Deadline: 10-May-21
The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) is requesting applications for Inclusive Digital Innovations for Women and Youth in Nepal to develop/scale up human-centered digital innovations that accelerate the economic recovery after COVID-19 and support women and/or youth’s economic empowerment, school to work transitions, and/or increase resilience from external shocks.
The objective of our strategy is to accelerate economic recovery after COVID-19 and promote economies and societies more inclusive and resilient to external shocks through increasing digital payments, preparing MSMEs for digital transformation and developing a digital-ready workforce.
Solutions to be supported may include development of digital financial services that go beyond digital payments (i.e., savings, insurance, credit, etc.), development of innovative digital tools that increase access to finance for youth and/or women (i.e., crowdfunding platforms) ensuring continuity of learning for youth, supporting digital innovations developed by youth and/or women entrepreneurs to contain the pandemic.
UNCDF is bringing its expertise in promoting access to finance through its Leaving No one Behind in the Digital Era Strategy in Nepal. With its capital mandate and instruments, UNCDF offers “last mile” finance models that unlock public and private resources, especially at the domestic level, to reduce poverty and support local economic development.
Funding Information
- Selected applicants will be signing a Performance-Based Agreement (PBA) with UNCDF. The foreseen budget assigned by UNCDF for each applicant will be between USD 50,000 and USD 100,000.
- Applicants are expected to fund at least 30 percent (30%) of the total project cost in cash (for costs such technical resources, staff, and operational expenses).
- The solution proposed must be implementable in 2021, with a project duration of 6 months and ending by December 2021.
- The project is expected to have a 6-month duration, starting in June 2021
Areas of Intervention Focus
UNCDF is looking for partners to develop/scale up human-centered digital innovations that accelerate the economic recovery after COVID-19 and support women and/or youth’s economic empowerment, school to work transitions, and/or increase resilience from external shocks. Below a non-exhaustive list of examples of solutions that may be selected through this RFA:
- Digital financial services that go beyond digital payments and that build youth and/or women’s resilience. Examples of this services are digital savings accounts, digital insurance etc.
- Digital solutions that increase access to finance for women and/or young entrepreneurs. These could include crowdfunding solutions, crowd factoring solutions or digital credit.
- Digital solutions that could support young people, in particular young women to continue receiving education in-spite of the lockdowns imposed by the government
- Digital solutions that connect women and/or young entrepreneurs and agro-entrepreneurs to markets, networks, finance and other opportunities to start up or expand their businesses
Problem Statement
- COVID-19 affects all segments of the population, with youth and women playing a key role in the management of this outbreak and the recovery following the outbreak.
- Though much is still unknown on how the disease affects women and youth, we know that they are already quite vulnerable as the pandemic has deepening pre-existing inequalities.
- Nepal is one of the most “youth-full” countries in Asia with over 48% of the population under 25 years of age and a pre-pandemic youth unemployment rate of 21%. COVID-19-related shocks to the labour market are likely to impact the quality of jobs for young people, be it in the form of zero-hour contracts, informal employment, etc. which are contracts that are markedly more common among women and youth.
Eligibility Criteria
The applicant/ lead applicant must be a registered entity and incorporated in Nepal.
- The applicant should be operating in Nepal for at least 2 years.
- The applicant should have audited financial statements for at least 2 years.
- The solution proposed must be implementable in 2021, with a project ending by December 2021.
- Applicants must contribute at least 30 per cent of the project’s cash costs (costs may include technical infrastructure, resources, and operations).
- Applicants accept the standard language of UNCDF’s PBAs.
- Applicants shall not have been the subject of bankruptcy, liquidation, judicial settlement, safeguarding, cessation of activity or any other similar situation resulting from a similar procedure.
- Applicants and any of their staff or member of their board of directors shall not be included in the United Nations financial sanctions lists, particularly in the fight against the financing of terrorism and against attacks on international peace and security; and
- Applicants must not be involved in any of the following activities: manufacture, sale or distribution of controversial weapons or their components, including cluster bombs, antipersonnel mines, biological or chemical weapons or nuclear weapons; manufacture, sale or distribution of armaments and/or weapons or their components, including military supplies and equipment; replica weapons marketed to children; manufacture, sale or distribution of tobacco or tobacco products; involvement in the manufacture, sale and distribution of pornography; manufacture, sale or distribution of substances subject to international bans or phase-outs, and wildlife or products regulated under the CITES; gambling including casinos, betting etc. (excluding lotteries with charitable objectives); violation of human rights or complicity in human rights violations; use or toleration of forced or compulsory labor; use or toleration of child labor.
For more information, visit https://www.uncdf.org/article/6717/leaving-no-one-behind-in-the-digital-era-in-nepal-inclusive-digital-innovations-for-women-and-youth