The Prime Minister will emphasise the importance of the Indo-Pacific region to global security and prosperity as he continues to hold talks with his counterparts at the G20 Summit in Indonesia today (Wednesday).

This week’s G20 meeting is the largest gathering of global leaders in the region since before the coronavirus pandemic. In the time since a British Prime Minister last visited Southeast Asia, the region and the Indo-Pacific as a whole has only become more important to the UK’s security and prosperity.

The UK has committed to building the broadest presence in the Indo-Pacific of any European country. We have already strengthened our ties with the region, including through our work with Japan to develop the next generation of combat aircraft, the AUKUS pact with Australia and the USA and Just Energy Transition Partnership with Indonesia.

The UK was the first country to achieve Associate Partner status in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations this century and has applied to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Today the Prime Minister will meet regional leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Modi. In that meeting they will confirm a new bespoke, reciprocal route will open in early 2023 to give young professionals from the UK and India a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take part in a professional and cultural exchange.

India is the first visa-national country to benefit from such a scheme, highlighting the strength of the UK-India Migration and Mobility Partnership agreed last year.

The Prime Minister said:

The Indo-Pacific is increasingly crucial for our security and our prosperity. It is teeming with dynamic and fast-growing economies, and the next decade will be defined by what happens in this region.

I know first-hand the incredible value of the deep cultural and historic ties we have with India. I am pleased that even more of India’s brightest young people will now have the opportunity to experience all that life in the UK has to offer – and vice-versa – making our economies and societies richer.

Under the new UK-India Young Professionals Scheme, the UK will offer 3,000 places annually to 18–30 year-old degree educated Indian nationals to come to the UK to live and work here for up to two years. The scheme will be reciprocal.

The launch of the scheme is a significant moment both for our bilateral relationship with India and the UK’s wider commitment to forging stronger links with the Indo-Pacific region to strengthen both our economies.

The UK has more links with India than almost any country in the Indo-Pacific region. Nearly a quarter of all international students in the UK are from India, and Indian investment into the UK supports 95,000 jobs across the UK.

The UK is currently negotiating a trade deal with India – if agreed it will be the first deal of its kind India has made with a European country. The trade deal would build on the UK-India trading relationship, already worth £24 billion, and allow the UK to seize the opportunities presented by India’s growing economy.

In parallel to the mobility partnership with India, we are also strengthening our ability to remove immigration offenders. A landmark Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the UK and India in May 2021 aimed at increasing mobility between our countries, returning those with no right to be in the UK and India respectively and sharing best practice on organised immigration crime.

Today at the G20 the Prime Minister will meet Chinese President Xi – the first British Prime Minister to do so in almost five years. He will be clear on the need for China and the UK, as permanent members of the UN Security Council and major global economies, to establish a frank and constructive relationship.

The challenges posed by China are systemic and they are long-term. China is a country with fundamentally different values to ours, with an authoritarian leadership intent on reshaping the international order.

But none of the issues the Prime Minister is discussing at the G20 – the global economy, the impacts of the war in Ukraine on food and energy security, climate change and global health – can be addressed without coordinated action by all the world’s major economies. That includes China.

The Prime Minister will encourage China to use its place on the global stage responsibly to resolve geopolitical tensions, ensure regional stability and play its part in tackling the devastating global impact of the war in Ukraine.

He will stress that the pre-condition for any UK-China engagement will always be the UK’s national security, including our economic security. And he will underline the importance the UK places on defending human rights and of speaking out and taking action where we have concerns – as we have done over Hong Kong and Xinjiang.

Work is currently underway on an update to last year’s Integrated Review to take account of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the evolving challenges posed by China.

The British Embassy in Lima is seeking bids for a research project that will build an evidence-base on LGBTQ+ rights to inform partners’ interventions and policy-making in Peru, and strengthen the UK’s reputation as an ally.

Background

Our vision is to create a world in which everyone is free, safe, and equal to play a full and active part in society, without fear of violence, discrimination or stigma, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or sex characteristics.

The UK aims to tackle violence and discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals, advance legal protections and decriminalisation, ensure inclusive access to public services, support LGBTQ+ people in crisis and conflict, and strengthen the economic case for inclusion. We urge the international community to eradicate this type if discrimination and promote diversity and tolerance, and to introduce legislation that protects LGBTQ+ rights. We do this through diverse interventions and by empowering human rights defenders.

In Peru, the LGBTQ+ community faces many challenges, including the lack of legal recognition of same-sex marriage and the prevalence of violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

To begin to tackle this, the British Embassy would like to support the production of an evidence-based scoping report, which makes recommendations for future work on LGBTQ+ rights to inform interventions and policy-making. This is based on the principle that good-decision making should be informed by the best available evidence. Following its publication, we would like to be able to share recommendations with likeminded stakeholders in Peru to pursue equal rights and opportunities for the LGBTQ+ population in the country.

Objective and scope of work

The objective of the work is to support the UK’s commitment to LGBTQ+ rights and freedoms in Peru, specifically focused on our aims: tackling violence and discrimination; advancing legal protections and decriminalisation; ensuring inclusive access to public services; supporting LGBTQ+ people in crisis and conflict; and strengthening the economic case for inclusion. To this end, we are looking for an organisation to produce an evidence-based scoping report on the current situation of the LGBTQ+ community in Peru, providing recommendations for effective interventions and policy making.

Bids should look to demonstrate their ability to deliver a report that includes:

• Research on the evidence-base relating to LGBTQ+ rights in Peru, and the interventions and policy required to support them. This should be grounded in Peru and Latin America specific evidence, and include a consideration of approaches that tackle violence against the LGBTQ+ population, forced conversion and coercive rape, and the promotion of mental health services;

• Clear recommendations that build on the global What Works to Prevent Violence Programme funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office; and

• A proposal for building strategic relationships with international, civil society and political allies, bringing them together to foster greater collaboration in policy-making related to LGBTQ+ rights in Peru.

Bids should include a communications plan to launch the report, including but not limited to events, social media, press releases.

Project Budget

Project proposals of up to £14,500 = S/64,256 / $22,406. We are looking for projects that can begin in December 2022 and be completed by March 2023. Implementers should spend 100% of their allocation by mid-March 2023.

Assessment

Bids will be assessed against the following criteria:

• Strategic fit – alignment with stated objectives and scope of work expected.
• Project viability – including a realistic description of methodology and activities to deliver the outcome and deliverables (outputs) within the project duration and sustainability after the project ends.
• Stakeholder management – including the capacity of the implementing organisation to engage with key stakeholders, including diverse LGBTQ+ rights organisations present in Peru, and involve local/international expertise to deliver expected outcomes.
• Project design – including clear achievable objectives/outputs.
• Value for money.
• Risk management.
• Experience and understanding of the current LGBTQ+ context in Peru.

Please make sure your proposal meets the criteria.

How to Bid

1. Please complete the attached “Project Proposal Form” and “Activity Based Budget” using the guidance provided.
2. Completed forms should be sent in standard document and spreadsheet formats in English or Spanish to BEProjectsPeru@fcdo.gov.uk.
3. Completed forms should be submitted by 11:59pm 27 Nov 2022, with “Call for bids LGBT+ Rights in the subject line of your email. Bids submitted after this date will not be considered. Bids can be submitted at any time up to the indicated deadline.

Bidders will be notified via email of the outcome of assessments before or on 6 December 2022. Due to the volume of bids expected, we will not be able to provide feedback on unsuccessful bids.

Organisations can add up to a maximum total of 3 proposals; bids for projects that include engagement with stakeholders outside of Lima are particularly welcome.

Please also familiarise yourself at an early stage with the standard ‘Grant Agreement Template’ attached.

What to Include in the Bid Form?

• Overview of project or activity
• How it fits with the UK’s approach to the relevant priority; and why the UK should fund the project or activity
• How the project or activity will create an impact and lead to change
• Rationale– including why the project or activity should take place now
• Where relevant, evidence of support from Peruvian government actors for the project or activity and that it complements their own strategy
• Information about how the impact will be sustained after the project or activity has been completed

Proposals must be submitted on the authorised forms and include an activity-based budget (ABB) in soles/US dollars. Value for money is an important selection criterion and if you do not submit a detailed ABB then your proposal will not be considered.

Key documents

Please see the attachments.

Please contact BEProjectsPeru@fcdo.gov.uk. with any questions or queries.