EC’s Support to Civil Society in the Social Protection sector in Paraguay

Objectives

• The overall objective of this call for proposals is to improve comprehensive social protection, inclusion and cohesion of the population of Paraguay.
• The specific objective is greater participation and supervision of civil society in the definition and implementation of the social protection system of Paraguay.

Priorities

The priorities (s) of this call for proposals is / are:

• Foster dialogue and collaboration to help better link beneficiaries of protection social (especially the most vulnerable and discriminated against: indigenous people, people with disabilities, population of the poorest quintiles, rural women, LGTBI people, etc.) with the programming of the basic services of governmental and non-governmental actors, in coordination with other relevant sectors (employment, education, health, social work, nutrition, food security, services agriculture, environment, resilience to climate change).
• Articulate a broad national platform of civil society organizations open to all stakeholders, including representatives of the private sector, with the aim of improving the quality of implementation of the social protection system in Paraguay and support national consensus.
• Strengthen the information, transparency and accountability of the sector, as well as social auditing of citizens in the definition and implementation of the SPS.
• Strengthen the capacities of civil society organizations active in the sector to improve their positive impact on SPS.

Funding Information

• The total indicative amount allocated to this call for proposals is EUR 1,000,000.
• The grants requested within this Call for Proposals will be comprised between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
  • minimum amount: 495,000 EUR
  • maximum amount: 500,000 EUR
• Any grant requested within the framework of this Call for Proposals will be covered between the following minimum and maximum percentages of the total eligible costs of the action:
  • Minimum percentage: 50% of the total eligible costs of the action
  • Maximum Percentage:
    • 75% of the total eligible costs of the Action in the case of a proposal submitted by a lead applicant established in a Member State of the European Union or in a State member of the European Economic Area.
    • 95% of the total eligible costs of the Action in the case of a proposal submitted by a main applicant established in Paraguay.

Eligibility Criteria

Main applicant

• To be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
  • be a legal person;
  • not for profit;
  • be a Civil Society Organization (CSO) constituted in accordance with current legislation in Paraguay for at least two years (2) prior to the submission of the proposal, and will have need to prove that you have regularly implemented actions such as covers in the present program, for at least the same two-year period of time;
  • Public bodies such as Ministries or Departmental Governments, as well as theLocal Authorities (ie Municipalities) or International Organizations, are noteligible as applicants or co-applicants, but may participate as associates
  • set in Paraguay or in a Member State of the European Union or in another eligible country in accordance with the relevant clauses of Regulation 233/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of March 11, 2014 that establishes an Instrument for Cooperation at the Development (Development Cooperation Instrument, DCI),
  • be directly responsible, with their co-applicants and other affiliated entities, for the preparation and management of the action and not just simply act as an intermediary.

Co-applicants

• The co-applicants will participate in the design and implementation of the action, and the costs they incur. They will be eligible in the same way as those made by the main applicant.
• Co-applicants must meet the eligibility criteria applicable to the main applicant himself, Except for the criterion of having 2 years experience.
• Principal applicants established in Paraguay must have at least one (1) co-applicant.
• Principal applicants not established in Paraguay must have at least one(1) co-applicant established in Paraguay.
• Co-applicants must sign the mandate.

Affiliated entities

• The lead applicant and his co-applicant (s) may act with affiliated entities.
• Only the following entities may be considered entities affiliated to the main applicant or to the co-applicant (s):
• Only entities that have a structural link with the applicants (i.e. the applicant principal or a co-applicant), especially if the link is legal or capital.
• This structural link mainly covers two aspects:
  • The control on the annual financial statements, the consolidated financial statements and other related reports of certain types of companies:
  • Thus, the entities affiliated with an applicant can be:
    • Entities controlled directly or indirectly by the applicant (affiliated companies or affiliates of first level). They can also be entities controlled by a controlled entity in turn by the applicant (second level affiliates), and the same applies to subsequent levels of control.
    • Entities that directly or indirectly control the applicants (parent companies).Likewise, they may be entities that control an entity that in turn controls the applicant.
    • Entities under the same direct or indirect control as the applicant (associated companies).
  • Accession, that is, the applicant is legally defined as, for example, network, federation or association in which the proposed affiliated entities also participate, or participate in the same entity (eg network, federation or association,…) than the proposed affiliated entities.