UNIFEM is the women's fund at the United Nations. Established in 1976, it provides financial and technical assistance to innovative approaches aimed at fostering women's empowerment and gender equality. UNIFEM has set up an office in Islamabad, Pakistan which supports the Government of Pakistan in fulfilling its national and international commitments on Gender Equality. Today the organization's work touches the lives of women and girls in more than 100 countries. UNIFEM also helps make the voices of women heard at the United Nations — to highlight critical issues and advocate for the implementation of existing commitments made to women.

Placing the realization of women's human rights and security at the centre of all of its efforts, UNIFEM focuses its attention on women and peace especially during times of crises.

UNIFEM Pakistan is committed to ensuring that women and girls are able to participate in the post-crisis rehabilitation and re-settlement processes, whilst remaining protected from any vulnerability or incidents of violence. UNIFEM support Pakistan in the implementation of CEDAW and other international commitment like WHR and IHL to ensure the needs of Women and Girls, and their issues are also properly addressed and the implementation of Humanitarian response.

UNIFEM has been part of UN system for humanitarian response to the IDPs emergency from the onset of Pakistan’s most recent crises, and has been actively supporting the IASC Gender Standby Capacity Project (GenCap) in the effective coordination of the ‘cluster’ approach strategy. UNIFEM has assisted in the coordination of gender sub-cluster meetings, input into the Malakand development strategy, CERINA, PCNA and other cluster documents besides leading the Gender Task force to support the humanitarian country team (HCT) for integrating , mainstreaming gender equality in the humanitarian response.

UNIFEM has actively been supporting Gencap for effective coordination of the gender sub-cluster meetings, input into strategies and other cluster documents, as well as being instrumental in the development and maintenance of an internet group.

1. Background
A number of CSOs are courageously involved in providing support to IDPs, addressing issues of IDPs as well as refugees, including GBV. There is a continued influx of IDPs, and while the government continues to meet this challenge in coordination with the humanitarian community, immediate support is needed for the displaced people, especially for the women and girls who are differently affected by crisis and who have specific needs that are often overlooked.

In the absence of a joint forum for linkages and collaborative support, the impact of efforts becomes diluted; at the same time fund-raising for CSOs has become more and more challenging. UNIFEM thus plans to create a Women and Peace Fund for CSOs through which to financially support CSOs in their initiatives as well as establishing forums for sharing information and joint collaborative support on programmes/projects that promote peace initiatives surrounding women. UNIFEM is in contact with a number of CSOs working with IDPs who are coming forth with interesting ideas for interventions, especially targeting the needs of women and girls in camps and outside camps both in terms of immediate and strategic needs as well as peace building and crisis resolution.

1.1 Information on Application and Selection Procedures
The UNIFEM Fund will provide funding for innovative and catalytic initiatives involving women in peace initiatives in NWFP, FATA, Balochistan and Pakistan Administered Kashmir.

2. Activities:

The Request for proposals is to support organizations working with women and girls IDPs and addressing immediate needs and support. The RfP however, does not limit the IDP crisis to the current operation being undertaken in NWFP, but also includes refugees (including but not limited to flood and earthquake) in Balochistan, NWFP, FATA and Pakistan Administered Kashmir.

The needs of the women range from registration, awareness raising, distribution of hygiene kits, fans etc, as well as longer term trainings/awareness raising/, livelihood trainings and involving communities in preventing violence, peace building, crisis resolution and targeting male communities for prevention of violence, including religious leaders, male elders and panchayats/jirgas etc.

The successful proposals would respond to the principles of gender equality, including participation of women in all post crisis activities of rehabilitation and resettlement, and peace processes, as well as their protection from violence. The successful proposals would; target immediate and arising issues for displaced women, making sure that the funds go straight to the benefit of the beneficiaries and are not caught up in overheads and administration. Funds would in this regard go straight to manage ground interventions with quick impact and assistance to displaced women, in the fields of (but not limited to) protection mechanisms for vulnerable, such as female headed households, outreach programmes for psycho-social support, vocational training/development of skills training, informal education/literacy training, interventions in camps or with host families for the benefit of women etc.

In the Request for Proposals there would also be space for looking into sustainable long term needs of women, such as extended skills trainings, sensitization/awareness raising/ targeted behaviour-change trainings for communities, men and boys, village elders and religious leaders, as well as their economic opportunities. Religiously active NGOs could also be trained by other NGOs on women’s rights, legal provisions around GBV etc.

In addition, applicants should identify whether they are: (i) piloting promising approaches on ending violence against women and girls; and/or (ii) up-scaling promising or already proven approaches on ending violence against women and girls.

The UNIFEM Fund promotes initiatives based on the following approaches:
• Human rights-based and gender-responsive approaches that place paramount priority on promoting, protecting and fulfilling the human rights of women and girls, as well as promoting the participation of women and girls in peace building processes and post crisis rehabilitation and resettlement.
• Holistic responses that address women’s inter-related rights and needs in terms of prevention and response to crisis, particularly acts of violence against women and girls, including safety and protection, access to health, legal, property and inheritance rights, and economic security and rights.
• Focus on priority groups living in poverty and otherwise especially excluded or disadvantaged, ensuring responsiveness to diversity by tailoring interventions to particular population groups.

3. Invitation for proposals:
Registered organizations can submit proposals (on provided format below). UNIFEM intends to fund at least one proposal each in Balochistan, NWFP, FATA and Azad Jammu and Kashmir and will award grants based on the approval process keeping in view the proposal strength, geographical focus and catalytic and innovative methodologies (see criteria below).
Inter-Agency Programme Appraisal Committee (PAC) will be arranged in April to review the short-listed proposal and recommend awards of grants.

Who can apply?
• Registered Non-governmental organizations and community based organizations
• Governments, including National or Local governmental agencies
• Local Associations
• Education and research institutions
• Women’s groups/networks and groups working with boys and men
• Groups/networks that promotes men and boys’ engagement in gender equality

In cases where two or more organisations submit a joint proposal, the name of the organization that is taking responsibility for financial administration and reporting must be clearly stated, and a copy of the MoU between the two organizations has to be attached. Relevant details related to the collaborating organization with clear roles and responsibilities in design, implementation and monitoring of the proposed project should also be mentioned.

Priority will be given to proposals that are focused at local/community level (particularly rural areas), those which involve multi-stakeholder groups, including collaboration between non-governmental and government organizations.

4. Budget:
Proposals will be considered for a duration of up to one year for innovative and small-scale approaches from small civil society organizations, especially grassroots women’s organizations and networks, and those working in crisis and unstable situations. Separate sheets should be provided for programmatic and operational costs, where programmatic costs must comprise at least 70% of the total budget.

5. Language of submissions

Proposals should be submitted in English .

6. Where to submit proposals?

Proposals should be sent in sealed envelopes by post to the following (with UNIFEM Fund for Women and Peace clearly written on the envelope)

Operations Manager
UNIFEM Pakistan
House No 124, Street No 11, Sector E-7
Sector E-7,
Islamabad, PAKISTAN

7. Criteria for selection of proposals for funding

Projects will be selected by an Inter-Agency Programme Appraisal Committee (PAC), composed of representatives from UN organizations, bilateral donors and non-governmental organizations.

The PAC will take into consideration the following:

• Geographic Focus: Proposals based in geographic locations identified above, and particularly in crisis affected regions will be given preference.
• Quality: The overall quality of the proposal, and how the activities are linked to results.
• Results: Realistic, objective, measurable results and how the strategies are developed to achieve them.
• Innovation: Innovative ideas and partnerships in identifying effective strategies and developing and promotes women’s leadership in identifying effective strategies for reducing violence.

• Capacity: Capacity of the organization to implement the project; including human resources (technical capacity), financial systems and successful experience of working on similar projects.
• Sustainability: Commitment to a follow up process, replicability and sustainability
• Budget: A suitable, cost-effective, small to medium scale budget against proposed activities.
All successful grantees are expected to work closely with the UN Fund Management Team to ensure high-quality standards of programme design and rigorous monitoring and evaluation plans in the final programme document.

The UNIFEM Fund will not consider proposals that are:
• NGOs/Community Based Groups and Associations that are not registered.
• Requesting funds to cover costs of building, infrastructure including purchase of land, property or towards construction or repair of buildings;
• Requesting funds to support ongoing service provisions – such as medications, ongoing counseling and treatment services, etc;
• Incomplete or submitted after the stated deadlines;
• Already funded by other organizations in Pakistan for similar activities;
• Currently in receipt of grants above US$50,000 from UNIFEM Pakistan
• Requesting funds to cover costs of infrastructure such as purchase of land, property, acquisition of office space, construction or repair of existing buildings or offices, including for example, the building and furnishing of service facilities, shelters or short-stay homes;
• Requesting funds for stand-alone general awareness raising and campaigns;
• Requesting funds for stand-alone research and data collection;

8. Announcement of the Result

Only short-listed applicants will be contacted by May 2010. UNIFEM reserves the right to reject any proposal and its decision will be final and binding on all.

9. Deadlines

• Submission deadline: Not later than Monday, 31st March 2010, COB 5:00pm
Proposals received after the deadline will not be considered.