Background

We are facing the biggest public health emergency in a generation. The COVID-19 challenge is global, and the UK is committed to a coordinated international response. We will be working together with governments, civil society, research-based organisations, and multilateral partners to support this global effort. The British Embassy Podgorica International Programme Fund supports projects aimed at COVID-19 response in Montenegro.

The Embassy calls for a new round of concept submissions for the current financial year (ending February 2021). We seek project proposals in line with the following objectives and priority areas.

Our aim

We are interested in project proposals that aim to deliver in the following areas and specifically support the COVID-19 response in Montenegro:

1. Economic and socio-economic response, transparency or recovery;
2. Promotion and protection of fundamental rights with regard to the epidemiological situation;
3. Science, technology and innovation response;
4. Health response, including vaccination, but excluding purchase of PPE and medical equipment for the treatment of COVID19.

Grants are awarded to civil society and local non-governmental organisations that have a proven record of accomplishment of implementation and delivery of projects in Montenegro.

Quality criteria

Irrespective of the project priority area, all projects must meet the following quality criteria:

Sustainability of the project’s results

The impact of a project should last beyond the life of the project itself. Applicants must clearly state which of the project outputs / outcomes are sustainable beyond the life of the project and how this will this be achieved in the course of the project.

Buy-in of the key beneficiaries / stakeholders of the project

An analysis of the project beneficiaries/stakeholders should be carried out during the preparation of a project, including consultations with the key beneficiaries / stakeholders. It should be clearly stated in the project proposal who the key beneficiaries / stakeholders of the future project are and the level of their support and buy-in to the project. We may require documentary evidence of this support.

Risk assessment

Project implementers need to demonstrate clearly how they would mitigate potential risks to project delivery. The aim is not to discourage high-risk projects, but to provide assurance that risk is systematically managed and properly escalated.

Timing

To apply for this funding, interested organisations must submit a project proposal and a completed activity based budget to the Embassy’s Project Section.

Project bids are required by 23:59 (Central European Time) on 5th of July 2020, sent by email which does not exceed 5MB in size.

Forms

Please use our standard Project proposal form and an Activity based budget Form.

All emails will be followed up by an automated system response, confirming your application has been received.

Management

Minimum size of the project proposals that are reviewed is 4,000 EUR, and the maximum size of the project proposals is 30,000 EUR. Co-funded projects are welcome.

The British Embassy Podgorica expects projects to commence in August / September 2020. Deadline for project completion is 1st of February 2021. We regret that we are unable to fund academic courses or research. If you would like some advice or guidance in advance of submitting the bids, please contact the Embassy’s Project Section.

Proposals will be assessed against the British Embassy’s priorities in Montenegro, and depend upon the funds availability. Only successful bidders will be contacted. Projects section will aim to contact all successful bidders by mid-July 2020.

Approval, contract and reporting

If the project is approved, the applicant will be given two copies of the contract, outlining the conditions of the grant. One signed copy must be returned to the British Embassy Podgorica.

The Embassy will require periodic financial reports and quarterly project progress reports from implementers. The first payment will be made upon the receipt of monthly financial report. When the project has been completed the implementer shall prepare and send a final report to the Embassy within the period specified in the contract.

If you would like some advice or guidance in advance of submitting the bids, please contact the Embassy’s Project Section.

During the early morning of 15 June, Typhoons from RAF Coningsby met up with two US Ai Force (USAF) B-52 bombers off the North of Scotland as they arrived from their base in the USA to conduct a long-range strategic training mission in the annual NATO BALTOPs exercise in the Baltic region.

The Typhoons welcomed the B-52s as they entered UK airspace and then escorted them across the North Sea as they were refuelled by USAF KC-135 tankers from RAF Mildenhall. The Typhoons from XI(F) Sqn were supported by a Voyager tanker from RAF Brize Norton, with coordination being provided by RAF Sentry and Sentinel aircraft from RAF Waddington.

As the B-52s from the 5th Bomb Wing, Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota left Danish airspace, they conducted additional training with French Mirage 2000 and then RAF Typhoon jets from the Baltic Air Policing mission as they flew over Latvia and Estonia.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:

NATO remains the best guarantor of our collective security and we continue to stand alongside our allies in the Baltics. That is why, despite the ongoing pandemic, the RAF’s participation in this multinational exercise is vital for enhancing Allied capabilities and demonstrating our combined strength.

The following day Typhoons from the RAF Lossiemouth based 6 Sqn deployed in Lithuania, switched from the BALTOPS exercise to intercept a SU-24 Fencer E and two SU-35 Flanker M Russian aircraft operating off the Baltic coast. This was followed on the 18 June by another Typhoon scramble to deter and intercept a Russian IL-20 COOT A intelligence gathering aircraft over the Baltic Sea.

Wing Commander Stu Gwinnett, the 135 Expeditionary Air Wing commander that is carrying out the NATO Air Policing mission said:

This weeks missions have highlighted the flexibility of the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission; whether it’s working with the US Bomber Task Force or reacting to live Baltic airspace incursions, we are ready to react. This is a testament to the flexibility, training and professionalism of the deployed RAF personnel here in Lithuania and our ability to work with our NATO partners.

Reflecting on the air activity this week Air Chief Marshal Mike Wigston, the Chief of the Air Staff said:

In a week that has been a painful reminder of the dangers of what we do, we have also demonstrated air and space power on a global scale, operating at range, at speed, and precisely. Royal Air Force command and control, surveillance, refuelling and fighter aircraft working alongside our NATO allies, patrolling our skies and protecting our shared freedom.

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Statement by David Clay, UK Political Coordinator the UN, at the Security Council briefing on Haiti

Friday, 19 June

Thank you, Mr President. And thank you SRSG La Lime and Mr Létang, for your briefings.

Welcome the Secretary-General’s second report on BINUH’s activities. The UK recognises the extraordinary difficulties faced by Haiti since the Council last met to discuss BINUH. And I want to start by appreciating the hard work of the mission leadership and staff amidst increasingly challenging circumstances.

Mr President, I will make three brief points. First, the UK believes that a coordinated and holistic response to the COVID19 pandemic is critical. Second, urgent steps should now be taken to bolster human rights and accountability. Third, a roadmap out of Haiti’s interminable political impasse is more essential than ever.

First, with regard to COVID19, it is clear that this pandemic presents a grave risk to Haiti, both in terms of the impact of the disease itself and its second order effects. As the health, humanitarian and economic effects of the crisis take hold, a coordinated and holistic response by the Haitian authorities and the international community is critical. The UK is encouraged by the quick adaptation of the UN system on the ground, and we call upon the DSRSG/RC/HC in particular to work closely with the Haitian authorities to help guide a coordinated approach.

Second, regarding human rights and accountability, the UK remains concerned about the lack of progress. That the perpetrators of massacres at La Saline and Bel Air continue to escape justice profoundly undermines efforts to build confidence and trust in the rule of law.

We also regret that the Haitian government has yet to honour its commitment to appoint a Minister for Human Rights. This appointment would be a valuable demonstration of Haiti’s political will to safeguard human rights.

Finally with regard to the ongoing political impasse: Mr President, session after session, this Chamber [and the UN leadership] has sought to encourage the parties in Haiti set out a roadmap to overcome political deadlock and institutional paralysis. As the SG notes in his report, the collapse in February of dialogue efforts to reach a agreement on the needed roadmap for constitutional, institutional and structural reforms is yet another missed opportunity.

COVID19 has aggravated the existing risks to stability Haiti. The economy is faltering. Elections loom. Now, more than ever, all parties should come together in the national interest. Broad, inclusive dialogue is essential.

Thank you.

Speaking at the event, the UK’s Minister of State for Human Rights Lord Ahmad, said:

Lord Ahmad also urged UN members to consult and collaborate on the Murad Code, building international consensus to eradicate rape and other forms of sexual violence as weapons of war, and to give support in ways led by survivors themselves.