter, vaccinations, deworming, disease surveillance, clinical care when time and resources allow 2. Provide educational support and training to the communities on the activities of preventive medicine 3. Mentor local veterinarians and Regional vet students in field work and vet preventative medicine 4. Conduct research that has application to the “One Health Approach� to conservation 5. Write publications of the above work
! Expectations of Gorilla Doctors 1. To help facilitate the field work of Jesus Muro by aiding in the A) sample processing and storage B) In-country student selection and logistics C) When time and resources allow, help with transportation and execution of the fieldwork D) Be the on-the-ground liaison in each of the three countries E) When resources allow, house the Andorran team at the Gorilla Doctor facilities
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! ! II. General Conditions of this Agreement:
! A. Intellectual Property: 1. The ownership of all biological samples, exclusively blood products, tissues, hair, urine, feces and skeletal remains from areas where activities are carried out, including those which are passed to other parties and/or sent abroad for diagnostic and/or research purposes, shall be retained by the appropriate Governments of Uganda, Rwanda and DRC.
! 2. Access to and control of scientific results arising from joint studies or operations between shall be retained jointly by both parties. All publications and/or presentations arising from such data shall be reviewed by Ugandan Wildlife Authority (UWA), or Rwandan Development Board (RDB) or Institut Congolaise pour la Conservation du Nature (ICCN), as appropriate, as well as by Gorilla Doctors and Daktari, and written permission from the said parties obtained before submission. In the case of scientific and/or popular presentation or publication where contributors are not co-authors, appropriate credit will be given to all significant contributors (e.g. assistance in the field, preparation of manuscripts, etc.).
! 3. In the spirit of professional conduct and cooperation, both parties shall, when appropriate, include the other in research studies, preparation of scientific publications and publication of scientific results, including, but not limited to, scientific results obtained from subjects of multiple countries and/or joint participation in treatments, etc. in other countries. In all cases, appropriate credit shall be given to the other and/or third party participants in any publicity and/or scientific publications resulting from such cooperative activities.
! B. Term and Termination: This Agreement will be renewed without action of the parties for successive one year terms; provided, however, that this Agreement may be terminated at
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! any time by either party following 90 days’ written notice of termination given to the other party.
! III. Resolution of Dispute: A. Both parties hereby undertake to use their best efforts to mutually resolve any dispute[s] that may arise as between them from the interpretation and enforcement of this Agreement. B. Where mutual attempts to resolve a dispute fail, the dispute shall be referred to a mediator jointly identified and appointed by both parties to this Agreement. C. Where mediation fails to resolve such dispute[s], the same may be referred to any court of competent jurisdiction.
! IV. Signatures: ! This Agreement is entered into as of the last date set forth below. ! ! ! ____________________________________ Elizabeth Grieb, President MGVP, Inc. Gorilla Doctors
________________ Date
____________________________________ Dr. Michael Cranfield, Director Gorilla Doctors
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____________________________________ Dr. Jesus Muro, Daktari’s President
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