ANNOUNCEMENT

ANNOUNCEMENT

:Overview
UNOPS is delighted to launch a project competition dedicated to Sudanese women and women-led Sudanese entities in order to promote gender empowerment and sustainable development.

UNOPS helps the UN and its partners provide peace and security, humanitarian and development solutions. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve peace and sustainable development. Our services cover infrastructure, project management, procurement, financial management and human resources. Our partners call on us to supplement their own capacities, improve speed, reduce risks, boost cost-effectiveness and increase quality.

Since its establishment in 2005, UNOPS Sudan has grown to become one of the key players in improving the lives of communities, in particular in infrastructure development. In 2018 UNOPS Sudan
completed and handed over 10 water yards and 6 sub-surface dams to the local government in the presence of high officials and donors. The team implemented various projects such as the construction of feeder roads and crossing points, construction of sub-surface dams, and renovation and construction of health facilities to reduce regional disparities, support equitable growth, increase living standards and improve rural access. Moreover, UNOPS in implementing a new generation of projects in Darfur and across Sudan, is committed to supporting a more sustainable and equitable use of natural resources, water in particular, using an integrated approach to water resources management in a catchment or ecosystem.

To take part in this competition, applicants must register and follow the competition rules as outlined below. Applicants must submit a project proposal. After the evaluation is carried out by a UNOPS internal committee, a limited number of finalists (up to 5) will be invited to Corinthia hotel for a final project presentation to a jury that will select the winner of the competition and the runner-up.

As Sudanese women and based on your contextual knowledge, develop a project proposal using innovative thinking or innovative approaches that would help crack some of the most critical challenges or opportunities in Sudan, connected to one (or more) of the following themes:

;Access to water ●
;Health ●
;Climate change including renewable energy●
;Any gender based-activity that could generate income for the community ●

(Registration : Via Google forms (Link
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSePAykPD2mH-n_qoy99Ms8WkukUVN7EAY06aO7XgSJp0hzyGg/viewform?usp=sf_link

:To be eligible, applicants must meet all of the following requirements
Individuals between the ages of 18-35 years who are currently completing or have completed a bachelor●

  .degree or higher

●Applicants must be female Sudanese nationals,residing in Sudan. Participation is encouraged from eligible individuals or teams with the drive to innovate; that is to say students and start-up creators.

●Applications can be submitted individually or as a team of 2 to 3 participants maximum. If an application is submitted as a team, all team members must meet the eligibility requirements.

●Every team of applicants must provide us with one contact details (email and phone number)

●The applicant’s project proposal must be a new, original innovation, product, technology, or service, based on catalyzing development with a focus on access to water, climate change, health, and/or or any gender based-activity that could generate income for the community.

●Only one submission per person/team will be allowed. Subsequent submissions will be disqualified.

Application period: Applications must be submitted between 30 January 2020 and 14 February 2020, midnight Khartoum time.

Deliverable : Written proposal using the template provided. (below is the link to the template)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fWzgYgScHd1jZG6PJlZoAI7glQMekonppdRrJgcmRHQ/edit

Evaluation criteria:
Submissions will be evaluated against the 4 following criteria:
● Significance: the proposed ideas must be specific and address in a sustainable manner challenges and/or opportunities related to one of the chosen themes of the competition. The proposal must have a positive impact on a large number of people in your community or at a larger scale in Sudan.
● Originality and creativity: submissions must present innovative solutions that are under-developed or not yet developed, therefore showing originality and creativity.
● Feasibility: proposals must include a brief implementation and monitoring plan demonstrating the feasibility of the solution. All submissions must be actionable and the results or impact must be measurable; they must present practical solutions rather than theoretical ones. Community or country focus is encouraged.
● Clarity: proposals must be submitted in a clear and concise manner, using the template provided and complying with the number of words permitted for each section.

Additional considerations:
● Any submission presented in a format different format than the provided template will be rejected.
● The proposal must respect the instructions on the number of words as indicated in the proposal template . Failure to comply with this guidance will negatively impact the scoring.
● The proposal shall be written in English.
● The proposal shall be written in a clear and concise manner.

Process and timeline:
● Interested applicants must register using this form. Registration must be completed by Sunday 2 February 2020, Midnight, Khartoum time
● Deadline for submission of the proposal : 9 February 2020, Midnight Khartoum time
● All proposals must be submitted in English to this email address : afo@unops.org
● Notification of the finalists who will be invited to present their ideas at the Corinthia Hotel: 27 February 2020
● Presentations by the finalists: 9 March 2020
● Final evaluation and selection of the winner: 9 March 2020

Prize :
USD 10,000 (for the winner) and USD 5,000 (for the runner-up). (If the winner is a team, the members of the team will share the prize. The same applies to the runner-up.)

Permissions and releases:
By submitting a proposal, applicants certify they own or have obtained the necessary permission to use all intellectual property (including, without limitation, patents and copyrights) contained in the submission. Any violation may result in disqualification of the submission. Applicants are responsible for protecting their proprietary and other rights under applicable laws.

Intellectual property:
UNOPS shall have the right to implement the winning idea and the runner-up idea.

UNOPS shall have the right to:

● Share entries, proposals, revised versions of proposals and/or videos with third parties.
● Publish summaries of (revised) proposals prepared by applicants, applicants’’ short biographies and/or videos;
● Share summaries of (revised) proposals prepared by applicants, applicants’ short biographies and/or videos, as well as derived content, through blog posts, newsletters, articles, social media platforms and any other communication channels and public display.

Forward inquiries about the competition to afo@unops.org