UK Integrated Security Fund: Supporting Women, Peace and Security in Iraq

About

The UK Integrated Security Fund (UKISF) for Iraq invites bids for a programme to strengthen civil society organisations working on women, peace and security issues in the Federal and Kurdistan regions of Iraq.

In 2021, British Embassy Baghdad established the successful Women’s Voices First programme, which runs until May 2024. With this call for bids, the embassy aims to build on the success of Women’s Voices First and increase the support (technical and financial) to women’s organisations in the Federal and Kurdistan regions of Iraq.

A core component of the new programme will be delivered through a grant-stream approach. This will be managed by an experienced non-governmental organisation (NGO) or not-for profit with proven expertise working with civil society in Iraq or the Middle East region.

The programme delivery period will be for an initial 3-year contract with a total allocation of up to £5 million. They envisage the funding breakdown will be through an initial allocation of £1 million to cover activity over financial year 2024 to 2025.

On assessment of performance at the end of financial year 2024 to 2025, the grant would continue for the next 2 years, with an allocation of up to £2 million per financial year. This would be subject to confirmation of funding allocations and satisfactory performance.

Funding Information

• Financial year: 2024 to 2025

  • Allocation: £1,000,000

• Financial year: 2025 to 2026

  • Allocation: £2,000,000

• Financial year: 2026 to 2027

  • Allocation: £2,000,000

What the programme will achieve?

• The UK Integrated Security Fund (UKISF) Iraq team at British Embassy Baghdad invites bids for a programme that can support and strengthen grassroots and women-led civil society organisations (CSOs) across Iraq to advance women peace and security (WPS) issues locally and nationally.

• Bids should contribute to these objectives:

  • empower women’s organisations across Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), to advance a localised WPS agenda and sustain progress towards women’s rights and equality

  • strengthen women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in society and decision-making at a local and national level

• This could be achieved by:

  • working under multiple WPS-related themes by issuing and managing a grant scheme to Iraqi civil society organisations

  • where opportunities are identified or present themselves, provide direct support to the Government of Iraq (GoI) and Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to progress the Iraqi National Action Plans on WPS. This can be delivered directly by the successful applicant and/or through the CSOs grant activities

  • supporting Iraqi CSOs through training, capability and capacity building, as well as strengthening networks. The grant scheme should be open to women-led CSOs based in Iraq, as well as CSOs that demonstrate a connection to WPS issues in Iraq. Disbursement and oversight of grants will be managed by the successful applicant. Grants will range in size and scope

• The main elements of the grant scheme include:

  • flexible, multi-year funding focused on enabling the CSOs to define and deliver their own priorities under a pre-agreed set of WPS themes that meet the identified needs of women and girls in the communities they serve. These themes will be agreed jointly by the British Embassy Baghdad and the successful applicant

  • tailored capacity building and technical support to CSOs

  • strengthened coordination and networking among the CSOs and with GoI/KRG

• To achieve the desired objectives, the 3-year programme period will run from financial year 2024 to 2025 until the end of financial year 2026 to 2027, subject to annual confirmation of funding.

• The successful applicant will have previous experience working in Iraq or the Middle East, with deep, relevant thematic experience on women, peace and security objectives. They should understand the importance of supporting local civil society to implement self-defined and locally-driven priorities.

• The successful organisation will have the technical, financial and organisational capacity to manage a grant scheme with different funding streams. They will need to provide tailored capacity and technical support to CSOs of differing organisational strengths and capabilities, and organise support to the GoI and KRG.

Eligibility

Criteria

• The UKISF requires applicants to have the necessary legal licenses to operate in time for the start of the grant award, at the local level within both Federal Iraq and the Kurdistan Region

• Applicants should have sufficient financial resilience and a proven track record of transparently and effectively managing donor funded projects of a similar scale

• UKISF will conduct a due diligence assessment on the successful potential partner including reviewing safeguarding measures

• The project will be delivered through a grant agreement and therefore the organisation cannot profit from the received grant funding

• Additional project documentation will be completed by bidders who are shortlisted at the initial sift, following the acceptance of the concept note and request for the full proposal. This additional documentation (only to be requested from bidders who are successful at the initial sift stage) will include a finalised project proposal, developing the initial concept note and the activity-based summary budget

Post Date: April 29, 2024