Women Peace and Security Program in Ukraine

Deadline: 11-Sep-23

The Department of State’s Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations (CSO) is seeking applications to advance Women Peace and Security in Ukraine (WPS) by promoting women’s meaningful participation in Ukraine’s governance and decision-making on conflict prevention, mitigation, and resolution.

Objectives

• Initial Phase: Working through Ukraine-based sub-implementers, establish a base of evidence on WPS in Ukraine to assess needs, available government and private resources, vulnerabilities, and opportunities for CSO assistance; and ensure planned program activities align with the strategic goals and objectives of Ukraine’s National Action Plan on WPS.
• Activities under the Initial Phase could include, but are not limited to:
  • An updated assessment of the operating environment since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 based on a combination of new fieldwork such as surveys, focus groups, etc. and partnerships with organizations which already produce such analysis. The updated assessment should address:
    • Needs, available resources, barriers, resiliencies, and opportunities related to the meaningful participation of women in Ukraine’s wartime governance, formal and informal peace and security processes, and planning for post-conflict recovery and reconstruction that takes into account changing gender dynamics in Ukraine;
    • Needs, available resources, barriers, resiliencies, and opportunities faced by women-led and women-serving non-governmental and grassroots organizations and networks engaging on policy and programmatic WPS issues in Ukraine;
    • Needs, available resources, challenges, and opportunities faced by Ukrainian local and national institutions in implementing Ukraine’s National Action Plan on WPS;
    • Challenges and opportunities faced by their organizations and actors prior to Russia’s full-scale invasion, how these are evolving in the current moment of crisis, and how women leaders envision their post-war contexts.
  • Recommendations for the Government of Ukraine, civil society in Ukraine, and the international community including international organizations and partner governments, based on the research study.
  • The assessment should include a wide array of stakeholders and lay the groundwork for a continuing network to support WPS activities in Ukraine.
• Objective 1: Advance the leadership, ownership, and meaningful participation of women in governance and security decision-making and planning at all levels in Ukraine.
• Activities under Objective 1 could include but are not limited to:
  • Advance the meaningful participation of women and civil society institutions in governance and security decision-making at all levels, with an emphasis on connecting national level policy to community implementers;
  • Cultivate and learn from the leadership and conflict resolution skills among women in Ukraine, including those facing intersectional challenges;
  • Support the integration of women facing intersectional challenges (ethnic and religious minorities, people with disabilities, IDPs and refugees, veterans, youth, and sexual and gender minorities) into civic leadership;
  • Address barriers to women’s participation in governance and security decisionmaking processes, which may include issues of safety, accessibility, and online or technology-facilitated gender-based violence, harassment and abuse;
  • Where appropriate, engage with the security sector on understanding and incorporating WPS principles, including through training, workshops, etc;
  • Create pathways for inclusion of women-led organizations in strategies for postwar reconstruction, and budget processes;
  • Facilitate broader men’s engagement in advancing WPS, including through strengthening positive norms that support equality and a safe and enabling environment for women’s participation in decision-making.
• Objective 2: Increase cooperation and coordination among women, and between authorities in Ukraine at all levels, on gender-responsive governance and security in a manner that supports the implementation, institutionalization, and localization of Ukraine’s National Action Plan on WPS.
• Activities under Objective 2 could include but are not limited to:
  • Cultivate, align, and/or support efforts of women-led organizations to engage on and advance Ukraine’s WPS National Action Plan at the national level;
  • Establish mechanisms to sustain and improve relationships and coordination for information sharing between national and local government and local women’s groups and networks;
  • Support local women’s networks in promoting a culture of safety, resilience, peacebuilding, and post-conflict reconstruction and recovery, including how these may be advanced through online/virtual means;
  • Advance the creation and localization of a gender-sensitive early warning system to detect, prevent, and respond to security challenges.
  • Foster communication mechanisms between authorities and civil society to promote meaningful dialogue and consultation on WPS issues.

Funding Information

• Funding Amount: Not to exceed the total amount of $1,975,308 U.S. Dollars
• Anticipated Number of Awards: One
• Anticipated Period of Performance: 12 months
• Est. Program Start Date: Friday, October 27, 2023
• Est. Program End Date: Friday, October 25, 2024

Target Populations

• The program’s primary direct beneficiaries are civil society organizations and Government of Ukraine institutions who are dedicated to the advancement of women, peace and security and gender equity and social inclusion (GESI).

Geographic Focus

• The program must be implemented in Ukraine, specifically Government of Ukraine-held areas. Areas may be changed in consultation with the Grants Officer based on conditions in-country. Virtual/online activities may incorporate participants outside of those areas consistent with Do No Harm principles.

Eligibility Criteria

• CSO welcomes applications from U.S.-based non-profit/non-governmental organizations (NGOs) or education institutions having a 501(c) (3) status with the IRS; overseas nongovernmental organizations; Foreign Public Entities and Public International Organizations (PIOs).
• Applications submitted by for-profit entities may be subject to additional review following the panel selection process. Additionally, the Department of State prohibits profit to for-profit or commercial organizations under its assistance awards. Profit is defined as any amount in excess of allowable direct and indirect costs.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.