UK Integrated Security Fund: supporting women, peace and security in Iraq
The UK Integrated Security Fund (UKISF) for Iraq invites bids by 3 May 2024 for a programme to strengthen civil society organisations working on women, peace and security issues in the Federal and Kurdistan regions of Iraq.
Overview
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. We 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.
| Financial year | Allocation |
|---|---|
| 2024 to 2025 | £1,000,000 |
| 2025 to 2026 | £2,000,000* |
| 2026 to 2027 | £2,000,000* |
*Subject to availability of funding and satisfactory performance
The first stage of the bidding process will be to submit a project concept note and an activity-based summary budget. The deadline to submit these 2 documents is Friday 3 May 2024.
We will inform applicants of the initial outcome of their bid in May. We will invite applicants that are successful at the initial sift stage to draft and submit a full proposal. We will notify shortlisted applicants of the final decision in June 2024.
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:
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working under multiple WPS-related themes by issuing and managing a grant scheme to Iraqi civil society organisations
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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
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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.
Concept notes will be assessed against the following criteria and weighting:
- strategic fit: alignment with the stated objectives, underpinned by organisational alignment to inclusion values and approaches, and demonstrated experience, expertise and reach to take forward activity on WPS objectives in Iraq (25%)
- project design and viability: based on a strong contextual analysis and understanding of both the WPS and CSO operating space in Federal Iraq and the KRI (and required project responses); a realistic description of activities including methodology and capacity to adapt to the security context as required (25%)
- project monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL): framed against clear, achievable outcomes and outputs, and a robust theory of change (ToC) and M&E strategy (15%)
- partnerships and donor engagement: capacity to build meaningful, collaborative partnerships, based on mutual respect, shared endeavour, and supportive, open communication with sub-grantees, the Government of Iraq and Kurdistan Regional Government, and UKISF Iraq/British Embassy Baghdad (10%)
- value for money: financial soundness of the proposed activity, demonstration of economy and efficiency of costs (10%)
- sustainability: clear consideration of how to sustain benefits after project completion (5%)
- risk management, gender and conflict sensitivity: a clear understanding of the approaches needed to manage these areas effectively (10%)
Applicant requirements
- 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
How to apply
Bidding organisations should complete and submit:
- a project concept note using the attached form, outlining your approach to delivery for a 3-year period from 2024 to 2025 until 2026 to 2027
- an activity-based summary budget covering the same 3-year period. A detailed budget breakdown by line is not required at this stage. You should include the main cost driver headings, such as staffing costs
Proposals that do not meet the criteria and are not completed using the required forms will not be accepted. Additional documents submitted with the proposal will not be read. Do not include links within your proposal.
Email completed forms by 3 May 2024 to BaghdadCSSF.CallForBids@fco.gov.uk with the subject title ‘UKISF Iraq WPS Project: [XXX - name of the implementer]’.
Background information on the fund
The UN Security Council adopted the Women Peace and Security UNSCR 1325 in 2000. The objective of the resolution is to promote and fulfil women’s human rights and achieve gender equality, as part of efforts to build more peaceful and stable societies for all.
The WPS agenda is founded on an understanding that people experience violent conflict differently according to their gender, with women and girls being particularly affected, and that women have a key role to play in building peace.
The UK’s fifth WPS National Action Plan (NAP) 2023 to 2027 outlines our approach to implementing UNSCR 1325 and its associated resolutions. The NAP responds to the new global context, reflecting on developments in Ukraine and Afghanistan, transnational threats such as climate security and cybersecurity, and ensuring the UK maintains its reputation as a global leader on WPS.
Iraq is a focus country in the UK WPS National Action Plan and within the UK’s Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative Strategy (a subset of the WPS agenda). The UK’s commitment in this area is further illustrated by the UK’s International women and girls strategy.
The strategic outcomes of the 2023 to 2027 UK NAP on WPS are:
- decision-making: increasing women’s meaningful participation, leadership and representation in decision-making processes
- gender-based violence: preventing gender-based violence, including conflict-related sexual violence, and supporting survivors to cope, recover and seek justice
- humanitarian and crisis response: supporting the needs of women and girls in crises and ensuring they can participate and lead in responses
- security and justice: increasing the accountability of security and justice actors to women and girls and ensuring they are responsive to their rights and needs
- transnational threats: ensuring we respond to the needs of women and girls as part of our approach to transnational threats
Despite the essential role of women’s rights organisations in the safeguarding of women and girls’ rights and security through service provision, policy, and advocacy, there remains a significant gap in international donor support to these organisations in Iraq.
Lack of funding to women’s rights organisations working on WPS in federal Iraq and the KRI was a key finding of Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) commissioned research and its recommendation that funding for women-led civil society organisations should be a priority.
The UK, through the British Embassy Baghdad, aimed to address this gap through the development of the Women’s Voices First programme from 2021. This call for bids is to implement a new iteration of that programme that will build on its past successes. This new programme will be funded by the newly-launched UK Integrated Security Fund (UKISF).
Contacts
Email BaghdadCSSF.CallForBids@fco.gov.uk if you have questions about this opportunity.