[{"bbox": [85, 154, 709, 186], "category": "Section-header", "text": "# 4 IMPLEMENTATION ARRANGEMENTS"}, {"bbox": [85, 220, 382, 250], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## 4.1 Financing Agreement"}, {"bbox": [97, 278, 1131, 306], "category": "Text", "text": "In order to implement this Action, it is not envisaged to conclude a financing agreement with the partner country."}, {"bbox": [85, 332, 510, 362], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## 4.2 Indicative Implementation Period"}, {"bbox": [97, 391, 1134, 471], "category": "Text", "text": "The indicative operational implementation period of this Action, during which the activities described in section 3 will be carried out and the corresponding contracts and agreements implemented, is 36 months from the date of entry into force of the financing agreement."}, {"bbox": [97, 482, 1134, 536], "category": "Text", "text": "Extensions of the implementation period may be agreed by the Commission's responsible authorising officer by amending this Financing Decision and the relevant contracts and agreements."}, {"bbox": [85, 564, 318, 594], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## 4.3 Budget Support"}, {"bbox": [85, 613, 128, 635], "category": "Text", "text": "N/A"}, {"bbox": [85, 655, 440, 685], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## 4.4 Implementation Modalities"}, {"bbox": [97, 714, 1134, 794], "category": "Text", "text": "The Commission will ensure that the EU appropriate rules and procedures for providing financing to third parties are respected, including review procedures, where appropriate, and compliance of the action with EU restrictive measures.⁷"}, {"bbox": [85, 823, 578, 849], "category": "Section-header", "text": "### 4.4.1 Indirect Management with an entrusted entity"}, {"bbox": [97, 876, 1134, 1013], "category": "Text", "text": "This Action may be implemented in indirect management with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), a pillar assessed entity. This implementation entails the management of the Basket Fund \"Support to Electoral Cycles 2023-2025\" in Guinea-Bissau. Previous experience in Guinea-Bissau demonstrated that a multi-party basket fund for elections ensures coordination among donors and provides a relevant platform for the electoral activities following by the international community."}, {"bbox": [97, 1025, 1134, 1421], "category": "Text", "text": "The envisaged entity has been selected using the following criteria: a consolidated experience in the electoral support sector in Guinea-Bissau, particularly in managing a multi-donor basket fund for elections. The EU has contributed to the basket fund managed by UNDP for the previous elections in 2018-2019, with an amount of EUR 3 500 000. As regards the forthcoming electoral cycle (2023-2025), a contribution from the EU to UNDP's basket fund was indicated by Guinea-Bissau's Government as a valid option to support this process. The choice of UNDP is therefore strategic in terms of EU's multilateral engagement and particularly relevant given the position of this organisation as a key policy interlocutor with the national counterpart about elections. Also, given its previous experience in accompanying previous electoral cycles, UNDP has a deep knowledge of the Electoral Management Bodies of Guinea Bissau and a practice of cooperation with them for years, which is at the origin of mutual trust that is a key issue in such a sensitive and complex environment, in particular in electoral processes. UNDP has also a confirmed experience in the area of population's awareness raising, in particular youth, women and vulnerable groups, on active citizenship and participation of citizens to good governance processes. Experience in institutional capacity building of electoral bodies and awareness raising in democratic governance issues is therefore key and should be the main criteria to be followed to ensure the implementation of the Action, in the event that the collaboration with the UNDP should not materialise."}, {"bbox": [85, 1549, 1143, 1622], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁷ www.sanctionsmap.eu. Please note that the sanctions map is an IT tool for identifying the sanctions regimes. The source of the sanctions stems from legal acts published in the Official Journal (OJ). In case of discrepancy between the published legal acts and the updates on the website it is the OJ version that prevails."}, {"bbox": [1027, 1681, 1143, 1705], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 15 of 19"}]