Call for Proposals: Civil society in a sustainable and inclusive ocean economy

This call is now closed.

• This call for proposals is by invitation only. If you have any questions related to this, please feel free to get in touch.
• The full call for proposals is only available for invited organizations.
• The application deadline is 7 September 2021 at 13:00 CEST.
• Norad aims to complete the assessment of applications by the end of 2021.

General Information

The call for proposals civil society in a sustainable and inclusive ocean economy is a joint initiative between Norad’s Ocean for Development Programme, Fish for Development Programme, and Food from the Ocean Initiative.

We all share the same ocean, and we depend upon it for our food, our prosperity, our health and for the future of our coastal communities. Today, the ocean faces multiple human-made threats: From climate change to ocean acidification, overfishing and marine pollution. At the same time, the global population is growing. The world needs more resources and services from the ocean. The High-Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy has developed a broad and ambitious agenda for transformation. A clean and healthy ocean is crucial for meeting the world’s most vital needs - and for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Civil society plays a vital role in a sustainable ocean economy. A dynamic and robust civil society promote responsible behaviour at national level and normative international efforts, for instance related to rights and participation in decision-making processes for people who lives from and by the sea and inland waters. They may also play the role as advocates to promote a sustainable balance between use and conservation of marine resources. At the local level, civil society can carry the voices of small-scale coastal communities and help to increase production and improve value-chains for the benefit of those who earn their income in the sector and those who purchase seafood from the markets.

This call for proposals provides up to NOK 270 million in funding for the period 2021/2022-2024, and we expect a portfolio of about 8-10 agreements. Only organizations who have an ongoing agreement with Norad may apply for projects starting from 2021. Other invited applicants may apply for projects starting from 2022 and for a period of up to three years. Applicants may only submit one application.

Objectives and Target Groups

The overall objective of all Norwegian development cooperation is to reduce poverty and promote development in cooperating countries. The call for proposals will strengthen cooperation with civil society relevant to Norwegian development cooperation on a sustainable and inclusive ocean economy. The objectives are to:  

1. Promote more sustainable management of ocean resources and better protection of marine ecosystems. 
2. Promote climate change adaptation, prevention and fighting hunger. 
3. Increase disaster risk reduction and combat poverty. 

Support small-scale fisheries and strengthen sustainable systems for food from the oceans and inland waters. 
                                                                                                                           
The proposals shall be linked to at least one of the following three thematic priorities: 

1. Climate adaptation in the coastal zone, for example related to mangroves, corals and/or seaweed. 
2. Sustainable seafood systems.   
3. Sustainable job creation and improved livelihoods in the ocean and small-scale fishery sectors. 

The target group for the grant schemes is the population in Colombia, Ghana, Kenya, Indonesia, Mozambique, and Tanzania. Population in other ODA-approved countries may be included in regional projects in Africa South-of-Sahara and East-Asia on exceptional basis.