CSO Watchdog: Strengthening Transparency, Accountability and Resilience in Gambia

Deadline: 8-Sep-21

The European Union (EU) is pleased to launch the CSO Watchdog: Strengthening Transparency, Accountability and Resilience (STAR) to strengthen participatory and accountable governance in The Gambia in order to contribute to economic recovery, democrastisation, peace and stability.

Objectives and Priority Issues

The specific objectives of this call for proposals are:

• To set up a civil society mechanism of oversight and dialogue to assess the progress in implementing the National Development Plan (NDP) and its successor. This platform will issue yearly reports on the implementation of the NDP from the angle o4public accountability. The report will be debated in a yearly workshop.
• To improve the capacity of public administrations (including local authorities) to provide public services in an efficient, transparent and accountable manner.
• This civil society mechanism set up will also serve to strengthen the capacity of civil society organizations (CSOs), research centres/think tanks and the media to perform their roles in the fight against corruption and the promotion of accountability.
• The activity will be mainly based in the Greater Banjul Area but will also include activities for the rural areas.

• Partnerships are built with Gambian institutions at international, national and/or local levels enabling civil society organisations and citizens to make structured contributions to inclusive governance and inclusive and sustainable economic development throughout the country;
• Civil society organisations and citizens, including women and youth, develop their capacities to participate as actors of democratic governance, development and poverty reduction;
• Research centres/thinlcs tanks and the Media in The Gambia become stronger at informing on the fight against corruption, on giving a voice to women and to the youth in a way that respects the rights-based approach and the legislation of The Gambia;
• National and local government authorities have improved capacities to provide public services in an efficient, transparent and accountable manner.

Funding Information

The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 400,000. The contracting authority reserves the right not to award all available funds. Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:

• minimum amount: EUR 350,000
• maximum amount: EUR 400,000

Eligibility Criteria

Lead applicant(s)

• be a legal person and
• be non-profit-making and
• be a non-governmental organisation and
• be established in a Member State of European Union or The Gambia 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 and
• When the lead applicant is not established in The Gambia, it must act with at least one co-applicant established in The Gambia.

• Co-applicant participate in designing and implementing the action, and the cost 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.

• 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, as defined in Directive 2013/34/EU 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 (grandrImighter 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 https://bit.ly/3vpui2E