Call for Proposals: Strengthening Social Cohesion in Tunisia

Deadline: 1-Sep-23

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is accepting proposals from civil society organizations to strengthen social cohesion in the target regions.

Priority Areas of Intervention

• The priority areas of intervention will be the promotion of the economic and social inclusion of young people and women, particularly in disadvantaged and marginalized; raising awareness and preventing violence and risky behavior among young people and consolidating relationships of trust and respect between citizens and public authorities.
• As an indication, below are examples of activities that could be funded:
  • Promote the economic inclusion of young people, with a focus on those who are part of marginalized, fragile categories, from poor and marginalized backgrounds:
    • Create decent job opportunities for young people by promoting social and solidarity entrepreneurship and supporting the resulting organizations, providing support for the creation of agricultural development groups (GDAs), mutual agricultural service companies (SMSA), community companies, etc.;
    • Strengthen career guidance services within universities and establish partnerships with Career and Skills Certification centers in order to improve the employability of young graduates;
    • Improve the employability of young people in rural areas, particularly women by bringing together and diversifying vocational training, access to resources and means of production and facilitating the transition from the informal to the formal sector, promotion of the economy social and solidarity, access to markets, etc.
  • Raise awareness, inform and prevent violence and risky behavior among young people:
    • Strengthen the capacities of local actors such as social services and the Ministry of Family, Women and Children to set up effective programs for the reintegration and reintegration of vulnerable young people/adolescents, as well as to support their families;
    • Strengthen and/create spaces for listening and psychological and social support for young people;
    • Establish and expand local spaces for multi-actor dialogue with young people in order to encourage their participation and involvement in decisions that affect them;
  • Strengthen the social inclusion of young people by promoting access to culture and sport at local:
    • Support and accompany citizen initiatives designed by young people at the local level;
    • Encourage the use of educational, social, cultural and sports programs, structures and infrastructures by young people, by making them aware of their existence and by mobilizing them;
    • Support activities aimed at combating school drop-out, access to decent work (equal pay, social coverage, protected work and transport).
  • Strengthen and consolidate trust between citizens and the administration:
    • Develop innovative mechanisms to promote interaction between citizens, especially young people, and the administration;
    • Create multi-actor debate platforms involving the administration, civil society, the private sector and citizens;
    • Support the digitization and proximity of public services, paying particular attention to rural areas. This can be done by improving the accessibility of online public services, encouraging their use and facilitating access to digital technologies in these areas.

Cross-Cutting Elements

• Sustainability of impact;
• Collaboration between civil society and institutions;
• Activities that specifically incorporate violence prevention initiatives; the promotion of tolerance and the inclusion of different social groups, including minorities and marginalized; promotion of gender equality; the development of a critical mind;
• Communication capacity to give visibility to the initiative and raise awareness among the possible number of indirect beneficiaries.

Funding Information

• Lot 1
  • The financial support proposed by UNDP under this lot is capped at the following amounts: between 60,000 and 80,000 TND (amount per project);
  • The expected duration of a project must be between 09 and 12 months;
• Lot 2
  • The financial support proposed by UNDP under this lot is capped at the amounts following: between 350,000 and 390,000 TND (amount per project);
  • The expected duration of a project must be between 15 and 18 months;

Geographical Zones

Projects must take place in one of the following regions:

• South-East: Governorates of Gabès, Médenine and Tataouine;
• Centre-West: Governorates of Kairouan, Sidi Bouzid and Kasserine;
• North-West: governorates of Jendouba, Kef and Siliana;
• Popular areas and outskirts of large urban centers.

Eligibility Criteria

• The applicant must meet the following conditions to be eligible for a grant:
  • Be a civil society organization in accordance with the provisions on the organization of associations;
  • Be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action and not be limited to an intermediary role;
  • Be independent of political parties/movements;
  • Compliance with the provisions on the declaration of assets and interests, the fight against illicit enrichment and conflict of interest;
• Registration in the national business register in accordance with the provisions.
• The applicant may not submit more than one application under this call for tenders.
• Cannot participate in calls for proposals, nor be beneficiaries of a grant, applicants and partners:
  • Who are in a state or who are the subject of a procedure of bankruptcy, liquidation, legal settlement or preventive composition, cessation of activity, or who are in a similar situation resulting from a procedure of the same nature existing in national laws and regulations;
  • Who, in the context of a grant awarded by the UNDP or another UN organization, have been declared in serious breach of execution due to non-compliance with their contractual obligations.

For more information, visit United Nations Development Programme.