Global Call for Proposal 2015 under EIDHR Announced

The objectives of this call are aligned with the Policy Coherence for Development, reflecting the EU's priorities as identified in policies and regulations, notably the EU Action Plan for Human Rights and Democracy 2016-2020 as well as in the specific Guidelines2 adopted by the EU.

Moreover, following the adoption in 2014 of the Tool – box3 "A Rights-Based Approach, encompassing all human rights, for EU development cooperation" and the subsequent adoption, in 2014, of the related Council Conclusions, the European Commission committed to move towards a Rights-Based Approach for development cooperation4 .

The European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) stipulates that in the implementation of its Regulation, the Union should apply a Rights-Based Approach encompassing all human rights, whether civil, political, economic, social or cultural. The implementation of the five RBA principles (i) legality, universality and indivisibility of human rights, (ii) participation (iii) non – discrimination (iv) accountability (v) transparency must be applied in each step of the project cycle from identification, formulation, implementation, monitoring to evaluation.

Furthermore, gender is an integral part of the RBA, encompassing the promotion, protection and fulfilment of all human rights. Gender equality constitutes a fundamental human right and a common value of the European Union (EU Treaty). Projects under this call should include a gender perspective in their designing, with data disaggregated by sex.
 

The global objective of the call is to contribute, through supporting civil society organisations, to the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms and to contribute to the strengthening of the international framework for the promotion and protection of human rights, justice and the Rule of Law. Deadline for applications - 1 October 2015.

1.2.1  Lots under this call for proposals
This call for proposals pursues five objectives enshrined in five different lots:

LOT 1- To Support Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) organisations working at grassroots level

The general objective of this lot is to provide support to human rights defenders organisations working at grassroots level, in particular in most difficult situations and remote areas.

The specific objectives of this lot are:

•    strengthening capacities of local human rights defenders and civil society organizations e.g. improved knowledge and facilitated access to resources in matters of legal defence, increased capacity to face intimidation and harassment, improved technical, management, material and financial capacities;
•    facilitating access of local human rights defenders organisations to international support and regional human rights mechanisms, enhancing their participation to public dialogue as well as international and regional events on human rights, democracy or specific issues relevant to human rights, improving visibility of local human rights defenders organisations;
• improving access of local human rights defenders organisations to free and independent information, including the Internet and circumvention of cyber-censorship; enhancing security for human rights defenders, including secure digital practices, etc.

Location: actions must take place outside the European Union. Nevertheless, if duly justified, some activities may take place in the EU countries when they are directly related to situations arising in third countries and for the benefit of those countries. These reasons will be examined during the evaluation of the Concept Note.

Also, actions must take place in a minimum of two countries.

When the applicant is not a local organisation, it must act with at least one local co-applicant(s) per country where the action will take place. Under this lot, financial support to third parties is compulsory.

LOT 2- To contribute to the monitoring and the effective implementation of the specific international core conventions ratified by GSP+ beneficiary countries in the EU Generalised Scheme of Preferences+ (GSP+) context

The general objective of this lot is to support civil society and social partners' actions in ensuring that current EU GSP+ beneficiary's countries meet their commitments to ratify and effectively implement core international conventions.

Under the current GSP+ arrangement, monitoring procedures have been strengthened, notably by engaging regularly with the GSP+ beneficiaries on the most salient issues highlighted by the relevant monitoring body, under each of the 27 conventions. The key point of reference for the EU GSP+ monitoring exercise is therefore the most recent reports and recommendations from the relevant monitoring bodies (ILO and UN fora), as requested by the EU GSP Regulation (EU 978/2012) other sources of information can be used, provided they are accurate and reliable.

Through GSP+ monitoring mechanism, the European Commission and European External Action Service (EEAS) encourage GSP+ beneficiaries to demonstrate a positive trend in implementing the conventions and in addressing those respective issues over time. In that respect, it must be underlined that GSP+ does not create new or additional obligations under the conventions; the objective is to discuss a beneficiary's existing commitments under these conventions.

Under this lot, actions should be tailor-made to the needs of each of the countries targeted. Therefore, applicants should be guided by the findings and recommendations of the relevant monitoring bodies in drafting their proposals and setting-up country specific priorities.

Actions under this lot will focus specifically on the human rights and core labour rights UN/ILO conventions included in the Annex VIII of Regulation (EU) No 978/2012 of 31 October 20125 . The relevant human rights and core labour standards UN/ILO conventions included in the GSP+ are:

Human Rights United Nations Conventions

1.  Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948)
2.  International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (1965)
3.  International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966)
4.  International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (1966)
5.  Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (1979)
6.  Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1984)
7. Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989)

ILO Core Labour Standards Conventions

8.    Convention concerning Forced or Compulsory Labour, No 29 (1930)
9.    Convention concerning Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right
10.    Convention concerning the Application of the Principles of the Right to Organise and to Bargain Collectively, No 98 (1949)
11.    Convention concerning Equal Remuneration of Men and Women Workers for Work of Equal Value, No 100 (1951)
12.    Convention concerning the Abolition of Forced Labour, No 105 (1957)
13.    Convention concerning Discrimination in Respect of Employment and Occupation, No 111 (1958)
14.    Convention concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment, No 138 (1973)
15.    Convention concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour, No 182 (1999)

The specific objectives of this lot are:

•    supporting and empowering civil society and social partners in contributing to the monitoring of the relevant 15 above- mentioned conventions in synergy with the GSP+ process;

•    supporting the effective implementation of existing set-ups and the necessary reforms to ensure that GSP+ beneficiary countries are meeting their commitments under the 15 conventions mentioned above in synergy with the GSP+ reporting process.

In this lot actions must address at least one of the human rights conventions (listed above under 1 to 7) and at least one of the core ILO labour standards conventions (listed above under 8 to 15).

The conventions to be focused on may differ from one country to another. The identification of the conventions should reflect the specific situation and needs of the country targeted in line with the relevant international monitoring bodies findings and recommendations.

Location: actions must take place in  ALL of the GSP+ beneficiaries' countries in 2016 namely, Armenia, Bolivia, Georgia, Cape Verde, Mongolia, Pakistan, Paraguay and the Philippines. It covers GSP+ applicants, namely Kyrgyzstan. If the countries listed above do not receive GSP+ status in 2016, actions will still be considered as eligible.

Nevertheless, if duly justified, some activities may take place in EU countries/other countries when they are directly related to situations arising in GSP+ beneficiary countries and for the benefit of these countries. These reasons will be examined during the evaluation of the Concept Note. Under this lot, financial support to third parties is compulsory.

LOT 3 – To support the fight against the death penalty

The general objective of this lot is to support actions aiming at promoting the abolition of the death penalty, the establishment of a moratorium on the death penalty, and the restriction of the use of the death penalty.

The specific objectives of this lot are:

•    supporting legal reform to abolish the death penalty, to establish a moratorium and to restrict the use of death penalty;
•    improving the capacities and raising awareness of legal professionals, administrative authorities and elected members of parliaments on death penalty;
•    enhancing the right to a fair and impartial trial;
• monitoring and documenting the respect for minimum standards, in particular concerning non – violent acts, drug related crimes, persons below 18 years of age at the time of the commission of their crime, pregnant women, new mothers and nursing women, person suffering from mental illness or having an intellectual disability, and the elderly.

Priority will be given to proposals targeting countries where the death penalty is most in use. The relevance of the selected country will be assessed at Concept Note level (see CN grid).

Location: actions must take place outside the European Union. Nevertheless, if duly justified, some activities may take place in EU countries when they are directly related to situations arising in third countries and for the benefit of those countries. These reasons will be examined during the evaluation of the Concept Note.

Actions may take place in one single country. When the applicant is not a local organisation, it must act with at least one local co-applicant(s) per country where the action will take place.
 

LOT 4- To support migrants, including asylum seekers in third countries, internally displaced persons and stateless persons.

The general objective of this lot is to support the rights of migrants including asylum seekers in third countries, internally displaced persons and stateless persons,

The specific objectives of this a lot are:

•    supporting and/or advocating the improvement or creation of policies or laws - especially at regional level - to protect migrants, including asylum seekers in third countries internally displaced persons and stateless persons, in line with relevant international conventions and standards (e.g. UN Convention on Refugees, UN Protocols on trafficking in human beings and on the smuggling of migrants, or others.);

•    protecting the rights of stateless persons, advocating for the resolution of cases of statelessness and preventing the emergence of new stateless populations;

•    preventing and eradicating human rights violations against migrants, asylum seekers and internally displaced persons, including in the context of trafficking in human beings and people

smuggling, the use of arbitrary detention, denial of access to justice and refoulement. Preventing and eradicating impunity from authorities participating in or tolerating such forms of violence.

Location: Actions must take place outside the European Union. Nevertheless, if duly justified, some activities may take place in EU countries when they are directly related to situations arising in third countries and for the benefit of those countries. These reasons will be examined during the evaluation of the Concept Note.

Actions on statelessness should take place in countries with large or increasing stateless population.

Actions must take place in a minimum of two countries in the same migration route (country of origin, transit and destination).

Only in exceptional and duly justified cases, actions may take place in a single country, depending on the geo-political or security context. This will be taken into account by the Evaluation Committee when determining the relevance of the action.

For this Lot, when the applicant is not a local organisation, it must act with at least one local co-applicant(s) per country where the action will take place. Under this lot, financial support to third parties is compulsory.

LOT 5- To Support children associated with armed forces, groups and gangs and impacted by armed violence

The general objective is to address the issue of children associated with armed forces, groups and gangs and impacted by armed violence focusing on girls and boys as part of the population dramatically affected by and vulnerable to armed violence, with an increase in conflicts, social violence and armed criminality in many areas of the world.

Driven by the consideration that the children have the right to live in safe environments, with due respect to their best interest6, the specific objectives of this lot are:

•    taking children out of and protect them from armed violence through comprehensive approaches, addressing push factors and consequences;
•    supporting the identification, demobilisation and long term reintegration of children formally associated with armed forces, groups and gangs through engaging multi-stakeholders (children, families, communities, authorities) at different level (local, regional, national);
•    preventing recruitment and use of children by armed forces, groups and gangs.

For this lot, when the applicant is not a local organisation, it must act with at least one local co-applicant(s) per country where the action will take place.

Location: actions must take place outside the European Union. Nevertheless, if duly justified, some activities may take place in the EU countries when they are directly related to situations arising in third countries and for the benefit of those countries. These reasons will be examined during the evaluation of the Concept Note.

Actions may take place in one single country.

Under this lot, financial support to third parties is compulsory.

1.2.2    Important elements under the five lots described above:

a)    Whatever its role in the proposal i.e. lead applicant, co-applicant or affiliated entity, an organisation may not be participating more than once in the present call for proposals. Should this be the case, the EC will only consider the first proposal arrived (based on the date and hour of submission), the additional proposal(s) will be rejected.

b)    Financial support to third parties is compulsory (except for lot 3) and will be taken into account at Concept Note level (see explanations in section 2.1.4 of these Guidelines and criterion 2.2. of the concept note evaluation grid). Please note that if financial support to third parties is not included when compulsory, the proposal will be rejected.

c)    Geographical balance will be taken into account by the Evaluation Committee when determining the relevance of the action.

d)    Except for lot 2, when the applicant is not a local organisation, it must act with at least one local co-applicant(s) per country where the action will take place. Should this not be the case, please note that the proposal will be rejected.

In the five lots, priority will be given to proposals including the four following points:

1.    Proposing innovative approaches or methodologies;

2.    Focusing on the needs and challenges faced by the targeted groups living outside the capitals and in remote areas;

3.    Encouraging the constitution of networks of local organizations and implementing actors and building their capacities, including at the regional level when relevant;

4.    Applicant and co-applicants working directly with or for children that i) have child protection policies in place for any project activities that involve interactions with children, and ii) can provide the  description of those policies in the proposal.
 
1.3  Financial allocation provided by the contracting authority

The overall indicative amount made available under this Call for proposals is EUR 26 866 185. The Contracting Authority reserves the right not to award all available funds. Equally, this amount could be increased should more funds become available.

Indicative allocation of funds by lot

•    Lot 1: EUR 5 000 000

•    Lot 2: EUR 5 000 000

•    Lot 3: EUR 6 866 185

•    Lot 4: EUR 5 000 000

•    Lot 5: EUR 5 000 000

If the allocation indicated for a specific lot cannot be used due to insufficient quality or number of proposals received, the Contracting Authority reserves the right to reallocate the remaining funds to another lot.

Size of grants

Any grant requested under this Call for Proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:

•    Lot 1: To support Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) organisations working at grassroots level.

minimum amount: EUR 250 000 maximum amount: EUR 1 000 000

•    Lot 2: To contribute to the monitoring and the effective implementation of the specific international core conventions ratified by GSP+ beneficiary countries in the EU Generalised Scheme of Preferences+ (GSP+) context.

minimum amount: EUR 800 000 maximum amount: EUR 1 500 000

•    Lot 3: To support the fight against the death penalty. minimum amount: EUR 800 000

maximum amount: EUR 1 500 000

•    Lot 4: To support migrants including asylum seekers in third countries internally displaced persons and stateless persons.

minimum amount: EUR 250 000 maximum amount: EUR 1 000 000

 •    Lot 5: To support children associated with armed forces, groups and gangs and impacted by armed violence.

minimum amount: EUR 250 000 maximum amount: EUR 1 000 000

Any grant requested under this Call for Proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum percentages of total eligible costs of the action:

•    Minimum percentage:  51% of the total eligible costs of the action

•    Maximum percentage 95% of the total eligible costs of the action (see also Section 2.1.5).

The full information and the guidelines can be found at this link

 Source: webgate.ec.europa.eu