UNEP Special Programme Elearning Platform

The Special Programme (SP) provides funding to governments for projects aiming to strengthen chemicals and waste management.

More specifically, the SP’s overarching goal is to provide financial support to developing countries and countries with economies in transition to enhance their sustainable institutional capacity to develop, adopt, monitor and enforce policy, legislation and regulation toward effective Chemicals and Waste Management.

In order to be selected for funding, all projects submitted to the SP should be characterized by the elements depicted below.

The Special Programme Trust Fund may provide support from US$ 50,000 to US$ 250,000 per project proposal, including possible administration fees and monitoring and evaluation and financial audit. In exceptional circumstances, an applicant country may request up to a maximum of US$ 500,000.

SP applications must include a beneficiary contribution of at least 25% of the total requested amount to the total project budget. So if a country is asking for USD$100,00 from the SP, it must contribute with an additional USD$25,000 - bringing the total budget of the project to USD125,000 This contribution can be in cash or, most often, an in-kind contribution which means that is it in the form of staff time or covering meeting logistics etc. The Executive Board may reduce that percentage, commensurate with consideration of the specific national circumstances, capacity constraints, gaps and needs of the applicant.

Yes – according to the relevant financial rules and regulations there are caps on a few budget classes.

1. Personnel and contractual services costs – 50 per cent of total budget;
2. Specialised and technical equipment – 10 per cent;
3. Administrative fees – maximum of 5 per cent;
4. Monitoring, evaluation and audit– should not exceed USD 15,000 in total.

Projects should be fully completed within three years.

In light of the current COVID-19 situation, the Executive Board of the Special Programme has made the decision to extend the deadline for the submission of applications to 4 September 2020.

The Executive Board of the Special Programme recognizes that the measures that have been put in place to control the spread of COVID-19 have led to a hindering of stakeholders’ ability to meet and conduct the necessary inter-sectoral meetings to discuss and validate their applications, and seek letters of support and signatures.

In order to provide further assistance to countries that are interested in applying for funding, the Special Programme Secretariat stands available to provide technical and logistical support to facilitate the drafting of project applications, for example through convening virtual meetings and teleconferences between relevant stakeholders in each country who will be involved in project design and implementation.

The Executive Board of the Special Programme works in English and all project applications therefore must be submitted in English.

The complete set of application forms can be downloaded here: https://www.unenvironment.org/explore-topics/chemicals-waste/what-we-do/special-programme/applying-funding-through-special

Applications must include:

• The duly signed Project application form
• A project budget form
• Endorsement letter from the Official focal point
• Letters of support from the project partners confirming its/their role(s)
• Projects with an implementing organization/institution, a letter from the organization/institution confirming its role (if relevant)
• Annexes providing any relevant additional information regarding the measures and activities to be funded

The SP secretariat has provided 2 types of guidance for project applicants, available for free and at any time: 

• Downloadable PDF available on the SP Secretariat's website
Freely available SP eLearning Course
• see course syllabus here 
• sign up to take the course
• login to the course if you have already signed up