Grants to support Mechanism for Environmental Defenders

Deadline: 31-Aug-23

The European Commission (EC) is seeking proposals to establish a regional mechanism (inclusive and sensitive to the rights and gender approach) for the monitoring, safeguarding and protection of environmental defenders in Mesoamerica, with particular emphasis – but not limited – on the Five Great Forests of Mesoamerica..

Objectives and Priorities

• The specific objectives of this call for proposals are:
  • Provide conditions for environmental defenders at risk (individuals, groups and organizations) to carry out their work and improve their protection and defense through the multifaceted support of the Environmental Defenders in Mesoamerica European Union;
  • Strengthen coordination and synergy with other actors and initiatives to support environmental defenders (individuals, groups, and organizations).
• The objective of this call is additional and complementary to other supports for people, groups and organizations that defend human rights provided by the Thematic Program Rights.

Priorities

• The priorities of this call for proposals are aligned with the two objectives:
  • Priority 1: Support mechanism that provides the conditions for environmental defenders at risk (individuals, groups, and organizations) to carry out their work and improve their protection and defense in the short, medium, and long term.
    • A mechanism must be designed and established that contains measures in the short, medium and long term (when possible) for environmental advocates (individuals, groups and organizations) to continue developing their work and improve their protection and defense. The proposal should detail the methodology and the classification of actions in the short, medium and long term. Among the items expected to contain the mechanism are:
      • Objective and agile criteria for the analysis and prioritization of the cases received.
      • Accessible, efficient and secure channels for receiving support requests. which should consider the particularities of the territories in terms of accessibility and connectivity, as well as a human rights and gender approach.
      • Emergency Grants which should consider the agility to process the case and make get support resources to the field.
  • Priority 2: Coordination and synergy with other actors and initiatives to support environmental defenders (individuals, groups and organizations).
    • The proposal must guarantee a wide scope to grassroots organizations, local civil society organizations and activists, for which a mapping of environmental defenders (organizations, groups, individuals) must be developed, considering the respective data protection measures.
    • The project will ensure close coordination with the implementing organizations and partners of the Five Great Forests of Mesoamerica program. As well as with other existing initiatives in the area of environmental defense or human rights, with the aim of avoiding duplication of actions. The request must include a description of how this complementarity will be achieved. Particular attention should be given to the coordination for identification of cases, dissemination of the mechanism, as well as articulation with the actions to strengthen activities.

Funding Information

• The total indicative amount allocated to this call for proposals is EUR 3,000,000. The Contracting Authority reserves the right not to award all available funds.
  • minimum amount: 3,000,000 EUR
  • maximum amount: 3,000,000 EUR

Duration

• The initial expected duration of an action may not be less than 36 months nor more than 42 months.

Locations

• The actions will be carried out in the following countries: Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama.

Eligibility Criteria

• Lead Applicant(s)
  • To be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
    • be a legal person; and
    • be established in a Member State of the European Union or eligible countries of the United States, or Chile, or the actions that are eligible for a grant; in accordance with the provisions of the basic act IVCDCI-GE Mexico
    • be directly responsible, with their co-applicants and affiliated entities, for the preparation and management of the action and not merely act as intermediaries;
    • each applicant must partner with at least (2) co-applicants established in some of the countries where the action will take place, in order to ensure adequate geographical, thematic and operational coverage;
    • Be legally constituted for at least three (3) years prior to the presentation of the proposal and have all the official documentation of its registration before the component national authorities or organizations.
• Co-applicants
  • The lead applicant must act with at least 2 co-applicants established in some of the countries where the action will take place, in order to ensure a
    • Adequate geographical, thematic and operational coverage. Co-applicants will be evaluated according to their aggregate capacity to comply with the two priorities established in this call.
    • Co-applicants will participate in the design and implementation of the action, and the costs they incur will 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.
    • Co-applicants must sign the mandate form.
• Affiliated Entities
  • The main applicant and its co-applicants may act with affiliated entities
  • Only the following entities may be considered entities affiliated with the lead applicant or co-applicants:
    • Only entities that have a structural link to the applicants (ie the lead applicant or a co-applicant), especially if the link is legal or capital.
    • This structural link covers mainly two aspects:
      • Control on the annual financial statements, consolidated financial statements and other related reports of certain types of companies.
      • Thus, the affiliated entities of an applicant may be:
        • Entities controlled directly or indirectly by the applicant (subsidiaries or first level subsidiaries). They can also be entities controlled by an entity controlled by the applicant (second level affiliates), and the same applies to the following levels of control.
        • Entities that directly or indirectly control the applicant (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).
      • Membership, i.e. the applicant is legally defined as, for example, a network, federation or association in which the proposed affiliated entities also participate, or the applicant participates in the same entity (for example, a network, federation or association) than the proposed affiliated entities.

For more information, visit European Commission.