[UPDATED] Implementation of a programme to support the prevention of offences and other negative occurrences through partnership-based interaction between the police and the community in Luhansk Oblast

THE UNITED NATIONS RECOVERY AND PEACEBUILDING PROGRAMME (UN RPP)

GRANT COMPETITION ANNOUNCEMENT

on the implementation of a programme to support the prevention of offences and other negative occurrences through partnership-based interaction between the police and the community (Community Policing) in Luhansk Oblast (Support Program)

1. INTRODUCTION

This announcement provides information regarding the grant competition for police-community partnership implemented by the UN Recovery and Peacebuilding programme for NGOs operating in the government-controlled territories of Luhansk Oblast and explains the procedure for submitting project proposals. The announcement also describes the criteria for compliance with competition requirements, the submission and selection process for project proposals and the evaluation criteria for projects selected through this competition.

The competition focuses on the following target areas:

UN_RPP_3_2021_9L_CP: The implementation of a programme to support the prevention of offences and other negative occurrences through partnership-based interaction between the police and the community in Luhansk oblast.

One of the key priority issues for the UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme is partnership-based cooperation between police and communities. To address this issue, the UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme will support one project in oblast to implement a programme method that promotes partnership-based cooperation between the police and the community (Community Policing) in Luhansk Oblast. If there are several projects of interest, the commission may consider supporting more than one.

Special programs are currently being executed at national, regional and local levels for the prevention of crime and other negative occurrences in society. The implementation of these programs is entrusted to both the police and other public authorities and local self-governance bodies. From the texts of these programmes, it is rare to observe an individual public association mentioned among the executors of programme activities (by consent).

The process of public involvement in police interactions began to gain momentum following the adoption of the new Law of Ukraine "On the National Police", which included several provisions that define partnership-based interaction between the police and the population. In particular, paragraph 1 of Article 89 of the Law of Ukraine "On the National Police" states that the implementation of joint projects and programs with the public acts as one method of interaction between the police and the population aimed at meeting the needs of the population and improving the efficiency of police tasks.

With the adoption of this law, the police began to gradually introduce this principle of partnership-based cooperation into everyday policing and interactions with the public, as well as with other authorities and local self-governance bodies. This style of cooperation is generally designed as a short-term project aimed at solving problems of safety in one narrow area and is limited by the territory of its organisation in a single settlement. A clear example of these short-term "point" projects are projects implemented through grant competitions from UNDP and other international organisations.

However, it should be noted that there are currently no regional or local programs related to police and public interaction that are intended to be carried out systematically and over a long period, uniting the efforts of all stakeholders to address the most urgent problems of security in the community.

In view of the above, UNDP has decided to conduct this grant competition for the development and implementation of a programme to support the prevention of crime and negative occurrences through partnership-based interaction between the police and the public.

This Support programme will have the following advantages over short-term specialised projects, namely:

- many representatives of the civil society and police will participate in the implementation of the programme because the program's operations will extend beyond just one or several settlements in the area to a much wider range of settlements;

- the programme will include the implementation of projects in different thematic areas, which are among the highest priorities in improving security for the community;

- it will not duplicate the preventive work of the police and available prevention programs. On the contrary, it should strengthen this work and improve efficiency by actively involving the participation of the public;

- it provides the police with the opportunity to come up with certain initiatives and discuss them with civil society during the development of programme activities (concepts).

2. INFORMATION ON THE UN RECOVERY AND PEACEBUILDING PROGRAMME

The ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine has had a direct and extremely negative impact on social cohesion, community security and the rule of law. While accepting the urgent need to address the challenges of regeneration, economic recovery and peacebuilding in the areas directly and indirectly affected by the conflict in late 2014, the Government of Ukraine requested that the international community provide technical assistance and financial support to prioritise the most crucial needs for recovery. At the end of 2014, the United Nations, the World Bank and the European Union assessed the process of recovery and peacebuilding approved by the Cabinet of Ministers in mid-2015.

In the decade leading up to the conflict, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) was represented and active in eastern Ukraine. It was focused on community development, civil society development and environmental protection. The work to address the specific challenges to development arising from the conflict as discussed above is based on the previous work and established partnerships. It was initiated in 2015 through the United Nations Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme, which is a multilateral donor framework programme jointly implemented by four UN partner agencies in cooperation with the Government of Ukraine.

The United Nations Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme is implemented by four UN agencies: the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

The Programme is supported by twelve international partners: the European Union, the European Investment Bank, the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, and the governments of Denmark, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Poland, Switzerland, Sweden and Japan.

The United Nations Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme is implemented to address and mitigate the causes and effects of the conflict. It is based on the results of the Assessment of Recovery and Peacebuilding and is consistent with the State-run Reconstruction and Peacebuilding Programme in the Eastern oblasts of Ukraine, as well as with two regional development strategies in effect until 2020. The United Nations Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme provides for three main areas of activity: 1) supporting economic recovery in conflict-affected communities; 2) promoting decentralisation and health care reform; 3) strengthening community security and social cohesion. The Programme is strongly consistent with the Framework Programme for Partnership between the Government of Ukraine and the United Nations. The Programme is closely associated with the Democratic Governance and Reform Programme which is implemented nationwide in all oblasts of Ukraine and complies with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular, SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).

As a territorial programme designed specifically for conflict-affected areas in eastern Ukraine, the United Nations Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme is focused on the top-priority needs in the fields of stabilization, peacebuilding, the economy and governance in eastern Ukraine after the outbreak of the conflict. It takes into account the opportunities provided by the Minsk Protocol, dated September 2014, and the revival of its ceasefire provisions and is fully adapted to create a link between humanitarian and developmental needs.

The Programme's measures are grouped according to the following key components of the Programme, which reflect the priority needs of the oblast:

Component I: Economic Recovery and Restoration of Critical Infrastructure;

Component II: Efficient Local Governance and Decentralisation Reform;

Component III: Community Security and Social Cohesion.

Funding within the grant competition will be provided with the support of Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland.

The financial management of the grant competition is entrusted to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

3. REQUIREMENTS FOR COMPETITION PARTICIPANTS AND THE COMPETITION TERRITORY

3.1. Non-governmental or charitable organisations must meet the following requirements to submit project proposals for this competition:

be officially registered as a legal entity in the controlled territory of Ukraine (organisations registered in government-controlled areas of Luhansk Oblast and target communities will have an advantage);
have the status of a non-profit or charitable organisation (non-profit codes 0032, 0034, 0036, 0038, 0039 or 0048);
have at least 2 years of experience in an area related to the competition (in the field of public safety, partnership-based police and community interaction),
have proven experience in implementing at least two projects and reporting on them;
have appropriate specialists and project staff for implementing the project (project manager, financial specialist/accountant and other specialists according to the requirements of the project) If experts can only be hired subject to project proposal support, the application description should contain the main requirements for each of the experts provided for by the project (field-specific education, work experience, etc.);

3.2. The personnel involved in the project must meet the following requirements:

· The project team should consist at least of a project manager (responsible for the overall coordination of project implementation and the submission of relevant reports to the UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Program), an accountant (responsible for accounting and financial reporting) and persons directly involved in the implementation of the project;

· For the project manager: higher education in law, sociology, economics, public administration, social sciences or another relevant field. For other team members: higher education as well;

· At least three years of experience in the public sector (for the project manager);

· Desirable: previous experience related to partnership-based police and community interaction;

· Language skills: fluent Ukrainian and Russian;

· The accountant must have a higher education (related to accounting) and at least two years of work experience in accounting;

· Willingness to implement every rule and regulation of cooperation proposed by the international donor.

The staff involved in the project will have the following scope of work:

І. Project manager:

1) General project management;

2) Organisation of interaction with local self-government bodies and local state bodies, in particular with territorial subdivisions of the National Police, Main Directorates of the National Police and Patrol Police Departments (with their consent) in Luhansk Oblast (according to the project implementation area);

3) Coordination of project activities with UNDP responsible persons during project implementation;

4) Organisation of the preparation of interim reports and the final report on the project;

5) Organisation of inspections at the project locations.

This list is not exhaustive and may be supplemented by the grantee organisation.

The project manager is responsible for the quality and feasibility of individual activities within the project.

ІІ. Persons directly responsible for the organisation and implementation of the partnership-based police-community activities:

1) Development, planning and implementation of specific measures in coordination and cooperation with local governments, local government agencies and representatives of the National Police.

2) Collection and accumulation of information, documents and photo/video recordings related to the project activities.

This list is not exhaustive and may be supplemented by the grantee organisation.

ІІІ. Accountant/financial specialist:

1) Accounting within the project;

2) Preparation of financial statements.

All reports (analytical, descriptive and financial) for this project will be submitted in Ukrainian.

3.3. Competition territories, registration requirements and organisational experience:

Government controlled areas of Luhansk Oblast where the projects funded by present grant contest should be realized, namely:

- Sieverodonetsk, Kreminna, Krasnorichenske, Troitsk, Nyzhnya Duvanka (ATH), Popasna, Zolote, Triokhizbenka, Novoaidar, Bilovodsk ATH, Pryvillia (ATH), Lozno-Oleksandrivsk (ATH), Milove, Lysychansk, Stanytsia Luhanska, Shchastia and settlements located near the contact line (within a 20-kilometer zone).

To implement this project, the UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Program will support 1 project in Luhansk oblast to implement a program method of police-community interaction on a partnership basis (Community Policing). The settlements or communities in which the projects / activities will be implemented are selected by the grantee organization independently from the above list of target communities in consultation with the National Police and UNDP. Projects / activities must be implemented in at least five settlements / communities in oblast.

Proposals from organizations that do not meet the above requirements will not be considered. Applications submitted from individuals, commercial organizations, government agencies and organizations, local governments, trade unions, political parties, religious organizations will not be considered.

3.4. The criterion to determine whether an NGO can receive UNDP funding will be based on the Capacity Assessment Checklist (CACHE).

Proposals that do not meet the above requirements will not be considered. Applications sent by individuals, commercial organisations, government agencies and organisations, local authorities, trade unions, political parties, and religious organisations will not be considered.

Organisations that have an ongoing grant agreement with the Community Security and Social Cohesion component of the UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme may submit project applications for this competition provided that the activities under the current agreement are fully completed by May 10, 2021 (including financial and programme reporting).

4. TASK DESCRIPTION AND EXPECTED COMPETITION RESULTS

This call for proposals for the selection of one NGO in Luhansk Oblast to implement a comprehensive police-community partnership programme aims to both increase public safety in the target communities and increase public confidence in the police.

The main goal is to pilot a programmatic approach to police-community interaction in Luhansk Oblast. This initiative will result in the systematic implementation of a number of measures in priority areas identified by UNDP during consultations with civil society and the National Police.

Areas of interaction and project directions proposed for implementation:

· Prevention of drug use in youth and adolescents in Luhansk Oblast communities, including:

- Activities to promote a healthy lifestyle among the general population (with a special focus on children, pupils and students), creating conditions for its use and developing skills for rejecting the use of psychoactive substances;

- Measures to combat the spread of the drug subculture;

- Preventive measures aimed at increasing the psychological and pedagogical competence of parents and the formation of a consciously responsible attitude toward duties related to the maintenance, upbringing and education of children;

- Development and implementation of methods for the early detection of children at risk due to insecurity and other factors that may lead to drug use (children whose parents have emigrated abroad for work; children in families suffering from addiction; children who have suffered psychological trauma as a result of abuse or sexual violence, homeless children), promoting the protection of their rights and preventing social exclusion;

- Measures to organise appropriate psychological and pedagogical support and involvement for at-risk children in extra-curricular educational institutions;

- Measures to spread information about the detrimental effect of drug use among children and adolescents and promote a healthy lifestyle through social networks and newsletters using messengers and opinion leaders;

- Creation of modern interactive educational programs to raise awareness about the detrimental effects of drug use among children. Teacher and parent training;

- Creation of an interactive map of services from children's leisure centres (clubs, studios, workshops, other group activities);

- A programme of anonymous available drug tests that can be used by parents;

- Extracurricular sports activities for adolescents, including:

ü The involvement of adolescents in a healthy lifestyle, their diversion from a negative street environment and redirection of their energy to sports, helping them find the right developmental path to prevent juvenile delinquency, drug and alcohol use.

· Raising community awareness regarding street safety and traffic rules, including:

- Educational activities in schools for the study of traffic rules (hereinafter – the Traffic Rules). Learning the rules of behaviour on the street or in the dark and behaviour in dangerous situations;

- Creation of mobile road safety towns for children to practically study traffic rules;

- Measures to analyse road safety in communities. Creation and maintenance of maps of dangerous places;

- Separate programs to study road safety for (non-car) road users: pedestrians, scooter riders, motorcyclists, cyclists, young people who use scooters, skateboards, etc.;

- Development and implementation of programs aimed at working with the elderly, including for training the most active members of this category to work in small groups;

- Development and distribution of social advertising for road users regarding road safety (videos, posters, booklets, performances). Creation of content for different age groups, including for distribution on social networks and messengers;

- Implementation of the "Be visible on the road" program: distributing lights, light-reflecting materials, etc.

· Raising public awareness and preventing fraud over the Internet, by phone and through bank cards, including:

- Development of informational material for different segments of the population (children, youth and older persons) regarding types of fraud;

- Creation of an initiative to track new fraudulent schemes and the internet resources that they use. Informing the public about types of fraud through printed products, messengers and social networks;

- Training programs for people of different ages (children, adults and older persons) and training for community residents on fraud prevention;

- Training for Ukrposhta employees, social services on fraud prevention, protection and preservation of funds and personal property.

· Creation of a safe environment for vulnerable groups in communities (the elderly and disabled people, veterans, children in especially difficult circumstances (CEDC), children in conflict with the law and the homeless), including:

- Assessment of security needs for vulnerable groups in communities and cooperation with the community and the police to address their concerns;

- Projects involving ATO/JFO veterans to ensure the safety of local communities; crime prevention and assistance to vulnerable groups;

- Creation of a platform with the involvement of local authorities, police, social service providers and public organisations for the study and development of a set of measures to address the problems of homeless individuals;

- Promoting mediation for conflict resolution in schools through the creation of School Reconciliation Services.

· Creation and implementation of a local programme aimed at preventing and combating domestic violence, including:

- Development and implementation of women's self-defence courses in the settlements of the region;

- Educational programs for children of different ages, training specialists (in schools) and conducting regular work with children, aimed at forming zero tolerance for violence;

- Public involvement in police work to assess the effectiveness of police measures against perpetrators.

The proposed list of activities is not exhaustive. The Call for Proposals participants based on their own considerations and in consultation with the police have to select one of the abovementioned activities for each of the two selected project areas. All activities related to the implementation of any large-scale, sports, training or other measures must comply with quarantine regulations established by the central authorities and/or local governments in the relevant territory.

Expected project results:

1) At least one activity/initiative implemented in each of the two abovementioned areas in at least five target communities.

2) The active involvement of local authorities and the public to address issues of concern in the above areas. The mandatory involvement of representatives from the National Police at each event.

3) Increased public awareness regarding the solution to issues of concern in the above areas.

5. REQUIREMENTS FOR CO-FINANCING AND PROJECT DURATION

Project duration: up to 6 months. The project will start in May 10, 2021.

Project proposals that offer co-financing (at least 10% of the total project budget) will be awarded additional points when considered according to the criteria for evaluating project proposals. Co-financing refers to the availability of a funding source other than the United Nations Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme. The organisation's own financial contribution must be confirmed by relevant accounting documents when financial statements are submitted for the project. The organisation's material assets (including office space and office equipment) will not be considered co-financing.

Organisations applying for this grant competition must have letters of support from the police bodies serving in the relevant area, preferably from Luhansk Oblast National Police Main Departments and/or Luhansk Oblast Patrol Police Department.

6. PROJECT PROPOSAL EXPENSES

6.1. Permitted expenses

The following expenses are deemed acceptable:

- those necessary to achieve the project goals and objectives;

- those consistent with the principle of efficiency and cost-effectiveness ("highest quality at the lowest price");

The funds provided through the competition may only be used as follows:

- to remunerate the organisation's personnel and their selected experts;

- to pay for goods and services required for implementing project activities;

- to pay for communication and information services;

- to pay for consulting services required to achieve project goals;

- to pay for the rental of premises (for trainings, group work, etc.), servicing events and other services provided through the project;

- to pay for printing, publishing and copying services;

- to pay for consumables and stationery;

- to pay for transportation and other project-related costs.

6.2. Mandatory expenses:

- Payment for the services of the project manager and financial specialist/accountant (or the provision of such services from the organisation's own contributions or financing from other sources);

6.3. Unacceptable expenses are those associated with:

- the preparation of a project proposal for participation in the competition;

- the payment of debts;

- the recovery of expenses related to exchanging rate fluctuations;

- international business trips;

- office rental and paying for utilities.

The administrative costs of the financial proposal may not exceed 5% of the cost of programmatic costs listed in the project proposal. The labour costs of project employees may not exceed 20% of the cost of programmatic costs listed in the project proposal.

7. PROCEDURE FOR SUBMITTING PROJECT PROPOSALS AND OBTAINING ADVICE DURING THE PREPARATION OF PROJECT PROPOSALS

The application package consists of the following:

1) The online application form, completed via the link, containing basic information regarding the organisation and the project proposal.

2) The full application form (completed in MS Word format), which describes the organisational plan and project implementation plan (*.docx/*.Doc) (Annex 1);

3) The financial proposal (proposed budget in Excel format), compiled in US dollars and calculated according to the UN exchange rate as of April, 2021 (28 UAH / 1 USD) (https://treasury.un.org/operationalrates/OperationalRates.php) (Annex 2);

4) Scanned copies of the following documents (*.PDF or *.JPG):

certificate of incorporation or extract;
certificate from the tax inspectorate regarding the organisation's entry in the Register of Non-Profit Organisations, including the non-profit code.

5) All documents confirming compliance with the technical criteria specified in sections 3.1 and 3.2 of this announcement;

6) Completed capacity assessment checklist (CACHE) and supporting documents (Annex 3);

7) Letter of support from the police serving in the relevant territory and/or local executive and/or governments stating:

- The provision of support and willingness by the National Police to participate in the implementation of the project activities;

- The amount of co-financing for project activities from local authorities and specific items of expenditure that will be financed (if co-financing is available).

Organisations submitting project proposals must fill in the online application form (item 1) and submit the full application package (items 2-7) mentioned above to the e-mail address grants.ua@undp.org with the subject line:

The full application package must be submitted by 12:00 on May 4^th, 2021. The application package (paragraphs 2-6) must be sent in one e-mail using an archive file (*.rar) not exceeding 30 Mb in size.

Project proposals will be screened for compliance with competition requirements. Those that meet the requirements will be submitted for consideration by the Competition Commission.

Project proposals received after the deadline specified in the announcement will not be considered.

Please send any questions that may arise when preparing the competition project proposals to the e-mail address grants.ua@undp.org with the subject line "UN_RPP_3_2021_9L_CP: Information request". Answers will be provided within 1-2 working days. Requests must be submitted no later than 48 hours before the competition closes.

8. EVALUATION OF PROJECT PROPOSALS

8.1. Project proposals will be evaluated at several stages throughout the competition.

Stage 1: Consideration of submitted project proposals by the Competition Committee. At this stage, the project proposals are evaluated according to the evaluation criteria. Project proposals that score fewer than 70 points will be rejected. Proposals that need to be refined as per the recommendations of the Competition Committee will be returned for revision with a deadline for resubmitting an updated proposal.

Stage 2: Final approval of the winning project proposals recommended by the Competition Committee for support.

The Competition Committee will include representatives of the UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme based on their key areas of work and the experts involved. In addition, the Competition Committee will have the right to seek an independent expert opinion during the selection process, as well as the opinion of local authorities from the territory where the project activities will take place.

8.2. Project assessment criteria:

	Summarised form for evaluating technical proposals	Maximum Points
1.	Compliance with the subject and priorities of the competition (the application complies with the subject – 10 points, complies with the priorities – 10 points; the application partially complies with the subject – 5 points, partially complies with the priorities – 5 points; the application does not comply with the subject and priorities of the competition – 0 points)	10
2.	Consistency of goals, objectives and project implementation methods (goals, objectives and project implementation methods are fully consistent – 10 points, partially consistent – 5 points, inconsistent – 0 points)	10
3.	Specificity, feasibility and effectiveness of the planned measures for the project (the project's planned measures are specific – 5 points, feasible – 5 points, and effective – 10 points, measures do not meet the above conditions – 0 points)	20
4.	The experience of the applicant organisation in matters corresponding to the project proposal (the applicant's competence is confirmed by their experience in implementing projects corresponding to the purposes of the competition – 5 points, the organisation has experience in implementing projects, but in related areas – 3 points; the organisation has no experience, or previous projects do not relate to the purposes of the Competition – 0 points)	5
5.	Relevance of planned costs and required resources relative to the expected results (the financial proposal is reasonable and adheres to the "highest quality at the lowest price" approach – 20 points, the financial proposal requires revision and/or cost reduction – 10 points, the financial proposal is not justified – 0 points)	20
6.	Registration of the organisation (on the territory of target communities – 10 points, on the government-controlled territory of Luhansk Oblast – 5 points, on other territory controlled by the Government of Ukraine – 0 points)	10
7.	Availability of co-financing for the project (in financial or non-financial form) (available co-financing in the amount of 20% – 10 points, available co-financing in the amount of up to 10% – 5 points, no co-financing – 0 points);	10
8.	Competence level (field-specific education, work experience) of the project personnel (the hired personnel has the required level of competence – 15 points, partially meets the required level of competence – 10 points, lacks the required level of competence – 0 points)	15
	Overall score	100
	Remarks

Please note!

The materials submitted for the competition will not be returned or critiqued.
Competition results will be communicated to participants via e-mail.
The final decision on a project or application is not subject to review.
The reasons for supporting or rejecting a project will not be communicated.

9. REPORTING, MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF GRANT PROJECTS

9.1. Monitoring and Evaluation

The grant recipient is responsible for monitoring the project implementation and evaluating the results thereof. The United Nations Development Programme will monitor the implementation of the grant project through the grant recipient's reports, meetings with project staff, their partners and beneficiaries, and participation in project activities.

9.2. Reporting

The grant recipient will submit reports in the format specified by the United Nations Development Programme:

interim reports, including a description of the activities and results per the agreed monitoring indicators and the financial component (to be clarified within the framework of the respective grant agreement);
on-demand summary reports that may be required by UNDP from time to time when information about the grant project is required between regular reports;
a final report that will include a description of the activities and results, as well as a financial report for the entire period of the grant agreement.

10. FINANCING

The awarded organisation will receive an advance payment for the planned activities under the grant agreement. The amounts of the advance and future payments will be specified in the grant agreement. This amount will be determined individually, based on the total amount of the grant, type of activity, etc. The subsequent tranches will be disbursed upon the receipt and approval of the organisation's interim reports by the UNDP.

Please note! The final tranche of 10% will be provided to the awarded organisation post facto as soon as 100% of the project reporting has been completed, including confirmation of all financial transactions.

Annexes

Application form

Budget

CACHE