Open Call to Support Paralegal and Village Mediation Services (Malawi)

Deadline: 30-Mar-23

The European Commission (EC) has launched the call for proposals to improve the humane and effective delivery of justice for all, especially those living in marginalised and most vulnerable situations.

Objectives

The specific objective(s) of this call for proposals are:

• To improve access to justice for all, especially for the population living in the most vulnerable situations and women; and
• To empower and strengthen local civil society organisations on the ground by supporting their efforts to improve access to justice for all.

Priorities

The priorities of this call for proposals are:

• Provision of paralegal services in detention centres across the country;
• Expansion of village mediation services through training and deployment of mediators to cover an increased number of districts including but not limited to Rumphi, Dedza, Machinga, Mwanza, Neno, Chikwawa and Nsanje.
• Development and delivery of legal awareness and education programmes targeting mainly those living in the most vulnerable situations;
• Advocacy to relevant policy makers and key stakeholders to address and remove bottlenecks to access to justice in the justice system.

Funding Information

• The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 4 000 000.
• Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
  • minimum amount: EUR 3 500 000
  • maximum amount: EUR 4 000 000
• Duration: The initial planned duration of an action may not be lower than 36 months nor exceed 48 months.

Location: Actions must take place in Malawi. Paralegal services are to be offered nationwide while village mediation services must take place in the following or more districts Rumphi, Dedza, Machinga, Mwanza, Neno, Chikwawa and Nsanje.

Eligibility Criteria

• Lead applicant(s)
  • In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
    • be a legal person and
    • be non-profit-making and
    • be a civil society organization or an Association of CSOs and
    • be established in a Member State of the European Union or eligible non EU Member States.
  • This obligation does not apply to international organizations
    • 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 form.
  • 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 on the annual financial statements, 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 European Commission.