The United Kingdom will host the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) during November 2021 in Glasgow. This call for bids is aligned with UK commitment to support climate action; create resilience and reduce national emissions.

The British Embassy Algiers has introduced a Climate Fund to support activities in Algeria that focus on the following thematic areas:

• supporting efforts to raise Algerian public awareness about climate change and its social, economic and/or environmental impact

• activities that support solutions for a green recovery post COVID-19, particularly energy transition and efficiency, green energy, waste management and biodiversity

Activity bid guidance

Activities are one-off interventions (not a fully developed project) that take place between 1 February and 15 March 2021, with no expectation of continued funding beyond the initial activity or period. Maximum activity budget limit is GBP 5,000 (860,000 Algerian Dinar).

Activity bids will be assessed against the following criteria:

• alignment with the above-mentioned climate related thematic areas
• outcomes that are achievable within the funding period
• activity design that contributes to a lasting impact
• activity design that includes risk and financial accountability procedures
• overall value for money

Things not covered by funding:

• purchase of capital equipment
• communications strategies or campaigns

The Embassy is looking for innovative projects, with concrete objectives and measurable policy outcomes. We cannot fund academic research projects, or research collaboration projects.

Budget

Project proposals must show in outline how budgets are to be spent using the Activity Based Budget Form (ABB). Value for money must be demonstrated.

The full bid document must be accompanied by a fully completed activity-based budget, using the template provided. The project proposal will not be considered without a detailed ABB.

Break down all activity costs into components, so it is clear how they are made up and which month particular payments are due. Provide as much detail as possible, (e.g. do not state just the figure for a workshop, but break that down into venue, catering, travel costs etc.).

UK Government funding must be made to a bank account, we cannot make cash payments.

Bidding process

1. Proposals must be submitted using the project form (ODT, 44.6KB) and budget template (Dinar) (CSV, 729Bytes) or budget template (GBP) (CSV, 803Bytes)
2. All proposals must be received by midnight on 16 January 2021. Late proposals will not be considered.
3. Proposals must be submitted to BritishEmbassy.Algiers@fcdo.gov.uk
4. Successful bidders will be notified by 21 January 2021

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible, your organization or agency must be a legal entity, a registered non-governmental (NGO) or governmental organization, an academic or research institution, and must demonstrate that it has:

• previous experience in delivering and managing projects
• preferably previous experience working with international agencies/organisations
• proof of legal registration, where required
• sufficient technical, financial, human, and logistical capacity to deliver the project being proposed

Additional information and documentation

All implementers will be expected to sign a standard FCDO contract or grant agreement with the Embassy. The terms of the contract or agreement are not negotiable.

We aim to work in partnership with Algeria in achieving its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and adapting to the impacts of climate change.

Delivery must be completed by 15 March 2021.

The UK/Hong Kong Youth Mobility Scheme allows young people aged between 18 and 30 to live, work or study in the United Kingdom for up to 2 years. The first ballot of the 2021 Youth Mobility Scheme for Hong Kong SAR passport holders will launch in January, and as with last year the selection criteria has changed to a lottery based system managed by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI). There will no longer be the requirement to provide a Certificate of Sponsorship.

As before there are a total of 1,000 places available to Hong Kong SAR passport holders for 2021. 800 applicants will be selected in the first ballot in January, while the remainder of the places will be made available in a second ballot in July 2021. If your application is successful you will be able to live, work and study in the UK for up to 2 years.

How to apply

If you would like to apply for the scheme you should send one email per applicant to: HongKong.YMS2021@FCDO.gov.uk between midday (12pm) on Monday 25 January 2021 to midday on Wednesday 27 January 2021 (Hong Kong time).

The header or subject line of your email must contain your name, date of birth (DD/MM/YYYY) and passport number as shown in your passport.

This must be written in English only.

For example: WONG Janet – 31/03/2000 – Passport123456789.

The main body of your email should include the following information, written in English:

· Name:

· Date of birth:

· Passport Number:

· Mobile phone number:

The email account will only be open for 48 hours and all emails received within this timeframe will be sent an automated reply confirming receipt.

Once the ballot closes 800 applicants will be chosen at random by UKVI. If you have been successful a second email will be sent to you by week commencing 22 February 2021 to confirm acceptance and provide further instructions on how to make an appointment, along with documentary evidence required to apply for your entry clearance.

Please note successful applicants must prepare online applications and online credit card payments no later than 22 March 2021. Failure to submit your payment online by this date will automatically remove your name from the list and your allocation will be retracted. After you have paid online you have 90 days to submit your paperwork for consideration.

If you are a Hong Kong SAR passport holders living overseas you can also apply following the instructions above, and if you are chosen to apply you will be able to do so in your country/territory of residence. Applications cannot be submitted for the Youth Mobility Scheme in the UK.

If you are unsuccessful you will receive an email by 26 February and no further action is required. Further information about the scheme can be found on gov.uk and any enquiries relating to the application process, online application forms and questions in general should be directed to the UKVI International Enquiry Line.

Additional information

British National (Overseas) passport holders are already eligible to apply for a visa under the Youth Mobility Scheme to the UK and are not subject to any quota or sponsorship requirements.

The Prime Minister has announced a national lockdown and instructed people to stay at home to control the virus, protect the NHS and save lives.

The decision follows a rapid rise in infections, hospital admissions and case rates across the country, and our hospitals are now under more pressure than they have been at any other point throughout the pandemic.

This drastic jump in cases has been attributed to the new variant of COVID-19, which our scientists have now confirmed is between 50 and 70 per cent more transmissible.

On 4 January, there were 26,626 Covid patients in hospital in England, an increase of over 30% in one week, and the April 2020 hospital admissions peak has now been surpassed by 40%.

The case rate in England up to 29 December was 478.5 per 100k, three times higher than on 1 December when the case rate was 151.3.

On 3 Jan, 454 deaths were reported, with 4,228 over the last 7 days – a 24% increase on the previous 7 days.

This afternoon, the four UK Chief Medical Officers have advised that the COVID threat level should move from level four to level five, indicating that if action is not taken NHS capacity may be overwhelmed within 21 days.

The Prime Minister praised everyone’s collective efforts to get this virus under control, emphasising the great national effort to fight Covid. Despite this, the pressure on our NHS, rapidly rising infection rates and hospital admissions due to the new variant mean that another national lockdown is sadly necessary.

From tomorrow, people will only be allowed to leave their homes for the following reasons:

• shop for basic necessities, for you or a vulnerable person.
• go to work, or provide voluntary or charitable services, if you cannot reasonably do so from home.
• exercise with your household (or support bubble) or one other person, this should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area.
• meet your support bubble or childcare bubble where necessary, but only if you are legally permitted to form one.
• seek medical assistance or avoid injury, illness or risk of harm (including domestic abuse).
• attend education or childcare – for those eligible.

From tomorrow, all primary schools, secondary schools and colleges will move to remote learning, except for the children of key workers and vulnerable children. While children are still very unlikely to be severely affected by COVID-19, the government recognises that schools must be included in the restrictions in order to have the best chance of getting the virus under control as schools can act as vectors of transmission, causing the virus to spread between households when rates are high.

Schools will be required to provide remote education for those learning at home.

Early years settings such as nurseries, alternative provision and special schools will remain open and vulnerable children and children of critical workers can continue to use registered childcare, childminders and other childcare activities.

The government is also advising the clinically extremely vulnerable to begin shielding again, and letters will be sent to individuals with advice on what this means for them.

All non-essential retail, hospitality and personal care services must close, or remain closed. Restaurants can continue delivery, takeaway or click-and-collect of food and non-alcoholic drinks, but venues will no longer be able to serve takeaway or click-and-collect alcohol.

Essential shops and garden centres can remain open. Entertainment venues and animal attractions such as zoos must close, but the outdoor areas of venues such as heritage homes and botanical gardens can remain open, to be used for exercise. Playgrounds may also remain open.

Places of worship can also remain open, but you may only visit with your household.

Indoor and outdoor sports facilities including sports courts, gyms, golf courses, swimming pools, and riding arenas must also close. Elite sport and disabled sport can continue, as can PE lessons for those children attending school.

The restrictions will come into effect tomorrow, and are expected to last until the middle of February if the situation in hospitals improve. By this point, the NHS hopes to have vaccinated everyone in the top four priority groups identified by the JCVI – including older care home residents and staff, everyone over 70, all frontline NHS and care staff and all those who are clinically extremely vulnerable.

Vaccinating the most vulnerable will protect those at highest risk from COVID-19 and this will remove a significant amount of the pressure currently facing the NHS.

Based on the latest available data, the UK has vaccinated more people than the rest of Europe combined and we will continue to accelerate our vaccination programme at pace.

Everyone should follow the new rules from now, and they will become law from 00.01 on Wednesday. Parliament will sit, largely remotely, on Wednesday to debate and vote on the measures.

The full details on what you can and cannot do are available here.