Deadline Extended till 24 April 2017
European Union/Council of Europe has launched a call for proposals for local initiatives on inter-municipal cooperation in Armenia with an aim to improve delivery of public services through inter-municipal cooperation initiatives of mutual benefit to all partner municipalities and their citizens.
This call for proposals is launched within the Thematic Programme “Strengthening Institutional Frameworks for Local Governance”, implemented by the Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform, Directorate General of Democracy II and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities. The Programme is funded by the European Union and co-funded by the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe, through the Programmatic Cooperation Framework (PCF) 2015-2017 for Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus.
Purpose
- to support the ongoing process of local government reform in the participating countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus);
- to promote ethical behaviour by locally elected representatives in the region and
- to support the improvement of financial and human resources management of local administrations based on European standards and benchmarking processes.
To achieve its purpose, the programme will focus on:
- improving and streamlining legislative frameworks;
- increasing the efficiency, transparency and accessibility of local self-government and enhancing their capacity;
- incorporating best practices and implementing policy recommendations;
- increasing leadership capacities of local elected representatives;
- promoting effective provision of services to citizens, in particular through inter-municipal co-operation;
- strengthening the capacities of local authorities by promoting good governance, transparency, accountability and ways to prevent and combat corruption;
- fostering citizens’ participation as a means to reinforce the accountability of local authorities;
- supporting central governments and local authorities in improving the situation of local finance through improved regulations, institutions and practice.
Project beneficiaries include local and regional authorities and their respective associations, ministries responsible for local self-government, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and citizens.
Funding Information
- The Council of Europe is seeking project proposals with a budget up to 45,000 EUR (forty five thousand Euros) each.
- The Council of Europe intends to award a maximum of three (3) grants to consortia (clusters) of two or more municipalities or to joint municipal enterprises created with the purpose of implementing inter-municipal co-operation in Armenia.
Eligibility Criteria
In order to be eligible for a grant, an applicant must:
- be a consortium of two and more municipalities or a joint municipal enterprise created by at least two municipalities with the purpose of providing public services to their residents;
- be entitled to carry out activities described in its project proposal;
- have sufficient financial capacity (stable and sufficient sources of funding) to maintain its activity throughout the period for which the grant is awarded and to participate by way of its own resources (including human resources or in-kind contributions);
- have sufficient operational and professional capacity, including human resources, to carry out activities described in its project proposal;
- indicate an official bank account in which the receiving entity can securely deposit the funds for the grant.
How to Apply
The application form, completed and signed, together with the supporting documents, must be submitted in electronic form (Word and/or PDF) at the address given on the website.
For more information, please visit Call for Proposals.