Call for Submissions: APWLD Feminist Fossil Fuel Free Future Sub Grants

Deadline has been extended to 14 August 2018

APWLD invites grassroots feminist organisations to join us advance the principle of just and equitable, inclusive, accountable and rights-based climate financing through the Green Climate Fund (GCF) for safeguarding the environment and women’s human rights in the Asia-Pacific region. The duration of these sub-grants is for six months.

Why Finance for Climate Justice in 2018?

Considering APWLD members’ analysis and perspectives from civil society engagement at the Green Climate Fund and Climate Finance in the region, we have realised a gap in monitoring and learning among the grassroots organisations, which restricts their access to information and decision making around GCF projects that may have a direct impact on their lives, lands and livelihoods. Countries like Mongolia, Bangladesh and Fiji are the hotspot for climate financing, however most of GCF projects are based on mitigation heavy, centralised and technology/infrastructure driven projects that have minimal or no consultation with grassroots organisations and their communities. While the GCF has several policies in place (e.g. environmental and social  safeguards, gender policy, indigenous peoples policy and other ethical considerations of project financing), it is still largely without peoples’ and grassroots capacity to monitor/influence decisions of GCF boards particularly regarding policies, programmes and projects; their capacity and access to monitor/influence decisions of National Designated Authority (NDA) at national level regarding GCF national mechanisms including the civil society engagement and proposed projects.

There is an urgency in communicating the possibility of having a feminist, fossil fuel free future to counter the present deadlock of climate negotiations where countries and private sector still work on the lines of ‘development’ agenda in the linear economic models to do ‘business as usual’. With evidences surmounting that this approach and ‘paradigm shift’ models proposed as GCF projects will not keep the world within the 1.5 degree Paris agenda, or resolve the global inequalities, an alternative narrative that showcases Just and Equitable Transitions in action has become a need to challenge the projects that are without accountability or transparency.

How Will the Sub-grants Work?

The sub-grants of maximum US$3,000 will be awarded to four grassroots feminist organisationsin GCF priority countries from Central Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific to: a) hold a workshop/dialogue between GCF board members, GCF secretariat and CSOs monitoring GCF, National Designated Authorities and Country Focal Points, project specific departments and organisations, Accredited and Direct Access Entities of GCF and other related NGOs advocating GCF; and b) come up with strong recommendations to their governments and CSO observers at GCF as the peoples’ perspectives on climate finance.

Selected sub-grant partners will be guided by APWLD with its analysis on Development Justice and Just & Equitable transitions; and will be invited to a regional training organised by APWLD to be held on 9 and 10 September 2018 in Bangkok, Thailand to build their capacities as GCF gender monitors for their country/region. Travel support to attend the regional training will be provided additional to the sub-grant.  Following the regional training and subsequent national roundtable, the sub-grant partners are expected to identify a functional working group to engage in GCF and Gender monitoring discussions nationally and regionally through the GCF South-South working group/list-serv to update on their national projects.

The partners will be expected to produce a report and advocacy briefer from roundtable consultation in their respective countries that they conduct afterwards between Sept-Dec 2018 and co-publish it with APWLD. This will also be used in strategic advocacy by APWLD in its submissions and engagements at CoP24, and with GCF Watchers during the year.

APWLD sub-grant is only a supplementary support for existing programmes/projects within the organisations that can be additionally utilised for organising the roundtable consultations and related outcomes to influence climate finance through GCF.

Selection Criteria

The organisations will be selected on the basis of the following –

• • From the GCF project countries  
  • Prior engagement areas of the organisation in climate/development finance, environment, gender and human rights is mandatory
  • Proven organisational capacity to monitor GCF projects in the region/country with a special focus in the areas of safeguards on gender, indigenous peoples, and  environmental and social assessments. Organisational experience in monitoring the compliance and performance of accredited entities with the Fund’s standards and check the monitoring and evaluation component for the Fund is an advantage.
  • Selected sub-grant partners must send at least 2 representatives/organisation to attend APWLD’s regional training on 9- 10th September 2018  in Bangkok, Thailand. At least one, if not both, representatives must be a woman, and directly involved in the sub-grant programme throughout the timeline.

Timeline

1 August – Call for applications

15 August – Shortlisted applicants receive confirmation

9,10 September – Workshop and co-development of work plans

October/November – National consultations

December – Publications

Application

The applicant should submit an expression of interest with the following documents:

1. Concept note drawing on the objectives of the sub-grant and activity/work-plan proposed to be held in region/country of the applying organisation from October to December 2018.
2. Budget proposal for the proposed activities/workplan.
3. Organisational profile and personal resumes of organisation representatives who will be attending the training and organising consultations (please note that at least one, if not both, of the representatives must be a female).
4. At least one reference/endorsement from a professional engagement preferrably from APWLD membership.

Please send completed forms via email with the subject line “Application for 5F Sub-grants” to Shradha Shreejaya at shradha@apwld.org, by no later than 14 August 2018, midnight Bangkok time. Please note that incomplete applications will not be entertained.

Please note that only short-listed organisations will be contacted.