EU-Paraguay Call for Proposals: 2018-2019 European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) Country Support Scheme

Deadline: 12 March 2019

The European Union (EU) is currently accepting proposals from eligible organisations for a program entitled “European Instrument for Democracyand Human Rights (EIDHR) Country support scheme: Paraguay” to support and strengthen the organizations of the civil society, activists for democracy and human rights defenders working in favor of human rights and democracy in Paraguay.

Program Lots

The program is divided in to two lots:

• LOT 1: Alliance for the promotion and protection of fundamental freedoms and spaces civic, democratic and civil society
  • The priorities of this lot are:
    • Promote human rights and obstruct attacks against them, in public-private partnerships or platforms between civil society and government organizations.
    • Strengthen the capacities of civil society actors and public agencies for the promotion of human rights and to expand the civic and democratic spaces in which they operate, including the strengthening of the capacity to monitor, document, report and report on violations and abuses of human rights, and fight against impunity at all levels.
    • Implement concrete actions to improve the enforce ability and guarantee of human rights, allowing to demonstrate clear advances.
    • Mobilize society in favor of fundamental rights where human rights are in risk or are more critical
• LOT 2: Intervene in situations where human rights are at risk or are more critics
  • The priorities of this lot are:
    • Protect the rights of the most vulnerable groups, such as indigenous groups, rural populations, people with disabilities and people or groups victims of human rights violations.
    • Strengthen and train human rights defenders.
    • Promote freedom of expression and freedom of association, with particular attention to the protection of defenders of human rights who operate or intervene in sensitive issues in Paraguay, such as the right to land, equality between men and women and the empowerment of women and girls.

Grant Information

Grants requested under this Call for Proposals must be included between the following minimum and maximum amount:

• Lot 1:
  • Minimum amount: EUR 680,000
  • Maximum amount: EUR 700,000
• Lot 2:
  • Minimum amount: EUR 280,000
  • Maximum amount: EUR 300,000

Eligibility Criteria

• Lead applicant
  • In order to qualify for a grant, the main applicant must:
    • be a legal entity;
    • not have a profit motive;
    • be established in Paraguay, or in one of the Member States of the European Union or in another eligible country in accordance with the relevant clauses of regulation No. 235/2014 of 11 March 2014, which establishes a European Instrument for the promotion of Democracy and of Human Rights (EIDHR);
    • be directly responsible, with its co-applicants and affiliated entities, for the preparation and management of the action, and not simply to act as an intermediary and
    • be a Civil Society Organization(CSO) constituted according to the legislation in vigor in Paraguay for at least two years (2) prior to the submission of the proposal, and will have to prove having implemented, before, regularly, actions of the type of covered in this program, for at least the same period of two years; or
    • be a Civil Society Organization(CSO) of a Member State of the European Union or in another eligible country in accordance with the relevant clauses of regulation No. 235/20142 of the March 11, 2014 constituted in accordance with the legislation in force in the country of origin during at least three years (3), prior to the presentation of the proposal;  Operators of the public sector, higher education institutions and the media In Paraguay they are not eligible as main applicants or as co-applicants or affiliates, being only eligible as associates
  • Potential applicants who are in one of the situations of the Practical Guide will not be able to participate in the calls for proposals or to opt for a grant.
• Co-applicants
  • The co-applicants will participate in the design and execution of the action, and the costs incurred will be eligible in the same way as those made by the main applicant.
  • The co-applicants must meet the eligibility criteria applicable to the principal applicant.
    • Lot 1
      • the main applicants established in Paraguay must obligatorily have the less two (2)co-applicants who are civil society organizations established in Paraguay, or in the European Union or in another eligible country according to the relevant clauses of the regulation Nº235 / 20142 of March 11, 2014; or
      • the main applicants not established in Paraguay but in a member state of the European Union or in another eligible country according to the relevant clauses of the regulation Nº235 / 20142 of March 11, 2014 must obligatorily have at least two (2) co-applicants that are civil society organizations established in Paraguay.
      • In addition, all principal applicants must necessarily have at least one (1) co-applicant or associate who is a non-profit higher education institution, a means of communication with national relevance or a public body at the central level (Ministry, etc.). The latter can only intervene as an associated entity
    • Lot 2
      • the main applicants established in Paraguay must obligatorily have the less one (1)co-applicant that is a civil society organization established in Paraguay, or in the European Union or in another eligible country according to the relevant clauses of the regulation Nº235 / 20142 of March 11, 2014; or
      • the main applicants not established in Paraguay but in a member state of the European Union or in another eligible country according to the relevant clauses of the regulation Nº235 / 20142 of March 11, 2014 must obligatorily have at least one (1) co-applicant that it be a civil society organization established in Paraguay.
• Affiliated entities
  • The principal applicant and his / her co-applicant (s) may act with affiliated entities.
  • Only the following entities may be considered entities affiliated with the main applicant or the Co-applicant (s):
    • Only entities that have a structura llink with the applicants (ie the applicant principal or a co-applicant),especially if the link is legal or capital.
      • This structural link mainly covers two aspects: i) Control, as defined in Directive 2013/34 / EU on annual financial statements, Consolidated financial statements and other related reports of certain types of companies: Thus, the entities affiliated with an applicant can be: –
        • Entities controlled directly or indirectly by the applicant (subsidiaries or affiliates of first level). They can also be entities controlled by a controlled entity in turn by the applicant (second level subsidiaries), and the same applies to the following levels of control
        • Entities that directly or indirectly control the applicants (parent companies). Likewise, they may be entities that control an entity that in turn controls the applicant.
        • Entities under the same direct or indirect control as the applicant (associated companies).
      • Accession,that is, the applicant is legally defined as, for example, network, federation or association in which the proposed affiliated entities also participate, or participate in the same entity (for example, network, federation or association) that the proposed affiliated entities.

How to Apply

• The application procedure consists of two phases:
  • Concept notes
  • Full applications
• The concept note together with the declaration by the lead applicant must be submitted at the address given on the website.

For more information, please visit 
https://bit.ly/2C4cpgQand download the guidelines.