The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Zambia has announced a Call for Grant Proposals for “Enhancing the role of women’s decision-making and participation in the Electoral Process.” The grants will be awarded to civil society organizations in the country to foster women’s empowerment in electoral processes and it will also attempt to strengthen the organizational capacities of grantees for ensuring sustainability of the interventions undertaken. The criteria for selecting the applications for the funding request are:
- A focus on initiatives that build capacity in (i) Advocacy and lobbying for female adoption of candidates in the electoral process therefore aiming for the minimum prescribed 50/50 SADC Gender Protocol in comparison to 15% female representation in parliament during the 2006 Elections, (ii) Advocacy and lobbying for the women’s increased participation in electoral processes and (iii) Development and implementation of an ongoing harmonized capacity building program for elected and prospective female candidates (close consultation and liaison with Zambia Centre for Inter-Party Dialogue (ZCID));
- Potential grantees organizations should demonstrate that they are at least gender balanced and their current strategic plan focuses on empowerment of women in electoral processes;
- Applicant organizations should have been in existence for more than five years and be able to provide evidence of previous experience which resulted in identifiable impact in areas of support towards the enhancement of women participation and female adoption of candidates in the electoral processes
- Applicant organizations should demonstrate their ability to include distinct and innovative strategies in the proposal that will enhance women’s participation and decision-making roles at municipal, district, and national level either through existing structures or newly developed ones with a clear focus on the electoral process
NGOs proposing for this funding should demonstrate that they are capable of undertaking the operations proposed, they are coordinating the activities with other organizations to strengthen the electoral process in Zambia and the proposals comprise of detailed information about the projects being proposed. There required documents such as proof of registration, organizational structure etc to be submitted along with the proposals. The deadline to submit grant proposals is 19 February 2010. For more information, visit this link.
