The United Nations Democracy Fund
(UNDEF) is going to open its Seventh Round of Funding from 15 November 2012
onwards. The Fund will provide grants ranging from US $50,000 to US $400,000
for projects that strengthen the voice of civil society, promote human rights,
and encourage the participation of all groups in democratic processes.
The primary purpose of this UN body is
supporting democracy through empowering civil society. UNDEF projects exist in
developing countries, in societies in transition and in challenging
environments, and are in six main areas: Community development; rule of law and
human rights; tools for democratization; youth; empowering women; and media.
Among these, NGOs and civil society
organizations are expected to receive the bulk of funding. Besides, UNDEF
allocates 70% of its programmable resources in each funding round for projects
that take place in one country while the rest of the 30% is for global/regional
projects. This means that local NGOs have better chances of receiving grants
for their projects than international organizations working in different
regions.
Applicants from all countries can
submit project proposals, but UNDEF will give strong preference to proposals
submitted from countries and regions where the challenges of democracy are more
critical, such as countries emerging from conflict, new and restored
democracies, the Least Developed Countries, Low Income Countries and Middle
Income Countries.
Applications have to be submitted
online through the UNDEF website. The deadline to submit applications is 31
December 2012. For more information, visit this link.
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