Deadline: Ongoing Opportunity
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with support from the Government of Japan, has launched the project “Transformational Recovery for Human Security in Ukraine” to bring transformational recovery and promote human security by undertaking immediate actions against multidimensional threats that Ukraine is currently facing.
Objectives
- The CSO project proposals should aim to enhance the capacity of national actors such as the Prosecutor General’s Office, the National Police of Ukraine, the system of providing free legal aid, the Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, and others.
- The CSO project’s suggested activities may include:
- Training and capacity development
- Human rights documentation and reporting
- Develop coordination mechanisms to facilitate communication and collaboration between different agencies
- Victim and witness support
- Provision of services to war-affected population
- Public awareness and advocacy to strengthen the national legal framework for investigating and prosecuting human rights violations and war crimes
- Lot 1: Strengthening capacities of the national actors in evidence-based investigation, processing of and addressing war related human rights violations, war crime cases, including CRSV crimes.
- Lot 1 of the CfP supports the activities of CSOs aimed at contributing to operationalization of transitional justice mechanisms of prosecution for war crimes in line with international standards, strengthening legal and institutional frameworks for addressing human rights violations and war crimes, including CRSV.
- Activities under this Lot shall foresee strengthening institutional setting and key institutional infrastructure of the national judicial and law enforcement institutions in order to increase their effectiveness in receiving, communicating with, and interviewing survivors and witnesses of serious crimes. The preliminary focus should be on provision of support to survivors of war crimes and other conflict related human rights violations, including CRSV, that can be further scaled up to provision support and protection to victims, survivors and witnesses of all violent crimes, in line with international standards, and in particular in accordance with 2012 EU Directive on establishing the minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime (The Victims’ Rights Directive). That will create conditions for survivor-centered and gender-sensitive criminal justice process that avoids re-traumatisation and secondary victimisation, enhances protection of survivors’’ human rights, including access to justice and remedy and fair trial rights, as well as rights of other participants in criminal proceeding. By resulting, i.a., in the effect of encouraging and facilitating victims’ and witnesses’ participation in criminal proceedings and their readiness to give statements and testify, it will increase the overall efficiency of criminal justice process.
- Lot 2: Strengthening the capacity of national justice actors in provision of services to war-affected population to facilitate access to justice
- Lot 2 of the CfP supports activities of CSOs aimed at strengthening capacities of the national justice actors to provide justice services, to communicate and to work with survivors and witnesses in a survivor-centred and gender sensitive manner. The overall goal of this Lot is to facilitate access to justice and ensure that the support services are more accessible and adapted to especially vulnerable groups (highly traumatized victims, survivors of conflict-related or gender based sexual violence, children, people with disabilities, elderly, and other). Activities under this Lot should ensure practical realization for:
- Survivor-centred approach: to create a supportive environment in which the survivor’s rights and wishes are respected, their safety is ensured, an environment enabling their participation is provided, and they are treated with dignity and respect.
- Do No Harm: Considering the gravity of the crimes of CRSV, as well as witnessing mass atrocities against their families, friends and communities, particular attention will be given to avoiding re-traumatization and countering stigmatisation, while taking into consideration prevalent cultural environments and norms.
- Adherence to international standards and best practices: UN and other international standards in regard to redress for International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law violations, as well as international strategies, best practices, and lessons learned in respect to CRSV.
- Conflict sensitivity: In this environment, no intervention is conflict-neutral, meaning that the project’s activities, regardless of their intended aims, will almost certainly impact positively or negatively on the conflict dynamics. For this reason, all project steps will be built upon the conflict analysis, analysis of the project interaction with the conflict dynamics, and planning to maximise positive and minimise negative effects. At all stages, the said analyses will be performed through a gender lens.
- Lot 2 of the CfP supports activities of CSOs aimed at strengthening capacities of the national justice actors to provide justice services, to communicate and to work with survivors and witnesses in a survivor-centred and gender sensitive manner. The overall goal of this Lot is to facilitate access to justice and ensure that the support services are more accessible and adapted to especially vulnerable groups (highly traumatized victims, survivors of conflict-related or gender based sexual violence, children, people with disabilities, elderly, and other). Activities under this Lot should ensure practical realization for:
Thematic Areas
- To maximise positive results on transformational recovery, the project interventions will focus on the following 6 priority thematic areas:
- Output 1 (Infrastructure restoration): Critical infrastructures and facilities restored to meet immediate needs to provide essential public services and establish enabling conditions for transformational recovery.
- Output 2 (Mine action & Victim Assistance): Capacities of mine action authorities and emergency service responders expanded to protect the civilian population from mine/explosive ordnances and secure a safe environment for people’s living and socio-economic activities.
- Output 3 (Debris removal and recycling): Debris, waste, and environmentally hazardous materials cleared and dangerous damaged structures safely demolished for the swift reconstruction of housing and public socio-economic facilities.
- Output 4 (Economic revitalization): Local economy revitalised by strengthening and expanding the private sector in targeted sectors through immediate response solutions in developing capabilities, improving employability, and enhancing business-enabling conditions.
- Output 5 (Government Recovery Coordination): Integrity and transparency of government mechanisms and processes for crisis management and recovery process strengthened at both national and local levels.
- Output 6 (Access to justice and human rights): Capacities of national and local state and non-state actors enhanced to promote human rights and ensure access to justice for all people, with a focus on IDPs and vulnerable groups.
- Support under Output 6 will be provided for justice reform, particularly quality legal aid, strengthening capacities of police, prosecutors, and judges, as well as a comprehensive and long-term national victim support programme will be required to improve access to justice at the national and community levels. The impact of such interventions will have an effect in short and long-term perspectives given that addressing immediate needs will help build systems and frameworks for the future.
- The support under Output 6 will also enhance access to justice and human rights protection that will be enabling and people-centred both in time of the current conflict and in its aftermath, and to support development and operationalization of transitional justice mechanisms of prosecution for war crimes and reparations, in line with international standards.
- Through this CfP, UNDP would like to engage civil society organizations (CSOs) to respond to human rights challenges in Ukraine and strengthen the capacity of national actors in evidence-based investigation and processing of human rights violations, war crime cases, CRSV crimes, and armed conflict-related property loss and claims, as well as provision of legal services to the war-affected population.
Funding Information
- It is envisioned that the budget within the project proposal should be no more than USD 150,000.
- All grants under Lots 1,2, should envision completion by 1st February 2025.
Geographic Locations
- For the activities under Lots 1, and 2, UNDP will accept applications for all oblasts of Ukraine.
Eligibility Criteria
- Have the status of a non-governmental public or charitable organization, civic union, or association of CSO/NGOs officially registered in Ukraine for no less than a year and/or have a proven record of implementation of similar projects with the support of international donors or technical assistance projects. The contest does not provide grants to profit organizations, political parties, state authorities, local governments, religious communities, private (physical) individuals, and entrepreneurs.
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