The BEQ will run a competitive bidding process in order to ensure we use our allocation for high quality projects that deliver maximum impact and value for money.

The project funds are designated to support links between the UK and Ecuador in a number of priority areas through small–scale, high-impact project interventions (up to USD 15,000).

Proposals should related to one of the following policy areas:

• gender based violence prevention, gender inclusion and women’s and girls’ empowerment;
• human Rights, media freedom, disability rights;
• environment and climate change;
• crisis Preparedness;
• anti-corruption and transparency.

Who may bid?

In order to be eligible, your organisation or agency must be a legal entity, not-for-profit or commercial company, a registered non-governmental (NGO) or governmental organisation, and must demonstrate:

• proof of legal registration
• previous experience in delivering and managing projects
• preferably previous experience working with international agencies/organisations
• the capacity to deliver at least 85% of the proposed project activity by mid-December 2019

How to bid?

Proposals should be presented using this Concept Bid form (attached below).

Each institution may submit up to a maximum of 3 proposals.

Short-listed applicants will be asked to submit a full Project Proposal Form and an Activity Based Budget by 26 June. The Embassy will only follow up with short-listed applicants and will send them the relevant templates directly.

Please send all project documents to BritishEmbassy.Quito@fco.gov.uk

In the subject line of the email, please indicate “BEQ Projects_NAME OF ORGANISATION” and include the project title.

The deadline for submission of Concept Notes is Friday 31 May, 2019

• 3 May – Call for bids announcement
• 31 May – Deadline for implementers to submit Concept Bid Forms
• 3 – 6 June – Proposals reviewed by the BEQ Projects Board
• 7 June – Follow-up with short-listed proposals
• 26 June – Deadline for implementers to submit Project Proposal Forms and Activity Based Budget
• 3 July – Final review of proposals by BEQ Projects Board
• 5 July – Outcome of successful bids notified to implementers

Bid guidance

• projects are funded for delivery during a single financial year running from 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020, with no expectation of continued funding beyond this period.

• concept notes must outline how budgets are to be spent, with a clear consideration of providing value for money.

On 1 May 2019, the UN decided to add Masood Azhar, the leader of Jaish-e-Mohammed, to the UN’s ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List of individuals and entities subject to the assets freeze, travel ban, and arms embargo set out in paragraph 1 of the Security Council resolution 2368 (2017), adopted under Chapter VII of the UN Charter.

An FCO Spokesperson said:

On 1 May, Masood Azhar, leader and founder of terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), was listed by the United Nations (UN). The UK strongly supports this UN listing and has worked closely with international partners to achieve this result. JeM was proscribed in the UK in 2001 and we have consistently called for this international listing. We welcome the unity of the decision taken by the UN, which sends a strong message about the importance of collective action to uphold global peace and stability.

The UK Government believes the listing is a positive development for the security and stability of the South Asia region. We welcome the commitment by the Government of Pakistan to tackle terrorist groups and the extremism that sustains them. The UK continues to encourage robust and sustained action against these groups, and will work tirelessly to address the ongoing threat they pose to the UK and the international community.

Following publication of the ICIBI report on the Home Office’s preparations for the EU Settlement Scheme the Chief Inspector invites anyone with knowledge and experience of the Scheme to submit evidence for his next inspection.

My first report on the EU Settlement Scheme was published on 2 May 2019. This covered the development of the Scheme up to the conclusion of the second Private Beta phase in January 2019.

On 30 March 2019, the Scheme was opened to everyone who is eligible and I am about to begin a further inspection to examine how it is working. To that end, I am inviting anyone with knowledge and experience of the Scheme to write to me by 31 May 2019 with their evidence.

If you are intending to submit evidence, you may find it helpful to refer to the ‘ICIBI’s Expectations’, since these will inform (but not limit) my approach. In particular, I am keen to receive evidence relating to whether:

• Information is easy to find, understand and use
• Processes are simple to follow and transparent
• Home Office staff appear knowledgeable and competent
• Decisions and actions are ‘right first time’
• Errors are identified, acknowledged and promptly ‘put right’

Please note that I am not empowered to investigate individual applications or to intervene with the Home Office on behalf of applicants. However, I am interested in individual cases to the extent that they illustrate or point to systemic problems.

Store First Limited and three related companies were wound up in the High Court on 30 April.