Deadline: 14 October 2016
The European Union (EU) is currently accepting proposals from eligible organizations for its European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) program 2016 with an aim to support civil society in its actions to support the protection and the promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms worldwide.
Priority Themes
- Human rights and their defenders where they are the most at risk
- Economic, Social and Cultural rights
- Human Dignity
- Discrimination
Program Lots and Objectives
- Lot 1: Support to women Human Rights Defenders and/or Human Rights Defenders working for women’s and girls’ rights where they are the most at risk (EUR 4,650,000)
- To recognise and promote the role of women Human Rights Defenders of all ages
- To protect women Human Rights Defenders
- To support and protect Human Rights Defenders (both men and women) at risk due to their work for the promotion and protection of the full enjoyment of women’s and girls’ rights
- Lot 2: Support to civil society actions fighting against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (EUR 13,504,000)
- Prevention of torture and other forms of ill-treatment
- Accountability for torture and other ill treatment
- Support for rehabilitation of victims of torture
- Lot 3: Support to the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (EUR 4,650,000)
- To promote and contribute to the implementation and monitoring of comprehensive National Actions Plans (NAP) outside the European Union; and/or
- To raise awareness at national, regional and international levels of the rights of affected individuals and communities in the context of corporate-related human rights harm in the global value chains; and/or
- To contribute to the respect for due diligence and prevention/mitigation actions by all actors for adverse human rights impacts linked to business operations in global value chains; and/or
- To support and empower the organisations representing the most vulnerable groups and/or women impacted by human rights abuses by business operations in the global value chains; and/or
- To contribute to increased accountability of businesses and to the promotion of access to remedy for victims of business-related human rights abuses.
- Lot 4: Support to the rights of persons belonging to minorities and persons affected by caste-based discriminations (EUR 3,580,000)
- To promote the adoption and implementation of legislative, policy
- To promote equality before the law and equal access to justice, education and/or other basic services
- To promote the expression in public and private of national, ethnic, cultural, religious, belief and/or linguistic identity
- To contribute to effective participation of persons belonging to minorities or affected by caste-based discrimination in societal, economic and public life and in decision-making
- To promote the rights of persons belonging to minorities to set up and maintain their own institutions and associations
- Lot 5: Support to addressing impunity and to transitional justice (EUR 4,650,000)
- To promote transitional justice mechanisms and processes
- To promote the effective functioning of the International Criminal Court and the Rome Statute system
Size of Grants
- Any grant requested under Lots 1, 2, 3 and 4 of this call for proposals must fall between EUR 250,000 and EUR 1,000,000.
- Any grant requested under Lot 5 of this call for proposals must fall between EUR 1,000,000 and EUR 1,550,000.
Location
Actions must take place in one or more countries outside the European Union.
Duration
The initial planned duration of an action may not be lower than 24 months nor exceed 36 months.
Eligibility Criteria
- In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
- be a legal person or an entity without legal personality or a natural person and
- be non-profit-making and
- be a specific type of organisation such as:
- civil society organisations, including non-governmental non-profit organisations and independent political foundations, community-based organisations and private-sector non-profit agencies, institutions and organisations and networks thereof at local, national, regional and international level;
- National Human Rights Institutions , Ombudspersons;
- non-profit-making universities 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.
- For-profit organisations may also be eligible in exceptional and duly justified cases. Indeed, in situations where registration or receipt of foreign funding as non-profit organisation is made very difficult or might put the entity in danger, civil society organisations may be obliged to register as for-profit organisations to continue operating in the field of human rights. The validity of the justification will be examined by the Evaluation Committee.
- International public-sector organisations set up by international agreements, specialised agencies set up by such organisations and other organisations assimilated to such international organisations (i.e. the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Federation of National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies) are not eligible under this call for proposals.
- No nationality restriction applies to applicants and, if any, to co-applicants and affiliated entities.
How to Apply
- The application procedure consists of two phases:
- Concept notes
- Full application
- In the first instance, only concept notes must be submitted for evaluation. Thereafter, lead applicants who have been pre-selected will be invited to submit a full application.
For more information, please visit Europeaid and download the guidelines.