EU announces Civil Society Organisations (CSO) as Actors of Governance, Human Rights and Development Work

Deadline: 14 May 2019

The European Union (EU) is currently accepting proposals from eligible organisations for a program entitled “Civil Society Organisations (CSO) as Actors of Governance, Human Rights and Development Work”.

Lots & Priorities

Lot 1: Civil Society Organisations (CSOs)

The specific objective is to strengthen the capacity of Rwandan civil society organisations to perform their roles as independent development actors more effectively.

Priority Areas

Actions aimed at increasing the voice of youth by:
- Supporting more relevant education, vocational training and skills development strategies offering youth better chances for (self) employment; and effective and inclusive youth employment strategies and decent work opportunities including opportunities for youth to start their own businesses;
- Strengthening the rights of young people and their empowerment and involvement in public affairs, societies and decision-making, notably through youth organisations;
- Integrating the creative and cultural economies in the development process in the country;
Actions aimed at increasing the participation of CSOs in tackling climate change and mitigating its adverse effects by:
- Promoting the design and implementation of climate-related job-creating strategies in key sectors, such as agriculture and energy, that will emerge through the necessary compliance within the framework of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement through multi-stakeholders approaches and with the purpose of creating a low-carbon economy that could generate job creation, especially in rural areas.

Lot 2: EIDHR

The specific objective is to support Rwandan civil society organisations and human rights defenders in Rwanda working to promote freedom of expression; facilitate reintegration and of prisoners and youth in detention as well as to promote the rights of persons with intellectual disabilities. This objective takes into account the priorities of the EU Human Rights strategy for Rwanda.

Priority Areas

Actions aimed at supporting human rights defenders and civil society in countering systematic, widespread gross human rights violations and attacks against fundamental freedoms, rights and strengthening democracy in Rwanda through:

Actions aimed at the promotion and protection of freedom of expression,
Actions aimed at the support to reintegration of prisoners and youth in detention,
Actions aimed at promoting the rights of persons with intellectual disability.

Funding Information

LOT 1 CSO:EUR 2 162 062
LOT 2 EIDHR: EUR 1 080 000

Eligibility Criteria

Lead applicant

In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
- For Lot 1: CSO
  - be a legal person and
  - be non-profit-making and
  - be established in Rwanda where the action is taking place or be established in a Member State of the European Union or of the European Economic Area or in a developing country as included in the list of ODA recipients, or in member countries of the OECD ;
  - 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
  - be registered for at least two years at the time of the submission of an application and
  - be a civil society organisation , and
  - A non-Rwandan lead applicant must act with at least one co-applicant established in Rwanda.
  - They encourage Rwandan CSOs to apply as the lead applicant in order to promote ownership and local leadership, in line with the overall objectives of the action.
  - Where non-Rwandan CSOs apply as the lead applicant, the proposals should outline how Rwandan CSOs will take the lead in priority activities and how the action will build the capacity of Rwandan CSOs.
- For British applicants: Please be aware that eligibility criteria must be complied with for the entire duration of the grant. Unless sector-specific eligibility rules provide otherwise, if the United Kingdom withdraws from the EU during the grant period without concluding an agreement with the EU ensuring in particular that British applicants continue to be eligible, you will cease to receive EU funding (while continuing, where possible to participate) or will be required to leave the project on the basis the General Conditions of the grant agreement.
- For Lot 2 EIDHR:
  - be a legal person or an entity without legal personality or a natural person and
  - be non-profit-making and
  - be a civil society organisation, 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.
Potential applicants may not participate in calls for proposals or be awarded grants if they are in any of the situations.

Co-applicant(s)

Co-applicants participate in designing and implementing the action, and the costs 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.

Affiliated entity(ies)

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 (granddaughter 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.