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Template for project proposal
Your Task
Your task is to develop a project proposal for a project aimed at improving access to justice
from a human rights perspective in Kenya, Myanmar or Turkey. The organization you
represent is either an NHRI or a human rights NGO. You have a maximum of USD 50,000 at
your disposal. The proposal should demonstrate your understanding of the project
development methodology as well as your ability to design a realistic and feasible project to
tackle a human rights problem in a specific country and sectoral context.
The proposal is to be presented in written form on 29 October 2015 as well as presented
orally in a simulated donor conference on the 30th November. You will also get a chance to
discuss your ideas and get feedback from the ‘donor’ on 23rd November.
The final written proposal should be no longer than 4500 words and should follow the
outline below. The title page must state the title of your project, your name and student
number as well as the total number of words.
Project template
1. Project Summary
Provide a brief summary of your proposal stating the objective/s and the main components. Briefly
state the main project strategy and activities as well as the key expected results.
2. Context Analysis
In this section you should provide a short overview of the context (country, region, sector, etc.) in
which your project is to be implemented. What is the political and social-economic context in which
you are working? What are the main development issues and human rights concerns in this country?
How does your project fit into this context?
A good context analysis is important in identifying strategic areas of intervention as well as capacity
gaps thus enabling you to develop a project that is focused and relevant.
This section should also bring out the key human rights issues/problems the project is attempting to
address on a general level. In this respect, the country’s ratification record in relation to main
relevant international and regional human rights instruments, and possibly also reporting record to
treaty bodies, may be added as an indication of the country’s level of acceptance of the international
human rights regime. Identify the specific right to be furthered under the project looking at the
specific treaty right/s being denied, and the concrete obligations the state has in relation to this
right/s.
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Useful information can be found in country and human rights reports produced by UN, various
foreign ministries, World Bank reports, UNDP development indices, the country's own development
and sector strategies, poverty reduction strategy papers, etc.
3. Problem and stakeholder analysis
Stakeholder Analysis
Begin by providing an overview of the actors that are directly or indirectly impacted by/involved in
the project – the stakeholders. This can be presented in the form of a diagram or chart illustrating
the relationship between stakeholders.
Stakeholders can be divided into primary and secondary stakeholders. Primary stakeholders are
those directly involved in the project, i.e. partner organizations, and those directly impacted by the
project, i.e. beneficiaries or target groups. Secondary stakeholders are those who may have an
indirect impact on the project, those who will be indirectly effected by the project outcomes.
The analysis of the stakeholders should look at the characteristics of the various stakeholders, e.g.
their relevance, power, role and capacity in relation to your project. Also consider the extent of
cooperation and conflict between the stakeholders as well as existing capacity gaps to promote and
protect human rights. Issues to consider are whether stakeholders have appropriate constitutional,
legislative and policy frameworks, institutional infrastructure, political will, data, knowledge and
resources, ability to organize effectively, ability to establish or participate in relevant networks, to
communicate with policy and decision makers, etc. For inspiration you could look at the stakeholder
matrix in the European Commission’s Project Cycle Management Guidelines
https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/sites/devco/files/methodology-aid-delivery-methods-project-cyclemanagement-200403_en_2.pdf , p. 61 and/or in the UNDP Handbook on Planning, Monitoring and
Evaluation for Development Results, Section 2.2., http://web.undp.org/evaluation/handbook/ch22.html
Problem Analysis
It is very important to make a proper analysis of the identified focal/main problem the project seeks
to address as well its causes and effects. The causes should be analysed in order to find the reasons
for the focal problem and, thereby, the solutions/the relevant activities the project will implement in
order to tackle the causes and then consequently also the problem. The effects demonstrate the
arguments (the needs) for implementing the change/the project, and also show how broader society
is affected by the problem.
The problem analysis draws on the context and stakeholder analysis. The context analysis should
have provided a broader picture of the project’s environment, the general human rights situation
and development problems existing in this context. The stakeholder analysis has “zoomed in” on the
institution/s primarily affected by the project or exerting an influence on the problem and analysed
their respective capacity gaps.
Questions that should be answered are thus:
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What is the main focal problem that will be tackled with the help of the project? (Why is a
change project needed?)
What are the main causes of the problem. (Why does it exist?)
What are the effects of the problem? (Why is it important to solve the problem?)
You could also consider:
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Why is it not possible for the country/target group to solve the problem itself?
Are there any background studies which have analyzed the project area?
What is the legislative framework impacting on the problem area, including possible gaps
and inconsistencies in legislation as well as in its implementation? How, for example, are
these effected by values and attitudes among stakeholders or society at large?
Where is the problem situated within an international legal framework, in particular
international and regional human rights law.
4. Objectives, Strategy and Expected Results
In order to state the objective of the project you must turn the negative “problem” statements into
positive statements of ambition/expressions of intent. This entails the causes of the problem being
turned into possible short-term results of the project, the focal problem becomes the main project
objective and the effects become the overall objective (which can be translated into the impact of
the project). The overall objective states the the long-term result that successful project delivery will
contribute to. The project objective is the very reason why the project is needed.
A project is essentially a set of interrelated activities which use limited financial, human and physical
resources during a specified period of time to produce goods or services in order to achieve an
objective. For the project proposed, a project strategy needs to be selected and you should argue
why this strategy is better or more feasible than other possible ways of tackling the problem. Based
on the analysis of the situation you aim to improve, the strategy will outline your plan for improving
the situation, i.e. the means to reach the objective and eliminate the problem. In one sense, the
project strategy also makes clear which results you will focus on to achieve the stated objectives. As
a consequence, your strategy becomes the basis for which causes you wish to address in your
project. The project strategy may imply that you only select a few of the potential immediate
objectives (corresponding to the causes) of the project and overall objective/s (corresponding to the
effects). The selected project strategy shall be described and motivated.
The project strategy shall preferably have been selected because of the competitive advantage of the
implementing agency, and its partners, and it is useful to motivate this (what other projects are being
implemented by the government, NGOs and other donors in the same sector? Is there any danger of
duplication or conflict?). A project’s priorities should thus be set with reference to what other parties
are doing in the field as well as to resources, mandate and limits of the implementing agency. It is
also preferable if the project strategy’s alignment with country development plans and poverty
reduction goals is made clear as well as how it will help create conditions that will produce societal
benefits in the long-term. This should relate to the selected target group as well as the project’s
geographical and thematic reach.
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The account of and motivation for the selected project strategy should be followed by an account of
the project’s expected results. The expected results of the project should be accounted for from
three different, but inter-related, perspectives: short-term results (outputs), medium-term results
(outcomes) and long-term results (impact). The results relate to the problem identified and its causes
and effects, and consequently also the objectives formulated. You can see the objectives as broad
statements of the desired condition you plan to achieve. Results should be more specific and narrow.
In the same vein, objectives are general intentions, and results are more precise, concrete and
tangible. Used in this sense, results should be possible to validate in distinction to objectives. A result
is a representation of what the success of the project – in relation to its objectives – would look like.
In its concrete formulation, an objective uses the future tense (e.g. “to improve/strengthen
something”) whereas the results formulation can use the past tense (e.g. “structures (have been)
established for etc”).
The identified project objective should be translated into a few clear outcomes. An outcome is an
actual result of an intervention describing a change in conditions in the medium-term perspective
(between outputs and the achievement of impact). The short-term results are called outputs and
constitute the products, immediate gains, capital goods and services which the implementation of
activities brings about; i.e. they should include changes resulting directly from the intervention which
are relevant to the achievement of outcomes. Outputs relate to the completion (rather than the
conduct) of activities and are the type of results over which project managers should have a high
degree of influence. Outputs relate to the more immediate causes of the problem and some also
couple them with activities and inputs as part of the implementation aspect of a project. Activities in
this regard are actions taken or work performed with the use of inputs (such as financial, human,
technical and/or material resources) in order to produce specific outputs.
There must be a causal link between outputs and outcomes, i.e. the achievement of outputs should
logically lead to (as a contributing factor) the achievement of outcomes. This relates to the so-called
results chain; which is the causal sequence of an intervention that stipulates the necessary
progression to achieve desired aims – beginning with inputs, moving through activities and outputs,
and culminating in outcomes, impact (and feedback and lessons learned). Impact is the longer term
or ultimate result attributable to an intervention and corresponds to the overall objective/s that you
have identified.
Accordingly, when formulating your expected results at output, outcome and impact level, review
your identified objectives and problem statements. Translate your overall objective (the long-term
vision of the project) into one impact statement. Translate your project objective (the very reason
why the project is needed) into tangible and precise outcome statements. Then review the more
immediate causes of the problem you have chosen – as part of your strategy – to tackle and
reformulate these as output statements. The expected results at output, outcome and impact level
you now have formulated constitute your results chain and can be inserted into the results
framework enclosed with this project document. Once this has been done, assess the causal
sequence and logical progression of the results framework from outputs to impact.
In order to assess the success of the project and to be able to tell what actual benefits it has
produced, expected results have to be translated into a set of key indicators. An indicator can be
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defined as a tool measuring whether and/or to what extent an expected result has been achieved.
Indicators can be both quantitative and qualitative.
Usually, baseline data is collected prior to implementation of project activities to describe the
situation before interventions and to establish the current or recent condition relative to the results
to be achieved as the first measurement of an indicator, but also to provide further focus of the
project and its activities. The information provided in the context and stakeholder analysis may
constitute useful baseline data.
Formulate specific and relevant indicators and insert these in the enclosed results framework in
relation to the expected results at each level (output, outcome and impact).
Evaluation can be used to assess the project’s relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impact and
sustainability, while the project is ongoing and when it has been finalised. It can serve the purpose of
incorporating lessons learned into the decision-making process and into future interventions as well
as to clarify and deal with anticipated problems. It can also be useful to make provision for periodic
reviews and mid-term evaluations.
5. Activities
The causes of the problem shall be treated by the activities, which are implemented within the
framework of the project. Activities constitute the means to achieve the expected results at output
level. Hence, they are not in themselves the results or objectives of the project. One common
mistake made in project documents is to focus attention on the activities of the project and to
confuse them with the results/objectives. If the activities are planned and implemented in a suitable
way, the results (outputs) will be achieved as a direct consequence. This, in turn, will lead to the
achievement of outcomes (and ”treat” the project objective) and will, in the long term, also
contribute to the expected impact and achieveing the overall objective.
The activities shall, similarly to the outputs, tackle the more immediate causes of the main problem.
The activities are the work that is done by those involved in the project. Indicate how the principles
of a HRBA will be taken into account while implementing your programme activities.
In general, the activities part of this document should be as brief as possible and could include a
simple timetable scheduling dates and periodic achievements of the project. To bring out the
connection between results and activities, activities can be grouped according to their contribution
to each result area.
6. Assumptions and Risks
Assumptions are underlying factors that are important for the achievement of objectives and results,
but that are outside the project’s direct influence. For example, the project may be dependent on
external support; the existence of certain norms, laws, ordinances, and policies; political will and
commitment; allocation of funds, etc. Although your project will not be able to addess these issues,
you should show that you are aware of them and that project success will depend on these external
factors being in place.
The project should also identify, analyse and assess risk factors. These include:
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External risks - risks that exist outside the framework of the project (for example political
developments, natural disasters, etc.) and outside your sphere of influence.
Internal risks: - risks of the type that are possible for the project to exercise control over. They can be
practical matters such as delays in deliveries, personnel turnover, etc. In most cases, project
management can minimise the effects of these internal risks.
Accordingly, try to address the following:
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Are there major external risks (conflicts or other disruptive factors) and to what extent are they
are likely to affect the project if they should materialize. What could be done about them?
What other factors can prevent, make it difficult, or delay the implementation of the project?
What are the strategies for managing these factors/risks if they occur?
Could the project itself have negative side-effects and how could they be avoided?
7. Budget
List the resources required to carry out the main activities in addition to a general budget
reference costing these resources. Resources provided for implementing activities within the
framework of the project can consist of for example:
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Technical expertise (local and/or foreign expertise: what kind of know-how is needed to
achieve results)
Equipment /publications /training in the use of the equipment
training venues, travel and accommodation for participants
There may also be a need to include a budget for mid-term or final reviews and evaluations,
as well as monitoring and evaluation.
There is no need to provide detailed information on costs for individual budget items, but
the resources allocated for the implementation of the project should, by way of the general
budget references provided, be realistic and allow for an assessment of whether the project
has been planned realistically and can be implemented within the funds provided.
Annexes to be included in your proposal:
Results Framework
Risk Management Matrix (templates for both are attached below).
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RESULTS FRAMEWORK
PROJECT OBJECTIVE:
PROJECT TITLE::
PROJECT TIMEFRAME:
HOW?
INPUTS
ACTIVITIES
WHAT WE WANT
OUTPUTS
BUDGET:
WHY?
OUTCOMES
IMPACT
Outcomes
Impact
INDICATORS
Outputs
The row with “how”, “what we want”, etc., can be taken out once the other data has been filled in.
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Risk Management Plan
RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN
Operational Risks
Risk
General Likelihood of Occurrence
(Very Unlikely/Unlikely/Likely/Very Likely)
Potential Effect of Risk
Risk Response
Residual Risk Level
(Very Low/
Low/Medium/High
/Very High)
Risk Response
Residual Risk Level
(Very Low/
Low/Medium/High
/Very High)
Risk Response
Residual Risk Level
(Very Low/
Low/Medium/High
/Very High)
Fiduciary Risks
Risk
General Likelihood of Occurrence
(Very Unlikely/Unlikely/Likely/Very Likely)
Potential Effect of Risk
Development Risks
Risk
General Likelihood of Occurrence
(Very Unlikely/Unlikely/Likely/Very Likely)
Potential Effect of Risk
OVERALL RISK LEVEL
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