Deadline: 12 May 2020
The European Union (EU) is currently accepting proposals from eligible organizations for a program entitled “European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights – EIDHR”.
Objectives
- The overall objective of this call for proposals is to support civil society organizations in the protection and promotion of democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms in Guatemala.
- The specific objectives of this call for proposals are:
- Strengthen the capacities of civil society in the implementation of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the applicable international regulatory framework in this area: support civil society organizations in their dialogue with companies, investment agents and authorities to mitigate the negative impact of business activities on the human rights of the most vulnerable sectors of the population (women, children, indigenous peoples, and human rights defenders).
- Strengthen the capacities of civil society in its social audit work through the promotion of civic engagement and participation in the evaluation of public policies, legislation, budgets, accountability of state entities.
Priorities
The priorities of this call for proposals are:
- Strengthen the capacities of civil society in the implementation of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the applicable international regulatory framework in this area: support civil society organizations in their dialogue with companies, investment agents and authorities to mitigate the negative impact of business activities on the human rights of the most vulnerable sectors of the population (women, children, indigenous peoples, and human rights defenders).
- create / strengthen existing collaboration mechanisms related to dialogue between companies, investment agents, state entities, and civil society organizations working to achieve common human rights objectives; including strengthening the dialogue and negotiation capacities of community agents and social partners who participate in multi-sector dialogue spaces as well as in multilateral forums;
- provide mechanisms of access to justice and measures of reparation to victims of the negative effects of business activities with an emphasis on women, children, indigenous peoples, and human rights defenders;
- advise government entities in the approval and implementation of public policies, normative and / or legislative frameworks that reflect the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the applicable international regulatory framework in this area, including the protection of human rights defenders;
- Support the institutional system of the justice system in the implementation of protection protocols for human rights defenders and training for justice operators on the improper use of criminal and administrative law in the legitimate work of defense of human rights; as well as to improve the capacities of investigation and sanction in complaints raised for serious human rights violations derived from the negative impact of business activities.
- Strengthen the capacities of civil society in its social auditing work through the promotion of civic engagement and participation in the evaluation of public policies, legislation, budgets, and accountability of state entities.
- Strengthen the follow-up work of civil society organizations on the legislative agenda related to human rights;
- Support civil society organizations that follow up on the reform of the justice system as well as those that facilitate access to justice for vulnerable sectors of the population (women, children, youth and indigenous peoples) ;
- strengthen the advocacy capacities of civil society organizations that promote initiatives for accountability and contribute to the prevention and fight against corruption.
Size of Grants
The grants requested under this Call for Proposals shall be between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
- Minimum amount: EUR 200,000.00
- Maximum amount: EUR 300,000.00
Location
The actions will be executed in Guatemala, from the community level to the national level.
Duration
The initial projected duration of an action may not be less than 24 months or more than 36 months.
Eligibility Criteria
- Primary applicant: In order to qualify for a grant, the lead applicant must:
- be a legal entity
- not for profit
- be a non-governmental civil society organization with experience in project management whose central approach is compatible with European Union human rights policy
- All countries may participate in contracts financed under this instrument totally unconditional, without prejudice to the limitations inherent in the nature and objectives of the action.
- Applicants from countries other than Guatemala must be duly registered for at least three years, prior to the submission of the proposal and will have to check before, regularly, actions in the field of rights actions of this guide, for at least the same period of time, of three years;
- Applicants from countries other than Guatemala must apply with at least one local organization as a co-applicant. An organization is considered local when its statutes demonstrate that it has been established by an instrument governed by national law and that its headquarters are located in Guatemala.
- Applicants originating in Guatemala must verify that they have obtained the legal status of the competent authority for at least three years, prior to the submission of the proposal and shall check that they have implemented actions before, on a regular basis, in the field of human rights, in the field of actions of this guide, for at least the same period of time, of three years;
- be directly responsible, with their co-applicants and other affiliated entities, for the preparation and management of the action and not simply to act as an intermediary.
- Co-applicants
- The co-applicants shall participate in the design and implementation of the action, and the costs incurred shall be eligible in the same way as those incurred by the lead applicant.
- Co-applicants must meet the eligibility criteria applicable to the lead applicant itself.
- Affiliated entities
- The principal applicant and his/her co-applicant(s) may act with affiliated entities.
- Only the following entities may be considered entities affiliated with the principal applicant or to the co-applicant(s):
- Only entities having a structural link with applicants (i.e. the lead applicant or a co-applicant), especially if the link is legal or capital.
- This structural link mainly covers two aspects:
- Control, as defined in Directive 2013/34/EU on annual financial statements, consolidated financial statements and other related reports of certain types of undertakings:
- Thus, entities affiliated to an applicant may be:
- Entities controlled directly or indirectly by the applicant (subsidiaries or first-tier subsidiaries).
- They can also be entities controlled by an entity controlled in turn by the applicant (second-level subsidiaries), and the same applies to the following levels of control.
- Entities that directly or indirectly control applicants (parent companies). They may also be entities that control an entity that in turn controls the applicant. Entities under the same direct or indirect control as the applicant (partner companies).
- Thus, entities affiliated to an applicant may be:
- Accession, i.e. the applicant is legally defined as, for example, network, federation or association in which the proposed affiliated entities also participate, or participates in the same entity (e.g. network, federation or association,…) as the proposed affiliated entities.
- Control, as defined in Directive 2013/34/EU on annual financial statements, consolidated financial statements and other related reports of certain types of undertakings:
For more information, visit Europeaid and download the guidelines.