This action is funded by the European Union

Transcription

1 EN This action is funded by the European Union ANNEX 1 of the Commission Decision on the Annual Action Programme 2016 in favour of the Republic of Ghana to be financed from the 11 th European Development Fund Action Document for the project: Civil Society Organisations in Research and Innovation for Sustainable Development (CSO-RISE) INFORMATION FOR POTENTIAL GRANT APPLICANTS WORK PROGRAMME FOR GRANTS This document constitutes the work programme for grants in the sense of Article 128(1) of the Financial Regulation (Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012), applicable to the EDF in accordance with Article 37 of Regulation (EU) 2015/323 in the following sections concerning calls for proposals: Grants Call for proposals (direct management). 1. Title/basic act/ CRIS number 2. Zone benefiting from the action/location 3. Programming document 4. Sector of concentration/ thematic area 5. Amounts concerned 6. Aid modality(ies) and implementation modality(ies) Civil Society Organisations in Research and Innovation for Sustainable Development (CSO-RISE) CRIS number: GH/FED/ financed under the 11 th European Development Fund Ghana savannah regions National Indicative Programme for Ghana Other measures (Support to civil society organisations) DEV. Aid: YES Total estimated cost: EUR Total amount of EDF contribution EUR This action is co-financed by potential grant beneficiaries for an indicative amount of EUR Project Modality: - Indirect management with Republic of Ghana: procurement of services (technical assistance) - Direct management for grants - Call for Proposals 7 a) DAC code(s) 16010: Social/welfare services; 16020: Employment policy and administrative management; 31120: Agricultural development; 31194: Agricultural cooperatives b) Main Delivery "Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and Civil Society" Channel 8. Markers (from CRIS DAC form) General policy objective Not targeted Significant objective Main objective Participation development/good X governance Aid to environment X Gender equality (including Women X 1

2 9. Global Public Goods and Challenges (GPGC) thematic flagships In Development) Trade Development X Reproductive, Maternal, New born X and child health RIO Convention markers Not Significant Main objective targeted objective Biological diversity X Combat desertification X Climate change mitigation X Climate change adaptation X This action will contribute to the following thematic flagship programmes: Human Development (specific objectives: Employment, Decent Work, Skills, Social Protection and Social Inclusion); Environment and Climate Change; Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture and Fisheries. SUMMARY The overall objective of the action entitled Civil Society Organisations in Research and Innovation for Sustainable development (CSO-RISE) aims to contribute to inclusive growth and reduction of social inequalities as part of interventions to support the priorities set in the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda (GSGDA) II. The action has been designed to be implemented through grants supporting Civil Society Organisations' (CSOs) initiatives as laid down in the Ghana National Indicative Programme (NIP) under the 11 th European Development Fund (EDF). This support is to complement the future programmes foreseen under Sector 2 ("productive investments in agriculture in the savannah ecological zone") and Sector 3 ("employment and social protection and employment creation") of the NIP along with the strategic focus underlined in the Sector 1 ("Governance: public sector management and accountability). In view of achieving the objectives of the proposed action, three interlinked Result Areas have been defined as follows: - Result Area No.1: Development of technologies, economic activities and sector policies coherent with the principles of sustainable agriculture and decent work, are fostered in 20 Districts Assemblies of the savannah ecosystem of Ghana; - Result Area No.2: Access and quality of service delivery related to social protection and employment as well as decent work opportunities in the fields of sustainable agriculture and green economy, are improved in 10 pilot areas; - Result Area No.3: Influential role of the CSOs as actors of governance is enhanced. The financing agreement will be signed with the beneficiary country. A call for proposals will be launched under direct management for the implementation of field activities. A Technical Assistance team recruited in indirect management will assist the contracting authority with the preparation of a call for proposals, in addition to monitoring and evaluation, knowledge management and communication with third parties including dissemination of best practices. A Steering Committee will oversee the whole CSO-RISE programme. 2

3 1 Context 1.1 Sector/Country/Regional context/thematic area The overall economic context of Ghana over the past 6 years has been subject to a commendable growth trajectory with an annual growth of about 6.0%. However, it turned into a slower pace in the last two years: in 2013 growth decelerated to 4.4%, considerably lower compared to 7.9% achieved in According to the 6 th Ghana Living Standard Survey (2012/2013), poverty is still affecting 24.2% of the population and inequality in terms of income distribution remains significant 1. Social services and social protection schemes cover only a limited proportion of the population 2. The differential gap between the northern and southern zones of Ghana is expected to continue, with the risk of keeping a large population untouched by the effects of the economic growth if specific measures towards the most vulnerable are not undertaken Public Policy Assessment and EU Policy Framework The ( ) medium-term national development policy framework (Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda - GSGDA II) has a strong focus on governance and accountability deepening the practice of democracy and institutional reforms, local governance and decentralisation. In this context, the various sector Ministries, Departments and Agencies have been seeking to promote policy dialogue with CSOs to ensure broader stakeholder participation. CSOs major contributions focus on holding duty bearers accountable in the delivery public services and their equitable access to the people. The GSDA II policies are coherent in this respect with the EU strategies and policies, including those formalized in the EU communication on "Agenda for Change" and "The roots of democracy and sustainable development: Europe s engagement with Civil Society in external relations" both ensuring the constructive participation of civil society in all sectors of EU programmes. The EU Road Map for engagement with Civil Society in Ghana has identified several areas where civil society actors can provide a vital contribution to enhanced development and governance outcomes, reflecting a strategic vision of change. These areas are the following: - Sustainable agriculture. The numerous challenges that hinder the agricultural development (i.e. lack of adequate infrastructures, inadequate access to markets, unsustainable agriculture practices, and inadequate private sector investments) have been addressed by the Government of Ghana through a series of recent policies. Among others, the Medium Term Agriculture Sector Investment Plan (METASIP) and the Ghana Agriculture Sector Investment Programme (GASIP) have reoriented the sector priorities towards the use of agriculture technology to enhance climate smart agriculture development. In this regard, CSOs are renowned as a vibrant player both in the policy making process, through advocacy, and in the implementation of specific interventions focusing on small and medium farmers. Moreover, the aggravated effects of climate change 3 are going to be addressed through the recently adopted National Climate Change Policy and the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions Action Plan (under preparation). National policies are coherent with EU policy framework, which emphasises the linkage between water, energy and food (as mentioned in the European Report on Development) and the focus on sustainable agriculture sector as having a strong multiplier effect on inclusive and sustainable growth (EU Agenda for Change). 1 The inequality is measured by the Gini coefficient that is used in the analysis of income distribution of a Nation. The Gini coefficient ranges from 0 to 1, with 1 being the most unequal distribution of wealth (one person owns everything) and 0 being the most equal (each person owns an equal share). For Ghana, the Gini coefficient stands at 0,41. 2 Only 5% according to the draft Social Protection Policy document by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection. 3 In its Third Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Environmental Protection Agency made references to climate models which indicate that the mean temperature will increase between 1.5 to 3 0 C in 2060 (depending on the scenario), the projected rate of warming being more rapid in the northern inlands than coastal regions (all scenarios). 3

4 - Social protection and Employment. The Government of Ghana has set up a range of opportunities and initiatives to address social and economic vulnerability 4. The draft National Social Protection Policy affirms that CSOs play an important function in the coordination and delivery of some social protection programmes in Ghana, including by maximising the opportunities offered by informal social networks. In the medium term, civil society's watchdog functions shall be expected to increase as capacities for social accountability are built. The National Employment Policy adopted in February 2015, as well as the Private Sector Development Strategy (PSDS II), highlight the role played by CSOs to support employment opportunities to people at the grassroots level and the development of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), as the largest job provider in the economy 5. The Ghana Policy Framework is coherent with the EU Agenda for Change, which identifies Social Protection and Employment as priority areas for achieving inclusive and sustainable growth in developing countries. The EU Communication "Social Protection in EU Development Cooperation" advocates for capacity building support and for a strong link between employment and social protection actions and policies. As a general scope, it is foreseen that the action will contribute to the implementation of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA); in this regard, the present action is considered as a part of the EU's support to the EPA Programme for Development in West Africa Stakeholder analysis During the identification process, in-depth consultations were conducted with relevant stakeholders of the programme. Some of the key findings regarding the stakeholder capacities and specificities are listed below: Civil Society Organisations: at grassroots level, a wide and much diversified group of formal and informal organisations exists, mainly involved in service delivery for supporting local economic activities and social services, as well as governance, advocacy and social accountability activities at local level; in some specific cases, CSOs have carried out technological innovation programmes. Some coalitions among CSOs are active in policy dialogue (forestry, environment); regrettably, most of them (coalitions or umbrella organisations) are not functional. Academic institutions and research institutes potentially play a key role in the innovation of technologies and practices for adaptation of agriculture-based activities to climate. However, resources and capacities for engaging with stakeholders often lack. Consequently there is a limited relevance of research and development activities in relation to small-scale farming. International NGOs play a key role in supporting Ghanaian civil society organisations. They provide financial or technical assistance to the development of coalitions as well as support to local NGOs and Community Based Organisations (CBO) in developing social services and basic infrastructures at community level. Other relevant non-state actors engaging in the considered sectors include the workers unions, the employers organisations and the many private sector and professional unions and associations, as well as the cooperatives and farmers groups. The roles these organisations play include advocacy and policy dialogue, as well as the delivery of services (training, saving & credit, access to social protection scheme, etc.). Local authorities: Even lacking a specific mandate, District Assemblies and sub-district authorities play an important role regarding the governance of local development efforts and initiatives and 4 Ghana has launched a number of social protection programmes, such as the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), the school feeding programme, the National Youth Employment programme and the Livelihoods Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) social grants programme. It has also developed a National Social Protection Strategy meant to provide an overarching policy framework to ensure co-ordination and complementarity between all these programmes. 5 Evidence indicates that youth unemployment in Ghana is due to, on the one hand, a more than a threefold increase in the youthful population over the last forty years, and, on the other hand, failure of the economy to generate sufficient employment outlets (John Yaw Amankrah2013: Youth unemployment in Ghana: prospects and challenges, Ghana Statistical Service). 4

5 regarding the delivery of social services and of agricultural services. In many cases, these institutions offer space for policy dialogue and coordination among actors, including the CSOs. Government of Ghana: The line ministries covering the various topics to be dealt with the present action are the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) and Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations (MELR). In addition, line ministries are partnering with CSOs for service delivery (e.g. the Savanah Accelerated Development Agency, SADA, and the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA). Development Partners: UNICEF, World Bank, Department for International Development UK (DFID), DANIDA, CANADA and USAID are engaged in actions supporting civil society in agriculture and social protection Priority areas for support/problem analysis Both rural and urban economic activities are mainly implemented within the informal sector meaning that a large share of population does not have access to social protection and cannot benefit from decent employment conditions. Linking sustainable agriculture and social protection/employment can contribute to improve the living conditions of the poorest, i.e.: - Strengthening of farmers groups, associations or cooperatives often results in the achievement of a greater security and predictability of farmers income, which can facilitate their access to social protection mechanisms. - Supporting the development of rural enterprises in favour of "decent working" conditions would influence both work opportunities and the establishment of new spaces for social dialogue. - The principle of the green economy in and for the agriculture production can create new business opportunities, foster the development of enterprises (including social enterprises), and generate decent jobs enabling the employees to benefit from social protection scheme. The scope of the action aims to provide better living conditions to the most marginalised fringes of the population (small farmers, workers in the informal economy, female-headed households, persons living with disabilities, unemployed youth) living in the remote rural areas of Ghana through an integrated approach combining the development of sustainable agriculture and employment/ social protection. Sustainable agriculture is understood as a combination of approaches that minimise harmful effects on resources, valorise local culture and knowledge, and foster rights and adequate living conditions, reducing social, economic and environmental vulnerability 6. The social and economic vulnerability of the rural population combining farm and off-farm activities is a striking issue particularly in the savannah ecosystem where climate change in conjunction with destructive land use practices is accelerating desertification. The above is caused by the following factors: - Unsustainable exploitation of natural resources (notably to meet high demand for firewood and charcoal combined with declining and more erratic rainfall resulting in soil erosion, land degradation, deforestation and loss of biodiversity) is triggered by the limited supports available for research, development and innovation regarding appropriate climate resilient technologies for small-scale farming. - Barriers to accessing inputs for production and processing of products, which derive from the limited opportunities for capacity building for producers organisations to foster a more active farmer participation in value-chains. - Limited availability of alternative economic options because of lack of support for enterprises making innovative use of available resources and for social entrepreneurship 7. The existing Employment and Social Protection schemes are not covering the most vulnerable people i.e. farmers, workers in the informal economy, female-headed households, persons living with 6 Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development. What is Sustainable Agriculture? Published by GiZ 7 As this factor implies a limitation of opportunities for off-farm economic activities and employment. 5

6 disabilities, unemployed, and the youth. The current systems are characterised by the following deficiencies: - Limited access to social protection schemes (including lack of awareness and information on rights and entitlements), weaknesses in the capacity of public authorities to reach remote areas in provision of public services at an appropriate level, which impede any social protection mechanism. - Inadequate targeting and, consequently, reduced impact of social protection schemes (lack of an efficient monitoring mechanism covering the whole range of actions; limited CSO participation in the planning and monitoring of public plans and policies affecting the socially excluded; lack of strategic coordination and collaboration in access to information among different actors involved in social protection schemes). - Low efficiency of social protection schemes (importance of political networking and family dynamics; bureaucratic and operational shortcomings in service delivery; lack of control mechanisms). - Important deficits in decent work opportunities due to underemployment and prominent role of informal sector regarding non-qualified rural job opportunities; CSOs, government and business/private sector have interrelated roles to play notably by promoting social entrepreneurship and social responsibility. - Lack of innovation: CSOs are mainly involved in general policy dialogue and in service delivery but not in testing and disseminating innovative approaches. Few opportunities and resources exist to support unconventional and innovative enterprise and job creation initiatives. Public actions for matching agricultural development/social protection, as well as those matching enterprise development and employment/social protection, have a limited extent. 2 Risks and Assumptions Risks Lack of engagement by government agencies, particularly at local level Lack of trust by CSOs in engaging with government in the considered sectors Adequate selection and management of proposals would be hindered by the number of CSOs submitting proposals The efforts needed for project formulation is considered too high by CSOs Risk Level (H/M/L) Low Low Low Medium Mitigation measures Actions supported through the programme will involve cooperation among CSOs, local authorities and government agencies at local/district level. Engaging with CSOs is for government bodies a main avenue to accessing the resources needed for supporting operations. The engagement with government bodies would not imply the CSO dependency upon government. In identifying their proposals, CSOs will have several options to engage with public bodies. Calls for Proposals guidelines will require for submitting proposals the establishment of "consortia", based on clear partnership agreements and clear roles for partners. This discourages proposals by "briefcase NGOs". The dimension of grants would require the engagement of large CSOs as "leading partner". Few CSOs would be able to assume such role. Calls for Proposals will be based on a usual "two-step" mechanism: CSOs will present a short "concept note" and then a limited number of concept notes would be selected for the formulation of a full proposal. The efforts required for initial engagement in the programme would therefore be low, particularly in comparison with grants dimension. 6

7 The risk of being labelled as progovernment or as depending on government leads CSOs to not engaging with a government-managed "funded mechanism" Delays in the implementation of the project and in the disbursement of funds would jeopardise the CSO engagement and actions Assumptions Medium High The transparency in decision-making, the dissemination of information at local level, the adoption of clear criteria for the project selection, the setting of "selection" committees autonomous from government will be the main measures to mitigate such risk. The risk of delays concerning the implementation of measures and the disbursement of funds will be limited by: the engagement of a TA which will be responsible for the preparation and launching of Calls for Proposals; the limitation to a single Call for proposals; the dimension of grants; the fact that no more than 4 grants will be awarded. Openness and support of government towards a stronger engagement of CSOs in both considered sectors, not only as "implementing agencies" and service providers but also as policy and governance actors, actively engaging in initiatives aimed at making public action more relevant and more responsive to local needs and to the needs and perspectives of those actors who have a weak voice in political and policy making processes. The interest of CSOs to engage in innovative actions in the considered areas, not only through traditional advocacy actions but also through actions that would engage CSOs in fostering the identification, testing and up-scaling of new solutions and in bridging the gap among different actors. The availability of CSOs to engage in partnership-based activities, which require the sharing of responsibilities and the overcoming of existing prevalent "vertical partnership" approach by fostering "bottom-up" communication and CBO involvement in the design of initiatives. The presence of CSOs having the necessary capacities for fostering and implementing innovative actions in the considered actions, and the interest of these CSOs to share and disseminate their capacities. 3 Lessons learnt, complementarity and cross-cutting issues 3.1 Lessons learnt Lessons can be taken from both the two EU's flagship programmes namely the ''Strengthening Transparency, Accountability and Responsiveness in Ghana" (STAR-Ghana) and the "Business Sector Advocacy Challenge Fund" (BUSAC) initiatives, focusing on support to CSOs as well as other lessons learned from other CSOs programmes dealing with sustainable agriculture and employment/social protection: - Lack of ownership by CSOs is an important obstacle to programme effectiveness. Early engagement with CSOs and continuous communication can increase ownership, allowing CSOs to influence programme agenda and management. - Focus on emerging issues and interests of local actors substantially reduce the problems related to sustainability of CSO initiatives. Sustainable support can be geared towards strengthening existing initiatives. - Concentration of technical capacities among few CSOs limits the effectiveness of actions; specific activities at programme level can facilitate knowledge-sharing and transfer of capacities. - CSOs tend to concentrate their actions close to main urban centres, where communication and work are easier. Specific modalities are needed to foster interventions in remote areas. - CSO coalitions can offer opportunities to facilitate both a greater impact of CSOs actions on public policies and the sharing of knowledge and capacities among themselves; however, while coalitions exist in the two sectors on which this programme focuses, they can be weak in terms of resources. Strengthening CSO coalitions can enhance CSOs effective engagement. - A wide range of innovations regarding sustainable agriculture, availability and access to social services and to social protection schemes, job creation and the development of innovative enterprises and social enterprise, have been tested by CSOs, but have not been disseminated or scaled-up, because needed resources are seldom available. Supporting the follow-up of successful actions is a relevant option. 7

8 - Trust is a key factor in innovation. Because of their dependency on external support, CSOs and their actions are easily labelled as related to "external agenda" or to political affiliation. Specific communication actions should be foreseen for addressing this issue. - Creation of new organisations and coalitions leads often to unsustainable schemes at project closure; a more sustainable action is that of supporting existing groups, organisations and coalitions providing them resources for capacity building, scaling up of initiatives and increased communication. - Time is a key factor in assuring the performance and sustainability of CSOs initiatives and partnerships. Preference is therefore to be given to medium-long term actions, or to activities aimed at fostering long-term partnership and cooperation. 3.2 Complementarity, synergy and donor coordination The programme was designed to complement the EU's on-going initiatives supporting CSOs and NSAs, namely STAR-Ghana and BUSAC as well as the Civil Society Organisations (former Non- State Actors) and Local Authorities thematic programmes. Reference is made as well to the Ghana EU Roadmap for Engagement with civil society ( ), particularly as regarding the second and third pillars (dialogue and capacity development). The future EU's initiatives under the 3 focal sectors of the NIP were carefully considered, namely: the Ghana Anti-Corruption, Rule of Law and Accountability Programme (Ghana-ARAP); the Productive Investments in Infrastructures for Agriculture Development in the Savannah Ecological Zone of Ghana; and the Ghana Employment and Social Protection Programme. All these have served as a basis for scoping the activities under the present action, that mirror those identified in these programmes for strengthening public authorities and public services. In addition, the current action will contribute to feeding the community-based capacity building component that will be further designed under the large Agriculture programme. Whereas the CSO-RISE will be targeting the whole savannah ecosystem due to its specific climate adaptation and mitigation Rio markers embedded into the two components, the larger Agriculture programme within the NIP will feature infrastructure development patterns located in specific high agronomic potential areas. Lessons learned and best practices taken from the present action will feed the development of the Agriculture programme. The programme also takes into consideration the other development partner programmes. Namely: the Agence Française de Development (AFD) out-grower scheme programme on cash crops; the Department for International Development (DFID) through the MADE (making market works for the poor) and other specific NGO projects; USAID and Canada support initiatives focusing on private sector and value-chain development for main crops and livelihoods for poor rural households; the AGRA international foundation support to services for agricultural development; the World Bank project for enhancing social accountability in public services; the UNICEF, World Bank and USAID support to the Livelihood Empowerment against Poverty (LEAP) project; UNICEF, SOCIEUX (Social Protection European Union Expertise in Development Cooperation) and International Labour Organization (ILO) support to the development of the Social Protection Policy. 3.3 Cross-cutting issues The present action has been designed to mainstream gender and environmental sustainability across the key areas following the principles of a right-based approach and within the context of reducing Green House Gas (GHG) emissions and protecting carbon sinks. Their relevance in the context of a pro poor programme is the following: 8

9 - The unequal access to information, rights and entitlements, innovation, access to productive lands, decent jobs, etc., affect particularly the most vulnerable groups i.e. women, small-scale farmers, workers in the informal economy, female-headed households, persons living with disabilities, and unemployed youth 8. - The gender-dynamics related to working conditions, including unpaid family labour, low wages, involvement in limited value added jobs and economic activities. - The limited awareness about and limited participation in platforms and CS advocacy initiatives, which frequently exclude women, as well as other vulnerable groups having a difficult access to information, from adequate access to services and social protection schemes. - The limited women recognition in farmers organisations involved in agricultural value chains, as well as the focus of main actors in the agricultural sector on "commodities" that would not allow the participation of women and other social groups (i.e. persons with disabilities). The tendency of organisations representing women and other social groups in a vulnerability situation to act within a "segregated" space, focusing on specific topics and issues, not accessing mainstream policy dialogue and formulation on agriculture, natural resources management and local economic development. Activities will therefore focus on gender related dynamics as well on those dynamics related to the recognition and access to opportunities for youth and for people with disabilities. 4 Description of the action 4.1 Objectives/results The overall objective of the programme is to contribute to inclusive growth and reduction of social inequalities in line with the priorities set up in the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda (GSGDA) II. The specific objective of the action is to foster the initiatives of the civil society organisations in their capacities to address economic, social and climate-resilient issues through innovative interventions contributing to the sustainable management of ecosystems. This programme is relevant for the Agenda The project is relevant in relation to several of the Sustainable Development Goals 9 namely: Goal 1 (no poverty); Goal 2 (zero hunger); Goal 5 (gender equality); Goal 8 (Decent work and economic growth); Goal 10 (Reduced inequalities) Goal 13 (Climate action). In view of achieving the overall and specific objectives, three interlinked Result Areas are defined: - Result Area No.1: Development of technologies, economic activities and sector policies coherent with the principles of sustainable agriculture and decent work, are fostered in 20 Districts Assemblies of the savannah ecosystem of Ghana - Result Area No.2: Access and quality of service delivery related to social protection and employment as well as decent work opportunities in the fields of sustainable agriculture and green economy, are improved in 10 pilot-areas. - Result Area No.3: Influential role of the CSOs as actors of governance within the respective sectoral policy dialogue platforms is enhanced. 8 According to MoFA, women accessing extension workers support are between 20 and 30%, depending on the kind of crop and service. Areas in which inequalities are visible include those concerning agriculture on marginal land, small irrigated farms, post-harvest and adding value practices; because of limited availability of resources and of the presence of obstacles related to access to extension services, as gender-related customs, ownership patterns, role patterns, extension agents attitudes, etc. 9 Transforming our world. The 2030 agenda for sustainable development. United Nations,

10 4.2 Main activities The project will support CSOs initiatives including integrated actions aimed at the achievement of the two above results (RA.1 and RA.2). Supported actions will integrate different activities among those described below, involving the main stakeholders and fostering the coordination and integration of their approaches, working modalities and interventions. Moreover, supported actions will include activities aimed at collecting evidences for feeding CSOs participation and influence in policy dialogue and policy formulation at district and national levels. In this regard, the dissemination of good practices tested to CSOs initiatives and their influence on policy formulation and implementation processes, will be a key activity. Consequently, the project will accompany such initiatives with a specific communication component supporting knowledge and information sharing among the CSOs. Twenty District Assemblies of the savannah ecosystem will be covered by the action grantees for the Key Area No.1 and ten pilot-areas will be selected as well, some of them being the same for the two key areas (depending on the proposals presented by the grantees). Activities are summarised below as follows: To achieve the RA.1, three main sets of activities have been identified. A.1.1: Strengthening farmers organisations participation in commodity value-chain development. These activities will include actions improving the active participation of farmers in existing value chains and facilitating farmers organisations and options for participating in commodity value chains. A.1.2: Development of adapted technologies for small-scale farmers to manage ecosystems in a sustainable manner. The vulnerable groups foreseen to be targeted will be the small-scale farmers, peasants without land, female headed-households, persons living with disabilities, etc. Actions aiming to prevent land degradation and to adapt to climate variability will be tested. These activities will support research and agricultural extension initiatives turned towards climate adaptation strategies. A.1.3: Innovative climate mitigation technologies adapted to agriculture producers, intermediaries and processors: the activities will target better-off medium scale farmers, agricultural service providers and local processors. Action-research and agricultural extension initiatives will contribute to foster the adoption of green technologies integrating decent work principles and climate change mitigation actions. Under the RA.2, the following activities have been identified. A.2.1: Information dissemination, and awareness creation to existing social protection schemes. Vulnerable groups or communities (small farmers, peasants without land, female-headed households, persons living with disabilities, etc.), cooperatives and CBOs will be targeted. In addition, awareness-raising activities on social protection related rights will be delivered to increase the coverage in terms of access and use of social protection schemes/services. A.2.2: Evidence-based advocacy activities concerning existing social protection and employment interventions at local level. The following activities will be carried out: identification of the service improvement measures; quality and performance of service delivery and policy implementation; targeting of necessary actions and identification of further demands. The targeted entities will be user groups, local authorities, service providers in the area of social protection and employment (including public, private and non-profit entities), national and local policy dialogue and policy setting mechanisms and actors; workers unions; private sector organisations. A.2.3: Promotion of decent working conditions through the development of innovative businesses towards the achievements of the green economy and social responsibility principles. This set of activities will target the youth, women, farmers, self-employed workers, as well as existing innovative and social enterprises. Support will be given through advisory service, development of new markets, services and products, capacity building and technical assistance, and development of "sustainability mechanisms" and partnership mechanisms. Under the RA.3, the following actions are envisaged. A.3.1: Support to the existing CSOs platforms for pertaining policy dialogue with decision makers, national advocacy fora, website, etc. A.3.2: Organisation of seminars and conferences regarding specific topics (cost-effectiveness analysis of the actions; gender, climate, minorities; livelihoods, right-based approach, etc.). A.3.3: Annual publication of policy-oriented documents, i.e. the annual publications of the lessons learned and best practices (as from the second year of implementation of the field activities). 10

11 4.3 Intervention logic The action is based on the mobilisation of civil society organisations, the development of linkages and cooperation agreements among CSOs that would both increase their capacity to implement activities for supporting development processes and their capacity to engage in a coordinated approach in governance and policy mechanisms. Particularly, the establishment of cooperative mechanisms through CSOs will be fostered, promoting the creation of consortia and/or the development of subgranting mechanisms within the supported actions. The action overall strategy is characterised by the following main features: - The complementarity with existing EU actions already identified in the NIP The engagement with civil society organisations represents an important element for assuring that impact of further EU supported actions would involve the vulnerable groups and would not generate growth without social inclusion and development. - The strengthening of CSOs capacity to foster the demand, access and utilisation of services, as well as the social accountability of service delivery mechanisms and actions. - The integration between the implementation of actions generating changes and an active role in policy dialogue and formulation processes by involved CSOs. The initiatives will generate information and evidences that would feed the policy development processes at local and national levels and will make policies and service delivery more accountable to citizens. - The coordination and integration of the three result areas, through the adoption of a Territorial Approach for Local Development (TALD) approach, based on the identification of issues, challenges, resources and actors emerging at local level and adopting a wide concept of governance (including all actions putting together stakeholders to identify, understand and manage emerging problems). The supported CSOs initiatives will involve all relevant stakeholders for improving their actions at different levels and within different institutional settings (local authorities, citizens, communities, CSOs, private sector, research institutions, etc.); in all the cases, the action will mitigate overlapping, conflicts and competition among stakeholders. - By empowering citizens and organisations to influence the decisions for the implementation of services, the programme will contribute to civil society engagement with an active role in fostering a greater effectiveness and efficiency of policies and service delivery at field level, as well as at national level. - The focus on the savannah ecosystem will give a prominent strategic justification to promote gender equality, equal access to services to the marginalised people, environmental sustainability and climate resilience. 5 Implementation 5.1 Financing agreement In order to implement this action, it is foreseen to conclude a financing agreement with the partner country, referred to in Article 17 of Annex IV to the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement. 5.2 Indicative implementation period The indicative operational implementation period of this action, during which the activities described in section 4.2 will be carried out and the corresponding contracts and agreements implemented, is 66 months from the date of entry into force of the financing agreement. Extensions of the implementation period may be agreed by the Commission s authorising officer responsible by amending this decision and the relevant contracts and agreements; such amendments to this decision constitute non-substantial amendment in the sense of Article 9(4) of Regulation (EU) 2015/

12 5.3 Implementation of the budget component N/A 5.4 Implementation modalities Grants: Call for proposals (direct management) (a) Objectives of the grants, fields of intervention, priorities of the year and expected results The grants will support initiatives proposed by CSOs (individually or as consortia) aiming at achieving the objectives under Result Area 1 and/or 2 with the obligation to cover Result Area 3. (b) Eligibility conditions The following eligibility conditions will be applied. Initiatives should: - Be mainly carried out in the Ghana savannah ecosystem (i.e. northern regions, northern part of the Brong Ahafo region as well as costal savannah area), but can include relevant complementary actions outside of the considered regions; - Be proposed by non-profit organisations (individually or through the creation of consortia); - Include a set of combined activities identified under RA.1 and/or RA.2 with the obligation to cover RA.3; - Include documentation, knowledge management and communication activities aimed at facilitating the scaling-up and the dissemination of good practices, within other projects and within national policies; - Include activities supporting the engagement with local stakeholders in a defined territorial area, including local authorities, decentralised public service providers, universities and research centres, private sector associative bodies, etc.; - Comprise activities supporting the strengthening of capacities of local intermediate or grassroots civil society organisations. Initiatives can include sub-granting schemes. Potential applicants for funding include all non-profit legal entities (NGOs). Local authorities and other non-state actors (i.e. universities and academic institutions, private sector organisations, trade unions, etc. can participate to consortium, but not assume the leading role). Subject to information to be published in the call for proposals, the indicative amount of the EU contribution per grant is EUR to EUR and the grants may be awarded to sole beneficiaries and to consortia of beneficiaries (coordinator and co-beneficiaries). The indicative duration of the grant (its implementation period) is 48 months. (c) Essential selection and award criteria The essential selection criteria are financial and operational capacity of the applicant. The essential award criteria are relevance of the proposed action to the objectives of the call; design, effectiveness, feasibility, sustainability and cost-effectiveness of the action. (d) Maximum rate of co-financing The maximum possible rate of co-financing for grants under this call is 80% of the eligible costs of the action. In accordance with Article 192 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 applicable in accordance with Article 37 of (EU) Regulation 2015/323 if full funding is essential for the action to be carried out, the maximum possible rate of co-financing may be increased up to 100 %. The essentiality of full funding will be justified by the Commission s authorising officer responsible in the award decision, in respect of the principles of equal treatment and sound financial management. (e) Indicative timing to launch the call 12

13 The call will be launched in the first trimester of the 2nd year of project implementation Indirect Management with the Partner country A part of this action may be implemented in indirect management with the Republic of Ghana in accordance with Article 58(1)(c) of the Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 applicable in accordance with Article 17 of Regulation (EU) 2015/323, according to the following modalities: The partner country will act as the contracting authority for the procurement and grant procedures. The Commission will control ex ante all the procurement and grant procedures. Payments are executed by the Commission. In accordance with Article 190(2)(b) of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 and Article 262(3) of Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1268/2012 applicable in accordance with Article 36 of Regulation (EU) 2015/323 and Article 19c(1) of Annex IV to the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement, the partner country shall apply procurement rules of Chapter 3 of Title IV of Part Two of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012. These rules, as well as rules on grant procedures in accordance with Article 193 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 applicable in accordance with Article 17 of Regulation (EU) 2015/323, will be laid down in the financing agreement concluded with the partner country. 5.5 Scope of geographical eligibility for procurement and grants The geographical eligibility in terms of place of establishment for participating in procurement and grant award procedures and in terms of origin of supplies purchased as established in the basic act and set out in the relevant contractual documents shall apply. The Commission s authorising officer responsible may extend the geographical eligibility in accordance with Article 22(1)(b) of Annex IV to the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement on the basis of urgency or of unavailability of products and services in the markets of the countries concerned, or in other duly substantiated cases where the eligibility rules would make the realisation of this action impossible or exceedingly difficult. 5.6 Indicative budget Module EU contribution (EUR) Indicative third party contribution (EUR) Direct Management - Call for Proposals Indirect Management with the partner country - Procurement of services 5.9 Evaluation and 5.10 Audit Communication and visibility Contingencies Total Organisational set-up and responsibilities The operational set-up and responsibilities will include the following provisions: - A Project Steering Committee (PSC) will define the guidelines for project management and implementation; the PSC will accompany the action during its whole duration. - The NAO will supervise the work of the technical assistance team; in addition, the NAO will be responsible for the overall management of the various tasks dedicated to the technical assistance 10 EU grant funding available/funding rate in %) x 100 ) EU grant funding available = grant beneficiaries' cofinancing = third party contribution. 13

14 team (i.e. the formulation of the guidelines as well as the monitoring and evaluation framework, advocacy and communication strategy, preparation of the steering committee meetings, and any other ancillary tasks). - The EU Delegation will launch the call for proposals and will ensure the administrative and financial management of the contracts The steering committee The Project Steering Committee will include the representatives of stakeholders. Namely: the NAO (Ministry of Finance) will be the chair of the Steering Committee; Ministry of Food and Agriculture; Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection; Ministry of Employment; SADA (Savannah Area Development Authority); a rotating representative from a Regional Coordination Council covered by the action; two representatives of the relevant CSOs platforms; and the EU Delegation. The selected grantees will be invited to report their activities to the PCS. Steering Committee s responsibilities will include: the approval of the guidelines for the call for proposals, monitoring and evaluation framework, reporting of the grant beneficiaries, advocacy and communication plan. The Technical Assistant will assist with the organisation of the PSC meeting. The PSC will meet at least once a year. The NAO as chair of the Steering Committee will define a tentative calendar of meetings. Extraordinary meetings can be organised by the NAO or the EU or at least 3 of the committee members. 5.8 Performance monitoring and reporting The day-to-day technical and financial monitoring of the implementation of the projects resulting from the call for proposals will be a continuous process and part of the implementing partner s responsibilities. To this aim, the implementing partner shall establish a permanent internal, technical and financial monitoring system for the action and elaborate regular progress reports (not less than annual) and final reports. Every report shall provide an accurate account of implementation of the action, difficulties encountered, changes introduced, as well as the degree of achievement of its results (outputs and direct outcomes) as measured by corresponding indicators, using as reference the logframe matrix. The report shall be laid out in such a way as to allow monitoring of the means envisaged and employed and of the budget details for the action. The final report, narrative and financial, will cover the entire period of the action implementation. The Commission may undertake additional project monitoring visits both through its own staff and through independent consultants recruited directly by the Commission for independent monitoring reviews (or recruited by the responsible agent contracted by the Commission for implementing such reviews). In the light of the above, the monitoring and evaluation mechanism of the whole action will be aimed at fostering the action relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability and at minimising possible negative impacts. To this end, the M&E will focus on: a) "process indicators", concerning the modalities of implementation of the action as a whole and the related CSOs initiatives; b) "performance indicators", concerning the use of resources and the achievement of expected results, from the perspective of the stakeholders; c) output indicators, concerning the extent to which planned activities are carried out and generate expected outputs. Appropriate indicators for supported CSO initiatives will be included in the grant contracts. Considering the complexity of actions, a specific TA will be mobilised for accompanying CSO initiatives by carrying monitoring and assistance/capacity building activities. 5.9 Evaluation Having regard to the nature of the action, mid-term and final evaluations will be carried out for this action via independent consultants contracted by the Commission. 14