CFAs: Support to CSOs involved in Transparency, Accountability and Oversight in Cambodia

Deadline: 14-Sep-2024

The European Commission (EC) has announced a call for applications to support CSOs involved in Transparency, Accountability and Oversight.

Objectives of the Programme and Priority Issues 

• Lot 1: Support to Civil Society Organisations
  • The global objective of this lot is: To contribute to an inclusive, participatory, empowered and independent civil society and democratic space in Cambodia
  • The specific objective of this lot is: To strengthen civil society capacity, participation and environment for functioning as independent actors of good governance and development.
  • The priorities of this lot are:
    • Improved capacity and ability of civil society to uphold and promote an enabling environment and civic space in line with sectors or themes identified.
    • Strengthened capacity of local CSOs to engage effectively with local young people (in line with the EU Youth Action Plan) and promote gender equality and women empowerment in Cambodia
• Lot 2: Support to civil society organisations involved in transparency, accountability and oversight. 
  • The global objective of this lot is: Good governance and democracy are promoted through enhanced transparency, accountability oversight in the area of PFM reform
  • The specific objective of this lot is: To strengthen demand for public sector transparency, accountability, oversight and public participation through civil society engagement
  • The priorities of this lot are:
    • Promote impactful, inclusive and sustainable CSO sector leadership on the PFM reform related issues
    • Promote broad local level/grassroots capacity and participation, including connections between local level challenges and national policies, based on the opening provided by the PFM reform
    • Promote strong and inclusive awareness and demand for transparency and accountability of public resources governance, rule of law, democratic governance and participation among citizens.
• Lot 1: Proposals shall address only one of the two priorities
• Lot 2: The proposal must include all three priorities
• For Both Lots 
  • Applicants shall take into consideration the following:
    • Proposals and projects funded under this action must be designed and implemented according to the methodology of the rights-based approach, as outlined in the 2021 tool-box   and based on the five principles of (i) Universality; (ii) Meaningful and inclusive participation and access to decision making; (iii) Non-discrimination and equality; (iv) Accountability and the rule of law for all and (v) Transparency and access to information.
    • Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment is an integral part of the rights-based approach. The commitment to right-based approach as reiterated in the EU Gender Action Plan III. To this end, projects funded under this action must include data that are systematically disaggregated by sex as well as gender-sensitive indicators. Each selected proposal will have to report against relevant Thematic Areas of Engagement and Specific Thematic Objectives and corresponding Indicators   stated in the ‘GAP-III: An ambitious vision on gender and women’s empowerment for EU external action
    • The proposals shall also tackle, whenever relevant, inter-sectoral discriminations based on e.g. ethnicity, disability, age, gender identity and/or sexual orientation. In particular, attention should be given to actions empowering the most marginalized and vulnerable groups (indigenous peoples, refugees, cultural minorities, non-skilled workers, etc.) as well as taking into account the different risks and challenges that may be faced by women and men.
    • The Global Gateway is the new strategic approach of the EU Commission and EU Member States to respond to global challenges. Civil Society Organizations can play important roles in ensuring that Global Gateway investments are underpinned by key principles of democratic values, high standards, good governance, transparency, and equal partnerships. Proposals under Lot 1 targeting priorities of the Global Gateway shall include activities aimed at strengthening the capacity of Civil Society Organizations in promoting these key principles for a more sustainable impact and higher quality results of Global Gateway initiatives.
    • Each selected proposal will have to report against relevant ‘SMART’, sex-disaggregated indicators. In preparing the logical framework, applications shall integrate EU corporate indicators   and Result chain indicators as much as possible
    • Applications shall propose a robust monitoring system that tracks indicators, allows for communication of data to decision makers and can inform the steering of the intervention
  • Proposals should, whenever relevant, propose innovative approaches or methodologies, focus on the needs and challenges faced by targeted groups living both in urban areas and outside the capitals and in remote areas.

Sectors or Themes

• Lot 1: Support to Civil Society Organisations (Priority 1)
  • Proposed actions under Priority 1 of this Lot shall focus on one or no more than two of the following sector specific areas of intervention and be strategically aligned wherever viable, with the EU Delegation to Cambodia Multi-Annual Indicative Programme 2021-2027:
    • Agriculture and Forestry: Support the capacity of CSOs in addressing sustainable agriculture and food value chains (preferably on pepper and cashew nut), agro-ecology approaches, deforestation-free policies, biodiversity conservation and circular economy in agriculture.
    • Food Safety and Consumer Protection: Support the capacity of CSOs in strengthening national food safety systems, consumer protection including fostering transparent communication, shared responsibilities and proactive education initiatives.
    • Environment and Climate Change: Support the capacity of CSOs in addressing climate change mitigation and adaptation and the impact of environmental degradation and exploitation of natural resources on local communities including in relation to land ownership.
    • Responsible and Sustainable Industrial Practices: Support the capacity of CSOs in promoting sustainable industrial value chains including clean and renewable energy practices, waste management, resources efficiency as well as decent work principles and conditions, responsible business conducts and compliance with labour laws and standards and labour disputes at workplace.

Funding Information

• The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 9,872,853. The contracting authority reserves the right not to award all available funds.
• Indicative allocation of funds by Lot:
  • Lot 1: EUR 6,372,853
  • Lot 2: EUR 3,500,000
• Size of grants
  • Lot 1: Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
    • minimum amount: EUR 910,000
    • maximum amount: EUR 1,590,000
  • Lot 2: Any grant requested under this call for proposals must be equal to EUR 3,500,000

Duration

• Lot 1: The initial planned duration of an action may not be lower than 36 months nor exceed 48 months.
• Lot 2: The duration of the action shall be of 36 months.

Types of Activity

• Lot 1
  • Advocacy, lobbying and development of strategies by CSOs to influence policy-making, or counter restrictions imposed on CSOs and other non-state actors
  • Sector-specific technical, research analysis, studies and advocacy capacity
  • Supporting networks, platforms, multi-stakeholders exchanges and dialogue mechanisms, inclusive strategic partnership etc.
  • Awareness rising, campaigning, public information and communication on sector specific sectors, legislation, policies etc.
  • Training, technical, institutional capacity building
• Lot 2
  • Promotion of sector leadership on PFM reforms related issues
  • Working groups/networks formation (by building on existing platforms where available), coordination and leadership involving agenda setting, stakeholder analysis, strategies on engagement with key ministries/parliamentary committees etc
  • Strengthening or building on existing spaces (or creating new ones only if necessary and feasible) for policy dialogue with the duty bearers and promotion of mutual learning and collaboration among and between different working groups
  • Organisation, mobilisation and empowerment of local communities, to influence local investment plans (at commune and district level) and national policies and development/budgets in areas that affect their rights and livelihoods.
  • Facilitation the formation of inclusive citizen-led development agenda and strengthen communities to advocate for implementation

Location

• Both Lots: Actions must take place in Cambodia.

Eligibility Criteria

• Lead applicant(s)
  • In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant (for each Lot) must:
    • be a legal person and
    • be non-profit-making and
    • be a specific type of organisation such as: non-governmental organisation, public sector operator, local authority,
    • be established in a Member State of the European Union or in Cambodia or in any other eligible countries as stipulated in the basic act/CIR/NDICI-GE/INSC/IPA III/OAD, 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.