Direction du développement durable

Sous-direction du développement humain

2023 FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (FAP) – 1st installment

TECHNICAL SHEET

I) Overview ...................................................................................................................................................................1
 What types of projects can be funded? .......................................................................................................1
 Implementation of the principles of the London Food Assistance Convention ......................................2
 Is there a maximum duration set for implementing the projects? ............................................................2
II) Operators.................................................................................................................................................................2
 Which format for the concept note? .............................................................................................................2
 What languages can be used to submit the concept notes? .....................................................................2
 About beneficiaries.........................................................................................................................................2
 Project location: should the targeted geographic intervention area be specified? ................................3
 Should the project duration be specified? ...................................................................................................3
 Who is responsible for indicating the OECD markers monitored under the FAP (gender, nutrition &
Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health/RMNCH)? .........................................................................3
III) Budget ....................................................................................................................................................................3
 In what format should the provisional budget be presented? ...................................................................3
 What are the essential data to highlight in the budget table? ...................................................................3
 What share of the budget should directly benefit the targeted populations? .........................................4
IV) Specifity of WFP budgets .....................................................................................................................................4
V) Nutrition ..................................................................................................................................................................5
VI) Communication .....................................................................................................................................................7

I) Overview

 What types of projects can be funded?

Projects eligible for FAP credits can combine several components:

 Food assistance (e.g. cash-based transfers, vouchers, aid in kind – rice, beans, vegetable oil, salt, etc.
– specifying the quantities and number of beneficiaries)
 Fight against undernutrition (e.g. screening and treatment of malnutrition, nutritional supplementation,
training in food diversification and good nutrition practices, targeting as a priority Pregnant and Lactating
Women (PLW) and children aged 0 to 23 months)
 Actions to restore the autonomy and resilience of vulnerable populations: e.g. cash-based
transfers, livelihoods of rural populations (distributions of agricultural inputs - tools, seeds, etc.- or

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 donations in cash for the purchase of livestock, trainings in agricultural practices, veterinary interventions,
etc.

NB :

- These components are not mutually exclusive. A single FAP project can therefore combine several
components, through one or more funded activities, and fall under several of these categories (in this case,
the budget submitted should indicate the budget breakdown between components).
- FAP credits are not intended to finance studies (IPC, Cadre Harmonisé or nutritional analyses, such as
SMART studies; any type of study).
- Support for the construction of infrastructure or buildings does not fall within the scope of FAP financing.
- In the specific case of the WFP, FAP credits are not intended to finance the activities of the United Nations
Humanitarian Air Service ("UNHAS"), operated by the WFP.

 Implementation of the principles of the London Food Assistance Convention

Projects must take into account the principles of the London Food Assistance Convention:
- guarantee food assistance that meets food security and quality standards, and that respects local and cultural
food habits and nutritional needs;
- involving beneficiaries in the assessment of their needs as well as in the design, implementation, monitoring
and evaluation of food assistance;
- give priority to untied cash transfers, when possible;
- minimize potentially adverse effects on local production and market price conditions;
- take into account the country's long-term rehabilitation and development objectives;
- protecting the means of subsistence and strengthening the autonomy and resilience of populations.

 Is there a maximum duration set for implementing the projects?

While it is recommended not to exceed 12 months, the logic of the project may lead to considering a longer
duration.

II) Operators

 Which format for the concept note?

Concept notes should not exceed a maximum of 10 to 15 pages. The format is free but the following are required:
- a logical framework;
- SMART result indicators (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound).

Operators are invited to propose an abstract of the submitted project, not exceeding 3 or 4 lines, and which
must therefore appear at the top of the concept note. Here is a good example:
This project aims to contribute to the fight against the deterioration of food and nutritional security in xxx among 7,000
children aged 0-23 months and 3,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women (FEFA) living in the departments of x, y
and z. It will also provide food assistance during the lean season to 2,000 vulnerable households living in the areas
most affected by food insecurity.

Concept notes submitted by the WFP must imperatively refer to WFP’s Country Strategic Plan: Strategic
Outcomes (1, 2, 3…) and Associated Activities (1, 2, 3…). For example:
- Strategic Outcome 1: Activity 2;
- Strategic Outcome 3: Activity 3, etc.

Additional details are provided in section IV (“Specific features of WFP budgets”).

 What languages can be used to submit the concept notes?

Concept notes can be submitted either in French or English.

 About beneficiaries

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The number of beneficiaries must be specified - declining by types of activities financed - as well as disaggregated
by age and gender (girls, boys, women, men).

If details are introduced about indirect beneficiaries, this category must be clearly distinguished from the direct
beneficiaries.

 Project location: should the targeted geographic intervention area be specified?

Operators must specify the geographical area of intervention (region, department, territory, municipality), in which
the project will be implemented.

 Should the project duration be specified?

Yes. The duration must be specified in number of months and the estimated start and end dates of the project
must be clearly indicated.

With regard to the start dates of the projects, operators must imperatively take account of the deadlines for examining
and validating the projects submitted, internally within the Ministry, then within the framework of an interministerial
consultation, and finally the disbursement deadlines for allocated funds.

 Who is responsible for indicating the OECD markers monitored under the FAP (gender, nutrition &
Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health/RMNCH)?

In accordance with good practices, the Embassies will ensure that the operators fill in the following three markers,
for each project:

 gender: 0,1 or 2;
 nutrition: 0, 1 or 2;
 RMNCH: 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4

To this end, the forms transmitted can be usefully consulted (gender and RMNCH markers). Regarding the nutrition
marker, the OECD manual is also attached.

Important: operators are invited to check that the markers entered correspond to those retained by the OECD/the
Food Assistance Program. This will avoid time-consuming exchanges with the embassy.

III) Budget

 In what format should the provisional budget be presented?

To facilitate extracts, the provisional budget must be presented in the form of an Excel table. The amounts must be
expressed in euros, and the total amount of the project must correspond exactly to the allocation granted in euros.

 What are the essential data to highlight in the budget table?

The budget table must clearly indicate:

 the budget breakdown between food assistance / fight against malnutrition / actions to restore food
autonomy and resilience, specifying the number of beneficiaries by type of objective (as a reminder, these
components are not mutually exclusive, a single FAP project can therefore combine several components)
 funding dedicated to nutrition (see Nutrition chapter)
 costs relating to logistics, salaries, monitoring and evaluation, etc. (see below)
 in the event of a joint project, the share of the budget allocated to each operator must imperatively be
specified, as well as the way funds are allocated (for example, if one of the organizations receives the full
amount, and then dispatches the funds among other organizations (see also below: consortium of NGOs)
 if local partners are associated with the project, specify the amounts of the services contracts

In the event of a project carried out by several NGOs (consortium), the concept note must also state the
distribution of the budget between the various operators, and also specify the lead NGO (with which the
embassy will contract, and which will retain responsibility for the management and coordination of this consortium).

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 What share of the budget should directly benefit the targeted populations?

The share of aid going directly to beneficiaries should amount to at least 50% of the project budget. The
following are taken into account in this calculation: the purchase of food and inputs (but not transport or storage
costs), cash transfers (but not the associated bank charges, the amount of which must be specified in the budget),
trainings provided to beneficiaries ... and, if applicable, the remuneration of the personnel essential for the proper
implementation of the activities, taking into account in particular the specific skills necessary for the implementation
of the considered project (nutritionists, agronomists, etc.).

The remuneration of support, administrative or logistical staff, on the other hand, is never taken into account
in the calculation of the share of the aid going directly to the beneficiaries.
Likewise,the costs relating to the monitoring and evaluation of the project are not taken into account.

Amount of the share of the aid going directly to the beneficiaries should be specified in the concept note.

IV) Specifity of WFP budgets

As a reminder, FAP credits are not intended to finance the activities of the United Nations Humanitarian Air
Service (“UNHAS”) operated by WFP.
For projects submitted by WFP, the Total Transfer budget line MUST be detailed, in order to identify the costs
associated with these transfers. This point alone motivates most of the exchanges between the FAP Bureau in Paris
and the Embassies: WFP’s local representatives must thus IMPERATIVELY ensure that this budget line is detailed
as specified below, before submitting the project to the Embassy.
A Transfer Value line must be clearly identified (as opposed to another Transfer Cost line, see below), insofar as
only this Transfer Value line will be taken into account in the calculation of the share of the aid directly due
to beneficiaries.
The Transfer Cost line will thus relate to the associated costs, such as, for example, bank charges caused by the
transfer of cash to beneficiaries.

Below, an example of a budget table with a line relating to the Transfer Value (and therefore acceptable as
such):

Below, a few counter-examples (in these 3 cases, details will be requested, generating necessarily time-
consuming exchanges):

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In addition, the breakdown of the budget between the various "Strategic Outcomes" of the WFP (SO 1, 2, 3...) and
the associated Activities (1, 2, 3...) must also be specified in the concept note, in connection with the nomenclature
of WFP’s Country Strategic Plan. See also above (“Which format for the concept note?”).

V) Nutrition

In accordance with the corresponding indicator of France's International Strategy for Food Security, Nutrition and
Sustainable Agriculture (2019-2024), 50% of FAP funding should be devoted to nutrition (or fight against
undernutrition), by targeting as a priority Pregnant and Lactating Women (PLW) and children aged 0 to 23
months (so-called “1,000 days” period, crucial in terms of physical and cognitive development):
https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/frances_international_strategy_for_food_security_nutrition_and_sustainabl
e_agriculture_cle4f3e1a.pdf

While the Minister Le Drian announced France's commitments in favor of nutrition at the last edition of the “Nutrition
for Growth” Summit (Nutrition for Growth / N4G), on December 7, 2021, including through the FAP, and given the

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fact that France will host the next edition of this summit in 2024 or 2025, expectations will be high in this regard. To
learn more about France's commitments and the Minister's intervention at the “Nutrition for Growth” Summit:
https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/french-foreign-policy/development-assistance/news/2021/article/france-
combatting-malnutrition-at-the-nutrition-for-growth-summit-7-december

- School feeding and nutrition

FAP projects relating to school feeding cannot systematically be valued within the framework of our commitments
relating to nutrition, in particular when they only ensure a quantitative supply. On the other hand, they can be valued
within this context when it is proven that the diets offered to pupils are healthy and balanced, and therefore meet the
nutritional needs of children in a given age group. Complementary nutrition awareness actions are also welcome,
aimed not only at students (what is a balanced meal? how is it made? why is it important?), but also at cooks, parents,
etc.

EXAMPLES TO GO FURTHER

- Food distributions: food distributions are not classified as nutrition-sensitive interventions, unless the aid
aims to prevent undernutrition and takes into account the nutritional needs of targeted populations, or a
category of population particularly vulnerable to one of the forms of undernutrition (pregnant and lactating
women, young children, elderly people), by distributing specialized nutritional products/diversified baskets,
or food products enriched with micronutrients.

- Food baskets containing a mix of products to satisfy a balanced diet are classified as nutrition-sensitive.
Note that financing contingency stocks, such as high protein energy biscuits, is not considered a nutrition-
sensitive intervention.

- Milk and powdered milk: food aid to vulnerable populations involving the distribution of milk can be
considered as contributing to nutrition. Powdered milk provides essential proteins and is considered a food
with high nutritional value. The distribution of powdered milk is however not recommended in general, except
in cases where the education of women and access to drinking water allow it.

- Distribution of coupons: projects aimed at distributing free-choice coupons are retained as contributing to
the fight against undernutrition when these distributions are explicitly conditional on the purchase of food,
and in particular fresh products, or when they are accompanied by raising awareness of good nutrition
practices.

- Activities targeting food diversification through vegetable gardens contribute to nutrition. However, this
classification depends on the targeting (does it take into account vulnerability, gender and malnutrition?),
results, objectives and indicators. If these activities are coherent, and associated with nutrition education,
the project fully contributes to nutrition. If the diversification is done with an exclusively agricultural aim, and
nutrition is not mentioned, the project can also be considered as not contributing to nutrition.

- School feeding contributes to nutrition if the projects have an objective of improving the diet of school-age
children. For example, if the meals are prepared by a nutritionist, contain nutrients, are associated with
nutrition education activities, etc. See also above.

- Nutrition-sensitive agriculture is an agricultural development approach that maximizes the positive

impacts of agriculture, while mitigating its negative impacts. The positive impact of agriculture on nutrition
involves, among other things, the production and consumption of a diversified local diet, containing
vegetables, fruits and foods of animal origin. It can also go through empowering women, through agricultural
activities or securing income through agricultural activities, and through many other impact pathways.

- For example, vegetable production can be considered a nutrition-sensitive intervention if dietary

diversification is promoted, and if these activities are accompanied by behavior change practices including
awareness raising on better nutrition.The distribution of gardening kits (seeds and tools, technical trainings)
and agricultural recovery projects are considered as contributing to nutrition only when they have a stated
nutritional objective, and are associated with nutritional awareness.

- With regard to livestock, the impacts are potentially positive, due to the contribution of products of animal
origin to better nutritional adequacy. But they can also be negative, in certain cases, and in particular if animal
pathologies are transmitted to humans. Also, in order to contribute to nutrition, agricultural interventions
promoting better nutrition must not have an impact on the health of producers (transmission of zoonoses,
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 poisoning, etc.), nor must they generate additional work for producers, especially for women, "guardians" of
household nutritional security.

- What themes should be excluded from the projects?

Projects must not relate to biofortification (use of GMOs).

It is also not desirable for nutrition to be a simple accessory to the project (example: 5% of the project budget devoted
to nutrition education). It must be clear that nutrition is not a "key word", but that the project has indeed been designed
around this objective, from the moment it is identified as such.

VI) Communication

Except in specific cases related to the safety of actors and / or beneficiaries, operators should set up communication
and promotion actions for funded projects, in order to promote France's action in the field of food security and
nutrition. This communication can take several formats.

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