Iraq: call for human rights proposals under International Programme Fund

The United Kingdom remains committed to a stable and prosperous Iraq by supporting human rights and civil society, good governance, and open societies.

The British Embassy in Baghdad is pleased to announce a call for bids for the financial year 2021 to 2022 under the International Programme Fund.

All project bids must aim to promote, protect, and improve human rights in Iraq. Issues on which we welcome bids include:

• media freedom
• freedom of expression
• human rights defenders
• rule of law

Bids will be assessed against the following criteria:

• project impact: delivering sustainable, meaningful change and a direct impact on the living conditions of beneficiaries
• project viability: including the capacity of implementing organisation to deliver outcomes
• project design: there must be clear links between the proposed activity and the project outcomes
• risk management: robust analysis of key risks, and a plan of action to manage and mitigate those risks
• value for money: including the number of direct beneficiaries and the scale of achievable outcomes

Successful bids will be for innovative activities that will have the greatest impact and deliver real change on the freedom of expression and human rights agenda in Iraq. We are less interested in proposals which focus purely on seminars, workshops or the production of research reports that end in themselves. Instead, proposals should include action-oriented ideas which will bring about concrete outcomes.

We draw your attention to the below key points:

• the project proposal should include detailed schedule of activities to be carried out, specifying objectives, indicator, and expected results. This must include the deliverables, the stakeholders, the cost and the duration (start and end) of the execution of the deliverables
• a detailed activity budget must be completed
• projects must be completed by 31 March 2022
• proposals should not exceed 65,000 (GBP)

Project activity must be completed before 31 March 2022. The total amount of funding available is 65,000 GBP. We are unable to fund multiple-year projects. The successful implementer is required to issue quarter

Projects focused on service delivery or projects that support military, religious affairs, construction activities, capital costs, or mainly staff salaries are ineligible.

Bids will be assessed against the following criteria:

• alignment with the above mentioned priorities and outcomes
• clear practical focus leading to tangible next steps
• outcomes are achievable within the funding period
• clear monitoring and evaluation procedures
• strong risk and financial management, including consideration of safeguarding risks
• overall value for money