Grants to promote Accountability in Iraq & Syria for Genocide, Crimes Against Humanity & War Crimes

Deadline: 26-Jul-23

The Department of State invites applicants to submit a proposals specific for either Iraq or Syria for victim/survivor-centered programming that include components to develop local investigative and judicial skills, to collect and preserve evidence and maintain the chain of custody of evidence, exploit digital technologies in the service of justice and to conduct other activities that directly support investigations and prosecutions of those responsible for atrocities in available jurisdictions.

Objectives

A successful project will result in the advancement of victim and survivor centered investigations and prosecutions of perpetrators of atrocities in Iraq or Syria. Programming may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following areas:

Collect, preserve, and/or analyze evidence of atrocities in Iraq or Syria, maintaining legal chain of custody of evidence and sharing with appropriate national authorities and multilateral accountability mechanisms, as applicable. Applicants should consider inclusion of civil society, including medical and legal professionals, and the deployment of digital technologies where appropriate.
Build case files to share with national authorities and multilateral accountability mechanisms, as applicable, in support of investigations and prosecutions of crimes and alleged perpetrators of atrocities, wherever such individuals may be located.
File criminal complaints, petitions, or memorials in national, regional, or international courts that may have jurisdiction over the commission of atrocities by state or non-state actors.
Support or fulfill the mandates of public international organizations that promote criminal accountability for abuses and violations in Iraq and/or Syria, including war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.
Develop new technologies to improve searching, processing, and analyzing massive holdings of documents, which may be in Arabic, Kurdish, and other languages.
Provide targeted training to law enforcement and/or prosecutorial officials on forensics, crime scene analysis, trial preparation, and interviewing of witnesses including of crimes related to sexual violence.
Conduct trial monitoring and outreach.
Provide victim/witness protection and/or support-related services.

Funding Information

Estimated Number of Awards: 2
Estimated Total Program Funding: $2,500,000
Estimated Award Ceiling: $1,250,000
Estimated Award Floor: $1,000,000
Estimated Length of Project Period: 12-24 Months

Eligible Projects

Projects must include:

A primary focus on advancing justice and accountability through support to victim and survivor-centered criminal investigations and prosecutions for atrocities committed in either Iraq or Syria.
A commitment to share information generated over the course of the project with the Department of State, while appropriately respecting confidentiality.
If applicable, a willingness to respond to requests for information from public international organizations, other international accountability mechanisms, and national authorities engaged in such efforts.
Where programming is proposed that would gather information from victims and witnesses, the applicant must include clear processes for informed consent, confidentiality, service referral, and preventing retraumatization.
A rigorous results monitoring plan with demonstrated feedback loops to show tangible outcomes of the project.

Eligible Countries and Territories

In this announcement, they seek to support projects that advance criminal accountability for atrocities committed in Iraq or Syria. Applications may focus on atrocities committed in either Iraq or Syria, not both.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must have functional experience in the areas of investigating and prosecuting conflict related atrocities in Iraq or Syria.
Eligible applicants include:
- U.S. or foreign
  - Non-profit organizations;
  - For-profit organizations;
  - Private institutions of higher education;
  - Public or state institutions of higher education;
  - Public International Organizations
NEA/AC is committed to an anti-discrimination policy in all of its programs and activities. NEA/AC welcomes applications irrespective of an applicants’ race, ethnicity, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.
They encourage applications from organizations working with underserved communities, including women, people with disabilities, and youth. NEA/AC strongly encourages applications from civil society organizations headquartered in the Middle East and North Africa region.