Call for proposals 2012, from the French Pacific Fund (deadline: 1st December 2011)

French Pacific Fund

(French Economic, Social and Cultural Co-Operation Fund for the Pacific)

Pacific Fund objectives

The French Economic, Social and Cultural Co-Operation Fund for the Pacific (Pacific Fund) “provides support to economic, social and cultural cooperation activities carried out with Pacific island countries and contributes to the regional integration of New Caledonia, French Polynesia and the Islands of Wallis and Futuna.” It is a regional cooperation instrument that forms part of the French Government’s external operations, which explains why its budget is included in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ budget.

It supplements other funding channels set up as part of cooperation programmes at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Agence Française de Développement (French Development Agency - AFD). It can also provide additional support to regional cooperation activities conducted by the French Pacific territories. Finally, Pacific Fund assistance can accompany certain activities carried out by Pacific regional organisations (SPC and PREP, in particular), above and beyond the French Government’s contributions to those activities.

The Pacific Fund does not take the place of the bilateral activities carried out by the French diplomatic missions in the region. In this regard, funding is normally not available for exclusively bilateral operations that do not have any regional component, except for exceptional cases justified by specific considerations.

The Pacific Fund gives priority to cooperation programs that promote the regional integration of the three French Pacific territories, create partnerships between those territories and Pacific island countries and regional organisations or, more generally, support actions in favour of regional integration through grass-roots activities carried out with both national governments and civil society partners. Over the years, the Pacific Fund has been able to develop a cooperation strategy that increasingly emphasises greater openness by French territories to their regional environment.

Pacific Fund priorities and conditions

Types of project: in particular, this involves giving priority to the following types of operation:

-projects designed to strengthen the relations that France and the French Pacific territories have with Pacific island countries;

-projects likely to involve companies, research centres and universities in New Caledonia, French Polynesia and Wallis and Futuna and to promote the know-how and potentials of those territories;

-projects designed to strengthen the activities of those Pacific regional organisations in which the French Pacific territories have full membership (SPC, PREP) or foster relations with organisations that have a notable influence in this part of the world (Forum, East-West Center, PECC);

-projects that make it possible to promote French language and culture in the Pacific.

Priority Themes:

The themes promoted by the Pacific Fund are inspired by the main guidelines set out by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs for relations with the Pacific. They also reflect the priorities of both the French Pacific territories and the Pacific Plan (www.pacificplan.org), e.g.: health; sustainable development and the environment, agriculture; good governance; Pacific island culture and heritage; fisheries resources; regional economic integration, etc.

Prerequisites

-In general, the Pacific Fund requires co-funding for all operations, either by a direct contribution from the project’s beneficiary or the participation of other donors or, indirectly, through the provision of human and material resources.

-The Pacific Fund is not designed to fund scholarships for study in metropolitan France. That type of operation is handled by other Foreign Affairs agencies.

Synergies with other donors

Strengthening cooperation and the exchange of information with other donors are priorities for the Pacific Fund, which wants to promote balanced partnerships with the major countries and active organisations in this part of the world, e.g.:

-the European Union, which has, over the past few years, proven to be one of main donors in the Pacific;

-Australia and New Zealand, in those sectors where regional interests obviously require close cooperation, e.g. AIDS control, public health, conservation and sustainable management of coral reefs in the South Pacific (CRISP project), waste management, etc.

Procedures

A call for proposals is sent out to the representatives of France in the region (embassies, high commissions) by diplomatic telegram and by e-mail. Projects may be submitted by governments, regional organisations, NGOs, universities, research institutes or private firms.

Each project must be sent in the form of a summary project sheet prepared in French together with a budget sheet (showing, in particular, all co-funding) and appendices explaining the project to the relevant French Embassy, which gives its opinion and forwards the proposal to the Permanent Secretariat.

The projects are then examined by a steering committee that meets twice a year, i.e. in March and October.

Funding credits corresponding to those proposals that have been approved by this committee are then delegated to AFD, which acts on behalf of the Ministry to carry out financial operations for the projects selected by the steering committee.

Each project is subject to a tripartite agreement signed by AFD, the project beneficiary and a representative of the French Government (Ambassador or the Permanent Secretariat).

More information about the Pacific Fund call for proposals (Project file -in French and Annex)