Call for Applications: DRL Promoting the Rule of Law in Angola

Deadline: 22-May-23

The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) announces an open competition for organizations interested in submitting applications for projects that support a more independent judiciary in Angola.

Objective 

DRL is seeking proposals to increase judicial independence in Angola. DRL’s goal is that ​​​Angola’s judicial sector operates with increased independence and efficiency, which will contribute to the country’s democratic opening. In support of this goal, programs should work towards two or more of the following programming objectives:

• Objective 1: Angola’s legal framework for judicial independence is strengthened.
  • Judicial reform is a political, as well as technical, challenge. As such, DRL encourages applicants working towards this objective to focus on building an inclusive and broad-based coalition that can produce feasible legal and operational reforms to the judiciary. Activities can include:
    • Identifying shared reform priorities among citizens, judges, and other stakeholders;
    • Conducting advocacy campaigns and dialogue sessions around potential reforms;
    • Providing technical assistance in drafting necessary reforms; strategic litigation; and
    • Providing technical assistance in implementing any new reform agenda, including conducting trainings for judges and sensitizing the public on any new policies and procedures.
• Objective 2: Citizens demonstrate improved awareness of their legal rights and responsibilities.
  • Activities to support this objective can center around strengthening the institutional capacity of civil society, professional legal associations, journalists, and other stakeholders with a commitment to increased judicial independence. Applicants should ensure youth and women play a prominent role in advocacy activities. Approaches can facilitate awareness raising activities to improve the understanding of legal rights and responsibilities, what resources – such as legal aid – are available to citizens, and how the judicial system operates.
• Objective 3: Judges and the courts have increased ability to manage and adjudicate cases fairly and effectively.
  • Angola’s Supreme Court, and to a lesser extent lower courts, are often perceived as politicized and inefficient, and continue to suffer from large case backlogs. This results in a lack of confidence among citizens and hinders the branch’s independence. Applicants may propose activities that focus on procedural, operational, and modernizing changes that will increase the judiciary’s ability to handle cases, reduce backlog, digitize records and processes, increase transparency, and improve citizen interactions with their court system.

Funding Information

• Total Funding Floor:  $3,000,000
• Total Funding Ceiling:  $3,000,000
• Anticipated Number of Awards:  1
• Type of Award: Cooperative Agreement
• Period of Performance:  24-36 months
• Anticipated Time to Award, Pending Availability of Funds:  3-6 months

Projects

All programs should aim to have impact that leads to reforms and have the potential for sustainability beyond DRL resources.  DRL’s preference is to avoid duplicating past efforts by supporting new and creative approaches.  This does not exclude from consideration projects that improve upon or expand existing successful projects in a new and complementary way.

DRL is committed to advancing equity and support for underserved and underrepresented communities.  In accordance with the Executive Order on Advancing Racial Equity and Underserved Communities, programs should implement strategies for integration and inclusion of individuals/organizations/beneficiaries that can bring perspectives based on their religion, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, sex characteristics, national origin, age, genetic information, marital status, parental status, pregnancy, political affiliation, or veteran’s status.  Programs should be demand-driven and locally led to the extent possible.

DRL requires all programs to be non-discriminatory and expects implementers to include strategies for nondiscrimination of individuals/organizations/beneficiaries based on race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, pregnancy, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, marital status, parental status, political affiliation, or veteran’s status.

Competitive proposals may also include a summary budget and budget narrative for 12 additional months following the proposed period of performance.  This information should indicate what objective(s) and/or activities could be accomplished with additional time and/or funds beyond the proposed period of performance.

Where appropriate, competitive proposals may include:

• Opportunities for beneficiaries to apply their new knowledge and skills in practical efforts;
• Solicitation of feedback and suggestions from beneficiaries when developing activities in order to strengthen the sustainability of programs and participant ownership of project outcomes;
• Input from participants on sustainability plans and systematic review of the plans throughout the life of the project, with adjustments made as necessary;
• Inclusion of vulnerable populations;
• Joint identification and definition of key concepts with relevant stakeholders and stakeholder input into project activities;
• Systematic follow up with beneficiaries at specific intervals after the completion of activities to track how beneficiaries are retaining new knowledge as well as applying their new skills.

Eligibility Criteria

• DRL welcomes applications from U.S.-based and foreign-based non-profit organizations/ nongovernmental organizations (NGO) and public international organizations; private, public, or state institutions of higher education; and for-profit organizations or businesses. DRL’s preference is to work with non-profit entities; however, there may be some occasions when a for-profit entity is best suited.
• Applications submitted by for-profit entities may be subject to additional review following the panel selection process. Additionally, the Department of State prohibits profit to for-profit or commercial organizations under its assistance awards. Profit is defined as any amount in excess of allowable direct and indirect costs. The allowability of costs incurred by commercial organizations is determined in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) at 48 CFR 30, Cost Accounting Standards Administration, and 48 CFR 31 Contract Cost Principles and Procedures.

For more information, visit DRL.