United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has announced a call for proposals for the Capacity Building Baseline.

This project is part of an integrated response of UNDP Iraq to sustain livelihoods and revitalize economies in conflict and post-conflict settings by: 

• supporting the vulnerable population to recover from the economic shock of COVID-19 crisis, and
• improving income security, productivity of the selected sectors and socio-economic inclusion of the most vulnerable segments of the population, under the overall objective of contributing to economic diversification and growth.

This project is designed to provide immediate livelihoods support through Women Headed Household - Cash Grants for the women-headed households and cash-for-work opportunities6 for those hardest hit by the ongoing COVID19 and ensuing economic shock. Such cash assistance is designed to ensure that the most vulnerable do not have to deplete all their capitals and that they do not fall below the poverty line during and after COVID-19, not to be marginalized further, which is also crucial for the long-term economic stability and growth of the target areas.

UNDP is looking to recruit a service provider that will have the responsibility to conduct community outreach, identify and select project beneficiaries that will benefit from the immediate support under the Cash for Work only. This service provider will be also responsible of providing 5 day-training to the; Cash for Work and Women Headed Household - Cash Grants. beneficiaries to contribute for the improvement of their personal skills, including work readiness skills, critical thinking and problem-solving techniques, financial literacy, awareness raising on prevention and protection of gender-based violence, sexual harassment and Health, Safety and Security within the work environment including all the preventions related to COVID-19.

Beneficiaries

The service provider will develop eligibility and selection criteria for the cash for work beneficiaries in close consultations with UNDP livelihoods team. The development of the eligibility and selection criteria should be based on the following factors: 

• Unemployment status.
• Living in the targeted area. 
• Currently not benefiting from similar projects.
• Affected by COVID-19 socio-economic impact.
• Vulnerability situation (level of household income, household size, women-headed household, people with disability, household whose dwelling is rented) are prioritized. 
• SGBV survivors.
• Youth age group (18 – 29) and women will be prioritized.

Targeted Beneficiaries: Returnees, IDPs, and community members of the five governorates, with a focus on women and youth.

Eligibility Criteria

UNDP seeks to recruit a national or an international non-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO) or private firm as an Organization meeting the following criteria:

• Valid registration with the Federal Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq.
• Physical presence in Iraq for at least 2 years.
• Yearly budget of the organization is Above 700,000 USD the last five years.

Selection Criteria

• Operational presence in Ninawa, Kirkuk, Salah al-Din, Diyala and Anbar.
• Experience in implementing livelihoods projects in Iraq. 
• Experience in the management of cash for work.
• Proven financial capacity to deliver large scale projects. Must have implemented at least two livelihoods projects cash for work 
• Previous experience of managing projects funded by UN or international organizations.

For more information, visit UNDP.