Description

In line with the Constitution of Nepal 2015 and international commitment, gender equality and social inclusion is at the forefront of the national agenda, and the Government of Nepal highlights the need for further efforts to improve the status of women, Dalits, Madhesis, Muslims, Indigenous peoples/Nationalities, gender and sexual minorities, Minority groups, persons with disability, people from geographically excluded regions, senior citizens, and the poor. With the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the UN member states pledged to ensure “no one will be left behind” and to endeavor to “reach the furthest behind first”. In practice, this means taking explicit action to end extreme poverty, curb inequalities, exclusion, deprivation, confront discrimination and fast-track progress for the furthest behind. 
People get left behind when they lack the choices and opportunities to participate in and benefit from development progress. Five key factors are identified for anyone to be left behind: 

(i)    discrimination (biases, exclusion or mistreatment that people face based on one or more aspects of their identity - for example gender, caste, ethnicity, age, class, disability, sexual orientation)
(ii)    geography (who endures isolation, vulnerability, missing or inferior public services, transportation, internet or other infrastructure) 
(iii)    governance (where people face disadvantage due to ineffective, unjust, unaccountable or unresponsive global, national and/or sub-national institutions)
(iv)    socio-economic status (who faces deprivations or disadvantages in terms of income, life expectancy and educational attainment, less chances to be healthy, be nourished or educated) 
(v)    shock and fragility (who is more exposed and/or vulnerable to setbacks due to the impacts of climate change, natural hazards, violence, conflict, displacement, economic, political, or social shocks, etc.

Call for Action

With the objective to operationalize the “Leave No One Behind (LNOB)” principle, UNDP had initiated the LNOB Initiative since 2021 with the aim to reach out to the communities and organizations who may not be regular recipients of UNDP support and invite proposals from among the organizations working with women, Dalit, Indigenous People, key affected people, people  living with HIV, Madhesi, Muslims, persons with disabilities, gender and sexual minorities, ultra poor and marginalized peoples, senior citizens, etc. The intervention is an indicative effort to cater to the specific needs of the marginalized and vulnerable groups and strengthen their capacity to be able to exercise their rights as guaranteed by the Constitution of Nepal. Through this LNOB initiative, UNDP welcomes proposals which examine why people are left behind, seek to empower the people who are left behind, or enact policies, laws, reforms, interventions to confront the drivers that leave people behind. Initiatives can focus on various areas of work, across the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. 

The proposals are requested to address at least one or multiple key factors that leave people behind. In addition to that, proposals will be prioritized under three portfolios (programmatic approach) and GESI  standalone intervention. 

I)    Sustainable and inclusive economic growth 
Proposals on women and marginalized communities’ economic empowerment, green jobs, media mobilization/sensitization, technical skills development, vulnerable people access enhancement on banking and financial literacy, digitalization, tourism sector, and many other innovative ideas on the theme.

II)    Governance, Rule of Law and Human Rights 
Policy reform and implementation on governance, rule of law, justice and human rights, advocacy on GESI issues in policies, policy dialogues, GESI friendly case investigation, civic engagment and participation,  inclusive grievance handling system, business and human rights, human rights due diligence, women and marginalized groups’ participation in decision making, interventions to confront the drivers that leave people behind across the SDGs and many other innovative ideas on the theme.

III)    Environmental Sustainability, Climate and Disaster Resilience
Addressing GESI issues in energy, and climate change, disaster preparedness disability inclusive interventions, GESI in emergency preparedness, GESI sensitization on energy and climate related issues, inclusive productive energy use, and many other innovate ideas on the theme. Karnali province will be the preferred area for this intervention.

IV)    Innovative standalone intervention on LNOB and GESI 
With this, innovative standalone intervention on GESI such as sensitization on GBV, behaviour change on GESI, engagement of men and boys/privileged groups for GESI/LNOB, mental health, psychosocial counselling linking with GESI, harmful social practices, unpaid care work, disability, indigenous rights and dedicated program for key affected people, examine why people are left behind or empower the people who are left behind  related proposals are highly welcomed.

Proposed Time Schedule For Proposal Submission

Duration of the project 

The duration of each project will be up to six months. The projects should be tentatively planned to start by May 2024 and completed by November 2024. 

Required documents to be submitted with the proposal

•    Organization Profile
•    Rules and Regulation of the Organization
•    Social Welfare Council (SWC) Registration
•    District Administration Office (DAO) Registration
•    Permanent Account Number (PAN) Registration
•    Latest Tax Clearance Certificate
•    Latest Audit Report
•    Policy on Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI), Prevention on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA),     Child Safeguarding, etc.

(Note: Proposal and budget breakdown format is attached in annex. Applicants must use the same format for the proposal submission.)

Acceptance of the proposal

UNDP reserves the right to accept or reject any proposals submitted by the Applicant without providing any reasons/justifications for their decision. The Applicant's proposal is subject to evaluation by UNDP, and they have the authority to decide based on their judgment and criteria. 
Furthermore, if necessary, the Applicant may be requested to make modifications to the proposal and present it again for approval. UNDP can request changes or seek additional information from the Applicant to ensure that the proposal aligns with their requirements and expectations. It is essential for the Applicant to be responsive to UNDP’s requests, make necessary adjustments, and present a revised proposal promptly for further consideration and potential approval. 

The proposals should be submitted with all required documents at registry.np@undp.org 

Note: Proposals from Province and Local level NGOs are encouraged to apply

FAQ

What does it mean to leave no one behind?

https://www.undp.org/publications/what-does-it-mean-leave-no-one-behind