Deadline: 15-Nov-2025
The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Maputo, on behalf of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has announced an open call for regional civil society organizations to submit concept notes for the implementation of the HIV-Instrument across six countries in Southern Africa.
This initiative forms part of the broader Dutch policy framework Focus (2026–2030) and aims to contribute to the global effort of eliminating HIV/AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. The program emphasizes strengthening the capacity of local civil society organizations to improve access to and integration of HIV-related services for adolescent girls, young women, and key populations in the region.
The central goal of the HIV-Instrument is to reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS by empowering regional and local actors to deliver more effective, inclusive, and sustainable health responses. The initiative focuses on two key areas: improving access to HIV prevention, testing, treatment, and care services, and supporting the development and implementation of evidence-based HIV and AIDS policies. These efforts will prioritize removing social and structural barriers while promoting people-centered, integrated HIV care systems that respond to the specific needs of women, youth, and marginalized groups.
The total budget available for this program amounts to €98.7 million, divided into two main funding streams. The first stream, worth €83.7 million, will directly fund regional civil society organizations to implement activities contributing to the main goals of the program. The second stream, amounting to €15 million, will be managed by Aidsfonds to enhance the technical and organizational capacity of the regional and local organizations under the first stream. Aidsfonds will play a supportive role, promoting local leadership and ensuring alignment with the Dutch government’s localization principles.
Geographically, the program will cover Angola, Eswatini, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, while also extending activities to border areas in Lesotho and Malawi. These locations have been selected based on epidemiological data, strategic priorities, gaps in existing HIV responses, and the presence of Dutch diplomatic missions. In addition to national-level work, regional activities such as policy dialogues, knowledge exchanges, and capacity-building workshops will bring together stakeholders from across the targeted countries to share best practices and strengthen collaboration.
The target groups for this initiative include adolescent girls and young women aged 15 to 29, as well as key populations such as men who have sex with men, transgender individuals, sex workers, migrants, and people who use drugs. These populations remain among the most vulnerable to HIV infection and are often excluded from equitable access to care and prevention services.
Eligible applicants must be regional civil society organizations with a clear mandate and operational presence in one or more of the six implementation countries. These organizations should have a strong local governance structure, be rooted in the communities they serve, and possess at least ten years of experience implementing regional HIV-related programs. While local organizations cannot apply directly, they may participate as sub-implementing partners under regional applicants.
Organizations that do not qualify include international NGOs without local governance structures, for-profit entities, UN agencies, multilateral institutions, and any organizations registered outside the six selected Southern African countries. The Embassy of the Netherlands emphasizes that this call is intended to empower locally driven, community-based responses that foster ownership, sustainability, and impact within the HIV response ecosystem in Southern Africa.
Through this call for concept notes, the Netherlands reaffirms its long-standing commitment to supporting regional collaboration and local leadership in health, with the ultimate goal of ensuring that no one is left behind in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
For more information, visit Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Maputo.
