CBSS to promote and protect Human Rights & Fundamental Freedoms in Pakistan

Deadline: 22-Apr-24

The European Commission (EC) has announced a Country–based support scheme (CBSS) to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms in Pakistan.

Objectives

• The global objective of this call for proposals is to contribute to the full enjoyment of all human rights, be they civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights, by all, and to work together with all key actors to advance their realisation.
• The specific objective(s) of this call for proposals are to protect and promote human rights in Pakistan, with a particular focus on:
  • Lot 1: Business and Human Rights
    • This lot aims to prevent corporate harm, promote decent work and ensure accountability for business related human rights abuses, or violations happening in the world of work.
  • Lot 2: Equality and inclusion of minorities
    • This lot aims to ensure equality, inclusion, respect, and engagement of persons belonging to minorities in all spheres of public and private life, addressing especially discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief as well as sexual orientation and gender identity.

Priorities

• The priorities of this call for proposals are:
  • Lot 1: Business and Human Rights
    • Under Lot 1, actions may foresee the following outputs:
      • Monitoring and facilitating businesses’ understanding and compliance with human rights obligations arising from Pakistan’s GSP+ status and the proposed Corporate Sustainable Due Diligence EU Directive.
      • Addressing abusive and fraudulent labour practices notably against young workers, domestic workers, workers from ethnic/religious minorities, workers with disabilities and women workers, whether in the formal or informal sectors.
      • Promoting dialogue, reporting and experience-sharing between corporate actors, human rights organisations, government about the implementation of human rights due diligence, labour rights disputes, access to remedies and grievance mechanisms.
  • Lot 2: Equality and inclusion of minorities
    • Under Lot 2, actions may foresee the following outputs:
      • Preventing and combatting discrimination and violence, addressing either non-governmental or governmental responsibilities; promoting tolerance, diversity and interfaith harmony.
      • Advocating for anti-discrimination laws or to repeal discriminatory provisions still contained in laws and policies.
      • Supporting access to redress and remedies, including through legal representation, in case of violations.

Methodological cross-cutting elements

• Marginalised groups
  • Efforts should be made by the applicants to reach out to marginalised communities and grass-root organisations. For this purpose, proposed actions may foresee financial support to third parties.
  • The objective of the financial support to third parties (FSTP) is to support small local CSOs, including grass root organisations, active in the fields identified under the 2 lots. Support can help those in organising activities that directly contribute to the objective of the action, e.g. in realising the outputs, such as those suggested. In addition, financial support to third parties may also aim at reinforcing the technical and management capacities of small organisations active in the thematic areas of intervention identified in this call, as well as their capacity to enter alliances and networks – both locally and where relevant internationally – and work with other relevant non-governmental and institutional actors.
• Human Rights-based approach (HRBA)
  • The European Consensus on Development commits the EU and its Member States to implementing a human rights-based approach (HRBA)10 to development, encompassing all human rights as well as EU’s commitment to promote and protect human rights and democracy as enshrined in the Joint Communication and EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy for 2020-2024.
• Gender equality and women’s empowerment
  • Gender equality is an integral part of the HRBA, encompassing the promotion, protection and fulfilment of all human rights. Gender equality constitutes a fundamental human rights principle and a common value of the European Union (EU Treaties, EU Action Plan on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in External Action 2021-2025 “GAP III”11). The design of the action should give particular attention to gender mainstreaming to ensure a reinforced role of women as actors of change.

Funding Information

• The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 2 972 513.
• Indicative allocation of funds by lot:
  • Lot 1 – EUR 1 472 513
  • Lot 2 – EUR 1 500 000
• Size of grants
  • Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
    • minimum amount: EUR 400 000
    • maximum amount: EUR 600 000

Duration

• The initial planned duration of an action may not be lower than 30 months nor exceed 48 months.

Location

• Actions must take place in Pakistan.
• Punctual activities may take place outside Pakistan if duly justified in the description of the action

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 Civil Society Organisation (CSO) or association of CSOs and
    • be established in Pakistan, a Member State of the European Union or in any other country and
    • be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the coapplicant(s), not acting as an intermediary and
    • Local Civil Society Organisations established in Pakistan will need to conform with the government-approved NGO policy, including by applying for a Memorandum of Understanding covering the present grant.
    • International Non-Governmental Organisations (established in any other eligible country than Pakistan) must have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Interior of Pakistan.
    • International Organisations and pillar-assessed organisations are not eligible under this call for proposals.
• 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.
  • If the lead applicant is not established in Pakistan, its proposal needs to include at least one co-applicant legally established in Pakistan.
  • Co-applicants must sign the mandate form.

For more information, visit EC.