Compliance and Complaints Mechanisms

Compliance and Complaints Mechanisms

To finance small-scale, local, or regional climate and biodiversity action, IKI Small Grants implements or supports calls for proposals and funding lines. To support the best project ideas and the most suitable organisations, it is essential to establish transparent rules and requirements that apply to the management of IKI Small Grants as a programme, the applying organisations, the selection process, and the implementation of projects by the selected organisations.

To ensure and continuously improve the programme’s high quality, its implementation is based on the principles of fairness and transparency, conformity to rules and compliance with the law. These principles are directed externally to applicants and project implementing organisations and internally to the management of IKI Small Grants.

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, as the mandated organisation for implementing IKI Small Grants, is responsible for ensuring that these principles are followed. For further information visit the resources about GIZ’s Compliance Management System here.

If information on serious violations of our internal principles of conduct, internal rules as well as applicable laws are available. The GIZ whistle-blower portal serves as anonymous entry channel. In particular, the following violations can be reported:

  • Corruption and bribery
  • Embezzlement, fraud, misappropriation
  • Conflicts of interest
  • Sexual misconduct and sexual exploitation
  • Violations of human rights

In case of (potential) negative social and/or environmental consequences from IKI Small Grants projects, or improper use of funds, please refer to the IKI Independent Complaint Mechanism. The complaints mechanism is based at Zukunft – Umwelt – Gesellschaft (ZUG) gGmbH, the federal Goverment’s overall project management agency for the IKI funding programme. 

The Independent Complaint Mechanism contributes to:

  • monitoring and improving the environmental and social outcomes of projects
  • avoiding unintended negative impacts of projects
  • supporting the appropriate use of public funds
  • complying with international good practice