Deadline: 18-Jul-23
The European Commission (EC) is currently accepting proposals to contribute towards the respect of human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Program Objectives and Priorities
- The specific objectives of this call for proposals are:
- Pursue the fight against impunity for serious violations committed in the DRC while including it in a national transitional justice policy (lot 1).
- Fight against child labor in the artisanal mining sector in 2C through the promotion of due diligence in this sector and the socio-economic support of children and their parents belonging to mining communities (lot 2).
- This call for proposals has the following priorities:
- Lot 1:
- Lot 1 – priority n°1 – Improve the supply of justice in order to suppress more effectively crimes involving serious violations of human rights, while strengthening the exercise of defining a criminal policy (inclusion in a reinforced institutional framework and leading) and strengthening access to justice and reparation for victims of serious crimes.
- Lot 1 – priority n°2 – Improve the quality of decisions rendered by strengthening pre-judicial investigations with varied support in terms of ” forensics ” in particular, while contributing to the establishment of an identification of open files and to open (mapping).
- Lot 1 – priority n°3 – Improve the capitalization of prosecutions and strengthen the national strategic framework for the fight against impunity for serious violations by professionalizing communication on prosecutions and decisions, coordination of actors at local and national levels, the implementation of a national prosecution strategy, the publication of studies, research and technical documents, where applicable, in connection with the academic world.
- Lot 1 – priority n°4 – Support alternative justice initiatives (in particular community and non-judicial) based on the strong legitimacy of traditional chiefdoms and in compliance with the National Justice Reform Policy (PNRJ), which provides for the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution Methods (ADR), as well as within the framework of the National Transitional Justice Policy currently being developed, while ensuring dissemination and memory work.
- Lot 1 – priority n°5 – Contribute to linking transitional justice and DDRCS policies through all types of actions to develop a holistic approach to restoring peace and security in areas affected by massive violence.
- Lot 2:
- Lot 2 – priority n°1 – Improve the prevention of child labor in artisanal mines of the 2Cs with various supports such as strengthening the socio-economic security of households, and in particular of women, in mining communities, supporting the formalization of artisanal mining, facilitating access to public services (health, etc.) for vulnerable mothers, improving the qualitative and quantitative supply of education and vocational training in mining areas, as well as spaces and recreational activities for children and young people, including during school holidays, etc.
- Lot 2 – priority n°2 – Support responsible business conduct in the 2C artisanal sector in the DRC by building the capacities of economic operators (mining cooperatives and artisanal operators, traders, buyers, processing units and exporters) to carry out the duty of due diligence in this sector in accordance with the national legislative framework, international standards for responsible business conduct in mineral supply chains and aligning with recognized best practices in this area.
- Lot 2 – priority n°3 – Strengthen the skills of state mining services (SAEMAPE, Divicine’s, CEEC, etc.) to fulfill their respective mandates in order to support the establishment of a chain of responsibility and a system of transparency in the 2C artisanal sector in the DRC, remedy child labor in mines and support economic operators in monitoring and implementing their own child labor remediation actions in line with OECD guidelines.
- Lot 2 – priority n°4 – Support local initiatives to identify risks along the artisanal 2C supply chain up to the point of export, as well as the operation and, where appropriate, the constitution of local monitoring networks and multi-party information frameworks responsible for contributing to the identification and mitigation of risks along the chain (provincial steering committees and local monitoring committees).
- Lot 2 – priority n°5 – Contribute with this action to the Congolese Government’s response to child labor in mines and in particular to the implementation of the Child Labor Monitoring and Remediation System (SSRTE), support the involvement of companies in actions to remediate child labor according to the practical guidelines provided by the OECD.
- Lot 1:
Funding Information
- The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 3,960,000.
- Indicative envelope per lot/geographical breakdown:
- EUR 1,320,000 for the implementation of lot 1;
- EUR 2,640,000 for the implementation of lot 2.
- Any grant requested under this call for proposals must [be between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
- amount: EUR 1,300,000 (lot 1); 2,620,000 EUR (lot 2)
- amount: EUR 1,320,000 (lot 1); 2,640,000 EUR (lot 2)
- Duration: The initial planned duration of an action may not be less than 24 months nor exceed 48 months.
Eligibility Criteria
- Lead applicant(s)
- To be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
- be a legal person;
- have no profit motive;
- belong to one of the following categories of organisations: non-governmental organisation, public sector operator, local authority, international (intergovernmental) organization.
- be established in a Member State of the European Union, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, or in a Member State 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.
- To be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
- Co-applicant(s)
- Co-applicants take part in drawing up and implementing the action, and the costs they incur are eligible in the same way as those borne by the lead applicant.
- Co-applicants must meet the same eligibility criteria as apply to the lead applicant itself.
- Co-applicants must sign the mandate form.
- 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 affiliated to the lead applicant and/or 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 encompasses two notions:
- Control on annual financial statements, consolidated financial statements and related reports of certain types of undertakings.
- Entities affiliated with an applicant can therefore be:
- entities controlled directly or indirectly by the applicant (subsidiaries or first-tier subsidiaries) or controlled by an entity itself controlled by the applicant (sub-subsidiaries or second-tier subsidiaries). This is valid for the other control levels;
- entities directly or indirectly controlling the applicant (parent companies). Similarly, they may be entities controlling a company controlling the applicant;
- entities at the same level of direct or indirect control 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 or an association,) than the proposed affiliated entity.
For more information, visit European Commission (EC).