EU Call for Proposals: Strengthening Civil Society Organizations and Promoting Human Rights in Morocco

Deadline: 7 February 2020

The European Union (EU) is currently accepting proposals from eligible organizations for a  program entitled “Strengthening Civil Society Organizations and Promoting Human Rights in Morocco”.

Program Objectives and Priorities

The general objective of this call for proposals is to:

• Contribute to the development and consolidation of democracy and the rule of law as well as to respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms.
• Improve the contribution of civil society organizations to governance and development processes as partners in the promotion of socio-economic development and inclusive and sustainable growth.

This call for proposals is divided into three lots and has the following specific objectives:

• EIDHR – LOT 1: provide direct support to civil society organizations in order to consolidate and strengthen their advocacy role and energize the multi-stakeholder partnership in (i) promotion, defense of human rights and good governance (ii) and the analysis, and monitoring/evaluation of the main democratic reforms under way.
• CSO – LOT 2: strengthening the role and capacities of civil society organizations in the processes of social development and inclusive and sustainable growth, as actors of governance in favor of (i) increasing the participation of women in decision-making and better care for women and girls victims of violence (ii) greater integration and participation of young people in Moroccan society.
• ENI-LOT 3: promote the establishment of a tripartite dialogue (EU and EU member states, national human rights protection bodies, civil society) on human rights Morocco helping to improve their respect.

The priority of this call for proposals is:

• LOT 1- Promotion, defense of human rights and good governance
  • Promotion of the rights of detainees, including minors in conflict with the law.
  • Promotion of measures for the abolition of the death penalty.
  • Monitoring of rights and public freedoms.
  • Promotion of the right of access to information.
  • Support for human rights defenders.
  • Prevention and fight against corruption.
  • Promotion of the protection of freedom of opinion and expression.
• LOT 2- Equality, fight against violence against women and children and participation of young people
  • Promotion of equality between women and men through the fight against violence against girls/women (including the marriage of minors and mothers singles) and children through prevention, protection, care for victims and prosecution.
  • Socio-professional integration and participation of young people.
• LOT 3 – Good governance in the field of human rights and Strengthening of the dialogue between multiple actors
  • Developing concerted positions and bringing together the strategies of actors acting for human rights in Morocco through the strengthening of their framework for dialogue.

Size of Grants

Any grant requested under this call for proposals must be between the following minimum and maximum amounts:

• Lot 1:
  • Minimum amount: 100,000 EUR
  • Maximum amount: 300,000 EUR
• Lot 2:
  • Minimum amount: 300,000 EUR
  • Maximum amount: 500,000 EUR
• Lot 3:
  • Minimum amount: 250,000 EUR
  • Maximum amount: 300,000EUR

Eligibility Criteria

• Lead applicant
  • Lot 1: Promotion, defense of human rights and good governance: To be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
    • be a legal person and
    • have no profit-making purpose and
    • belong to one of the following categories of organizations: civil society organization, including non-profit non-governmental organization (NGO), professional association, independent foundation, public sector operator, as well as public higher education institutes, non-profit universities, and
    • be established in an eligible country under this call, either:
      • in Morocco, or;
      • a Member State of the European Union, or;
      • a beneficiary appearing on the list in Annex I to Regulation (EU) 236/2014 or from a member country of the European Economic Area (EEA), or;
      • a developing country as defined by the Development Assistance Committee of the OECD.
    • be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant (s) and the affiliated entity or entities, and not act as an intermediary; and
    • Have regularly carried out activities in the promotion of democracy and human rights and more specifically in the areas of intervention of the type covered by this program.
  • Lot 2: Equality, combating violence against women and children and participation of young people: To be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must meet the following conditions:
    • be a legal person; and
    • be non-profit; and
    • belong to one of the following categories: civil society organization, including non-profit non-governmental organization (NGO), association, public sector operator, research center, professional association, cooperative, foundation; and
    • be established in an eligible country under this call, either:
      • in Morocco, or;
      • a Member State of the European Union, or;
      • a beneficiary appearing on the list in Annex I to Regulation (EU) 236/2014 or from a member country of the European Economic Area (EEA),
      • a developing country as defined by the Development Assistance Committee of the OECD.
    • be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant (s) and the affiliated entity (ies) and not act as an intermediary and;
    • have regularly carried out activities in one or more areas of intervention covered by this call for proposals:
      • at least during the last two (2) years preceding the filing of the request for Moroccan applicants,
      • at least during the last five (5) years preceding the filing of the application for applicants of nationality other than Moroccan, including at least 12 months in relation to Morocco.
  • LOT 3: Good governance in the field of human rights and Strengthening of the dialogue between several actors: To be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
    • be a legal person and
    • have no profit and
    • belong to one of the following categories of organizations: civil society organization, including non-profit non-governmental organization (NGO), association, independent political foundation, think tank, research center, national human rights institution male, and
    • be established in an eligible country as part of this call, either:
      • in Morocco, or;
      • a Member State of the European Union, or;
      • a beneficiary appearing on the list in Annex I to Regulation (EU) 236/2014 or from a member country of the European Economic Area (EEA),
      • a developing country as defined by the Development Assistance Committee of the OECD.
    • be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant (s) and the affiliated entity or entities, and not act as an intermediary and
    • have carried out at least two projects in the field of promotion of democracy and human rights and more specifically in the priority areas covered by this call for proposals.
• Co-applicant (s)
  • For the three lots:
    • Co-applicants participate in the development and implementation of the action, and the costs they bear are eligible in the same way as those borne by the lead applicant.
    • Co-applicants must meet the same eligibility criteria as those which apply to the lead applicant himself.
• Affiliated entities
  • The lead applicant and its co-applicant (s) may act with one or more affiliated entities.
  • Only the following entities can be considered as affiliated with the lead applicant and/or the co-applicant (s):
    • Only entities that have a structural link with the applicants (the lead applicant or a co-applicant), in particular a legal or capital link.
    • This structural link mainly includes two concepts:
      • Control, within the meaning of Directive 2013/34 / EU relating to annual financial statements, consolidated financial statements and related reports of certain forms of business:
        • Entities affiliated with a applicant can therefore be:
          • entities controlled directly or indirectly by the applicant (first-tier subsidiaries or subsidiaries) or controlled by an entity itself controlled by the applicant (sub-subsidiaries or second-level subsidiaries), and this is valid for other levels of control;
          • entities directly or indirectly controlling the applicant (parent companies). Similarly, it can be entities controlling an entity controlling the applicant;
          • entities controlled, directly or indirectly, at the same level as the applicant (sister companies).
      • Membership, i.e. the applicant is legally defined as, for example, a network, federation or association of which the proposed affiliated entity is a member, or the applicant is a member of the same entity (for example, a network, a federation, an association,…) than the proposed affiliated entity.

For more information, visit https://bit.ly/2EIZmSk and download the guidelines.