Participants’ Guidelines
IsDB-ILO Youth Green Skills Accelerator Challenge Call 2023
From Crises to Resilience:
Empowering Youth for a Greener Future
Table of contents
1. Context ......................................................................................... 5
2. What is the topic of this year’s challenge call? ........ 7
3. What are we looking for? ..................................................... 8
4. Which organizations can apply? ...................................... 9
5. What will the winner receive? ........................................... 10
6. What do the winners have to do? .................................... 11
7. What is the application process and key dates? ...... 12
8. How will the proposals be assessed? ............................ 14
9. What is required in terms of
recognition of the IsDB/ ILO? ........................................... 15
10. What is expected from the winning solution? ........... 16
1. Context In 2022, the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and the International
Labour Organization (ILO), through the ILO Skills Innovation
Facility, designed the first edition of the IsDB-ILO Youth Green
Skills Accelerator Challenge Call to promote youth participation
in a Just Transition and to recognize and assist young people in
further translating their activism, commitment, and creativity into
action regarding climate action and the shift to a green economy.
The three winners announced during COP 27 were awarded a total
of USD 100,000 to implement their proposed solutions and joined
the ILO Skills Innovation Network, to encourage peer-to-peer
learning and problem-solving.
The two institutions are joining forces again this year for a
second edition of the Youth Green Skills Accelerator Challenge
Call, focused on the topic: “From Crises to Resilience:
Empowering Youth for a Greener Future”. If the COVID-19 crisis
is finally dissipating, the world has been entangled in a new set
of crises, including conflict situations, and natural disasters. The
latest example of these crises are the devastating twin earthquakes
that hit the south-eastern region of Türkiye and the northern part
of Syria. The tragic loss of lives, multitude of injuries, widespread
destruction of critical infrastructure and properties, and the
resulting severe socio-economic disruption and stress on the people
of Türkiye and Syria are a major concern to IsDB and the ILO.
Crises have direct and long-lasting impacts on the world of work:
post-crisis environments are often characterized by important
labour surplus, significant changes in labour market demand, as
well as important disruptions in education and training. In 2017,
the International Labour Conference adopted the Employment
and Decent Work for Peace and Resilience Recommendation, 2017
(No. 205), a unique normative framework for the world of work in
conflict and disaster settings.
Skills development can improve young peoples’ employability and
self-employment prospects as well as facilitate their transition into
the labour market. However, investments in skills development will
not automatically translate into better jobs for young people unless
mismatches between education and training providers, on the one
hand, and employers, on the other, are remedied.
In fragile settings, the combination of technical and non-technical
skills is crucial to the improvement of attitudes and behaviours.
Soft skills training for at-risk young people has helped to lower
the incidence of crime and violence. Elements such as conflict
resolution, problem-solving and teamwork have the potential to
maximize the positive impact of employment on peacebuilding and
conflict prevention.
From Crises to Resilience: Empowering Youth for a Greener Future 5
What do we understand by “crisis”?
Although above we mention the devastating twin earthquakes that
hit the south-eastern region of Türkiye and the northern part of Syria,
applications to the challenge call can relate to the responsiveness and
preparedness of education and training providers in crisis contexts
beyond natural disasters and conflict situations. This includes contexts
in which the COVID-19 crisis continues to have strong repercussions
as well as situations with severe consequences of climate change.
In line with the Employment and Decent Work for Peace and
Resilience Recommendation, 2017 (No. 205), the focus of this
challenge call is on crisis situations arising from conflicts and
disasters:
“The term ‘disaster’ means a serious disruption of the functioning
of a community or a society at any scale due to hazardous events
interacting with conditions of exposure, vulnerability and capacity,
leading to one or more of the following: human, material, economic
and environmental losses and impacts.”
“The term ‘resilience’ means the ability of a system, community or
society exposed to hazards to resist, absorb, accommodate, adapt
to, transform and recover from the effects of a hazard in a timely
and efficient manner, including through the preservation and
restoration of its essential basic structures and functions through risk
management.”
For a better understanding of the context, applicants should refer to the:
• Employment and Decent Work for Peace and Resilience
Recommendation, 2017 (No. 205)
• Employment and Decent Work in the
Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus
• Skills for Migration and Employment Policy Brief
• ILO guide for Skills Development in Employment Intensive
Investment Programmes
• Guidelines for Non-Formal Market-Based Skills Training
• Greening TVET and Skills Development: A Practical Guidance Tool
• Recognition of Prior Learning Package
• Decent Jobs for Youth Thematic Plan on Youth in Fragile Situations
• Improving Skills and Productivity of Disadvantaged Youth
• ILO policy brief on Skills Development for a Just Transition
6 IsDB-ILO Youth Green Skills Accelerator Challenge Call 2023
2. What is In this regard, the scope of this year’s challenge call – “From Crises
to Resilience: Empowering Youth for a Greener Future” – seeks to
the topic of identify skilling solutions for post-crisis situations to build back
this year’s better and greener. Proposed solutions should be reaching out
effectively to individuals whose lives have been affected by crises
challenge call? with upskilling programmes adapted to their needs, that allow
them to re-engage effectively in local labour markets, reconnect
with their communities, and improve their resilience.
Solutions should also be an opportunity to build back not only
better but also greener. Transitioning towards environmental
sustainability can potentially create millions of jobs globally. A
Just Transition towards an environmentally sustainable economy
requires reskilling and upskilling of workers to reduce the risk of
rising unemployment, poverty, and inequality. This is particularly
true in a post-crisis situation.
In line with the first edition of the Youth Green Skills Accelerator
Challenge Call, the objective of this year’s second edition is to
identify, incubate, test, and disseminate innovative solutions in
IsDB-ILO common member states. The IsDB-ILO Challenge Call
will leverage the infrastructure and experience of the ILO Skills
Innovation Facility, and seeks to achieve the following goals:
• RECOGNISE the key role that young people play as agents of
change to accelerate action towards a just transition, especially
in crisis contexts.
• ENHANCE young people’s capabilities by offering the
knowledge and skills they will need in a greener post-crisis
economy.
• ACCELERATE innovation around youth employment and green
skills in crisis contexts by providing innovators a network of
experts from IsDB and ILO to support and implement their
ideas and solutions.
From Crises to Resilience: Empowering Youth for a Greener Future 7
3. What are The IsDB and ILO, in this second edition of the Youth Green Skills
Accelerator Challenge Call, are looking for not-for-profit education
we looking for? and training providers (including public TVET institutions and
youth-led organizations) that support training for young people
(15-35 years old) living in IsDB-ILO common member states1 and
the occupied Palestinian territory.2
They should focus on green skills development and training
support in post-crisis situations for:
• Young people to be entering or re-entering education or the
local labour market.
• Promoting social cohesion and peaceful co-existence at the
local level.
• Building back greener in post-crisis countries/settings.
• Enhancing countries’/communities’ social and economic
resilience.
All proposals should be, as appropriate given local circumstances
and the crisis context, in line with the following main
recommendations in relation to Education, Vocational Training and
Guidance (Chapter VI, Articles 18 to 20) on Employment and Decent
Work for Peace and Resilience Recommendation, 2017 (No. 205):
• Ensuring education and training continuity.
• Establishing programmes that respond to emerging skills
needs for recovery and reconstruction.
• Organising re-entry in education and training, adapting,
and extending these programmes to fit the learners’ needs,
and establishing second-chance education and training
opportunities.
• Giving special attention to the training and economic
empowerment of affected populations, displaced populations,
those in rural areas and in the informal economy.
• Ensuring women and girls can access education and training
based on equal opportunity and treatment.
• Adapting learning to promote peaceful co-existence and
reconciliation.
• Mainstreaming disaster risk education, reduction, awareness
and management in education and training.
The proposal should have an innovative dimension including –
i.e., innovative training approaches, projects, tools, technologies,
and partnerships in the areas of formal informal, and non-
formal apprenticeships upgrading and work-based learning;
1
See IsDB-ILO common member states.
2
According to ILO denomination.
8 IsDB-ILO Youth Green Skills Accelerator Challenge Call 2023
entrepreneurship; training delivery; data and analysis for skills
development; Recognition of Prior Learning among others. They
can be at any stage of development. They can be early-stage
innovations or at a more advanced stage. They can be ideas to
improve, expand and/or promote a solution that is already being
implemented. They can be the idea of a single organization or
involve a joint collaborative effort of different actors, including
through partnerships with governments, employers’, and workers’
organizations. Each organization can only be part of a single
consortium presenting a solution and can only apply once.
The challenge call welcomes skilling related proposals that
contribute to sustainable practices and green solutions.
Examples may include developing training programmes that equip
individuals with green skills for environmentally friendly careers,
such as renewable energy technicians, sustainable agriculture
specialists, or green construction workers. Additionally, initiatives
related to community gardening, renewable energy installation,
energy-efficient and circular production technologies, waste
management are encouraged. Proposals that could involve
reforestation, renewable energy installations, and sustainable
tourism skills are also eligible. Furthermore, solutions addressing
environmental conservation and biodiversity, climate change
adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and resilient design principles
in post-crisis are highly valued.
4. Which The applicant must meet the following criteria:
organizations • Legally registered not-for-profit organizations – these can
can apply? include government agencies, employers’ and workers’
organizations, cooperatives, education, and training
institutions (including public TVET institutions, schools,
training providers, and universities), NGOs and civil
society organizations, and other educational and research
institutions.
• The applicant must be registered in an IsDB-ILO common
member state or in the occupied Palestinian territory. The
applicant will be required to submit proof of their legal
registration.
• The applicant must have contractual capacity and have
been in existence for at least two calendar years before the
deadline of the submission for applications.
From Crises to Resilience: Empowering Youth for a Greener Future 9
• The applicant must provide a detailed budget and
indicate a contribution from the proposing organization
corresponding to at least 10 percent of the value of the
proposal, which can be represented by in-kind or staff costs.
• The solution answers one or more of the questions of the
challenge listed under the “target scope” (see section 3).
• All submissions must be made in English or Arabic.
The IsDB and ILO reserve the right to carry out reasonable due
diligence, including contacting references provided and other third
parties to confirm the eligibility of participants, and may refuse
to award the grant to a participant if there is suspicion of any
irregularity, fraudulent activities, etc.
5. What will the Three winners will be selected at an online pitch event and receive
the following support:
winner receive?
Financial Support
The ideas coming in the first, second, and third places will be
awarded USD 50,000; USD 30,000; and USD 20,000 respectively, to
implement their proposed solutions.
Technical guidance in the form of an online
Skills Innovation Lab
The winning proposals will receive technical support to refine,
develop, and pilot their ideas through boot camps and remote
mentoring.
Global visibility
The winners will receive support to raise awareness about their
ideas and solutions, including an invitation to an international
event where they will present their projects, press articles in the
media, and videos, among others. This event may be in-person or
online.
10 IsDB-ILO Youth Green Skills Accelerator Challenge Call 2023
Access to a wide network of experts in skills
development
The winners (and finalists) will join the ILO Skills Innovation
Network. They will get access to tools, resources, and knowledge-
sharing events that they can use to build new ideas and solutions.
6. What do To receive the financial award, the applicant must sign an
implementation agreement with the ILO. Financial award
the winners recipients must comply with the terms and conditions stipulated
have to do? in the agreement, including reporting provisions. Please ensure
to read Terms and Conditions applicable to ILO Implementation
Agreements before submitting your application.
As a precondition, before being allowed to sign an implementation
agreement with the ILO, the winner must produce, within a given
period, a detailed work plan and budget that will form the basis
of the main goals to be achieved. Final payment is subject to the
satisfactory completion of this work plan.
From Crises to Resilience: Empowering Youth for a Greener Future 11
7. What is the The application process comprises two rounds:
application 1st Application round
process and
Applicants should:
key dates?
1. Review the eligibility criteria for participation in the
challenge call, selection criteria for assessments, and the
Terms and Conditions applicable to ILO Implementation
Agreements specified in these Participants’ Guidelines.
2. Fill in the Application Form (English) (Arabic) and submit it
by 28 July 2023 (midnight Geneva time).
Before preparing the Application Form, please look at the list of
Application Questions (English) (Arabic). We recommend preparing
your application information and answers first using this list, as the
online application form does not allow saving an application before
submission. Also, please prepare a budget estimate using the Budget
Template (English) (Arabic) and submit it on the Application Form.
Applications can be submitted in English or Arabic. Only the
applications selected for the second application round will be
contacted. No fee is required to participate in the challenge call. Late
or incomplete applications will not be accepted.
2nd Application round
If your application is among the top 10 applications submitted, the
applicant will be requested to submit an extended project proposal
and will be invited to pitch their project proposal at a final online pitch
event.
12 IsDB-ILO Youth Green Skills Accelerator Challenge Call 2023
Key dates and deadlines
The key dates and deadlines are as follows
(and remain subject to change):
25 May 2023
Launch of the challenge call
(on IsDB and ILO webpages)
28 July 2023
Deadline for the submission of
applications (midnight Geneva time)
25 September 2023
Announcement of
up to 10 finalists
25 October 2023
Final pitch event
(online)
30 November 2023
Announcement of
three winners at COP 28
If potential applicants have any questions regarding this second
edition of the Youth Green Skills Accelerator Challenge Call in
general or regarding the application process, please contact us at:
skills@[Link]
From Crises to Resilience: Empowering Youth for a Greener Future 13
8. How will All proposals will be assessed, in each application round, by an
independent panel, composed of IsDB and ILO specialists in the
the proposals areas of youth employment, green skills, and crisis and resilience,
be assessed? as well as potentially external experts.
All proposals will be assessed based on the following criteria:
1) Relevance
The extent to which the objectives and design of the solution are
clearly responding to the beneficiaries’ and partners’/institutions’
needs, policies and priorities, and are sensitive to economic,
environmental, equitable, social, political, or other conditions in
which the solution takes place.
2) Feasibility
The extent to which the solution is technically and economically
feasible and can be done in a simple, measurable, achievable,
realistic way and within a time-bounded period.
3) Innovation
The degree of urgency and unaddressed nature of the problem
selected, and the creativity of the proposed solution (i.e., new
approaches, tools, and technologies).
4) Value for IsDB’s and ILO’s priorities
The extent to which the solution develops added value to the IsDB
and ILO priorities in the areas of youth employment, green skills,
and crisis and resilience, as well as the degree of contribution to
generate new social and economic outcomes to beneficiaries.
5) Potential for impact
The degree to which the solution has the potential to produce
measurable impact and its potential for social, economic,
environmental, and other impacts. The proposal should include
an estimate of direct and indirect beneficiaries.
14 IsDB-ILO Youth Green Skills Accelerator Challenge Call 2023
6) Sustainability and potential for scalability
and replication
The possibility that benefits (and/or activities) of the solution
continue beyond IsDB’s and ILO’s support, and the ability of the
solution to be scaled-up and/or replicated in other countries, or to
provide valuable learnings for the sector.
7) Ability to leverage IsDB and ILO’s
expertise and networks
The extent to which the team has a good understanding of how to
leverage the IsDB and ILO network and expertise and would bring
value for the IsDB’s and ILO’s stakeholders.
9. What is The winning projects should acknowledge that the activity is carried
out with the support of the IsDB and ILO in all articles produced
required in and published (e.g., reports, brochures, press releases, videos,
terms of software, conferences, seminars, blogs, social media, etc.), using
the logo of the IsDB and ILO (including the ILO Skills Innovation
recognition of Facility) and mentioning the following:
the IsDB/ ILO? “This... is produced/realized with the support of the Islamic
Development Bank and International Labour Organization through
the ILO Skills Innovation Facility.”
However, the applicant may not use, unless previously agreed in
writing, the logos of the IsDB and/or ILO, nor that of any other
partner organization of the ILO Skills Innovation Facility.
From Crises to Resilience: Empowering Youth for a Greener Future 15
10. What is One of the central activities of the IsDB and ILO is documenting
and disseminating the lessons learned from the process of
expected from developing and implementing projects. The winners are expected
the winning to participate in the analysis and documentation process to capture
the lessons learned during their innovation work.
solution?
This process includes financial reporting and regular project
updates, and the possibility for IsDB and ILO staff and consultants
to collect data, information, stories, and testimonies, and to
conduct field studies.
The winners are also expected to be an active member of the ILO
Skills Innovation Network and to share their experiences with
other innovators as well as those interested in learning about skills
development and innovation.
16 IsDB-ILO Youth Green Skills Accelerator Challenge Call 2023
ILO
Skills
Innovation
Facility
Skills and Employability Branch (SKILLS)
International Labour Office
4 Route des Morillons
Geneva 22, CH-1211
Switzerland
Email: skills@[Link]
Website: [Link]/skills
