Deadline: 29-May-23
SEDR is inviting proposals from experienced local civil society organisations or institutions to partner with us to help strengthen community dispute resolution in the Northern, Eastern, and Uva provinces.
The European Union (EU) has contracted the British Council to deliver the Supporting Effective Dispute Resolution project (hereafter SEDR) in Sri Lanka over four years from 2020-2024. SEDR is funded by the European Union and the project is one element of the EU’s wider Strengthening Transformation, Reconciliation and Inclusive Democratic Engagement (STRIDE) programme.
The Overall Objective of SEDR is to “strengthen dialogue between the people and the state thereby contributing to the resolution of critical underlying causes of conflict and prevention of escalation of local disputes”. The project’s Specific Objective is “to improve dispute resolution services for both individual and community level grievances”. Project activities are mainly focussed in 3 target provinces and 6 districts, which are as follows: Northern Province (Mannar & Vavuniya), Eastern Province (Ampara & Trincomalee), and Uva Province (Badulla & Monaragala), In addition, some project activities are being delivered island-wide at a national level.
The project comprises 4 Result Areas 2:
- Result Area 1 – Improved functioning of Community Mediation Boards in addressing individual disputes (family, criminal and relevant property/financial disputes).
- Result Area 2 – Improved and expanded functioning of Land Special Mediation Boards.
- Result Area 3 – Inclusive local action forums work to address shared problems and improve the resolution of community level grievances.
- Result Area 4 – Senior stakeholders and officials can evidence the benefits of mediation processes through cross-agency coordination, enhanced data collection and increased awareness of how and why mediation is used.
Objectives & Themes
- Through this grant, SEDR seeks to contribute to an Overall Objective of strengthening social cohesion in their target communities.
- Proposals from prospective partners should address and focus on at least one of the following Thematic Areas:
- Addressing the root causes of conflict and preventing the escalation of local disputes by building alternative dispute resolution (ADR) 3 capacity to mediate community level grievances.
- Improving inclusive community engagement in local problem solving by removing barriers to participation in local decision making for women, young people, and marginalised groups.
- In line with the two Thematic Areas mentioned, SEDR aims to support local partners to deliver the following types of initiatives/interventions, for example:
- Alternative dispute resolution capacity building and awareness raising for rights-holders and dutybearers
- Legal empowerment for marginalised groups
- Strengthening existing non-formal and traditional mechanisms/fora/structures at local level for better community engagement, dialogue and joint action
- Enhancing existing community-based alternative dispute resolution mechanisms
- Building more tolerance and understanding amongst and within diverse communities through, for example, exposure and exchange visits
- Innovative and creative approaches including arts-for-development as well as new digital/social media solutions to build ADR capacity and awareness
- Generating evidence and knowledge (through research and documentation) on good practice in alternative dispute resolution and community engagement at local level
Funding Information
- Through this Call for Proposals (Window 2), SEDR will award one grant (covering all 3 target provinces) of up to the value of EUR 450,000, for project proposals of up to 18 months in duration.
Eligibility Criteria
- To be eligible to apply for this SEDR grant, applicants must fulfil all the following criteria:
- Be a registered Non-Governmental Organisation or Institution in Sri Lanka.
- Have a minimum of 5 years’ experience in successful delivery of initiatives focussing on strengthening social cohesion in Sri Lanka.
- Have a strong track record relevant to the specific proposal to be funded (i.e. of similar type, location, value and scale) in Sri Lanka.
- Clear evidence of partnership-working and collaboration with state and non-state actors.
- Have a Sri Lanka-based bank account that requires 2 signatures.
- Have sufficient financial policies and controls in place to ensure transparent, responsible and accountable use of funds.
- Submission of audited financial statements of past 3 years of operation.
- Only one application per lead organisation is permissible. Applications from a consortium or alliance of organisations are welcome but must demonstrate prior consultation and agreement of such partnership.
For more information, visit SEDR.