The UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme has launched business grants contest in eastern Ukraine

The UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme, with financial support from the European Union, has launched a business grants contest for micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts and certain districts and towns of Zaporizhzhia oblast located along the Azov sea coastline. The aim of the programme is to launch, renew and expand those MSMEs within the prioritized sectors that are critically important for the development of the regional economy. The grants pool for the period of 2019-2020 is EUR 2.48 million.

More than a quarter of the grants will be used for agriculture development, in particular in the sectors of grains and oilseeds, dairy and beef, poultry and eggs, and fruits and vegetables.

Each individual grant amount is up to EUR 6,500. Successful applicants will be required to self-fund at least 25 percent of their business plan total cost (in cash or other forms, such as labour, equipment, premises, etc.). The grant funds can be used for the procurement of equipment and tools necessary to start production activities, to hire additional personnel for business expansion, and for the initial procurement of feedstock and materials for production and services provision.

Recipients will be required to implement their business plans within 60 days of receipt of funds, conduct business activities in accordance with the business plan and the Ukrainian legislation, and submit reports in accordance with the terms of grant agreements. The implementation process will be closely monitored by the United Nations Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme.

To participate in the competition, applicants should:

I. fill in the online application;

II. provide proof of permanent residence (passport and/or IDP certificate) in the government-controlled territories of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, certain districts and towns of Zaporizhzhia oblast located along the Azov sea coastline;

III. provide a copy of the certificate of assignment of the identification code; or

IV. extract of registration of Limited Liability Company or Private Entrepreneur (LLC/PE).

Application forms are available online here www.grant.ccc-tck.org.ua. The deadline for submissions is 3 May 2020, by 23:59 (Kyiv time). More detailed information (in Ukrainian) is available here: https://bit.ly/33XLFL9

The grant program to support micro-, small and medium-sized businesses has been implemented in eastern Ukraine since 2015 for the economic recovery of conflict-affected areas, the development of priority sectors, employment promotion and the creation of new sources of income for the population. The program in 2015-2020 supported 932 business projects and creation for more than 2,500 jobs positions.

Additionally:

Four United Nations agencies are implementing the United Nations Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme (UN RPP): the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO). Twelve international partners support the Programme: the European Union (EU), the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the governments of Canada, Denmark, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.