IMPROVING ENERGY SECURITY AND CLIMATE RESILIENCE TO ADDRESS STRESS IN CRISIS-AFFECTED COMMUNITIES OF GEGHARKUNIK, VAYOTS DZOR AND SYUNIK PROVINCES

The Global Environment Facility’s (GEF) Small Grants Programme (SGP) project opens a special call for proposals aimed at introduction of green energy and energy-efficiency solutions to improve energy security and climate resilience, as well as address social needs of communities in stress.

Background 

As a result of the escalation of the armed conflict in Gegharkunik, Vayots Dzor and Syunik provinces along the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan in September 2022, a number of people was displaced, significant damage was caused to communities’ houses and infrastructures, including electricity lines, gas pipelines, irrigation systems, administrative and public buildings, roads, etc. The population of the affected communities, that relies mainly on their own agricultural products, experienced loss of arable and pasture lands, as well as yield to be harvested, causing risks to their livelihoods and increasing migration. Frequent electricity and gas supply disruptions result in increased pressure on already limited forest resources, which are also threatened by wildfires due to shooting. The situation has particularly affected the life of women and children from bordering communities, leading to serious lack of access to basic social services, shortage of food and non-food items, affecting mental health and sense of security.

Additional challenge for these communities is the approaching winter season, that will increase the burden of satisfying energy needs and associated utility costs in communities in stress. Heating, hot water supply, adequate sanitation, and improved hygiene will be vital during coming (cold) months for socially vulnerable population with limited capacities to utilize green energy sources. This will result in increased energy expenses as well as growing firewood demand which tends to negatively impact especially forest adjacent communities. 

Recognizing access to and affordability of energy as a core concern, Government of Armenia is prioritizing long-lasting and sustainable solutions for decentralized and renewable energy generation in combination with energy efficiency measures.

Without immediate and direct support to make the transition to innovative low carbon and energy-efficient solutions, the communities in stress will be pushed below the poverty line, which will escalate and further hinder people’s chances of recovering from the crisis.

Program Objectives

This Call for Proposals aims at supporting activities of NGOs and CBOs to galvanize transformation to renewable energy from fossil fuels through introduction of low-carbon and energy-efficient innovative technological solutions in communities of Gegharkunik, Vayots Dzor and Syunik provinces of Armenia. It is expected that important community facilities and infrastructures will be the major focus of the project, aiming for a long-term impact. This will greatly contribute to increased socio-economic benefits, reduction of firewood use, improved living conditions and awareness raising on application of renewable and energy-efficient technologies.  

Project eligibility criteria: 

- Proposals should be bold, innovative, and transformative, and have the potential for replication and scaling up; 

- Projects should introduce impactful and innovative low-carbon and energy-efficient solutions to be further elevated beyond local level;

- Projects  should create greater impact and closer links between local efforts and global environmental benefits (GEBs) by supporting more extensive geographical coverage;

- Make effective use of the built up capacity of local communities for replication of successful technologies and approaches;

- Successful projects should consider strong social inclusion elements, including gender equality and women’s empowerment and persons with disabilities;  

- Proponents are encouraged to leverage additional resources and partnerships with larger networks (including co-financing with international foundations, NGOs and the private sector). 

The project selection process and further implementation remains in line with established SGP standards and procedures. The call is open to the national NGOs operating in Armenia.

Budget:

As per the SGP Operational Guidelines, the maximum amount for each grant project should not exceed the limit of US$ 150,000 envisaged by the SGP for a strategic project. The winner will be asked to propose a combination of hard and soft interventions, where at least $130,000 will be allocated to investment into procurement, construction materials, equipment, technical expertise, etc., and not more than $20,000 to supporting the progress of the projects through organizational capacity building, trainings and monitoring.

Duration:

The duration of each grant project shall not exceed 12 months, given the nature of projects.

It is strongly advised to send project concept notes to the SGP-Armenia for technical feedback before a full proposal is submitted to the National Steering Committee for review and approval.

Project concepts should be submitted to SGP -Armenia via email at [email protected].

The deadline for applications is October 3, 2022

The Global Environment Facility’s (GEF) Small Grants Programme (SGP) project opens a special call for proposals aimed at introduction of green energy and energy-efficiency solutions to improve energy security and climate resilience, as well as address social needs of communities in stress.

Background 

As a result of the escalation of the armed conflict in Gegharkunik, Vayots Dzor and Syunik provinces along the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan in September 2022, a number of people was displaced, significant damage was caused to communities’ houses and infrastructures, including electricity lines, gas pipelines, irrigation systems, administrative and public buildings, roads, etc. The population of the affected communities, that relies mainly on their own agricultural products, experienced loss of arable and pasture lands, as well as yield to be harvested, causing risks to their livelihoods and increasing migration. Frequent electricity and gas supply disruptions result in increased pressure on already limited forest resources, which are also threatened by wildfires due to shooting. The situation has particularly affected the life of women and children from bordering communities, leading to serious lack of access to basic social services, shortage of food and non-food items, affecting mental health and sense of security.

Additional challenge for these communities is the approaching winter season, that will increase the burden of satisfying energy needs and associated utility costs in communities in stress. Heating, hot water supply, adequate sanitation, and improved hygiene will be vital during coming (cold) months for socially vulnerable population with limited capacities to utilize green energy sources. This will result in increased energy expenses as well as growing firewood demand which tends to negatively impact especially forest adjacent communities. 

Recognizing access to and affordability of energy as a core concern, Government of Armenia is prioritizing long-lasting and sustainable solutions for decentralized and renewable energy generation in combination with energy efficiency measures.

Without immediate and direct support to make the transition to innovative low carbon and energy-efficient solutions, the communities in stress will be pushed below the poverty line, which will escalate and further hinder people’s chances of recovering from the crisis.

Program Objectives

This Call for Proposals aims at supporting activities of NGOs and CBOs to galvanize transformation to renewable energy from fossil fuels through introduction of low-carbon and energy-efficient innovative technological solutions in communities of Gegharkunik, Vayots Dzor and Syunik provinces of Armenia. It is expected that important community facilities and infrastructures will be the major focus of the project, aiming for a long-term impact. This will greatly contribute to increased socio-economic benefits, reduction of firewood use, improved living conditions and awareness raising on application of renewable and energy-efficient technologies.  

Project eligibility criteria: 

• Proposals should be bold, innovative, and transformative, and have the potential for replication and scaling up; 
• Projects should introduce impactful and innovative low-carbon and energy-efficient solutions to be further elevated beyond local level;
• Projects  should create greater impact and closer links between local efforts and global environmental benefits (GEBs) by supporting more extensive geographical coverage;
• Make effective use of the built up capacity of local communities for replication of successful technologies and approaches;
• Successful projects should consider strong social inclusion elements, including gender equality and women’s empowerment and persons with disabilities;  
• Proponents are encouraged to leverage additional resources and partnerships with larger networks (including co-financing with international foundations, NGOs and the private sector). 

The project selection process and further implementation remains in line with established SGP standards and procedures. The call is open to the national NGOs operating in Armenia.

Budget:

As per the SGP Operational Guidelines, the maximum amount for each grant project should not exceed the limit of US$ 150,000 envisaged by the SGP for a strategic project. The winner will be asked to propose a combination of hard and soft interventions, where at least $130,000 will be allocated to investment into procurement, construction materials, equipment, technical expertise, etc., and not more than $20,000 to supporting the progress of the projects through organizational capacity building, trainings and monitoring.

Duration:

The duration of each grant project shall not exceed 12 months, given the nature of projects.

It is strongly advised to send project concept notes to the SGP-Armenia for technical feedback before a full proposal is submitted to the National Steering Committee for review and approval.

Project concepts should be submitted to SGP -Armenia via email at [email protected]. 

 The deadline for applications is October 3, 2022.