Criteria

Supported initiatives should:

• Contribute to the development objective of SwedBio, the objectives of the Collaborative
  Programme, and be in line with SwedBio’s points of departure.

• Be relevant to poor people in local communities in the South and at the same time contribute to learning, communication of results, and policy development internationally (i.e. be of global and/or wider regional relevance).

• Seek and promote dialogue between different types of stakeholders, disciplines and
  knowledge systems.

• Strengthen capacity and contribute to organisational development of southern national and
  regional organisations and NGOs; and

• Be managed by recipients with adequate organisational structure and management capacity (transparent, accountable, democratic, with a balanced representation of relevant parties, including gender).

To ensure complementarity - as well as compatibility - with other biodiversity-related Swedish
support, priority is given to supporting NGOs, networks, independent action-oriented
research institutes, and civil society organisations (not Governments) with activities in the South
that do not receive substantial support from other Swedish sources.

SwedBio currently has no funds available for additional initiatives, but if the financial situation changes during 2009 priority will be given to identifying collaborations that address the following issues:

• Supporting civil society engagement in relevant multi-lateral processes and meetings, e.g. involvement in CBD-processes, ITPGRFA, and other FAO-related processes.
  
  
• Ecosystem services and climate change.
  
  
• Sound ecosystem management in marine and coastal areas.
  
  
• Health and biodiversity.
  
  
• Tools for mainstreaming, e.g. valuation tools, market-based mechanisms for managing ecosystem services, and biodiversity/ecosystem services in EIA/SEA.

A full overview regarding scope, priorities and criteria for the Collaborative Programme can be downloaded here