Voluntary Fund for the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People

1. The Voluntary Fund for the International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People was established pursuant to General Assembly resolutions 48/163 of 21 December 1993, 49/214 of 23 December 1994 and 50/157 of 21 December 1995, relating to the International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People. In accordance with resolution 48/163, the Secretary-General was requested to establish a voluntary fund for the Decade and was authorized “to accept and administer voluntary contributions from Governments, inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations and other private institutions and individuals for the purpose of funding projects and programmes during the Decade”.

2. In accordance with paragraph 24 of the annex to General Assembly resolution 50/157, the Coordinator of the Decade, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, should “encourage the development of projects and programmes, in collaboration with Governments and taking into account the views of indigenous people and the appropriate United Nations agencies, for support by the Voluntary Fund for the Decade”.

3. Relevant information on the Fund is available in the Report of the Secretary-General to the General Assembly on the Implementation of the Programme of Activities for the Decade, A/58/289 ; in the Report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to the Commission on Human Rights on the Implementation of the Programme of Activities for the International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People, E/CN.4/2004/79 as well as in the Note by the Secretariat on the recommendations of the Advisory Group, E/CN.4/Sub.2/AC.4/2003/13 .

I. Implementation of previous recommendations

A) Review of reports received on grants allocated from 1998 to 2003

8. The Advisory Group reviewed the status of the 58 outstanding narrative and financial reports from organizations that received a grant from the Fund from 1998 to 2002. The Group expressed satisfaction with the fact that 35 reports were received. The Group also reviewed the status of project grants allocated to 48 organizations in 2003.

B) Review of activities of the High Commissioner, in his capacity as Coordinator of the International Decade in 2004

9. The Advisory Group reviewed the workshops and seminars for which it had recommended financial assistance at its eight session. These were a seminar on the Administration of Justice which was organized in Madrid in November 2003, and a community-led training. The Group expressed its satisfaction with the report presented which reflected that the seminar had been a success and had benefited from a large participation of indigenous and non-indigenous experts. However, the Group took note that the community-led training had not been organized yet but would be held in the course of the year 2004.

II. Recommendations on projects and programmes in 2004

10. The Advisory Group reviewed the financial situation of the Fund and the list of contributions paid since the 8 th session by regular and new donors. After deducting mandatory provisions for the programme support costs (13%) and the operating cash reserve (15%), in accordance with the relevant United Nations financial rules, US$ 376,867 was available for expenditure.

A) Recommendations on project grants for 2004

11. In the light of the criteria for the selection of projects and other relevant guidelines the Group examined 159 admissible applications for project grants received within the deadline.

12. The Advisory Group recommended for approval by the Secretary-General a list of 35 project grants for a total of US$ 243,500 in Africa , America , Asia-Pacific and Europe-Artic. See below the list of beneficiary organizations.

B) Recommendations on activities of the High Commissioner, in his capacity as Coordinator of the International Decade in 2004

3. The Advisory Group recommended the following activities to be implemented by the High Commissioner in his capacity as Coordinator of the International Decade: (a) a publication on “The International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People: 10 years of partnership in action” to inform and disseminate widely the results of projects financed by the Fund and activities carried out by OHCHR during the International Decade (1995-2004); (b) 3 community-led trainings to be held in different regions. The trainings would be a joint initiative between the Office and the grassroot community; (c) with a view to assessing the contribution and impact of the Fund and of the UN Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Populations in achieving the goals of the Decade and to draw lessons and recommendations, which can be used for the future, the Advisory Group also recommended to hold a seminar, from 15 to 16 July 2004, prior to the 22 nd session of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations.

Table 1 Geographical distribution of grants awarded at the eighth session of the Advisory Group

Geographical area	Number of project grants awarded	Amount in United States dollars

Africa	11	85 000
America	10	70 500
Asia	11	75 000
Europe	3	13 000
Total	35	243 500

Table 2 List of beneficiary organizations of the 9 th session

Table 3 Number of grants approved from 1998 to 2004

Year (Advisory Group session)	Admissible applications received	Applications (Amounts in United States dollars)	Grants approved	Amount (United States dollars)

1998 (3rd)	44	-	13	139 016
1999 (4th)	94	4 161 178	24	232 000
2000 (5th)	58	2 796 688	20	174 955
2001 (6th)	82	3 699 880	30	252 606
2002 (7th)	102	2 814 752	43	390 152
2003 (8th)	197	5 000 000	48	274 000
2004 (9th)	159	2 809 766	35	243 500

Contributions

Contributions received from 1 January 19961/ to 22 March 2004

1/ Based on Official Receipts available at OHCHR

Guidelines

I. Objectives of the Fund

(a) To support the Programme of Activities adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 50/157.

(b) To provide assistance to projects and programmes advancing the goal of the International Decade: international cooperation for the solution of problems faced by indigenous people in such areas as human rights, the environment, development, education, culture and health.

II. Who can apply

(a) Indigenous peoples, communities and organizations, non-governmental organizations and academic and other similar institutions; organizations should be non-profit-making.

(b) National committees for the Decade.

(c) The organization submitting the project for funding should have the capacity to raise needed additional money from other sources and have applied to other donors for grants.

III. Main project areas

(a) The Programme of Activities and objectives of the Decade (see General Assembly resolution 50/157) as well as the recommendations of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action adopted on 25 June 1993 by the World Conference on Human Rights (paragraphs 28-32) as they relate to indigenous people.

(b) Indigenous organizational structures and procedures and their strengthening through education, training and institution and capacity-building, bearing in mind the need to respect their relevant traditions.

(d) Information about indigenous peoples and the Decade.

(e) Communications and exchanges between the Untied Nations system and indigenous peoples and between indigenous peoples.

(f) Fund-raising initiatives in promoting the objectives of the Decade.

IV. Criteria for selection

(a) Projects should be of direct benefit to indigenous people in all parts of the world.

(b) Projects should be prepared by or in full support and consultation with indigenous people.

(d) Particular consideration will be given to projects from underdeveloped areas in different regions.

(e) Projects will be approved in relevant areas including in particular those relating to the promotion, protection and implementation of human and indigenous rights.

(f) In order to be admissible, budgets should be based on realistic local costs and salaries.

(g) Organizations applying for a project grant should seek funding of appropriate United Nations Specialized Agencies, Funds and Programmes, in the country or region concerned, which would be better suited to provide sustainable assistance to the project. Examples of such UN organizations include: UNDP (development), WHO (health), UNICEF (children), UNESCO (education, literacy, science and culture), FAO (agriculture, fisheries etc.), WFP (food assistance), Habitat (housing), UNAIDS (HIV/AIDS), etc. If needed, the secretariat will provide the applying organization with the relevant contact details.

V. Grants by the Fund

(a) Taking into consideration the limited amount of contribution received by the Fund, the practice of the Advisory Group, in the past years, has been to approve project grants up to about US$ 10,000. Grants by the Fund will not exceed US$50,000.

(b) Organizations applying for a grant should provide their banking details. Grants are paid in US$ by bank to bank transfer. Therefore, the organization’s bank must be able to accept payment in US$. The bank account must be registered in the name of the applying organization. A bank account in the name of a private individual cannot be accepted.

(d) Project leaders are not encouraged to submit several projects for grants, taking into consideration the limited contributions received by the Fund. They may however present project with different components (e.g. education, legal assistance, training about human rights, etc.)

VI. Reporting on the use of grants

A. If awarded a grant, the organization shall provide the secretariat of the Fund with a narrative report and a financial report on the use of this grant by 15 January 2005 at the latest. The Fund’s framework for the drafting of narrative and financial reports, titled “Narrative and Financial Report”, indicates the information to be provided. The organization should submit information on every item listed in this document, using separate pages if needed but no more than 8 pages as a whole.

B. In addition to the narrative and financial reports, as well as other detailed information regarding the use of previous grants, project leaders should also provide, if available, statements of income and expenditure of their organization, statements of assets and liabilities and reports of auditors on these statements. Projects that receive grants above the threshold of US$ 25,000 must provide the above-mentioned statements and reports. In this case, if needed, the cost of such audits can be paid by the Fund, up to a maximum of US$ 5,000, preferably from the programme support costs of the Fund.

C. The list is not exhaustive and should be considered only as an indication of the type of information required.

D. The organization should provide a copy of any concrete result obtained with the grant, such as a publication, a database, a website, etc.

E. In case of any unexpected change in an approved project, the project leader should submit it for new approval by the secretariat of the Fund before any expenditure is made with the grant of the Fund.

F. As a rule, the Advisory Group will not consider a new application by an organisation which has not submitted a satisfactory narrative and financial report on the use of a prior grant within one year since the latest communication of the secretariat. As the case may be, the Advisory Group will recommend the refund of the grant. If the organization does not refund the grant within the time limit indicated by the Group, a new application from the organization concerned will automatically be judged inadmissible.

G. The member of the Advisory Group appointed for the geographical region concerned may contact directly project leaders to obtain lacking information (acknowledgement of receipt of the grant, information on any remaining balance, satisfactory narrative and financial reports, etc.)

H. Members of the Advisory Group and the secretariat of the Fund may visit any project and meet staff members of the organization implementing the project as well as members of the indigenous community directly or indirectly benefiting from the grant in order to better understand and evaluate the work done and planned. The secretariat will inform the organization concerned in advance that such a visit may take place.

I. If available, project leaders should provide statements of income and expenditure of their organization, statements of assets and liabilities and reports of auditors on these statements. Projects that receive grants above the threshold of US$ 25,000 must provide the above-mentioned statements and reports. In this case, if needed, the cost of such audits can be paid by the Fund, up to a maximum of US$ 5,000, preferably from the programme support costs of the Fund.

VIII. Cooperation with United Nations in the field

A. The secretariat of the Fund may request information on projects subsidized by the Fund to OHCHR or other United Nations staff in the field and representatives of other United Nations agencies, funds or programmes such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). If those officials agree to visit a project and submit to the Fund an evaluation of the project, the Fund’s secretariat shall inform the project leader in advance. The cooperation of the project leader is requested.

B. The Fund’s secretariat may inform the United Nations representatives in the field about grants awarded to projects in their country, so that they are aware of the Fund’s relationship with the organizations in charge of the projects. If project leaders do not wish other United Nations agencies, funds or programmes operating in their country to be informed of their project, they should notify the Fund’s secretariat and provide explanation.

IX. Withholding of Payments

On the basis of information received after the session of the Advisory Group, the secretariat can decide to withhold the payment of a grant or ask a project leader to set apart a grant, in case of doubts about over-budgeting or mismanagement or any other motive.

X. Refund

Upon a recommendation by the Group, the secretariat may request organizations to refund a grant when A) the project was not implemented in full or in part; B) the grant was spent for expenditures other than those mentioned in the budget proposal submitted to and approved by the Group; C) no narrative and/or financial report was submitted within the deadline established by the Group or the secretariat; D) a narrative report and/or a financial report submitted within the deadline was not declared satisfactory (see also VII, E above).

How to contribute to the Fund

Governments, non-governmental organizations and other private or public entities can contribute to the Fund. For information on how to contribute, you are kindly requested to contact the secretariat of the Fund.