UNDP-Spain MDG Achievement Fund

Terms of Reference for Thematic Window on Culture and Development

A Request for Proposals (RfP) by the MDG-F thematic window for Culture and Development was launched on May 18, 2007. The RfP closed on 22 June. Of the 57 eligible UN Country Teams, 45 submitted a proposal amounting to some $310 million.

The proposals submitted to the window were reviewed by the Technical Sub Committee for Culture and Development. The Committee was convened by Ms. Françoise Rivière, the Assistant Director-General for Culture of UNESCO. It included representatives of UNDP, UNWTO and UNFPA as well as seven independent experts and two experts nominated by the Government of Spain.

The Technical Sub Committee for Culture and Development assessed 18 proposals as suitable for support by the MDG-F. The combined value of these 18 proposals in their original submission was $139 million. The TSC, however, identified a number of budgets for potential reduction. 15 other proposals were rated as unsuitable in their present form but worthy of resubmission to a future RfP and 12 proposals were assessed as unsuitable under the current TOR of the thematic window. All applicants received written feedback.

The recommendations of the TSC were reviewed by the Fund’s Steering Committee at its consultations in October 2007 which approved 18 Concept Notes with combined indicative budgets of $95.8 million. A list of the approved proposals, which includes an indicative budget for each, can be viewed on-line clicking here.

UN Country Teams submitted their detailed Joint Programme documents which were reviewed by the MDG-F Secretariat with the support of various independent experts. 9 Joint Programme documents have been sent back to the Country Teams with recommendations and adjustments to be made prior to their approval. As of January 2009, 18 Joint Programmes have been approved –Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Cambodia, China, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia Honduras, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nicaragua, Palestinian territories, Senegal, Turkey and Uruguay- with a total budget of $95.5 million out of a $90 million envelope.

Please note this thematic windows is currently closed to applications