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Requirements Fund PRINCIPLES, GUIDELINES AND OPERATIONAL PROCEDURES FOR THE SEAFO SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FUND The South East Atlantic Fisheries Organization has adopted the following principles, guidelines and operational procedures to support the capacity-building work of the Organization and the selection of activities to be supported under the Organization’s Special Requirements Fund. Principles i) Development of technical capacity The purpose of the Fund, as provided for in the Financial Regulations of the Organization, is to:
ii) Filling gaps in programmes The Special Requirements Fund will be applied to areas of national priority not currently covered by existing arrangements, or through collaboration in order to avoid duplication and extend the scope or coverage of existing arrangements. The selection process will be rigorous enough to ensure that assistance from the Fund reflect national priorities and is complementary to current activities. iii) Ease of administration The Fund should be simple to administer and have procedures and guidelines that are sufficiently clear as to make prioritisation, decision making and reporting as free from lengthy research, negotiation and dispute as possible. iv) Equity The Fund will be balanced across eligible Organization members. Activities should, wherever possible, aim at building coherent and cohesive approaches at the Organization and avoid those that exacerbate national or sub-regional differences in capacity and access to benefits from the fishery. v) Sustainable interventions Applications for funding and decision making processes that underpin the use of the Special Requirements Fund should embody the sustainability principles of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, as well as the following:
As far as possible the Organization should ensure that those individuals benefiting from capacity-building activities are in positions where they can make best use of the skills/ knowledge/ qualifications they gain, and be suitably resourced with operational support such as computer hardware and software. vi) Extended participation Wherever possible, capacity-building should target the maximum number of individuals, across various stakeholder groups, including Government, the private sector and NGO. vii) Partnerships with existing regional organisations Where possible maximum use should be made of existing regional organisations to coordinate and assist with capacity development. viii) Accountability The use of the Funds shall be underpinned by the principles of transparency and accountability. Guidelines and Operational Procedures 1) Pursuant to Article 21 of the Convention the Organization has established a Special Requirements Fund to facilitate the effective participation of developing States Parties, and, where appropriate, territories and possessions, in the work of the Organization, including its meetings and those of its subsidiary bodies. 2) Regulation VII of the Financial Regulations, details the purposes of the Special Requirements Fund which include:
3) Drawing from guidance provided in Financial Regulation VII guidelines for applying for assistance from the Special Requirements Fund have been have been adopted by the Organization [Appendix A]. Only proposals received in the format described in Appendix A will be considered for support from the Fund. 4) By the 30th June each year, the Executive Secretary will write to members, cooperating non members or other sources of potential support for the Special Requirements Fund seeking voluntary contributions to the Fund for the subsequent financial year. 5) The Executive Secretary will notify members of the level of available funds in the Special Requirements Fund during the Annual Meeting as part of the report on the status of funds. The invitation to access the available funds for any particular period will remain open for as long as funding is available for drawdown in that financial year. Members will be advised if funds reach 50%, and then 25%, of the amount advised as available, or if significant new contributions are received. 6) Submissions seeking support from the Special Requirements Fund should be addressed to the Executive Secretary. 7) A review of proposals received from developing State Parties or participating territories to access funds from the Special Requirements Fund may involve senior staff of the Organization, the chairperson of subsidiary bodies of the Organization, affiliate institutions providing advisory services to the Organization or independent experts. Proposals will be reviewed on an as received basis. 8) The Organization will make best efforts to complete an initial assessment of proposals received, and communicate the result of that assessment, within 45 days of the receipt of the proposal by the Organization. 9) In assessing a proposal, the Organization will take into account the criteria shown in Attachment 1 to Appendix A [Selection and Evaluation Criteria]. 10) For each project funded under the SRF, a member of the Secretariat will be nominated as Project Liaison Officer. 11) Project monitoring and evaluation will be undertaken through:
12) If considered necessary by the Executive Secretary, a post-completion evaluation of the project may be commissioned by the Executive Secretary, in order to verify project results and outcomes, and improve on the design and implementation of future projects funded by the SRF. 13) The Special Requirements Fund will be administered according the Financial Regulations of the Organization. Appendix A Application for funding from the Special Requirements Fund (SRF)
I. Proposal Cover Sheet [Check List] [check to ensure that the following are included in the proposal]
II. Date of Submission The date the submission is forwarded to the Organization. III. Project Summary (250 words) A Project Summary must be completed and inserted immediately behind the Proposal Cover Sheet [Check List]. IV. Proposal Narrative (6 pages maximum) A. Introduction 1. Situation, Need, and Previous Efforts – Describe gaps in knowledge or capabilities, why the proposed project should be performed, review significant work related and how the project is relevant to the purpose of the Special Requirements Fund. 2. Objective(s) – State the anticipated outcome(s). 3. Applications, Benefits, and Importance - Describe how the anticipated results relate to the purpose/objectives of the Convention, the expected benefits, including the utlility of the results to other Members of the Organization. B. Methods and Approach 1. Description of Major Tasks- Divide the proposed effort into a meaningful set of tasks that must be performed to accomplish the objective(s) and describe each task. 2. Environmental Impact - State and explain any possible impact that your project will have on the environment and fisheries in the South East Atlantic. 3. Future Efforts - If there are future efforts that should be performed in order for the project to be meaningful, or of major significance, please describe briefly the type, extent, and timing of those efforts. Is this a multi-year project? If possible, the individual parts (i.e., each year's effort) should stand alone – be described and reported upon. C. Project Management 1. Administration - Describe the administrative responsibilities and authority of those involved in the execution of the Proposal - particularly those of the overall project manager (including full contact details). 2. Roles/Assignments and Participation Time - Describe the team composition (including names and affiliations of key individuals) and the assignments of team members to major tasks. Provide specific estimates of the time (in hours, days, etc., not percent) that each member will work on the project. D. Support Requirements and Conditions 1. Cooperation From Other Organizations- If a clearance or permit(s) from any government agency is required for execution of the project, please provide the name of the agency, the method of obtaining the clearance or permit, and the time required or state "none". 2. Data or Facility Access - If access is required to data or facilities held by another organization, please identify the data or facility, the nature and type of access required, the methods of obtaining such access, and the effect of being denied access or state "none". E. Results and Deliverables Two types of reports are required. 1. Quarterly Narrative and Financial Progress Reports - The project manager shall provide quarterly narrative and financial progress reports to the Organization. The reports will consist of updates on progress toward work - objectives, justification, approach, results to date, any problems encountered, actions taken to resolve problems, discussion of remaining tasks, funds received (including co-financing), expenditure to date (including from co-financing sources), funds on hand, etc.. Quarterly reports will be due within 30 days after the end of each quarter. 2. Final Report – The project manager shall prepare a draft final report summarizing the objectives, methods, approach, results, significance and lessons learned from the study. The draft final report will be submitted to the Organization within 45 days of the scheduled completion of the project unless prior approval for an extension has been received in writing by the project manager. The draft final report may be reviewed by the Organization and returned with comments proposing means to address outstanding issues or gaps within 30 days of its receipt at the Organization. The project manager will address the comments and submit the final report with revisions within 30 days of receiving the Organization’s comments. 3. Deliverable Items and Schedule - Describe what is to be delivered with the successful implementation of the proposal. Provide a schedule for all deliverables. F. Literature Cited References used in the proposal narrative. G. Budget Summary 1. General Information – Partners in this request have previously benefited from N$_______ disbursed under the Special Requirements Fund. N$____________ to fund special requirements was received in 200? and an additional N$__________ was received in 200? 2. Detailed Itemized Budget including co-financing and funding in-kind – attach a detailed monthly budget identifying all sources of funding and items of anticipated expenditure. A cash flow summary will provide a schedule of anticipated disbursement of funds from the SRF. 3. Audit – detail when, and by whom, the audit of funds received will be conducted and the submission date for the audit to the Organization. H. Biographies and Qualifications Provide a brief biography for each team member that highlights education, experience, and publications related to the proposed project. I. References Cite any literature that is directly related to the proposal. Attachment 1 to Appendix A Selection and Evaluation Criteria to be used by the Secretariat
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