1. Background

The present Call for Proposals (CfP) is administered by UNDP’s projects “Democratization and Human Rights 2023-2026 Project”. Sub-project Civil Society and Youth Support Project’’ (CSYP) and "Promotion of human security in Ukraine through responding to the multidimensional crisis caused by the war”.

On January 1, 2023, the United Nations Development Programme in Ukraine (UNDP) under the financial support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark launched the “Democratization and Human Rights 2023-2026 Project”, under which the sub-project Civil Society and Youth Support Project (CSYP) will be implemented until the 31 December 2026. The project is embedded in the Democratic Governance portfolio, through which UNDP assists the Government, civil society, and the people of Ukraine in advancing democratic policies and practices needed to accelerate progress on sustainable human development.

The UNDP project "Promotion of human security in Ukraine through responding to the multidimensional crisis caused by the war” started in January 2023 under the support of Japan and aimed to enhance human security in Ukraine by responding to the multidimensional crisis caused by the war and addressing high vulnerability due to the ongoing war in the country, ensuring inclusive recovery planning at the local level. 

The ongoing war in Ukraine has severely affected the situation for young people in Ukraine, with disruption in education, displacement and psychological traumas. According to the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine data, as a result of the war 40% of young people in Ukraine have been affected, with more than two million young people becoming internally displaced, and around two million young people forced to flee abroad. But despite the challenges of the war, many young people have played an active role in the emergency response, serving as volunteers in their communities, helping to distribute humanitarian aid and support internally displaced people (IDPs) and vulnerable populations. A recent SHARP survey indicates that the number of young people that started to volunteer during the full-scale war has increased substantially. It should nevertheless be noted that the sense of civic duty - which measures the degree to which one feels responsible for the future and well-being of their society and country, and to which one feels that ordinary people can change things in their community – is significantly higher than the actual engagement among youth, indicating the need to invest more in actions aiming to channel youth engagement in the recovery process.

UNDP is recognizing youth as key agents of change in resilience building and sustainable recovery, and in the longer term, sustainable peace. Building on a strong relationship with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine and a substantive experience of supporting youth participation at national, regional and local levels. Hence, UNDP support the promotion of young people’s voices and participation in decision making processes at all levels in the recovery efforts.

In 2022, UNDP, in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, supported the piloting of the “VidNova” programme which promotes the engagement of young people in the recovery of Ukraine and the normalization of life in communities affected by the war, through youth exchanges. During the pilot stage, over 120 young women and men participated in four exchange visits, organized in partnership in partnership with local youth centers and youth organizations, where the participants took part in educational activities aimed on promoting civic engagement, social cohesion and volunteering, while also, under supervision of and mentorship of skilled construction workers, participated in recovery work on sights that may be used by young people in the future. While the youth were contributing actively to the recovery work, the exchanges’ aim is also to strengthen the sense of unity and national civic identity through increased connection between young people from different parts of the country.

During the summer 2023, UNDP together the Ministry of Youth and Sports and selected partners plan to scale up the national programme of inclusion of young people into recovery processes “VidNova” Programme, by including 24 youth exchange visits to be conducted during June-September. The focus of the programme in 2023 will be the reconstruction of objects that can be used as youth spaces and youth centres in local communities.  

In this context, UNDP Ukraine would like to:

1. Identify and select an experienced civil society organization which will serve as a coordination center for implementation of national programme of inclusion of young people into recovery processes “VidNova”.

and

2. Identify and select youth centres and/or youth CSOs (up to 24) to act as implementing partners responsible for organizing youth exchanges in their communities.

2. OBJECTIVES OF THE COMPETITION:

Lot 1

The primary focus of this Lot is to select a CSO that will provide coordination support to successfully conduct 24 youth exchanges, ensure methodological support and training of youth centers’ / CSOs’ staff including:

• Supporting youth centers and youth organisations in conducting one or two 5-day youth exchanges in oblasts identified by the Ministry of Youth and Sports^[1], including overseeing the organization of logistics such as accommodation, travel, and food for the participants;
• Participation in the process of selecting youth centers and youth CSOs which will apply for the second Lot of this competition which will include the assessment of proposed sites for restoration of civil infrastructure objects;
• In partnership with UNDP team and All-Ukrainian Youth Center conduct training sessions for youth centers and/or youth CSOs on the methodology and logistical specifics of the exchanges (3 rounds of 4-day training sessions for up to 24 teams of three people;
• Based on established methodology, organise training of mentors to conduct the educational part of exchanges with a focus on the development of civic competencies, volunteering and the values of social cohesion;
• Ensuring the work of the central office of national programme of inclusion of young people into recovery processes  “VidNova”, with the aim to coordinate work of regional hubs with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine and ensuring communication about the project within the society.

Lot 2

The primary focus of this lot is to select youth centres and/or youth CSOs to act as coordination centers for organizing youth exchanges within the framework of the national youth exchange programme “VidNova”, namely:

• In partnership with local authorities, “VidNova” coordination center and All-Ukrainian Youth Center, conduct one or two youth exchanges during the June-September 2023: one organization can conduct a maximum of two 5 –day exchanges in two different communities;
• Based on the received methodology and training, finalise the curricula/schedule for exchanges (educational part, including civic competencies, volunteering and the values of social cohesion);
• Maintain contact and coordinate with local authorities on the organization of works on the restoration of civil infrastructure objects: CSO submits an application in partnership with the local government body that owns the facility for restoration;
• Identify and propose an implementation team which should consist of a coordinator, finance manager, a master of restoration works, and a manager of the educational component of the programmme;
• Identify the object for the restoration within “VidNova” at the concept submission stage according to the following criteria:

• Preference will be given to communal property (the premises are owned by the community);
• A letter of support for the project implementation from the local authority is mandatory;
• In the letter of support from local authorities as the property owner must commit to sustain the operations of the restored premises and make it available for youth work or community activities for the period of at least 5 years;
• In case of private ownership of the premisses suggested for restoration, the owner must commit to make the restored premises available for youth work or community activities for the period of at least 5 years.

By submitting a concept for this competition, the identified CSO team (at least 2 nominated representatives) agrees to participate in the mandatory 4 day offline training which will take place anytime from 15 March to 1 May 2023.

3. PARTICIPANTS OF THE COMPETITION:

Non-profit youth organizations and organizations working with youth, in particular charitable organizations, public associations (including civil society organizations and unions) that are officially registered in Ukraine. The contest does not provide grants to profit organizations, political parties, state authorities, local governments, state and municipal enterprises religious communities and private (physical) individuals and entrepreneurs.

3.1. Eligible organizations

The parameters that will determine whether an NGO is eligible to be considered for funding by UNDP will be based on the Capacity Assessment Checklist CACHE (Annex 5).

3.2. Geographic location:

UNDP will accept applications from all regions of Ukraine. The applying CSO has to prove its capacity to operate in the proposed area of the intervention which will be assessed by the Grant Selection Committee.

4. COMPETITION STAGES:

LOT 1

The winners of the competition will be chosen on the basis of the evaluation results of the project proposals by the Grant Selection Committee.  UNDP will conclude grant agreements with those finalists that will be recommended for funding.  To participate in the competition under Lot 1 the applying CSO should submit the proposals according to the template provided in Annex 1.1 of this CfP.

LOT 2

Stage I 

Submission of project concepts according to the Annex 1.2 of this CfP.

Stage II

Based on the results of the review and preliminary evaluation of the concepts, representatives of pre-selected youth centres and organizations will be invited to participate in a (four day) preparatory training and submit finalized project proposals. The aim of the training is to prepare the youth CSO teams for the implementation of the youth exchanges in their regions, including guidance on finalisation of project proposals, as well as guidance on programmatic and financial reporting, as per UNDP guidelines.[2] Three training rounds will be organized during 15 March and 1 May 2023.

The winners of the competition will be chosen on the basis of the evaluation results of the project proposals by the Grant Selection Committee.  UNDP will conclude grant agreements with those finalists that will be recommended for funding.

5. BUDGET AND ALLOWED EXPENSES:

Eligible costs must:

• be necessary for caring out project activities;
• comply with the principles of sound financial management, in particular value for and cost-effectiveness;
• be properly recorded, identifiable and verifiable, and backed by original supporting documents.

UNDP grant may only be used to cover the following costs:

• Staff salaries and expert fees;
• Purchase of consultative services provided that these are essential for project goals and objectives;
• Construction materials or repair work;
• Consumables and supplies, including minor personal protective equipment;
• Printing and copying;
• Utility services;
• Renting, catering and other services envisaged by the project activities;
• Travel costs (provided that travel complies with internal UNDP regulations).

The following costs are ineligible:

• Costs of project proposal preparation;
• Debts reconciliation;
• International travel;
• Reimbursement of expenses related to exchange rate fluctuations;
• Creation and registration of the organization;
• Direct fiscal support to state authorities;
• Political activity;
• Religious propaganda;
• Activities leading to direct or indirect discrimination of any social strata;
• Projects aimed at gaining profit from activities;
• Purchase of vehicles and / or luxury goods and related services.

6. FINANCIAL CONDITIONS AND TERMS OF IMPLEMENTATION:

The maximum budget of the project proposal under the Lot 1 should not exceed 60,000 USD, and under the Lot 2 should not exceed 18,000 USD per exchange. The available amount for construction materials under the Lot 2 should not exceed 5,000 USD.

The maximum timeframe for the project implementation of project under lot 1 is 6 months. The maximum timeframe for the project implementation under lot 2 is 3 months if the applying CSO partner plans to organize 1 exchange visit, and 5 months for 2 exchange visits.

The contribution from the implementing organization or from other sources will be considered and will be regarded as an advantage for the applicant. This contribution could be made both financially and in non-financial form (for example, remuneration of the personnel of the organization, provision of its office or equipment for project tasks, etc.).

7. SUBMISSION PROCEDURE:

For lot 1

Complete project proposals as per template provided in Annex 1.1 should be submitted in Ukrainian or English to the email:  grants.ua@undp.org and google form specifying in the subject line the title and Lot of the competition “Lot1. Engaging young men and women in recovery processes in Ukraine through youth exchange programmes”. The project proposals should be submitted no later than 18:00 on 28 February 2023.

For lot 2

Stage I

Concepts of the project proposals should be submitted in Ukrainian or English by e-mail to the address:  grants.ua@undp.org and google form specifying in the subject line the title and Lot of the competition “Lot 2. Engaging young men and women in recovery processes in Ukraine through youth exchange programmes”. The project concepts together with letters of support from property owners and/or subnational authorities should be submitted no later than 18:00 on 15 March, 2023.

Stage II

Based on the results of the review and preliminary evaluation of the concepts, the selected organizations will be invited to submit finalized project proposals. The compete project proposals and supporting documents should be submitted to the address grants.ua@undp.org no later than one week after completion of the training organized by UNDP.

Contact persons for questions:

• Anna Ostrikova, UNDP Grant/Youth Associate: anna.ostrikova@undp.org

8. SELECTION PROCESS

8.1. Assessment procedures

UNDP specialists will check the proposals submitted by the CSOs for each competition stage against the criteria. The Programme can request additional information from the applicants at its own discretion.

To ensure full transparency and equity of the process, UNDP forms a Grant Selection Committee (GSC) that will appraise the proposals that have made it through the first stage. GSC is a temporary authorized body that is responsible for considering, selecting and recommending proposals for funding. The Grant Selection Committee may decide to request additional independent expert opinion during the selection process.

8.2. Criteria for the assessment of proposals

The proposals shall be assessed by the GSC in accordance to the following criteria:

9. REPORTING, MONITORING AND EVALUATION

9.1. Monitoring and evaluation, frameworks for project implementation

The Grantee is responsible for monitoring project implementation and evaluating its results. UNDP will monitor the project through Grantee reports, online consultations, site visits, meetings with project personnel and stakeholders, and participation in project events.

9.2. Reporting

The Grantee shall submit the following reports according to UNDP format:

• Brief reports on demand occasionally requested by UNDP CSDR in cases when information on Programme implementation is required in between reporting periods;
• A Completion report, including a summary of activities and results as well as financial report for total duration of an agreement.

ANNEXES

Annex 1.1. Form for LOT 1 

Annex 1.2. CONCEPT FORM FOR LOT 2

Annexes 2-4 for LOT 1

^[1] Particular emphasis will be placed on ensuring equitable opportunity for participation in the youth exchange activities for youth from conflict affected communities, regardless of their current area of residence/relocation.

[2] Please note that the training is mandatory for the implementing team