CFPs: Enhancing CSOs’ Contribution to Governance and Development Processes (Malaysia)

Deadline: 19-Dec-23

The European Commission (EC) is inviting applications to strengthen civil society organisations (CSOs) as independent development actors to contribute to governance and development process in Malaysia, with a view to contribute to the attainment of sustainable development goals (SDGs).

The specific objective of this call for proposals is to promote the enabling environment for civil society organisations and enhance their capacity to better contribute to and meaningfully participate in development and domestic policies process of Malaysia, addressing the three key dimensions of sustainable development – social, environmental and economic.

Priorities                                                                                                             

• The priority(ies) of this call for proposals is/are:
  • Lot 1: Green Alliances and Partnerships
  • Lot 2: Alliances for Sustainable Growth and Jobs
  • Lot 3: Governance, Peace and Security, Human Development
• For all priorities, the proposed action must include: comprehensive capacity building activities for local development actors; and specific activities to engage women, girls and youth throughout the action.

Types of Actions

• Lot 1
  • Climate change, low carbon and circular economy
  • Biodiversity and Forests
  • Sustainable livelihood including community based wildlife protection
  • Green and smart cities
  • Sustainable energy
  • Sustainable food systems including nutrition,
  • Water and Oceans
  • Pollution
  • Sustainable industry/value chains and green mobility
• Lot 2
  • Sustainable finance
  • Investment and de-risking, including key enabling infrastructure
  • Employment and decent work
  • Education and skills
  • Business environment and investment climate
  • Sustainable supply chain management
• Lot 3
  • Human rights, Democracy, fundamental values
  • Rule of law and accountability
  • Political participation of young voters
  • Conflict prevention, sustaining peace and building resilience
  • Fight against terrorism and organised crime
  • Human development

Funding Information

• The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 3,900,000. The contracting authority reserves the right not to award all available funds. Similarly, this amount could be increased should more funds become available.
• The available budget under this call for proposals is divided into three lots as follows:
  • Lot 1 (Budget EUR 1,900,000): Actions on Green Alliances and Partnerships
  • Lot 2 (Budget EUR 1,000,000): Actions on Alliances for Sustainable Growth and Jobs
  • Lot 3 (Budget EUR 1,000,000): Actions on Governance, Peace and Security, Human Development
• Size of grants for all Lots
  • Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
    • Minimum amount: EUR 750,000
    • Maximum amount: EUR 1,000,000

Duration

• The initial planned duration of an action may not may not be lower than 36months nor exceed 60 months.

Types of Main Activities

• Activities should be designed to address and selected priority (ies) and meet the specific needs of the target group(s) as identified in the proposed action.
  • Capacity building: training, workshops, meetings, conference, exchange-learning/visit, mentoring, on-the-job training etc.
  • Networking: peoples’ and community groups exchanges, community-mobilisation and empowerment, knowledge conservation, creation of sub-regional networks, establishment of cooperatives, regular and annual CSOs seminar, mechanism supporting networking (Information Technology and multi-media platforms) etc.
  • Monitoring of public services/policy implementation: roles of media (mainstream, alternative, social), citizen reporting, journalist training, public campaign, and studies/research.
  • Policy dialogue and advocacy action: training on advocacy skills, media interventions, awareness raising campaign, public campaign, consultation meetings, public conference, working with media, academic and think tank networks.
  • Research: producing evident-based interventions through documentation, study and surveys in providing information to monitor policy implementation, to launch policy advocacy campaign and dialogue for policy changes such as in relevant laws, and regulations and guidelines

Location

• Actions must take place in Malaysia.

Eligibility Criteria

• Lead applicant
  • In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
    • be a legal person and
    • be non-profit-making (could be registered as company by guarantee) and
    • be Civil Society Organisations and
    • be established in Malaysia or a Member State of the European Union 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.
  • The lead applicant (whether established in Malaysia or a Member State of the European Union) must act with at least one co-applicant.
  • If the lead applicant is established in a Member State of the European Union, at least one co-applicant must be established in Malaysia.
• 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 itself.
  • In addition to the categories the following are however also eligible as co-applicants:
    • Local Authorities (LAs) or Association of Local Authorities (ALAs):
      • legally registered in Malaysia or a Member State of the European Union
      • constituted in accordance with the legislation in force in the country concerned.
• 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 European Commission (EC).