Deadline: 20-Aug-23
The Initiative Africa (IA) in cooperation with the Ministry of Peace (MoP) and Institute for Security Studies (ISS) invites Ethiopian scholars to submit proposals that address business and peacebuilding research questions.
This call is part of the Business for Peace project funded by Sida. The call is open to all Ethiopian researchers.
Initiative Africa (IA) is a continental organization dedicated to promoting responsible business conduct, respecting the rights of stakeholders promoting dialogue, and addressing societal concerns. Recognizing the pivotal role of the private sector in fostering peace and stability, IA is seeking proposals to explore innovative ways to engage the private sector in Post-Conflict Reconstruction initiatives in Ethiopia. By leveraging the resources, expertise, and networks of private sector actors, they aim to enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of peacebuilding efforts, contributing to the overall stability and development of Ethiopia.
Themes
- Conflict-Sensitive Business Practices
- Proposals should focus on strategies to promote conflict-sensitive business practices among private sector actors in Ethiopia. This may include initiatives to raise awareness. provide training, and develop guidelines that enable businesses to operate in a manner that minimizes negative impacts on local communities and contributes to peacebuilding efforts.
- Private Sector-Led Job Creation and Economic Opportunities
- Proposals should explore ways to harness the potential of the private sector in creating jobs and generating economic opportunities. particularly in conflict-affected areas of Ethiopia. This may involve initiatives that foster entrepreneurship, encourage investment, and promote inclusive economic growth, ultimately contributing to poverty reduction and sustainable peace.
- Partnership and Collaboration between the Private Sector and Government
- Proposals should outline mechanisms to facilitate partnerships and collaboration between the private sector and government entities in peacebuilding efforts. This may include initiatives to enhance dialogue, cooperation, and coordination between public and private sector actors, leading to the development and implementation of joint peacebuilding strategies and programs.
- Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for Peacebuilding
- Proposals should explore how private sector companies can integrate peacebuilding objectives into their corporate social responsibility initiatives. This may involve leveraging CSR programs to support education, healthcare, infrastructure development, and other social interventions that contribute to peace, reconciliation, and community empowerment.
- Financing Mechanisms for Peacebuilding
- Proposals should examine innovative financing mechanisms to mobilize private sector investment in peacebuilding initiatives. This may include the development of impact investment models, public-private partnerships, or other peace funding instruments that align financial interests with social and peacebuilding outcomes.
Award Information
- Selected and completed research papers will be awarded up to 100,000ETB. These funds are expected to cover all expenses of the proposed research (including data collection or research assistance). Upon selection of the winning proposals, an upfront payment of 30,000E113 will be disbursed to the selected author(s) if they agree to develop the proposal into a full paper (7,000 – 12,000 words). The selected author(s) are expected to submit a first draft of the full paper by December 01, 2023, and a final draft by January 15, 2024. The final payment of 70.000ETB will be disbursed upon receipt of the final draft. If several authors contribute, the distribution of the award must be agreed upon internally among the authors.
Criteria
- Individuals as well as organizations based in Ethiopia are welcome to submit proposals. The research proposal should be limited to 5 pages, excluding the cover page and references.
- Please use 12-point font, 1.5-line spacing, and standard margins.
- The cover page should contain the complete contact information of the researcher(s) and a 200-word abstract.
- The proposal should clearly state the research objectives, study design, data sources (if applicable), and policy relevance.
- Please submit your proposals as PDFs by email to Initiative Africa.
- Please also submit the CVs of the authors.
- Submission of a budget is not required.
- Any submission and research proposal-related questions should be directed to Initiative Africa.
Deliverables
- Expected deliverables include a working paper and a one-page summary of the main findings. The working paper must be written in English or in Amharic and will be considered for publication in IA’s Discussion Paper Series. Authors will be invited to present their work at the events organized by the IA.
For more information, visit Initiative Africa (IA).