Togo Call for Proposals 2022: Human Rights and Civil Society Organizations

Deadline: 3-May-22

The European Commission (EC) is calling for proposals for Thematic Programs Human Rights and Civil Society Organizations.

With regard to the thematic program civil society organizations , the general objective is to “strengthen CSOs as independent actors of good governance and their development in their own right” and seeks to promote collaboration with civil society to ” A civil society and democratic space that is inclusive, participatory, emancipated and independent in the partner countries creating an accessible and enabling environment for citizen participation and civil society action”.

Objectives

• The general objective of this call for proposals is to: “ Strengthen the role of civil society in the protection of fundamental rights, in particular civil and political rights as well as gender equality”
• The specific objectives of this call for proposals are:
  • Specific objective 1: Protection and promotion of freedom of expression, including of the press (lot 1)
  • The priorities of this objective are:
    • Contribute to respect for freedom of expression (offline and online), to the strengthening of free access to information throughout the country, and to efforts for the professionalization of the media
    • Contribute to the promotion and protection of freedom of thought
    • Improve the protection of human rights defenders, including journalists and whistleblowers
  • Specific objective 2: Protection and promotion of freedom of association and assembly (lot 2)
  • The priorities of this objective are:
    • Improving the legal framework for a more favorable environment for citizen participation
    • Contribute to expanding the space for debate and dialogue
  • Specific objective 3: Protection and promotion of women’s rights and gender equality (lot 3)
  • The priorities of this objective are:
    • Promote equitable norms, attitudes and behaviors for women’s participation and leadership, through civics, media, education and culture
    • Fight against all forms of discrimination and gender-based violence and support the care and reintegration of victims
• Note: Each proposal submitted under this call for proposals must clearly indicate which of the three lots it targets (and which of the priorities). It is not allowed to submit a proposal that covers several lots at the same time.
• Preference will be given to actions:
  • Who support the partnership between Togolese CSOs, and between Togolese and non-Togolese CSOs;
  • Which are carried by a partnership or coalition of actors, bringing together different types of CSOs (namely trade unions, media, professional associations, consumer organizations, cultural and religious associations, women’s organizations, youth associations, etc.) representing the most vulnerable and marginalized groups, including women, youth, people with disabilities, etc.;
  • Which are presented and coordinated by Togolese CSOs as lead applicants, with the aim of encouraging local ownership and strengthening their technical skills and analytical and proposal capacities;
  • Which integrates internal governance (capacity building, transparency and information, ethical charters, etc.) as a systematic concern;
  • Who use local human resources by limiting the use of expatriate staff as much as possible;
  • Which use innovative approaches and methodologies with the potential to be replicated on a larger scale, including the use of new communication and information technologies, social media, etc.;
  • Which contribute to strengthening the dialogue and consultation of CSOs with local and national authorities;
  • Who use culture as a means of raising awareness, a breeding ground for citizen action and social cohesion;
  • Which are complementary with the actions carried out by other programs of the European Union, Germany, France (Team Europe) or by other international partners in Togo.

Priority Areas

The thematic program “human rights and democracy ” aligns with the EU Action Plan for Human Rights and Democracy 2020-24, adopted on 19 November 2020, which identifies 5 priorities:

• Protection and strengthening of individuals;
• Building resilient, inclusive and democratic societies;
• Promotion of a global system of human rights and democracy;
• Protection of fundamental freedoms , including through new technologies;
• Working together with other stakeholders such as civil society, EU member states and private sector actors.

Funding Information

• The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 2.4m.
• Indicative envelope per lot:
  • Lot 1: Protection and promotion of freedom of expression, including of the press: €500,000
  • Lot 2: Protection and promotion of freedom of association and assembly : €950,000
  • Lot 3: Protection and promotion of women’s rights and gender equality €950,000
• Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
  • For Batch 1 
    • minimum amount: EUR 400,000
    • maximum amount: EUR 500,000
  • For Batch 2 
    • minimum amount: EUR 850,000
    • maximum amount: EUR 950,000
  • For Batch 3 
    • minimum amount: EUR 850,000
    • maximum amount: EUR 950,000

Eligibility Criteria

• Lead Applicant
  • To be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must :
    • be a legal person (or an entity without legal personality)
    • have no profit motive
    • belong to one of the following categories of organizations: non-governmental organization
    • be established in  a Member State of the European Union or in one of the countries eligible for the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument
    • 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
• Co-applicant(s)
  • The applicant must act with at least one (1) co-applicant . If the lead applicant is of non-Togolese nationality, at least one of its co-applicants must be of Togolese nationality.
  • 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.
• 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.

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