The criteria to review this specific call for proposal will be the following (also refer to the project proposal template): 

1. The project should address priority objectives 1, 2 or 3 as set out in the African Elephant Action Plan (AEAP);
2. The project should start its activities withing 3 months of its approval by the steering committee and completed in no more than 12 months from its inception;
3. The project should be subject to at least one or many of the following criteria:

a)    Secure small / vulnerable populations that are faced with an immediate threat;
b)    Address prosecution and criminal investigations;
c)    Prevent immediate human-elephant conflicts;
d)    Address a site that is experiencing an escalation in poaching;
e)    Address a site that is experiencing a decline in law enforcement capacity. 

      4. Funding request should not exceed 50,000 USD.

On top of the following criteria, proponents are reminded to adhere to the following requirements that will be considered for reviewing all project proposals:

1. Project proposal must be submitted before deadline set by call for proposals;
2. Standard templates for AEF project proposal must be complied with and in line with AEAP;
3. All project proposals submitted by the range States shall be submitted by Competent Authority or be accompanied by an endorsement letter from Competent Authority. 
4. Competent Authority shall be a national government entity responsible for wildlife;
5. Full project proposal should be translated into a two-page executive summary in the other working language of the Steering Committee (English/French and vice-versa).

This urgent call will be subject to a shorter-then-usual deadline of one month, we therefore would appreciate it if all project proposals could be submitted to UNEP latest by 06 July 2020 for an initial screening by the AEF Secretariat prior to its transmission to the AEF Steering Committee. The Steering Committee of the fund shall evaluate the proposals.

Please be reminded that the following budget items are not funded by the AEF, as agreed by the Rules of Procedure of the its Steering Committee:

1. Salaries, excluding experts/consultants hired for specific activities related to project implementation;
2. Daily subsistence allowances and accommodation, unless it is part of training or activities in remote/rural areas;
3. Flights, purchase of vehicles, excluding bicycles and motorbikes;
4. Educational programmes – including bursaries and interns.

In submitting project proposals, kindly use the attached AEF project proposal template.