The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) invites governments to submit applications to a special program on waste management in developing countries. The program may provide financial support from US$50 thousand to US$250 thousand (in certain circumstances up to US$500 thousand) to strengthen the capacities of national institutions and help the government to develop and monitor the implementation of national policies, strategies, programs and legislation. The deadline for the submission of applications is 11 August 2023. Please visit the Special Program
Applying for funding through the Special Programme
The seventh round of applications is now OPEN.
Governments that are interested in submitting an application are invited to prepare their project application in consultation with ministries and stakeholders to identify national priorities, gaps and challenges to facilitate and enable the implementation of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions, the Minamata Convention and the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management. Consultation with additional sources, such as the Secretariats of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions, the Minamata Convention, SAICM and GEF, including consultation with the GEF focal point; LIRA guidance; Guidance on Chemicals Control and guidance on gender mainstreaming is also encouraged.
In approving the arrangements for the launch of the seventh round of funding, the Executive Board revised the eligibility criteria for funding under the Special Programme. The Board decided that “Countries should refer to paragraph 6 of the Terms of Reference for eligibility which states that ‘Support from the Special Programme will be available for developing countries, taking into account the special needs of least developed countries and small island developing States, and for countries with economies in transition (1), with priority given to those with least capacity’.
Note that a number of donors have strict policies of funding only applications that meet the eligibility requirements of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) list of Official Development Assistance (ODA) (2) at the time of application”.
- Additional information is detailed in the updated Guidance on the scope of the Special Programme (also available in Arabic, French, Russian and Spanish) which provides information on eligibility and the types of projects that may be funded.
- In addition, the updated Special Programme Application Guidelines (also available in Arabic, French, Russian and Spanish) outlines the project application process for the fourth round of applications and step by step information on how to fill in the application forms.
- Furthermore, the Special Programme e-learning platform is available to assist Governments with the process of completing a Special Programme application based on the project application guidelines. We invite you to visit the platform and take the course.
- The Special Programme will hold drop in clinics during the 2023 BRS COPs in Geneva and will hold online webinars for prospective applicants. Please click here for more information.
When submitting applications, they must include:
- The duly signed Project application form
- A project budget form
- Endorsement letter from the Official focal point
- Letters of support from the project partners confirming its/their role(s)
- Projects with an implementing organization/institution, a letter from the organization/institution confirming its role (if relevant)
- Annexes providing any relevant additional information regarding the measures and activities to be funded
Applications must be submitted in English only.
Complete application packages should be sent electronically in Word and PDF versions to: unepchemicalsspecialprogramme[at]un.org
Original signed forms and supporting documents may also be submitted to the Secretariat by post to the following address:
Special Programme Secretariat,
UN Environment, Economy Division,
Chemicals and Health Branch,
Avenue de la Paix 8-14,
1211 Genève, Switzerland
Detailed information on the projects that have been funded to date, can be found in our Project Database.
Please contact the Secretariat of the Special Programme at unepchemicalsspecialprogramme[at]un.org for more information.
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1 See United Nations World Economic Situation and Prospects Report available at https://www.un.org/development/desa/dpad/document_gem/global-economic-monitoring-unit/world-economic-situation-and-prospects-wesp-report/ with annexes available at https://desapublications.un.org/file/1113/download?_ga=2.247642817.739791176.1676889344-1020178047.1591942680
2 https://www.oecd.org/dac/financing-sustainable-development/development-finance-standards/daclist.htm
