Call for Proposals: Fighting against Impunity in Fiji

Deadline: 15-Aug-2024

The European Commission has announced a call for proposals that contribute to justice and the rule of law in Fiji through increased accountability for human rights violations and abuses.

Objectives of the Programme and Priority Issues

• The specific objective of this call for proposals is to fight impunity by building the knowledge base for accountability, and developing comprehensive strategies and tools to address knowledge, capacity and commitment gaps. The initiative will (i) facilitate coordination, access to and sharing of information and knowledge by all relevant actors; and (ii) support their capacity to collect and use evidence and knowledge – for advocacy and accountability at national level.
• Proposals and awarded projects will concentrate on all the following priority issues:
  • Ongoing violations (violations have taken place, or there is clear and convincing evidence that they are taking place);
  • Future violations (there are clear indications that serious violations may be escalated, repeated or reiterated);
  • Focus on those areas of the country where the most serious violations are occurring, based on a strategy/needs assessment informed by existing work on the ground and a risk/security/conflict analysis, and developed in cooperation with the national law enforcement authorities and the Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission (to minimise potential risks and maximise impact conducive to concrete advances in the fight against impunity);
• Proposals should include a clear methodology for the development and review of a “priority issue country list” (which can be refined during the inception period). For instance, applicants must outline the specific criteria, data sources and weightings used to:
  • determine whether violations are being committed or may be escalated, repeated or reiterated;
  • conduct country risk/security/conflict analyses and establish contingency plans (to ensure the confidentiality of sensitive activities and data, informed consent and safety of all involved, etc.).

Funding Information

• The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 520,000.00. The contracting authority reserves the right not to award all available funds.
• Size of grants 
  • Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
    • maximum amount: EUR 520,000.00
    • minimum amount: EUR 250,000.00

Duration 

• The initial planned duration of an action may not be lower than 12 months nor exceed 36 months.

Components and Activities 

• Component 1 – Knowledge management 
  • Improving coordination in accessing and sharing knowledge/information among local, national, regional and international actors, to increase impact on the ground;
  • Identifying and analysing existing information upon which to base the applicant’s actions;
  • Producing research and reports on violations to fill information gaps.
  • Methodological elements (non-exhaustive list): 
    • Knowledge management strategy with criteria to identify and fill information gaps on violations (including those which are underreported or receiving less attention from the authorities and/or the international community), avoiding contributing to over-documentation and fostering ecosystems of collaboration, including with pre-existing structures and mechanisms as well as possible future initiatives.
• Component 2 – Experience sharing, advocacy and awareness raising 
  • Supporting existing partnerships and networks at the local, national and regional levels to raise awareness and knowledge about violations and to promote enhanced commitments to and respect for rule of law;
  • Enhancing dialogues and exchanges of experience/best practices among CSOs, victims and survivor groups, legal professionals, policy makers and national and international institutions;
  • Better informing public policies and actions in the fight against impunity through advocacy initiatives, technical studies, and strategic reports on specific access to justice/human rights issues/contexts.
  • Methodological elements (non-exhaustive list): 
    • Partnerships and networks strategy and plans for coordination, learning and experience sharing – with other judicial and non-judicial actors working on serious violations at local and national levels (disaggregated as appropriate and mentioning how the applicant will diversify its network);
    • Awareness-raising, outreach, and advocacy plans covering the sharing and dissemination of timely, tailormade information and recommendations that can feed into specific judicial and non-judicial measures to fight against impunity (with clearly defined objectives, target audiences, messages, approach and activities so the applicant appropriately involves/targets a maximum of duty bearers and rights-holders in the most difficult situations).
• Component 3 – Adopt victim-centred, trauma-responsive, gender-responsive and human rights-based approaches 
  • Understanding current and future victims/survivors’ needs and facilitating access to justice for victims/survivors, including through research and awareness raising;
  • Engaging with national bodies to strengthen law enforcement processes based on best practices and lessons learned.
  • Methodological elements (non-exhaustive list): 
    • Plans to ensure the adoption of victim-centred, trauma-responsive, gender-responsive and human right-based approaches (describing priority issues as well as capacity building, awareness-raising and operational plans to ensure equal respect for all victims and the informed consent and safety of all involved in the project).

Expected Results

• Considering the difficult context in which the action will take place, expected results under this call are:
  • Enhanced oversight and strengthened role of civil society in monitoring and responding to human rights violations and abuses;
  • Enhanced victim-centred, trauma-responsive, gender-responsive and human rights-based approaches in the fight against impunity;
  • Improved capacities to collect and use data, investigate human rights violations and abuses, and to improve access to justice through public awareness and capacity building.

Eligibility Criteria

• Lead applicant (s) 
  • In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
    • be a legal person and
    • be non-profit-making and
    • be a specific type of organisation such as: non-governmental organisation or civil society organisation, public sector operator, local authority, and
    • be established in a Member State of the European Union or any other country (no nationality restriction as per Part I: MFF 2021-2027 Instruments for External Action – (1) Eligible countries for NDICI- Global Europe (NDICI- Global Europe Article 28 paragraphs 1 & 2, 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.
• Co-applicant(s) 
  • Co-applicants participate in designing and implementing the action, and the costs they incur are eligible in the same way as those incurred by the lead applicant.
  • Co-applicants must satisfy the eligibility criteria as applicable to the lead applicant himself.
  • Co-applicants must sign the mandate form.
  • If awarded the grant contract, the co-applicant(s) (if any) will become beneficiary(ies) in the action (together with the coordinator).
• Affiliated entities 
  • 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 co-applicant(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 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.

For more information, visit EC.