Partnership Agreement

The Partnership agreement is a mandatory annexe to the Overall project description. It is an agreement between the coordinating partner and the other organisations in the partnership. The partnership agreement outlines the obligations and commitments of all parties in the implementation of the work-exchange project as described in the Overall project description.

No part of the partnership agreement may be deleted, but the partners may include additional points specific to their partnership.

PARTIES TO THE AGREEMENT

This partnership agreement (the Partnership agreement) is a legally binding document between:

Coordinating partner: <enter name of organisation>, established in <insert country> with registration number <insert registration number as stated on the certificate of registration>.

Partner organisation: <enter name of organisation 2>, established in <insert country> with registration number <insert registration number as stated on the certificate of registration>.

Partner organisation: <enter name of organisation 3>, established in <insert country> with registration number <insert registration number as stated on the certificate of registration>.

<Add partners as applicable>

The organisations listed in Article 1 are in the Partnership agreement jointly referred to as “the Parties”. The terminology “partner organisation” refers to an organisation other than the Coordinating partner.

Norec is not a party to the Partnership agreement.

SCOPE AND BACKGROUND

2.1. The Partnership agreement is an annexe to the application submitted to Norec by the Coordinating partner (the Application) for financial support to the project titled <name of project as defined in the overall project description (B01)> (the Project). The application will be submitted to Norec in the call for proposals with application deadline <insert deadline>.

2.2. The Partnership agreement must be enacted in accordance with any agreements entered – or to be entered – into between Norec and the Coordinating partner based on the Application, including budgets and annexes.

2.3. Upon approval or partial approval of the Application, related round applications, and amendments, the Coordinating partner is responsible for distributing copies to all the partner organisations of any agreement between the Coordinating partner and Norec, including budgets, annexes, and approval letters.

PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES

The Parties to the Partnership agreement agree that:

The Coordinating partner will coordinate the project and be the main point of contact with Norec. This includes coordinating the preparation of any application, round descriptions, and budgets to be submitted to Norec.

The Coordinating partner will have sole responsibility for the project towards Norec and sign agreements with Norec on behalf of the partnership.

The partner organisations of the Partnership agreement must provide the Coordinating partner with accurate, updated information relevant for filling out applications, including the budgets and other documents required by Norec.

The Parties must adhere to all requirements of the agreements entered – or to be entered – into by the Coordinating partner, including budgets and annexes, as referred to in section 2.2 of the Partnership agreement.

The partner organisations must immediately inform the Coordinating partner of any issues that might delay or hinder the implementation of the Project, and therefore also adherence to the Partnership agreement, including lack of achievement of expected results. The partner organisations must also immediately inform the Coordinating partner of any changes to the Application or the budgets, including changes in the contact information of the partner organisations.

The Coordinating partner must ensure that all partner organisations are fully informed about any significant issues that may affect the project implementation. If the Coordinating partner fails to do so, Norec may inform the partner organisations directly.

Any deviations or amendments required after any agreement has been signed shall be discussed between the Parties.

DISBURSEMENT

4.1. The Coordinating partner shall ensure that project funds are distributed on time to the partner organisations, according to where and when the expenses are to be paid and accounted for.

4.2. The budget distribution among the Parties must be specified in the round budgets.

4.3. The Coordinating partner may delay transfer of funds to the partner organisations if there is a delay in project implementation or reporting, if project results are not being achieved, or in the event of mismanagement.

4.4. Norec can consider transferring funds directly to partner organisations if national legislation prohibits or severely restricts the transfer of funds abroad. Such a need must be documented by the partnership.

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

5.1. The Coordinating partner is responsible for the overall financial management and reporting to Norec on behalf of the partnership.

5.2. The Parties must use a digital accounting software to track project funds and ensure transparent financial management.

5.3. Norec funds the Project based on estimated costs for each round of exchange. Any expenses above the total approved grant will have to be covered by the Parties’ own funds or other funding.

5.4. The Coordinating partner must repay any unspent funds to Norec without delay. The partner organisations must therefore repay any unspent funds to the Coordinating partner without delay upon request by the Coordinating partner. Interest income and currency gains on the funds transferred from Norec, or on the internal transfers between the partners, shall be specified in the financial report. Net gains are to be repaid to Norec. If a new round of exchange has already been approved, Norec may decide that the unspent funds will instead be deducted from the next transfer. This does not apply to unspent funds in the last round of the Project.

5.5. The Coordinating partner is fully responsible to Norec for any part of the grant that has been transferred to any of the other Parties. If funds are transferred directly to a partner organisation, the Coordinating partner is still financially and legally responsible for the repayment to Norec of any reclaimed funds not reimbursed by any of the other partners.

MONITORING, EVALUATION AND REPORTING

The Parties to the Partnership agreement agree:

To hold at least one formal partner meeting in each round of exchange, and to attend a yearly meeting with Norec.

That the Coordinating partner shall prepare any required reports to Norec within the deadlines communicated by Norec.

That all Parties shall prepare the necessary inputs for these reports in time, according to the requirements, standards, and deadlines set by Norec and the Coordinating partner. This includes producing financial and audit reports for their project accounts for each completed round of exchange and submitting these to the Coordinating partner for consolidation in time and in accordance with Norec’s requirements.

The project accounts shall be audited in accordance with the ISA 805 standard. All audits must be carried out by independent chartered/certified auditors. The audit must be carried out in accordance with the Norec template for financial reports. The auditor must confirm the amount transferred from Norec and/or the Coordinating partner. The exchange rate used for each transfer or the average for the round must also be specified and confirmed. The auditor must confirm any unspent funds and currency gain/loss.

The Coordinating partner shall monitor the project as required. The Coordinating partner is responsible for informing Norec of any relevant managerial issues related to the programme, personnel, or financial administration.

Norec and the Auditor General of Norway must be given access to monitor all aspects of the Project, and the Coordinating partner must facilitate such access. Monitoring may include follow-up of activity and financial reports, audits, and field visits to individual partners and participants in the partnership. Norec may hire external consultants to evaluate the project or conduct such evaluations themselves. These rights and obligations will remain in force for five years following the expiry or termination of the Phase 2 contract, whichever occurs later.

PARTICIPANT ADMINISTRATION

7.1. All Parties must agree on the recruitment criteria and have them in writing. Participants must be recruited based on these criteria and the work tasks described in the application. Each organisation involved must assess the candidates that they will receive.

7.2. Every participant must have an employment contract that includes:

Names and signatures of participant (employee) and partner (employer)

Duration of the contract: it shall be valid for the period the participant is active in the project

Legal basis of the contract, observing applicable national labour and taxation laws, standards and requirements, the Partnership agreement between the partners, and the agreement between the Coordinating partner and Norec

Details of termination, covering possible terms for a probationary period or grounds for dismissal according to relevant national laws

Salary/stipend details, including the monthly amount, taxes, mandatory deductions, payment date, to which bank account, and in which currency

Pension accruals, if applicable

Working conditions, such as working hours/days and holidays

Accommodation standards and included utilities

Participant's tasks, including attendance at Norec trainings and follow-up work

Health and travel insurance details

Relevant contact information

Supervision details, specifying that the participant is managed and supervised by the host partner during the exchange period unless otherwise agreed

Annexes: the host partner’s emergency plan and Norec’s ethical principles

7.3. The Parties must ensure that all exchange participants have the necessary visas and/or work permits according to the host country's national legislation.

7.4. The Parties must ensure that all exchange participants have a safe, productive, and meaningful stay with the host partner. This include ensuring a work environment where participants feel respected and valued, and which is free from any form of harassment, discrimination, or other unacceptable behaviour. The partners must also provide participants with a relevant workspace to foster learning and knowledge sharing among colleagues.

7.5. The partner must ensure that all participants are covered by a medical scheme and have an emergency preparedness plan, including possible evacuation in case of a serious incident. Participants must, as far as possible, be protected from violence, threats, and undue burdens while working on the Project.

7.6. The partners must ensure that participants are provided with safe and reasonable accommodation in the host country, which takes into consideration their culture and gender.

7.7. The partners must ensure that all participants are informed of Norec’s ethical principles and that they are expected to act accordingly. They must also be informed of any whistle-blower mechanisms and procedures for preventing and handling harassment.

7.8. The partners must fulfil the terms and conditions of the employment contracts.

MISCONDUCT

8.1. All parties to this Partnership agreement must follow Norec’s ethical principles, which include zero tolerance for corruption and other financial irregularities. Norec also has zero tolerance for inaction against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEAH). These principles apply to all participants, staff members, and partner organisations.

8.2. In the event of, or suspicion of, financial mismanagement, SEAH, inaction, or other non-compliance with Norec’s ethical principles, further disbursements may be frozen and legal action considered. Norec reserves the right to claim any repayments from the Coordinating partner and any other party to this Partnership agreement receiving funds directly from Norec.

8.3. The parties to this Partnership agreement agree to establish routines to:

prevent or detect any financial mismanagement within the partnership

prevent and manage any cases of harassment, discrimination, or any other form of reprehensible conduct within the partnership

adopt a victim/survivor-centred approach to SEAH issues and do everything possible to prevent, detect, and respond to SEAH within and related to the Project

8.4. “Financial irregularities” includes all kinds of:

corruption, such as bribery, nepotism, and illegal gratuities;

misappropriation of cash, inventory, and/or other assets;

financial and non-financial fraudulent statements; and

any other use of Project funds not in accordance with the agreement with Norec

8.5. The Coordinating partner must inform Norec immediately of any indication of conduct not in line with Norec’s ethical principles, including financial mismanagement and SEAH in the Project. They must provide Norec with all known facts and an assessment of how the matter should be followed up, including whether criminal prosecution or other sanctions are appropriate. If the Coordinating partner fails to do so, the other parties to this Partnership agreement are responsible to inform Norec.

8.6. Norec will handle the matter according to its procedures for dealing with suspicions of financial mismanagement and SEAH. The Parties must cooperate fully with Norec’s investigation and follow-up activities.

8.7. In the event of, or suspicion of, SEAH, Norec must be provided with a report of the relevant facts and an assessment of how the matter will be followed up. This includes whether the organisation will improve internal systems to prevent, detect, and respond to SEAH, and whether criminal prosecution or other sanctions are appropriate. The rights, needs, and wishes of the survivor/victim must be taken into consideration. The report must be made without compromising the safety, security, privacy, and due process rights of any concerned person. Norec will handle the report according to its guidelines for dealing with SEAH incidents.

RECOGNITION AND PUBLICATION

Norec may carry out public relations activities, using the experiences of the partnership and its participants. Whenever the Project is mentioned in articles, presentations, interviews etc, it must always be stated that the Project is funded by Norec.

TERMINATION OF THE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT

The Coordinating partner may terminate the Partnership agreement with a partner with immediate notice in the event of mismanagement of the project, including project and participant administration, financial mismanagement, SEAH, inaction, or other forms of non-compliance with Norec’s ethical principles. The Coordinating partner shall in such cases first consult with the other partner organisations in the partnership. Each party may terminate the Partnership agreement with six months’ notice.

ENTRY INTO FORCE AND DURATION

The Partnership agreement will enter into force at the date of the last signature of the agreement with Norec. It is valid for the duration of the entered – or to be entered – into agreement between the Coordinating partner and Norec.

SIGNATURES

I consent to the role of the Coordinating partner as described in this Partnership agreement and agree to support the Coordinating partner in fulfilling the responsibilities set out in any agreements with Norec, referred to in section 2.2. of the Partnership agreement.

I confirm that I am authorised to enter into legally binding agreements on behalf of the organisation I am representing.

Each signatory party will receive a signed copy of the Partnership agreement.

<Date>	<Date>
On behalf of <Coordinating partner>	On behalf of <Organisation 2>
<Name> <Chief Executive Officer>	<Name> <Chief Executive Officer>

<Date>	<Date>
On behalf of <organisation 3>	On behalf of <organisation 4>
<Name> <Chief Executive Officer>	<Name> <Chief Executive Officer>

<Delete/add partners as applicable>