Rationale

Strategic and inclusive partnership is a fundamental component to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

SEI Asia, with support from the Swedish government (SIDA), launched the Strategic Collaborative Fund Phase 2 (SCF2) programme in 2018 to enhance the current 2030 Agenda efforts in Asia and the Pacific. SCF2 aims to foster regional cooperation and policy dialogue for sustainable development and environmental sustainability, through capacity building, knowledge sharing and increased collaboration.

Human rights and gender equality are central to SCF2, as it champions regional and inter-regional collaboration for transboundary environmental policy development.

Objectives

From 2018 to 2022, SCF2 will create long-term partnerships to enhance policy development and institutional capacity building in Asia, under the framework of regional integration and the SDGs. It will hold strategic events that seek to build more effective regional policies that contribute to SDG achievement.

Components

Component 1: Inter-regional cooperation with China and Europe

Improving cooperation between ASEAN, China, and Europe is key in trade expansion and greater multilateral understanding.

SCF2 is using the China-ASEAN Environment Cooperation Forum (CAECF) and the Asia-Europe Environment Forum (ASEF) as platforms to facilitate policy dialogues and knowledge exchange between ASEAN, China and Europe to address regional sustainability.

Component 2: Regional cooperation within Asia-Pacific

SCF2 supports the ASEAN in increasing regional collaboration on key transboundary environmental issues, such as pollution, water governance, energy flows, natural resource use efficiency and climate change.

The project will provide support for initiating, organizing, and hosting events that highlight key issues that are linked to the 2030 sustainable development agenda. The goal is to build regional capacity to lead efforts toward collaborative policy development.

Component 3: Learning and capacity development

SCF2 will develop open online courses on gender equality and rights-based approaches to enhance institutional capacity and knowledge of regional partners. The courses aim to encourage gender, human rights and poverty reduction-centric policies on environmental and climate change issues and the SDGs.

Component 4: Programme management

SCF2 aims to improve project management through enhanced programme monitoring and evaluation and strategic communication. Partners will be assisted in identifying target policies and tracking new knowledgeapplication in policy formulation.

This component will also support the institutionalization of gender and rights-based approaches into partners and participants’ current and future programmes and operations, as well as encourage improved efforts toward SDG and Agenda 2030 achievement.

Download the SCF brochure

Who we are

SEI Asia, with support from the Swedish government (SIDA), launched the Strategic Collaborative Fund Phase 2 (SCF2) programme in 2018 to enhance the current 2030 Agenda efforts in Asia and the Pacific.

SCF2 aims to foster regional cooperation and policy dialogue for sustainable development and environmental sustainability, through capacity building, knowledge sharing and increased collaboration.

Human rights and gender equality are central to SCF2, as it champions regional and inter-regional collaboration for transboundary environmental policy development.

SCF2 invites potential partners to submit concept notes for regional environmental policy forums, with focus on seven key themes: climate change adaptation, climate finance, disaster risk reduction, urban, gender, water and agriculture.

What we seek

SCF2 welcomes concept notes for regional strategic events in Asia, specifically in South and Southeast Asia, that highlight the advancement of environmental sustainability, gender equality, human rights and poverty reduction.

The proposed events should include representatives from government, private sector, civil society, research or academic institutions and development partners to ensure an inclusive and substantive dialogue.

Based on specific contexts, SCF2-supported events should benefit the Asia-Pacific region, particularly marginalized groups including those living in poverty, women, youth, children, ethnic minorities and other environmentally vulnerable groups.

Grant value

This year, SEI will support seven themes (climate change adaptation, climate finance, disaster risk reduction, urban, gender, water and agriculture), covering one grant per theme.

A total of SEK 450,000 (approximately USD 45,000) will be awarded per grant. The grants can fund one or more events in their entirety or provide supplemental funding to already confirmed co-funded event(s). The delivery period of event organization and impact monitoring must be within the timeframe of one year, April 2020 – February 2021.

Grant recipient

Interested applicants must send proposal for events on any of the seven themes. Proposals should also include a human rights and gender angle, to be considered.

SEI and partners (the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law) will provide support during the preparation and/or implementation of events, as agreed with grantees, to help elaborate these perspectives.

  1. Nonprofit organizations or networks that based in Asia can apply. Organizations outside the region can be considered if the proposed event addresses issues relevant to Asia and can engage regional stakeholders. They should:
    • Have experience in hosting relevant policy dialogues that engage different groups and stakeholders.
    • Feature key speakers and participants who are able to share knowledge and experience in environmental sustainability, while addressing cross-cutting issues of gender equality, human rights and poverty.
  1. Private sector players can apply, if their proposal seeks to engage with the public sector and/or civil society organizations. Funding cannot be used for covering private sector actors’ participation in the supported event (related travel and accommodation expenses). It should, however, be used to increase participation of other stakeholders such as civil society and the public sector. A cost-sharing option for micro and small enterprises with resource constraints can be considered.
  2. Organizations that are currently Sida’s grantees are not eligible to apply as the lead organization, but can be part of the consortium.

Selection criteria

The concept notes should:

    • Provide evidence of regional-level outreach and scope in the Asia region (South and Southeast Asia), as opposed to a country-level event
    • Address the thematic focus and relevance to environmentally sustainable and inclusive development
    • Demonstrate how the event leads to positive impact on gender equality, rights-based approaches and poverty reduction
    • Demonstrate how the event would target and benefit the citizens of the region, with particular attention to the poor, women and other marginalized groups
    • Ensure diverse participation including the public sector, private sector, civil society organizations, research and academic institutions and development partners
    • Use innovative methods and technologies to enhance participation and active discussion among participants
    • Show proponents’ institutional capacity for organizing regional events

Template

Please download the concept note template here.

Submission

Application deadline is 29 February 2020, 5.00pm (Indochina Time).

Kindly complete your concept note by using the template and upload your concept note through the online application form available at this link.

The evaluation process will take place in March 2020.  Successful applications will be notified through email by the end of April 2020.

For further information please contact Wanaporn Yangyuentham, Programme Manager (wanaporn.yangyuentham@sei.org).

WHEN EVENTS AND THEMES PARTNER
6-7 Oct 2020 Making Family Farming Sustainable and Viable in Asia: Strengthening Farmer-Led Multi Actor Partnership Platforms for Family Farming (Theme: Agriculture) Asian Farmers Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA)
Oct 2020 Roundtable on the Environment and Social Inclusion (Theme: Circularity) Global Initiatives
Oct 2020 A transcultural dialogue between NNGS groups dealing with climate change across Southeast Asia and the Pacific (Theme: Climate Change Adaptation) The University of Auckland
Oct/Nov 2020 Grounding and Empowering: Nourishing the Grassroots for Transformative Change An Asia Women Environmental Defenders Retreat (Theme: Gender) Non-Timber Forest Products Exchange Programme Asia
2-3 Nov 2020 Empowering Community Women in Asia:  Addressing Climate-Related Water Security Challenges (Theme: Water) Women for Water Partnership (WfWP)
9-11 Nov 2020 Asia-Europe Environment Forum (ENVforum) 2020

Connecting the Dots: Creating an Enabling Environment for SDG 12 in ASEM

Virtual conference

 Asia-Europe Foundation
Nov 2020 Prevent and Reduce Urban Pollution from Toxic Chemicals: Citizen Science  in Southeast and East Asia (Theme: Urban) EcoWaste Coalition Philippines
Nov 2020 Responsible Business Forum  on Sustainable Development

Singapore

 Global Initiatives
Dec 2020 China-ASEAN Environmental Cooperation Forum 2020 (CAECF)

Nanning, China

 The Foreign Economic Cooperation Office (FECO) of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment,  China
6-8 Jan 2021 Asia Pacific Researchers, Practitioners & Policy-makers in Dialogue with Children & Youth (Theme: Disaster Risk Reduction) Children and Youth International (CYI)

SCF2 brings experts, policy makers and communities together in Asia on a regular basis to build the effective partnerships that are vital for reaching the 2030 Agenda in the region. The following are our upcoming events for  2019 and 2020. Please visit the link, or use the Fund contact for more information.

July

29 – 30, Yokohama, Japan: Asia-Europe Environment Forum (ENVforum) Annual Conference

The Role of Consumer in Triggering Changes in Consumption & Production

Partner: the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF)

September

17 – 18, Nanning, China: China ASEAN Environmental Cooperation Forum

Promote and Foster Regional Green Growth: Best Practices for Eco-city Development and Sustainable Ocean Ecosystem Management

Partner: Center for International Cooperation and Exchange, Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) of the People’s Republic of China

October

8 – 9, Yogyakarta, Indonesia:  Challenges and Opportunities on Indigenous Knowledge System and Practices and Rights-Based Sustainable Development: A Southeast Asian Forum

Theme: Climate Change Adaptation

Partner: Samdhana Institute

13 – 17, Penang, Malaysia: “Grassroots Community Resilience” at the Asia-Pacific Urban Forum 7 (APUF-7)

Theme: Disaster Risk Reduction

Partner: Asia Coalition for Housing Rights

16 – 18, Bangkok, Thailand: Regional Consultation to Promote Actions to Improve Asian Deltas Resilience

Theme: Water

Partner: WWF Greater Mekong

27-30, Quezon Province, The Philippines: 9th Southeast Asian human rights and business conference

Theme: Energy

Partner: Forest Peoples Programme

29, Singapore: Roundtable on the Environment and Social Inclusion: This event will focus on four main themes: 1) Sustainable financing for circularity; 2) Producer to Consumer Sustainability (P2CS); 3) Closing the loop, gender & plastic and 4) Climate-friendly energy in agriculture.

November

18 – 19, Singapore: Responsible Business Forum

Circularity 2030: Next generation leaders.

December

2 – 4, Bangkok, Thailand: Climate Smart Women Connect: Climate and Gender Justice for Indigenous Women in Asia

Theme: Gender

Partner: CUSO International

Read the report.

 January 2020

21-22, Vientiane, Laos: Regional Dialogue Workshop on Green and Sustainable Agriculture

Theme: Agriculture

Partner: Department of Policy and Legal Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Laos

June 2020

8-12, The Climate Finance Track at the AVPN 2020 Virtual Conference 

Theme: Climate Finance

Partner: Asian Venture Philanthropy Network Limited

 

The integration of human rights and gender equality is central to the SCF2, as it champions regional and inter-regional collaboration for transboundary environmental policy development. 

 Through a collaboration with Raoul Wallenberg Institute (RWI) and Stockholm Environment Institute Asia gender cluster, evidence-based human rights and gender equality approaches are integrated into the programme implementation through capacity building such as direct coaching and providing open online courses.  

 This ensures that human rights and gender equality become central to regional environmental and climate change policy with the intent of achieving SDG integration. 

Rights-based approaches to environmental sustainability COMING SOON: Gender, environment and sustainable development