Eligible Organisations:
Registered national level CSOs with proven expertise in mobilising and working in alliances with diverse stakeholders to achieve policy and service delivery outcomes. Experiences working in the natural resource or the small-scale agriculture sector will be an advantage.
The mission of UTZ is to create a world where sustainable farming is the norm. UTZ (www.utz.org) is the largest cocoa certification program in the world. UTZ has been active in Ghana since 2009 and piloted its Standard with several Ghanaian partners. Currently, around 120.000 cocoa farmers in Ghana, organized in groups are farming in line with the UTZ Standard1 , which means that they farm with respect for people, planet and profit.
The UTZ Sector Partnerships program
Advocating for policy change by the government and the private sector is an important strategy in the UTZ program, as part of its mission to achieve sustainable farming worldwide. Central to UTZ’s approach is the belief that a more sustainable sector can only be achieved if the main stakeholders in the country – namely female and male cocoa farmers and the operators farming the land – influence the government and companies and hold them accountable to deliver the services they need to farm in a sustainable way.
Hereto, UTZ has launched the Sector Partnerships program, which is a 5 years initiative (2016-2020) aimed at achieving that cocoa sustainability programs and governmental policies in Ghana are influenced by farmers and implemented in line with commitments made. Strengthening the capacity of CSOs to advocate for change in the cocoa sector is a key element of the program
In consultation with farmers and partners in Ghana, UTZ has identified the following four areas that would benefit from advocacy interventions from civil society and farmers:
1. Access to inputs (seedlings, fertilizer and pesticides) by farmers
2. Alternatives for the use of highly hazardous cocoa pesticides
3. Cocoa price setting process and transparency
4. Access to child protection and education services.
Gender has been identified as an important cross-cutting theme. UTZ is seeking to develop partnerships with a limited number of civil society organisations to implement its lobby and advocacy strategy as indicated above.
Call for Concept Notes
To achieve the objectives of its lobbying and advocacy strategy, UTZ is inviting applications from interested and eligible civil society organisations.UTZ will work with a limited number of short-listed organisations to develop advocacy initiatives and actions aimed at supporting cocoa farmers (male and female) and other operators farming the land influence the delivery of services needed to achieve sustainable cocoa farming.
A 2-stage process will be used for this call:
1- Stage 1 invites concept notes from eligible CSOs. UTZ will assess the concept notes and shortlist applicants for stage 2;
2- Stage 2 will involve shortlisted organisations being provided with technical assistance by UTZ to develop full project proposals based among other things on more detailed analyses of the context, mapping of relevant actors and initiatives and fleshing out of proposed strategies. These proposals will be assessed and final selection of partners made for contracting.
Projects funded under this Call will be for a maximum duration of 3 years and budget not exceeding € 35.000 euros per year
How to Apply
Interested organisations should write to albertine.delange@utz.org for Concept Note forms. Completed Concept Notes should be returned to the same address.
Deadline for submission of completed Concept Notes is 17:00 hours GMT on Sunday June 18, 2017.
Shortlisted organisations will be informed by July 1, 2017, and invited to meet with UTZ to discuss stage 2 of the Call process in the week of July 3rd .
Information Session
Interested organisations are invited to an Information session to be held as follows:
Date: Wednesday June 7
Venue: Impact Hub Accra, Nyaniba Estates, Osu (http://accra.impacthub.net/contact/
Time: 2.00 pm- 5.00pm
Please visit our website, www.utz.org for more information on our organization. For enquiries, please contact albertine.delange@utz.org.