CFPs: Strengthening Local CSO’s Capacities and Women’s Leadership in Peacebuilding and Human Security (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Deadline: 16-May-25

The UN Women Bosnia and Herzegovina, within the framework of the project “Women Lead the Way Towards Peace and Security in Bosnia and Herzegovina”, implemented with the support of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) and in partnership with the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina, is seeking to sign a Partner training, mentoring, and grants to local women peacebuilders and grassroots CSOs.

The aim is to contribute to the localization of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda and to strengthen community-level efforts in conflict prevention and human security.

UN Women invites eligible CSOs to submit proposals that offer creative, innovative, and effective approaches to lead a comprehensive initiative that enhances women’s leadership in peace processes, supports community-based protection mechanisms, promotes gender-responsive governance, and empowers local actors to build inclusive and sustainable peace at the local level.

This Call for Proposals seeks to strengthen the capacities of local CSOs and women peacebuilders by providing targeted support, resources, and training tailored to their specific needs. The initiative will focus on fostering partnerships, enhancing leadership skills, and deepening knowledge in areas such as conflict prevention, human security, and women’s leadership in peacebuilding. These efforts will be complemented by hands-on guidance, mentoring, and access to grants that allow local actors to apply their newly acquired skills to address key human security concerns at the local level.

The goal is to ensure that women’s voices are not only heard but are central to peacebuilding processes, with their contributions leading to the creation of more inclusive, resilient communities. By equipping local women peacebuilders and organizations with the necessary tools and knowledge, trust will be built, conflict will be prevented, and sustainable peacebuilding efforts will be promoted. These efforts will be grounded in inclusive and responsive approaches, contributing to long-term stability, security, and the ongoing empowerment of women in peace processes.

Key Indicators

• This enhancement will be measured through three key indicators:
  • The number of women (peacebuilders and CSO representatives) trained and mentored to identify and address human security concerns, integrate WPS principles, and contribute to WPS localization who report improved knowledge. This will be tracked through a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. The selected partner will be responsible for conducting pre- and post-training assessments to measure changes in participants’ knowledge and skills. Attendance records, training evaluations, and mentorship progress reports will be systematically collected to monitor engagement and learning outcomes. Additionally, follow-up surveys and interviews will be conducted to assess how participants apply their acquired knowledge in practice, ensuring that capacity-building efforts translate into meaningful impact at the local level.
  • The number of women-led and women-focused actions initiated for localization of WPS Agenda tracks the number of initiatives led by women or focused on human security issues aimed at localizing the WPS Agenda. The selected partner will monitor and report on these actions within the context of grants awarded to CSOs that participated in capacity-building activities. These grants will support CSOs in initiating women-led and women-focused actions, such as projects, advocacy, or community initiatives, specifically designed to address human security issues and advance the WPS Agenda at the local level. The data will reflect the outcomes of capacity-building efforts, ensuring that these grants are empowering women-led organizations to take leadership in the localization process. This approach helps measure the tangible impact of the grants in promoting women’s participation and leadership in the WPS Agenda.
  • The number of stakeholders, disaggregated by type, who participated in the design of localization of WPS Agenda measures the number of stakeholders involved in the design of the localization of the WPS agenda, disaggregated by type (e.g., government, civil society, international organizations, private sector, community representatives). At the level of grant recipients, the selected partner will track this by gathering data from attendance records, meeting minutes, and sign-in sheets during consultations, workshops, and other design activities. Since grants will include cooperation with other stakeholders at the local level, the data will reflect the involvement of a diverse range of local participants. This process ensures inclusivity and supports the localized implementation of the WPS Agenda, with the grant recipients building capacity and fostering collaboration with local stakeholders.

Funding Information

• The budget range for this proposal should be:
  • Between 300,000.00 and 320,000.00 BAM for project localities across Bosnia and Herzegovina.
• The proposed timeframe for the completion of the required services/results will cover period of 14 months from the project start date.

Expected Outputs

• The intervention will be structured around two interconnected outputs:
  • Output 1: Support organizational and individual capacities and knowledge of women peacebuilders, human rights activists and women’s organizations to identify and respond to threats, including increased levels of violence, tension and divisions at the local level
  • Output 2: Support local women’s organizations by enabling women’s engagement and women’s leadership at the local level, in partnership with local institutions and private sector partners, aimed at addressing the key human security concerns affecting women.

Eligibility Criteria

• Competencies:
  • Technical/functional competencies required:
    • At least 7 years of expertise in women’s empowerment, with a proven track record in designing and delivering training programs for CSOs.
    • In-depth understanding of the WPS agenda and its application at the local level, supported by relevant documents such as previous project reports, policy briefs, or case studies demonstrating the application of the WPS agenda in similar contexts
    • Strong skills in curriculum development, particularly for adult learning, demonstrated through CVs of key personal that will be engaged in the project implementation or references to similar work conducted by the organization
    • Experience in working with marginalized communities, particularly in conflict-affected or post-conflict settings, and an understanding of their specific needs, demonstrated through documents such as previous project reports.
    • Familiarity with monitoring and evaluation techniques to assess the effectiveness of training and knowledge transfer, demonstrated through CVs of key personal that will be engaged in the project implementation or references to similar work conducted by the organization.
    • At least 5 years of experience in grant management, demonstrated through the list of previous similar projects/programmes and CVs of key personal that will be engaged in the project implementation or references to similar work conducted by the organization; as well as documents supporting the existence of grant management procedures/system
  • Other competencies, which while not required, can be an asset for the performance of services. Organizations are encouraged to attach supporting documents that demonstrate any additional competencies:
    • Experience in promoting diversity and inclusion within organizational structures, community programs, and project implementation, ensuring that marginalized groups, including women, youth, and minority communities, are actively involved and represented in all aspects of the initiative.
    • Knowledge of legal frameworks and policies related to gender equality and women’s rights in BiH.
    • Familiarity with community engagement strategies and conflict resolution techniques.
    • Experience in providing mentorship or coaching within professional settings.

For more information, visit UN Women.