RBCLAC Fund: Promotion of Responsible Business Conduct in Latin America and the Caribbean

Deadline: 4 May 2020

The RBCLAC Fund for the Promotion of Responsible Business Conduct in Latin America and the Caribbean will provide direct funding opportunities for initiatives in the region that contribute to the promotion and implementation of responsible business conduct.

In this context, the Responsible Business Conduct in Latin America and the Caribbean (RBCLAC) project was recently launched to address those challenges. This project is implemented by the International Labour Office (ILO), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and financed and designed in collaboration with the European Union (EU).

The RBCLAC project aims to:

Support governments, businesses and stakeholders in their efforts to promote and uphold responsible business conduct in line with international standards.
promote smart, sustainable and inclusive growth in the EU and Latin America and Caribbean by supporting responsible business conduct through a mix of regional and country-specific activities in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama and Peru.

Objectives

The specific objectives of the fund are twofold:

To facilitate collaboration among RBC initiatives
To facilitate the development of activities conceived and executed by non-for profit entities that promote and strengthen the adoption of RBC practices to be implemented by Latin American and Caribbean and European companies, including but not limited to SMEs.

Funding Information

The total amount to be granted during the project is 513,000 EUR. Grants will range between minimum 40,000 and maximum 90,000 EUR and a minimum amount of cash or in-kind co-funding of 10% will be expected.
All activities must start no later than 60 days after receiving the initial grant installment. The timeframe of the fund scheme activities could range from a few weeks to several months, depending on their nature. The maximum project duration is 6 months; therefore, all activities need to be finalized in 8 months, including evaluation and final progress reports.

Ineligible Actions

The following types of action are ineligible:

Actions concerned only or mainly with individual sponsorships for participation in workshops, seminars, conferences and congresses.
Actions concerned only or mainly with individual scholarships for studies or training courses.
Construction or renovation of buildings or infrastructures.
Actions that discriminate against specific individuals or groups of people on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, political considerations or physical challenge(s).

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible applicants include non-for-profit entities, including government or other public authority, employers’ and workers’ organizations, international organizations or legally recognized nongovernmental entities. The latter are understood as carrying out non-profit oriented work, including non-governmental organizations (NGOs), universities and other research and educational institutions having activities in targeted countries – namely Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama and Peru– and with expertise on the topic. European Union Chambers of Commerce (including from Member States in Latin America) are also eligible under this call. All applicant organizations or entities must be legally registered in either Latin America and the Caribbean or the European Union.

Proposals* must involve the design and implementation of Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) related activities in the region (these may be of regional and/or national outreach). They must aim to encourage collaboration among RBC initiatives as well as to facilitate the development of actions that promote and strengthen the adoption of RBC practices within the target country/within the regional scope. Activities should result in improved RBC practices and this objective has to be central to the proposal, its target group and suggested activities.

It is encouraged that any interested organization or entity to submit its proposal, regardless its size or years of operation, etc., as long as it complies with the specific requirements for this particular call.

*Proposals are encouraged to consider World Health Organization guidelines on the COVID-19 pandemic and therefore activities requiring gathering of large numbers of people are discouraged until further notice from the authorities.
The grants will finance actions, composed of a set of activities related to RBC such as:

Outreach and in-country round tables for priority sectors on RBC practices.
Facilitation of peer-to-peer exchanges.
Development of training on specific issues.
Creating/Strengthening networks.
Conducting research and studies.
Knowledge-sharing field visits/study visits.
Development of tools/materials.
Development and sharing of good practices.
Initiatives oriented to stimulate/facilitate formalization of the informal sector actors, including their RBC dimension.
Etc.

Applications Requirements

All proposals must fulfill the following requirements:

Justify how it contributes to achieving the objectives of the grant scheme
Follow the application form established by the Responsible Business Conduct in LAC project for the purpose of the grant.
Propose an initiative(s) that will be implemented in an eligible country (or set of countries) or beneficial to the overall objective of the project.
Propose activities that are feasible within the timeframe and budget range.
Ensure that the initiative promotes the visibility of the European Union-financed Responsible Business Conduct in LAC project.

In order to avoid conflict of interest, applicants are required to inform of any professional/commercial connection or family relationships they might have with the evaluation committee members, the EU, ILO, the OECD and the OHCHR.

Applications will NOT be considered if: