DRL Supporting Disability Rights and Empowering Women in the Judiciary – Pakistan

Deadline: 4-Mar-24

The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) announces an open competition for organizations interested in submitting applications in response to the following solicitation.

U.S. human rights and democracy assistance will contribute to a stable Pakistan by promoting governance based on democratic principles and respect for human rights. It will also provide for the protection of, and advocacy for, the rights of the most vulnerable, including youth, women, and religious and ethnic minorities, as well as mitigate the impact of conflict on Pakistani communities.

Areas

• Supporting Disability Rights ($1,250,000-1,500,000 for 2 years):
  • DRL’s goal is to empower local organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) to address the gaps in implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) compliant legislation such as the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act passed in 2020.
  • The objectives for this program are to:
    • strengthen advocacy capabilities of a coordinated civil society to hold the government accountable for the implementation and enforcement of disability laws and policies;
    • advocate for government structures to provide proper resources to the disability community; and
    • increase access to resources and protections for persons with disabilities provided under law.
  • Program outcomes should include:
    • Disability rights groups, civil society, and government officials improve their understanding and actions towards the legal rights and responsibilities included in laws and policies.
    • All stakeholders work collaboratively to improve implementation practices and document gaps of compliance.
  • Additionally, strong proposals in this category should be guided by the following cross-cutting values:
    • Collective Action:  Advocacy efforts should be designed by and for persons with disabilities to encourage civil society to take collective action around shared concerns for the protection of human rights and the dignity of all people. While proposals should not focus primarily on preventing and responding to violence, safety and security should be integrated throughout all activities in the project.
    • Locally led: “Nothing about them without them.”  Projects should be led by or have strong design and participation by local organizations and communities. They should focus on activities at the local and community level and regrant funding to local organizations where possible.
• Supporting Women in the Pakistan Judiciary ($1,500,000-$1,750,000 for 2 years):
  • DRL’s goal is to increase women in the judiciary in Pakistan. Programs should seek to achieve the objectives:
    • The justice system ensures protections of fundamental freedoms for all citizens and communities.
    • All citizens and communities have equal access to justice.
  • Program outcomes should include:
    • Justice sector actors and institutions embrace principles of equality, inclusivity, and
    • non-discrimination. Barriers facing women that prevent their access to judicial professions are reduced.
    • Women legal actors are better prepared to advance within the Pakistani legal system; the pipeline for skilled women activists to advance is strengthened to create a greater pool to have increased women judges; and women are more interested in exploring and choosing legal professions.
  • Programs should support locally driven efforts to build diverse coalitions, including with representatives of diverse religious and ethnic communities within Pakistani civil society, where possible, to aggregate and more effectively vocalize citizen concerns.

Funding Information

• Total Funding Ceiling: $1,750,000
• Total Funding Floor: $1,250,000
• Period of Performance: 24 months
• Anticipated Number of Awards: 2
• Anticipated Time to Award, Pending Availability of Funds: 5-7 months

Eligibility Criteria

• DRL welcomes applications from U.S.-based and foreign-based non-profit organizations/nongovernmental organizations (NGO) and public international organizations; private, public, or state institutions of higher education; and for-profit organizations or businesses.  DRL’s preference is to work with non-profit entities; however, there may be some occasions when a for-profit entity is best suited.
• Applications submitted by for-profit entities may be subject to additional review following the panel selection process. Additionally, the Department of State prohibits profit to for-profit or commercial organizations under its assistance awards.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.