Call for Proposals: WPHF Climate Security in the Pacific

Deadline: 24-May-24

The United Nations Women’s Peace & Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) is seeking proposals to support local, grassroots, women and young women’s civil society organizations in the Pacific region to enhance their active participation and leadership in climate security efforts in conflict settings.

This Call for Proposals seeks to support projects that enhance women’s participation and leadership in climate-related injustice and conflict prevention, and/or climate-related economic & political decision-making. The Call for Proposals is also open to support local women’s and young women’s rights organizations working in these areas through institutional funding.

The Pacific Region (Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu): Climate change and natural disasters represent a growing threat to peace and security in the region. Chronic cyclones and droughts, rising sea levels, increasingly warmer weather and changing rainfall patterns are leading to growing food insecurity, scarcity of resources, and climate-induced population displacement, putting additional pressure on already economically weak communities. Growing climate insecurity increases risks of internal conflicts and threatens to exacerbate existing gender disparities. While the Pacific region has seen minimal progress in reducing women’s poverty and achieving gender equality, there has been some improvement in recent years regarding the situation of women and girls, especially in the areas of ending violence against women and in the development of gender responsive policies and programmes through increased research and data availability on gender. Women and girls in the Pacific remain disproportionally affected by climate change and natural disasters as they are likely to have less access to resources, information, and decision-making processes. Evidence also shows women and girls are at much higher risk of gender-based violence during disasters. Despite being at higher risk of facing climate injustice and insecurity, women are still significantly underrepresented in disaster preparedness and response processes.

Special attention will be provided to applications supporting women and girls multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, such as those marginalized and excluded due to poverty, ethnicity, disability, age, geography, migratory status, HIV status, among others.

Funding Information

• WPHF seeks to fund qualifying local organizations in the Pacific region (Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu) through the following funding streams:
  • Programmatic funding from 30,000 USD to 200,000 USD
    • To finance programmatic activities of CSOs aimed at
      • Increased meaningful participation and decision-making of women in conflict prevention processes and response
      • Improved socio-economic recovery and political participation of women and young women in peacebuilding contexts.
  • Institutional funding from 2,500 USD to 30,000 USD
    • To reinforce the institutional capacity of women’s rights and women-led organizations working on climate-related conflict prevention, and/or climate-related economic and political decision-making in the Pacific region to ensure they are able to sustain themselves and to strengthen their impact.

Eligibility Criteria

• National, regional or local/grassroots women or young women led, women’s rights, youth rights, feminist, or civil society organizations with a proven track record working with women, young women and girls, are eligible to apply. Organizations who are led by women who face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, including due to ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, age, displacement, and HIV status among others, are encouraged to apply. Organizations whose mandate focuses specifically on addressing climate security and climate justice are also encouraged to apply.
  • Women’s Rights or Feminist Organization: The organization’s must have gender equality and women’s rights at the core of their official mission/vision statement. The organization’s experience should clearly reflect addressing multiple/intersecting forms of discrimination and advancing gender equality and women’s rights and aim to address the underlying drivers/systems/structures, including patriarchy and gendered power dynamics, and work to transform these.
  • Women-Led Organization: must be headed by a woman as director/head of organization.
  • Youth Focused Organization: To be considered “youth focused”, the organization’s core mission/vision must focus on supporting the social, economic and political participation of young women and young men and addressing multiple/ intersecting forms of discrimination against young women and men. WPHF will provide specific attention to youth focused organizations supporting young women, advancing gender equality and peacebuilding.
  • Young Women Led Organization: must be headed by a young person aged between 18 – 29 years old who serves as director/head of organization

Ineligibility Criteria

• The following are not eligible to apply for a grant from the WPHF:
  • International non-governmental organizations;
  • Government agencies or institutions;
  • UN agencies or UN Country Teams;
  • Private individuals;
  • Private sector entities;
  • Universities, Think Tanks or Education or Research Institutions.

For more information, visit United Nations Women’s Peace & Humanitarian Fund.