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MDG3 Fund:Investing in Equality

Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, the third Millennium Development Goal is a priority of the Dutch government.

More action is needed to truly create a society where men and women are equal and enjoy the same rights and opportunities. Women struggle for equal rights, economic justice and a safe environment. Often with limited financial means but with a strong commitment and interest. For themselves, their families and their communities. Worldwide there is a fight against poverty, but special attention needs to be given to violence and discrimination against women.

Concrete action is called for to achieve equality between women and men. As a result Dutch NGO’s, companies and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have decided to put their back into the fund: MDG3 Fund:Investing in Equality to contribute to the realization of Millennium Development Goal 3.

MDG3 FUND

http://www.mdg3.nl/news.html

Extension of MDG3 Fund Decision-Making Process
8 August 2008

The MDG3 Fund is pleased with the extensive interest in the MDG3 Fund and the high quality of many applications it received within the application period, as this endorses the need of initiatives in the field of gender equality.

Due to this extensive interest and the high quality of applications, the Minister for Development Cooperation has decided to extend the decision-making period with regard to awarding grants beyond the date announced in the policy rules for the Fund. The decision-making process has been extended to 13 October 2008.

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http://www.wo-men.dyndns.org/index.php?id=2&pid=43&nid=158

 

WO=MEN

Dutch Gender Platform

 

MDG3 FUND - We Want More!

The initiative for the MDG3 fund was taken at the signing of the Schokland accords of 2006, which marked (renewed) efforts and cooperation between the Dutch government and civil society towards the Millennium Development Goals. The fund came after a second critical review of AWID (second fund her report), showing that the financial capacity of women's organisations worldwide is not matching that of other development areas and is only very slowly showing any increase, if at all.

The MDG3 Fund was meant to give a one time financial injection into women's organisations and funds. Together with partners Mama Cash, Hivos, Cordaid, WPF, ICCO and Oxfam, WO=MEN is one of the civil society partners that have been involved in the MDG3 Fund from the start.

Not surprisingly the interest in the MDG3 Fund has exceeded all expectations and available funds. With the application period closed last May, a total of 440 applications have been received from 81 countries. Northern based organisations have submitted about a hundred applications and about three hundred are from the South. The approximately four hundred separate applications were submitted for a total amount of approximately € 700 million. There was so much enthusiasm for the Fund that the € 50 million budget available was over-subscribed fourteen times.

Unfortunately only a very small part of those applications will make final cut. In fact based on the minimal threshold of 750.000 a maximum of 67 organisations of all applicants would be eligible for funds from the MDG3 fund.

More than hundred proposals did not meet the threshold criteria of the required 750.000 euro. Something that had in fact been predicted by some of the civil society partners, claiming that this threshold would be much to high for most women's organisations to cope with. Besides the budget requirements, activities may not continue after the 30th of June 2011 or start before 1 July 2008 under the budget of the MDG3 fund. Furthermore incomplete proposals will be rejected. At this moment around 240 proposals will be rejected.

Only a 150 to 200 proposals will actually be assessed by the grant assessment committee based on a set of criteria. The civil society partners are not involved in judging the proposals. The grant committee instead consists of Foreign Affairs officials and two external gender experts who will determine the lucky few. Others may be referred to the civil society partners of the MDG3 fund to see if possibilities exist within their structural funding programmes for gender equality, which would be a positive outcome of the overwhelming interest.

Being rejected by any fund is always a disappointing experience for those who have invested their time and efforts. However the disproportional amount requested in relation with the amount available in this case also shows the need and urgency for more funds, especially of a structural kind, to become available to support women's organisations and gender-specific projects and programmes. So to applaud the succes of the MDG3 fund we cheer:

‘We wan't more!"

‘We wan't more!"

‘We wan't more!"

By Zairah Khan

Coordinator WO=MEN





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