Deadline: 15 May 2019

The European Union (EU) is accepting proposals for a program entitled “Civil Society Organizations (CSO) and European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR)”.

Objectives

• LOT 1: Civil Society Organisation (CSO)
  • The global objective of this call for proposals is: To strengthen the role of CSOs as both, actors of governance and implementers of Agenda 2030, in particular in the new federal context of Nepal.
  • The priorities to be followed are:
    • To strengthen CSOs’ capacities and their engagement on climate change mitigation and adaptation measures with relevant stakeholders in one or more key sectors, such as agriculture, energy, rural / urban development, disaster risk reduction etc., within the framework of Nepal’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), under the Paris Agreement;
    • To support socio-economic initiatives aimed at wealth and job creation, targeting populations with limited opportunities for economic empowerment, and potential migrants;
    • To involve men and boys’ associations, women’s organisations, faith based organisations, youth organisations, local authorities, private sector, media, etc. in the transformative process of engendering social change, in particular by challenging stereotypes.
• LOT 2: European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR)
  • The global objective of this call for proposals is: to support civil society and human rights defenders in Nepal working on human rights (political, civil, economic, social and cultural), and democratisation, so as to: pursue common agendas for human rights and democratic reform; build consensus on disputed or controversial areas of policy; enhance political representation and participation; enhance the inclusiveness and pluralism of civil society; increase safety structures for human rights defenders; counter the worrying trends of shrinking space for civil society; support activities aimed at promoting the issues covered by EU Human Rights guidelines and in the EUs Strategic Framework and Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy; and enhance the rule of law and good governance
  • The priorities of this call for proposals are:
    • Supporting victims of rights violations with focus on victims and people affected by the armed conflict in Nepal caused during 1996-2006;
    • Fighting discrimination in all its forms with focus on securing the rights of vulnerable groups that are already victimised or potential victims to any kinds of violence, discriminations and exclusion based on caste, gender identity, family, religion or belief, physical and mental conditions and work;
    • Promoting freedom of expression and independent Media with focus on promoting accountability, transparency and the Rule of Law.

Size of grants

Any requested EU contribution under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:

• LOT 1:
  • minimum amount: EUR 620,000.00
  • maximum amount: EUR 820,000.00
• LOT 2:
  • minimum amount: EUR 340,000.00
  • maximum amount: EUR 460,000.00

Eligibility Criteria

Lead applicant

• In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
  • For LOT 1 – CSO:
    • be a legal person officially registered at least three years before the call is launched; and
    • be non-profit-making; and
    • be a specific type of organisation such as: civil society organisation
    • be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the coapplicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies), not acting as an intermediary; and
    • be allowed to implement activities in accordance with the Nepalese legal provisions
    • be established in a Member State of the European Union or in Nepal or in any countries eligible under the Financing Instrument for development cooperation for the period 2014- 2020
  • For LOT 2 – EIDHR only:
    • be a legal person officially registered at least three years before the call is launched or an entity without legal personality organised at least three years before the call is launched; and
    • be non-profit-making; and
    • be a specific type of organisation such as: (a) civil society organisations, including nongovernmental non-profit organisations and independent political foundations, community-based organisations and private-sector non-profit agencies, institutions and organisations and networks thereof at local or national level; (b) independent national body constituted under the domestic law or public-sector non-profit agencies, institutions and organisations (including the National Human Rights Institutions), international inter-governmental organisation and national parliamentary bodies; and
    • be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies), not acting as an intermediary; and
    • be allowed to implement activities in accordance with the Nepalese legal provisions and
    • be established in any country

Co-applicants

The lead applicant must act with at least two (2) co-applicants, but not more than four (4) coapplicants:

• If the lead applicant is Nepali, it must act with at least two (2) co-applicants, out of which at least one (1) is Nepali co-applicant;
• If the lead applicant is non-Nepali, it must act with at least two (2) are Nepali co-applicants.

Affiliated entity(ies)

• The lead applicant and its co-applicant(s) may act with affiliated entity(ies).
• Only the following entities may be considered as affiliated entities to the lead applicant and/or to coapplicant(s):
  • Only entities having a structural link with the applicants (i.e. the lead applicant or a co-applicant), in particular a legal or capital link.
  • This structural link encompasses mainly two notions:
    • Control, as defined in Directive 2013/34/EU on the annual financial statements, consolidated financial statements and related reports of certain types of undertakings:
      • Entities affiliated to an applicant may hence be:
        • Entities directly or indirectly controlled by the applicant (daughter companies or first-tier subsidiaries). They may also be entities controlled by an entity controlled by the applicant (granddaughter companies or second-tier subsidiaries) and the same applies to further tiers of control;
        • Entities directly or indirectly controlling the applicant (parent companies). Likewise, they may be entities controlling an entity controlling the applicant;
        • Entities under the same direct or indirect control as the applicant (sister companies).
    • Membership, i.e. the applicant is legally defined as a e.g. network, federation, association in which the proposed affiliated entities also participate or the applicant participates in the same entity (e.g. network, federation, association) as the proposed affiliated entities

How to Apply

• The application procedure consists of two phases:
  • Concept notes
  • Full applications
• In the first instance, only concept notes must be submitted for evaluation. Thereafter, lead applicants who have been pre-selected will be invited to submit a full application.

For more information, please visit https://bit.ly/2U7lUGr and download the guidelines.