NDICI – Global Europe Human Rights & Democracy Thematic Programme in Sri Lanka and Maldives

Deadline: 20-May-22

The European Commission (EC) is calling for proposals for NDICI – Global Europe Human Rights & Democracy Thematic Programme 2021 – 2027 to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms, democracy and the rule of law worldwide.

Objectives

• The global objective of this call for proposals is to protect human rights, fundamental freedoms and democracy in Sri Lanka and in the Maldives.
• The specific objectives of this call for proposals are to strengthen the capacities and support actions of  activists and civil society organizations in Sri Lanka and the Maldives, in order in particular to:
  • To protect and empower human rights defenders and preserve the civic space;
  • To build resilient, inclusive and democratic societies, with a particular focus on:
    • enhancing electoral integrity and democratic institutions;
    • promoting political pluralism and inclusiveness, as well as active citizenship.

Priorities

The three priorities of this call for proposals are:

• Protection and capacity building specifically for human rights defenders and preservation of the overall civic space for civil society organizations to be able to operate freely (including specific actions to counter the possible abuse and misuse of digital and new technologies against human rights defenders and civil society at large);
• Strengthen democratic, transparent and accountable institutions with a focus on electoral integrity (building notably on the recommendations of previous Electoral Observation Missions – EOMs deployed in both countries), as well as on the effectiveness, accountability and transparency of Parliaments;
• Enhance political pluralism and inclusiveness as well as active citizenship, with a particular focus on youth and women’s participation in public and political life.

Funding Information

• The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 1,400,000.
• Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
  • minimum amount: EUR 400,000
  • maximum amount: EUR 500,000
• Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum percentages of total eligible costs of the action:
  • Minimum percentage: 70 % of the total eligible costs of the action.
  • Maximum percentage: 95% of the total eligible costs of the action.

Eligibility Criteria

• Lead applicant
  • In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
    • be a legal person.
    • be non-profit-making.
    • be a civil society organization (civil society organisations embrace a wide range of actors with multiple roles and mandates which includes all non-State, not-for-profit independent and non-violent structures, through which people organise the pursuit of shared objectives and ideals, whether political, cultural, religious, environmental, social or economic. Operating from local, national, regional and international levels, they comprise urban and rural, formal and informal organisations).
    • 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.
• 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.
  • Co-applicants must sign the mandate.
  • If awarded the grant contract, the co-applicant(s) (if any) will become beneficiary(ies) in the action (together with the coordinator).
• Affiliated entities
  • 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, 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.

For more information, visit https://bit.ly/3CGVMoZ