Grants to support Development and Advocacy Capacities of the Business Support Organizations (Moldova)

Deadline: 31-Mar-23

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Moldova has launched a grant competition to support development and advocacy capacities of the business support organizations.

The Advanced Cross-River Capacities for Trade Project (AdTrade) implemented by UNDP with the financial assistance of Sweden and UK, launches a Grants competition aiming at developing the BSOs institutional capacities for advocating the interests of the private sector for an improved business environment on both banks of Nistru river. The initiative would also rely on cross-river transfer of knowledge and skills through establishing partnerships between business associations from both riverbanks with a view to share knowledge and expertise on support and advocacy.

Goals and Objectives

This competition is launched to identify up to 6(six) partnership initiatives in the amount of up to 50,000 USD developed and submitted by a consortium of BSOs from two banks of the Nistru river. The business support organizations (sectorial business associations, unions of producers, employers’ associations, chambers of commerce, other non-state and non-private business support organizations) from both banks of Nistru river will offer support to the private sector to deal with challenges in their entrepreneurial activity, including the ones caused by regional crisis, and improve the business environment on both banks of the Nistru river. With joint efforts, the applicant organizations will identify the needs of support for the private sector, will strengthen the public-private dialogue, propose feasible policy solutions for the improvement of the business climate.
As an ultimate result, the above-mentioned is expected to lead to supporting left bank enterprises, especially, export-led companies, overcome the negative impact of the pandemic and regional crises, to access trade mechanisms available on the right bank, to build knowledge and skills for an increased competitiveness for cross-river trade and access of abroad markets. This would include capacity building of the BSOs to improve their strategic planning and technical understanding related to external trade, DCFTA and the UK-Moldova Strategic Partnership, Trade and Cooperation Agreement (SPTCA), so that they could provide strong arguments to public sector on policy and regulatory improvements.
Persistent confidence building between both banks’ business communities shall be ensured through regular business-to-business activities with mutually advantageous relationship between entrepreneurs and organizations. A particular focus of the current competition is paid to strengthen women business associations representing the needs of their members – women entrepreneurs, including women with disabilities.

Funding Information

The implementation timeframe for the project proposal is up to 18 months, but not less than 10 months.
The maximum amount the applicants can request under the submitted project proposals will not exceed 50,000 USD.

Eligible Projects

Potential activities for strengthening the organizational capacities for advocating and services provision for their members, with particular focus to the exporters from both banks of Nistru river could refer to the below:
- Conducting assessment of regional crisis impact on business activity on both banks of Nistru river and mapping sectorial needs and formulate proposals and recommendations for the public sector to take strategic decisions for the development of the sector, considering the existing National Strategies, international commitments. A replication of the approaches used for the studies already done on the right bank are welcomed.
- Development of knowledge management products (analyses, study, guidelines, manuals, research etc.).
- Development of new policies to support a specific sector of the economy, providing policy recommendations to the relevant bodies. Development of position papers, legislative and normative proposals, etc.
- Creation or strengthening of solution-oriented joint working groups with the representatives of both banks to discuss sectorial issues and to propose joint solutions. Establishing sectorial joint working groups that will facilitate the communication between the private sector and public sector is highly recommended, as well as use of existing consultation platforms.
  - Establish solution-oriented sectorial or public-private platforms for tackling issues related to: green transition, initiation of partnerships in the circular economy domains and other areas prioritized for advancing the green transition (ex. support to operationalization of the new business models – manuals, regulations, etc. – in support to EPR scheme and ESG initiatives);
  - External trade, DCFTA and SPTCA, in particular, related to technical regulations and adjustments for trade;
  - Integration of the companies from the left bank of Nistru river in the local and international value chains, etc.
  - Promotion and development of social entrepreneurship;
  - Improvement of regulatory framework for MSMEs development, increasing export opportunities, improvement of business climate;
  - Facilitation of refugees’ integration
- Capacity development activities aiming at building or strengthening advocacy capacities for the applicant organization and their members.
- Training and re-training the employees, as part of the BSO strategy to adapt to the changing realities and support its adaptation strategy (e.g. using digital solutions for doing business, learning new production patterns etc.) for the ultimate goal of advocacy services for its members.
- Address gender-based inequalities and discrimination in accessing economic opportunities, such as, but not limited to enforcing the principle of equal pay for work of equal value; access to loans and credits; repealing discriminatory legal restrictions; social protection of self-employed women etc. Facilitation of internal assessments of BSOs in this regard.
- Improving women economic opportunities and enhancing the participation and ensuring the equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in economic and public life. Dedicated activities to motivate women to start a business. Success stories of women in business will be promoted. Successful businesswomen on both banks could be involved as coachers.

Eligibility Criteria

The applications will be submitted in line with the following principles:
- Cross-river partnerships of at least two organizations from different banks. Under this competition, organizations will be able to submit only one project proposal as main applicant, at the same time being allowed to participate as co-applicant in several applications; The thematic areas covering one bank and their replicability to another bank are encouraged
- Main applicant and co-applicant will be business support organizations (profile professional association, sectorial business associations, product professional organization, unions of producers, employers’ associations, chambers of commerce, other non-state and non-private business support organizations) from the left or right bank of the Nistru river.
- Main applicant and co-applicant should be a registered legal entity.
- Main applicant will have an experience of min 2 (two) years of relevant activities related to the application thematic area.
Non-eligibility criteria
- The main applicant, or the partners organization was found liable for serious professional or financial mismanagement, proven by such evidence as recognized by UNDP Moldova.
- The main applicant or the partner organization has a history of failing to comply with contractual obligations arising from previous arrangements with donor organizations.
- The main applicant and / or co-applicant(s) is a private entity.
- The main applicant and/or co-applicant(s) is a legal entity under the state property or founded by public authorities
- The project proposal implementation period is less than 10 months or exceeds 18 months.