A/HRC/26/17 E/CN.6/2014/8 80 representatives of Member States and the Japanese private sector attended the event, which was chaired by the Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations, Kazuyoshi Umemoto, and the Deputy Secretary-General. 55. On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the Trust Fund hosted a reception for the representatives of the permanent missions to the United Nations, public figures and the private sector to launch its 2014 fundraising drive with the message “They count on us, we count on you”. The reception also honoured change-makers in the field of ending violence against women and girls. 56. In commemoration of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence, the Ambassador of the Netherlands to the United States, Rudolf Simon Bekink, hosted a concert and a private reception in support of the Trust Fund. The event launched the “Scheherazade Initiative: celebrating the resilience of women and girls in the face of violence”, a new partnership between the Trust Fund and Music for Life International, that will result in a series of concerts to connect audiences to classical music and to highlight the extraordinary resilience of women and girls in the face of violence. 23 VI. Grant-making cycle 2013 57. The Trust Fund’s annual call for proposals, which is available in six languages, accepts multi-year grant applications for up to $1 million in English, French and Spanish. In line with its strategy, the Trust Fund selects proposals that pave the way for concrete national change. Priority is given to applications that offer novel approaches, opportunities for expansion, replication and sustainability, and that reach a large number of beneficiaries. 58. Subregional inter-agency programme advisory committees ensure that grants respond to regional and national challenges and priorities, while the global Programme Advisory Committee, composed of members of civil society and the United Nations system, advises the Trust Fund secretariat on strategic priorities and on potential synergies among selected applications. 59. In 2013, the Trust Fund received 2,410 applications from 145 countries, with total funding requests of over $1.1 billion. The majority of applications were from civil society organizations. The Fund awarded $8 million in 17 grants, covering 18 countries and territories. 16 civil society organizations and the Government of Antigua and Barbuda received grants that are expected to reach 2.3 million beneficiaries by 2017. In terms of grant value, 48 per cent of the funds allocated went to programmes in Asia and the Pacific; 15 per cent to programmes in Latin America and the Caribbean; 12 per cent to Africa; 11 per cent to Europe and Central Asia; 9 per cent to cross-regional programmes; and 5 per cent to initiatives in the Arab States and North Africa. Grants amounting to 33 per cent of the total ($2.6 million) were awarded to five grantees working on the thematic window on adolescent and young girls; this will benefit more than 43,000 girls by 2017. __________________ 23 14/16 Music for Life International is a not-for-profit organization based in the United States of America, which creates social impact through music around the world. 13-61736