UNFPA, United Nations Population Fund, an international development agency, invites qualified organizations to submit proposals for providing technical support to UNFPA Thailand on the programme related to promoting gender equality in the area of Chiang Khong District, Chiang Rai province.

The purpose of the Invitation for Proposals is to identify eligible non-governmental organizations for prospective partnership with UNFPA Thailand to support achievement of results outlined in the 2022-2026 Country Programme Document or section 1.3 below.

Organizations that wish to participate in this Invitation for Proposals are requested to send their submission through email or mail clearly marked “NGO Invitation for Proposals” at the following address:

UNFPA Thailand email address: thailand.office@unfpa.org

By 11 July 2023.

Proposals received after the date and time may not be accepted for consideration.

Applications must be submitted in English.

Any requests for additional information must be addressed in writing by 1 week before the deadline for submissions at the latest to Kullwadee Sumalnop at sumalnop@unfpa.org. UNFPA will post responses to queries or clarification requests by any NGO applicants who submitted, on the UNFPA Thailand website before the deadline for submission of applications.

UNFPA shall notify applying organizations whether it is considered for further action.

Please see Working with UNFPA: Key information for UNFPA Implementing Partners on completing the Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) Assessment.

Section 1: Background

1.1 UNFPA mandate

UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, and every young person's potential is fulfilled.

1.2 UNFPA Programme of Assistance in Thailand

Thailand has achieved notable success in economic growth, highlighted by the achievement of upper-middle-income country status in 2011. It is now categorized as a country with a high level of human development. The Government has shown a strong commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action. The country made voluntary commitments at the Nairobi Summit on ICPD25 and substantial progress in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda; it has achieved most of its SDG targets.

Despite the rapid progress, Thailand faces several development challenges. The population groups identified as most at risk of being left behind include adolescents and youth, women, people with disabilities, ethnic minorities, migrants, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) communities. Gender-based violence, underpinned by harmful social norms, remains prevalent and is a barrier to women’s empowerment in Thailand. Around 15 per cent of all women experience psychological, physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. One in six of them has faced intimate partner violence; and more cases are underreported. Gender-based violence response services, including for intimate partner violence, are open for more areas of coordination between line ministries, due to the lack of policy harmonization.

Aligned with the UNFPA Strategic Plan, 2022-2025, UNFPA is implementing three programme outputs to contribute to two strategic plan outcomes: (a) reducing the unmet need for family planning; and (b) reducing gender-based violence. The output on adolescents and youth will focus on youth empowerment to reduce the unmet need for family planning among the most marginalized groups, and the output on gender-based violence aims to reduce gender-based violence through better policy implementation. The output on population change and data is a shared output that is designed to support the achievement of both outcomes.

Further information on the programme can be found on https://thailand.unfpa.org/.

1.3 Specific results

Within this framework and as set out in 2022-2026 Country Programme Document (CPD) of the 12^th Country Programme, UNFPA Thailand Country Office is looking for an NGO to be an Implementing Partner to deliver results as follows.

Facilitation of technical support by UNFPA Thailand on the programme Output 2: Strengthened policy implementation for the prevention of and response to gender-based violence.

1. Promote gender equality as an enabling environment for vulnerable people groups ethnic women, girls, young people and LGBTI+ a coordinated GBV response and prevention mechanism in Chiang Khong District, Chiang Rai Province.
   
   1. Liaise with community volunteers to support ending gender-based violence and to promote gender equality perception, attitudes and values among community members through trainings, workshops, discussions and regular community visits and activities.
   2. Build capacity of women, girls, young people and LGBTQI+ who belong to ethnic and vulnerable groups in Chiang Khong District to understand their own rights to gender equality and to advocate ending gender-based violence with community members in a culturally sensitive manner.
   3.  Provide a summary of lessons learnt and recommendations for way forward to scale up the initiative across the country.

2. Continue ‘Her City’ activities with communities in Chiang Khong District in coordination with UNFPA and UN Habitat.
   
   1. Identify female community leaders in communities of Chiang Khong District to learn with community volunteers about gender equality and ending gender-based violence.
   2. Organise trainings and workshops for community volunteers in Chiang Khong District to share the knowledge and capacity to advocate gender equality and ending gender-based violence with female community leaders.
   3. Establish networks of female community leaders to support gender equality and to end gender-based violence.  
   4. Provide a summary of lessons learnt and recommendations for way forward to scale up the initiative to other geographical area,

3. Leverage partnerships and public awareness-raising activities to promote gender equality and to support ending gender-based violence.
   
   1. Facilitate MOU agreement and signing ceremony between UNFPA Thailand and Chiang Khong District Mayor and Head of Wieng Chiang Khong Sub-district.
   2. Organise a public event to promote the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence jointly with UNFPA Thailand and Chiang Khong District.

Find out more about Output 2 in the UNFPA Thailand Country Program Document here.

Section 2: Application requirements and timelines

2.1 Documentation required for the submission

The expression of interest shall include the following documentation:

• Copy of provisions of legal status of the NGO in Thailand [Required to be eligible for review]
• Copy of provisions of legal status of the NGO in  Thailand (for INGOs)
• Attachment I – NGO Profile and Programme Proposal
• Latest annual report and audit report as separate documents or hyperlink to the documents

2.2 Indicative timelines

Invitation for Proposal issue date

27 June 2023

Deadline for submissions of proposals

11 July 2023

Deadline for requests of additional information/ clarifications

3 July 2023

Review of NGO submissions

25 July 2023

Notification of results communicated to NGO

8 August 2023

Section 3: Process and timelines

3.1 Review & evaluation of NGO submissions

Applications will be assessed by a review panel to identify organizations that have the required knowledge, skills, and capacity to support achievement of results using criteria outlined in section 3.2 below.

It should be noted, however, that participation in this Invitation for Proposals does not guarantee the organization will be selected for partnership with UNFPA. Selected NGOs will be invited to enter into an implementing partner agreement and applicable UNFPA programme policy and procedures will apply.

3.2 Selection criteria

Eligible organizations will be selected in a transparent and competitive manner, based on their capacity to ensure the highest quality of service, including the ability to apply innovative strategies to meet programme priorities in the most efficient and cost-effective manner.

UNFPA Thailand office will review evidence provided by the NGO submission and evaluate applications based on the following criteria:

NB: Any proposal not submitted in specified working language will be excluded from consideration.

Governance & Leadership

• The organization has a clearly defined mission and goals that reflect the organization’s structure and context, as well as alignment to UNFPA priority areas.
• Organization does not have a history of fraud, complaints or service delivery issues.

Human Resource

• Organization has sufficient staff resources and technical expertise to implement the proposed activities.
• Organization does not have conflicts of interest with UNFPA or its personnel that cannot be effectively mitigated.

Comparative Advantage

• The organization’s mission and/or strategic plan focuses on at least one of the UNFPA’s programme areas.
• The organization has experience in the country or field and enjoys prominence in areas related to UNFPA’s mandate.
• The organization has a proven track record in implementing similar activities and is seen as credible by its stakeholders and partners.
• The organization has relevant community presence and ability to reach the target audience; especially vulnerable populations and hard-to-reach areas.

Monitoring

• The organization has systems and tools in place to systematically collect, analyse and use programme monitoring data

Partnerships

• The organization has established partnerships with the government and other relevant local, international and private sector entities.

Environmental Considerations

• The organization has established policies or practices to reduce the environmental impact of its activities. If no policies exist, the organization must not have a history of its activities causing negative impact to the environment.

3.3 Prospective partnership agreement

UNFPA will inform all applicants of the outcome of their submissions in writing to the email/ postal address indicated in the NGO submission.

The purpose of this proposal is to provide the following information: a) overview of the NGO, b) an outline of the activities the NGO is proposing to partner with UNFPA and c) provide UNFPA with sufficient evidence to show it meets the criteria outlined in section 3.2 of the IFP.

Information provided in this form will be used to inform the review and evaluation of NGO submissions as outlined in the Invitation for Proposals.

Section A. NGO Identification

A.1 Organization information

Organization name

Address

Website

A.2 Contact information

Name

Title/Function

Telephone

Email

Are you registered in the United Nations Partner Portal?

A.3 Conflict of interest statement

To your knowledge, do any staff members of your organization have personal or financial relationships with any staff of UNFPA, or any other conflicts of interest with this programme or UNFPA? If so, please explain.

A.4. Fraud statement

Does your organization have fraud prevention policies and practices in place?

Section B. Overview of the organization

B.1 Annual budget

Size of annual budget (previous year, USD)

Source of funding

Outline funding base, including local, international, and private sector donors

Main funding partners/ donors

B.2 Staff capacity

List of number and key functions of core organization staff

B.3 NGO mandate and background

Outline the organization’s mandate and field of work, and how it aligns to UNFPA’s mandate.

B.4  Available expertise and specialists

Outline the distinctive technical capacity of the organization to achieve results in the proposed programmatic area

B.5 Experience in proposed area of work

Outline of type/scope and key results achieved in proposed programmatic area in recent years, including any recognition received at local / global level for the work in the proposed area. Include a summary experience in Thailand and prior experience with any organization of the United Nations

B.6 Knowledge of the local context/ Accessibility to target population

Outline of presence and community relations in the location(s) the activities will be implemented in: include access to vulnerable populations and hard-to-reach areas, if any)

B.7 Credibility

To what extent is the NGO recognized as credible by the government, and/or other key stakeholders/partners?

B.8 Monitoring

Outline the systems in place (policies, procedures, guidelines, and other tools) that systematically collect, analyse and use programme monitoring data

Section C. Proposal overview

C.1 Programme title

C.2 Results to which the programme contributes

Refer to Section 1.3 of the Invitation for Proposal

C.3 Proposed programme duration

From MM/YYYY to MM/YYYY

C.4 Proposed Programme budget

Section D. Proposed interventions and activities to achieve intended results

D.1 Programme Summary

This section should provide a brief summary of the programme.

It should include a problem statement, the context and the rationale for the Programme:

• Overview of the existing problem;
• How the problem is linked to global/regional/national priorities and policies; and
• The relevance of the programme in addressing problem identified

D.2 Organizational background and capacity to implement

This section should briefly explain why the proposing organization has the experience, capacity and commitment to successfully implement the workplan.

D.3 Expected results

“What” this programme will achieve - programme objectives and expected results

D.4 Description of activities and budget

This section includes a detailed description of budgeted activities to be undertaken to produce the expected results. Clear linkages between activities and results must be indicated. The applicant should include a separate excel spreadsheet with full details of activities and associated budget.

D.5 Gender, Equity and Sustainability (optional)

Explain briefly the practical measures taken in the programme to address gender, equity and sustainability considerations

D.6 Environmental impact

Outline the likely environmental impact of the programme, if any.

D.7 Other partners involved

This section outlines other partners who have a role in programme implementation, including potential sub-contractees and other organization providing technical and financial support for the programme

D.8 NGO contribution

This section briefly outlines the partner specific contribution to the programme (monetary or in-kind)

D.9 Additional documentation

Additional documentation can be mentioned here for reference

Section E. Programme Risks and Monitoring

E.1 Risks

Identify major risk factors that could result in the proposed activities not being successfully implemented and any key assumptions on which the proposed intervention is based. Include any actions the organization will undertake to address/reduce identified risk(s).

E.2 Monitoring

This section briefly outlines the monitoring activities

Section F. References

Please provide 3 references to support your proposal. Include name, title, contact information and brief summary of relationship.

Reference 1:

Reference 2:

Reference 3:

Section G. Preventing Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) Capacity Assessment  

Please note, the results of this assessment may be shared with other United Nations entities

G.0 Preliminary Screening

Does the organization have direct contact with beneficiaries?

Yes  ☐           No  ☐

If your response is no, stop here and do not complete this section. However, please note if your organization begins working with beneficiaries at a later date, UNFPA will require your organization to fill out a self-assessment.

If yes, please continue.

Has the organization’s PSEA capacity been assessed by a UN entity in the last 5 years? 

Yes  ☐    If yes, share the assessment rating and supporting documentation with UNFPA and do not complete this section.

No ☐   If no, complete G.1 through G.8

G.1 Policy Requirement

Please provide supporting documentation for any fields marked “Yes”.

Your organization has a policy document on PSEA. At a minimum, this document should include a written undertaking that the partner accepts the standards of conduct listed in section 3 of the ST/SGB/2003/13.

Yes  ☐           No  ☐

Supporting documentation may include:

• Code of Conduct (internal or interagency)
• PSEA policy
• Documentation of standard procedures for all personnel to receive/sign PSEA policy
• Other (please specify):

G.2 Subcontracting

Your organization’s contracts and partnership agreements include a standard clause requiring sub-contractors to adopt policies that prohibit SEA and to take measures to prevent and respond to SEA.

Yes  ☐           No  ☐           *N/A  ☐

Supporting documentation may include:

• Contracts/partnership agreements for sub-contractors
• Other (please specify):

* Please Note: If the partner notes that it does not have subcontractors in the self-assessment this core standard is not applicable and UNFPA will assess this core standard as N/A. However, if this situation changes and the same partner subsequently subcontracts activities to another entity, this would warrant a re-assessment.

G.3  Recruitment

Your organization has a systematic vetting procedure in place for job candidates through proper screening. This must include, at minimum, reference checks for sexual misconduct and a self-declaration by the job candidate, confirming that they have never been subject to sanctions (disciplinary, administrative or criminal) arising from an investigation in relation to SEA, or left employment pending investigation and refused to cooperate in such an investigation.

Yes  ☐           No  ☐

Supporting documentation may include:

• Reference check template including check for sexual misconduct (including reference from previous employers and self-declaration)
• Recruitment procedures
• Other (please specify):

G.4 Training

Your organization holds mandatory trainings (online or in-person) for all IP employees and associated personnel^[1] (herein “personnel”) on PSEA and relevant procedures. The training should, at a minimum include:

1. a definition of SEA (that is aligned with the UN's definition);
2. an explanation on prohibition of SEA; and
3. actions that personnel are required to take (i.e. prompt reporting of allegations and referral of victims).

Yes  ☐           No  ☐

Supporting documentation may include:

• Training package
• Attendance sheets
• Training certificates
• Other (please specify):

G.5 Reporting

Your organization has mechanisms and procedures for personnel, recipients of assistance and communities, including children, to report SEA allegations that comply with core standards for reporting (i.e. safety, confidentiality, transparency, accessibility).

Yes  ☐           No  ☐

Supporting documentation may include:

• Internal Complaints and Feedback Mechanism
• Participation in joint reporting mechanisms
• Communication materials
• PSEA awareness-raising plan
• Description of reporting mechanism
• Whistle-blower policy
• Other (please specify):

G.6 Assistance

Your organization has a system to refer SEA victims to locally available support services, based on their needs and consent. This can include actively contributing to in-country PSEA networks and/or GBV systems (where applicable) and/or referral pathways at an inter-agency level.

Yes  ☐           No  ☐

Supporting documentation may include:

• Internal or Interagency referral pathway
• List of Available service providers
• Description of referral or Standard Operation Procedure (SOP)
• Referral form for survivors of GBV/SEA
• Guidelines on victim assistance and/or training on GBV and GBV case management principles
• Other (please specify):

G.7 Investigations

Your organization has a process for investigation of allegations of SEA and can provide evidence. This may include a referral system for investigations where in-house capacity does not exist.

Yes  ☐           No  ☐

Supporting documentation may include:

• Written process for review of SEA allegations 
• Dedicated resources for investigation(s) and/or commitment of partner for support
• PSEA investigation policy/procedures 
• Contract with professional investigative service
• Other (please specify):

G.8  Corrective Measures

Your organization has taken appropriate corrective action in response to SEA allegations, if any.

Yes  ☐           No  ☐        N/A ☐

Supporting documentation may include:

• Evidence of implementation of corrective measures identified by the UN partner entity, including capacity strengthening of staff.
• Specific measures to identify and reduce risks of SEA in programme delivery.
• Other ((please specify):