Logo JP

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Human Rights and Democracy in Action

EU/CoE Pilot Projects Scheme

Reference 2016 EDC/HRE PPS

Project

“Human Rights and Democracy in Action” EU/CoE Pilot Projects Scheme

Awarding entity

Council of Europe

Directorate General of Democracy

Directorate of Democratic Citizenship and Participation

Education Department

Funding

Project funded by the Council of Europe and the European Union

Duration

Projects shall be implemented by 31 March 2017.

Reporting requirements shall be completed by 15 April 2017.

Estimated starting date

Click here to enter a date

Issuance date

Click here to enter a date

Deadline for applications

Click here to enter a date

The award of grants, through this procedure, remains subject to the signature of the agreement with the European Commission  and the Council of Europe for the funding of  the project “Human Rights and Democracy in Action” for 2016. The Council of Europe reserves therefore the right to cancel this grant award procedure in case the agreement is not signed.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Introduction

II. Background information on the project

III. Budget available

IV. Requirements

V. How to apply?

VI. Evaluation and selection procedure

VII. Notification of the decision and signature of the grant agreements

VIII. Indicative timetable

Appendices:

Appendix I - Application Form

Appendix II - Provisional budget (Template)

Appendix III – Concept 2016 programme cycle

Appendix IV - Template Grant Agreement (for information only)

Appendix V – Reference letter

HOW TO APPLY?

• Complete and sign the Application Form (See Appendix I);

• Attach a provisional budget (using the template reproduced in Appendix II);

• Attach reference letters of the coordinators for the countries concerned (using the template reproduced in Appendix III).

• Send these documents in electronic form (Word .and/or PDF) to the following e-mail address: edchre@coe.int. Emails should contain the following reference in subject: Human rights and democracy in action - 2016 programme cycle

• Applications must be received before 12 June 2016 (at midnight, EET, GMT +2).

 

I.                   INTRODUCTION

The Council of Europe Charter on Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights Education (EDC/HRE) was adopted by the Council of Europe member states in 2010. The Charter is a common framework for action and an essential instrument for the promotion of citizenship and human rights education. In order to support the implementation of the objectives and principles set out in the Charter and to follow up on the Declaration of the European Union Ministers of Education adopted on 17 March 2015 in Paris on Promoting citizenship and the common values of freedom, tolerance and non-discrimination through education, the European Union and the Council of Europe agreed to launch the present call for project proposals in the framework of the “Human Rights and Democracy in Action” Pilot Projects Scheme.  This Scheme is supported by the Council of Europe Project and the European Union and is open to projects to be implemented in 3 (minimum) to 8 (maximum) States party to the European Cultural Convention (See charts of signature and ratification of the European Cultural Convention), with at half of the participating countries being  members State of the European Union.

Project proposals shall aim to produce an added value to the Council of Europe efforts in this domain.

II.                BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE PROJECT

The overall objective is to contribute to the implementation of the Council of Europe Charter on Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights Education (Recommendation Rec/CM(2010)7), the priorities of the Strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training (ET2020) and of the provisions of the Paris Declaration by the means of small scale cooperation projects.

Grounded on peer to peer learning, the objectives of the scheme are the exchange of information on and practices in the implementation of the provisions of the Charter in the countries concerned and the development and adaptation of replicable models/tools of interest of all the States party to the European Cultural Convention and beyond.

The ultimate goal of the pilot projects will be to contribute to the sustainable development and promotion of citizenship and human rights education in these countries.

The implementation of the projects will be overseen by the Council of Europe Coordinators on Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights Education (See list of coordinators per country).

Ministries of Education, related national educational institutions and NGO’s active in the field of citizenship and human rights education will be eligible applicants and potential grantees (See VI.2 below).

III.             BUDGET AVAILABLE

The indicative available budget under this call for project proposals is EUR 210 000 (two hundred ten thousand Euros). The budget range for the CoE/EC contribution will be from 42.000 Euros to 105.000 Euros per project. The number of pilot projects to be selected and funded could therefore be from 2 to 5 projects, depending on the size and ambition of the project as well as of the number of partners.

Subject to availability of funds and extension of the Project initial duration, the Council of Europe reserves the right not to award all available funds, and/or to redistribute the available funds in a different manner depending on the project proposals received and on the outcome of the award procedure.

A reserve list of projects worth to be implemented subject to budgetary feasibility will be set up. If in the course of the implementation cycle additional sources of funding are identified, the projects on the reserve list could be funded.

IV.              REQUIREMENTS

1.      General objective

The grants will fund projects designed to contribute to the sustainable development and promotion of education for democratic citizenship and human rights education.

This programme cycle will focus on consolidating the outcomes produced so far (See outcomes 2013 - 2014).

In particular, support will be provided to the translation, adaptation, further development and dissemination of the previous outcomes, further piloting of the existing tools and supporting their introduction in the education systems of the participating countries.  The outcomes of past pilot projects are as follows:

a)      Travel pass to democracy: supporting teachers for active citizenship

i)        Booklet

·         English; Croatian; Hungarian; Montenegrin; Romanian

ii)      Common Training module 1

·         In Hungary: Respecting human dignity in school. English; Hungarian

·         In Montenegro: Respect of human dignity in school. English; Montenegrin

iii)    National Training module 2

·         New approach in EDCHRE teaching and learning; the outcomes based on cross curricular instruction: English;

·         Community service training in 2 x 90 minutes: - English; Hungarian

·         Development of a tolerant personality: English; Montenegrin

·         The reflective teacher:- English; Romanian

iv)    Film: How can schools support students to be active citizens?

·         English; Hungarian

v)      Trailer

·         English; Hungarian

b)      Education for democratic citizenship and human rights: diversity of approaches

i)        Booklet

·         English; Russian

ii)      Questionnaire: English

iii)    Film

·         English; Russian; Georgian

iv)    Trailer in English

c)      Three country audit of the lower secondary curriculum

i)        Booklet

·         English; Finnish; French

ii)      Assessment tool

·         English; Finnish; French

d)      Teaching controversial issues – developing effective training for teachers and school leaders

i)        Professional development pack

·         English; French; German; Greek; Spanish; Montenegrin

e)      Teacher training in EDC/HRE – how to develop the ability of students to assess information from media and social networks?

i)        Booklet

       English

The results of the various pilot projects will be then combined so as to provide evidence for recommendations for future programmes in the field of citizenship and human rights education, thus contributing to the development of citizenship and human rights education.

2.      Means of action

The activities may include but are not limited to the organisation of meetings, round-tables, workshops, awareness raising campaigns, training activities, media advertising, the design of informative materials and pedagogical resources, or any other means of action.

Given the very diverse forms of governance and schools systems, one may find it opportune to invite national, regional or local education and training authorities as well as non-governmental organisations (national or international) to assist the authorities in the inventory of practices and definitions of priorities and challenges in the domain of the Pilot Projects Scheme.

The applicants are therefore encouraged, with the authorities of the States concerned, to ensure that awareness-raising activities for the general public regarding the significance of the Charter are included in the proposal and that the European networks of NGOs, youth organisations and educational professionals are being considered for participation in the said proposals for pilot projects.

3.      Implementation period

The implementation period of the Projects shall start as of 20 June 2016 (see indicative timetable under VIII. below) and shall not extend beyond 31 March 2017.

Reporting requirements shall be completed by 15 April 2017 at the latest.

Projects completed prior to the date of submission of the applications will be automatically excluded. As regard projects started prior to the date of submission of the applications, or prior to the date of signature of the grant agreement, only those costs incurred after the date of submission of the grant application will be eligible.

4.      Target stakeholders

Projects should target in particular the following key stakeholders:

-          Ministries of Education and related institutions

-          Training institutions

-          Teachers

-          Pupils / students

-          Civil society organisations (NGOs, parents associations, youth organisations)

-          The general public

The above list is not exhaustive and projects may propose to target other relevant stakeholders, while keeping in mind the final objective of the Project.

5.      Budgetary requirements

Each pilot project will have a maximum duration of nine months (during the period from 20 June 2016 to 31 March 2017). The budget made available to the project will not cover operating costs of national administration personnel assigned to the project, but only direct, eligible costs such as travel, hotel, special costs associated to meetings (venue, interpretation, stationery, secretariat, etc.). Exception may be made for contracting national experts to help planning and coordination project activities and inasmuch as non-governmental entities (national or international) are called in to participate in the pilot project, for expertise and research, with standard fees being accepted as part of the budget.

Project proposals shall be accompanied by a draft budget (See Template Budget, in Appendix II). The estimated budget must be consistent, accurate, clear, complete and cost-effective, in the light of the activities proposed.

Each Grantee shall also be required to contribute to the project either by way of its own resources or by contribution from third parties. Co-financing may take the form of financial or human resources, in-kind contributions or income generated by the action or project.

6.      The following types of action will not be considered:

·         actions providing financial support to third parties (sub-granting schemes);

·         actions concerning only or mainly individual scholarships for studies or training courses;

·         actions supporting political parties.

7.      Payment conditions:

The funds for each grant should in principle be distributed as follows:

·         80% will be paid when the Grant Agreement between the two parties is signed;

·         the balance will be paid based on actual expenditures incurred after the presentation and acceptance by the Council of Europe of the final narrative and financial reports for the Grant implementation.

8.      Reporting requirements:

·         narrative reporting requires a full narrative report on the use made of the grant and a copy of the register of the persons present during each of the activities, including names and signatures of participants;

·         financial reporting requires in particular a statement in the currency in which the Grant Agreement will be concluded (Euros or local currency), in English, stating the payments made for the implementation of the activities, certified by the responsible financial officer of the Grantee, accompanied by “appropriate original supporting documents” (see below). The Council of Europe reserves the right to ask for summary translations of invoices into English. If for legal reasons the original documents must be retained by the Grantee, certified copies must be submitted with the financial statement.

“Appropriate original supporting documents” refers to signed contracts, invoices and acceptances of work (for all transactions), payment authorisation for all transactions should also be provided in case the Grantee uses such practice, and reliable evidence of payment (authorised payment order and bank statement).

As regards round tables / conferences, presenting “appropriate original supporting documents” requires presentation of a programme indicating the title, dates, venue, and agenda of the event; the names of persons facilitating the event, a signed list of participants, the contracts with the owner of venue of the event (e.g. hotel) for the rent of premises, food and beverages of participants, invoices from the owner of the venue of the event for the above services, and a report on the results of the event (see narrative reporting above).

As regards consultancy services, presenting “appropriate original supporting documents” requires presentation of evidence of the outputs produced, contracts with experts and consultants containing a specific description of services to be carried out, invoices produced after the works have been performed and delivered (the specialities of the consultants shall correspond to the nature of activities for which they are contracted).

As regards travel fees / lodging of experts and participants, presenting “appropriate original supporting documents” requires presentation, where relevant, of contracts with a travel agency for travel fees and lodging, invoices of the travel agency indicating destinations, dates, ticket costs, and names of the travelling persons, a programme of the event indicating the names of the experts and signed lists of participants.

The above description is not comprehensive. Any doubt regarding the interpretation of the notion of “appropriate original supporting documents” should lead the Grantee to consult the Council of Europe.

V.                 HOW TO APPLY?

1.      Documents to be submitted:

Each application shall contain:

·         the completed and signed Application Form (See Appendix I);

·         a provisional budget (using the template reproduced in Appendix II);

·         the reference letter of the coordinators for the countries concerned by the project proposal (using the template reproduced in Appendix III)

Applications that are incomplete will not be considered.

2.      Questions

General information about the Scheme can be found on the website of the Council of Europe: www.edchre-pilot-projects-eu.coe.int

Other questions regarding this specific call for proposals must be sent at the latest one week before the deadline for the submission of proposals, in English or French and shall be exclusively sent to the following address: [email protected] with the following reference in subject: Questions call for project proposals - Human rights and democracy in action

3.      Deadline for submission

The application form, completed and signed, together with the supporting documents, must be submitted in electronic form (Word and/or PDF) to the following e-mail address: [email protected]. Emails should contain the following reference in subject: Human rights and democracy in action - 2016 programme cycle.

Applications must be received before 12 June 2016 (at midnight, CET, UTC +1). Applications received after the above mentioned date will not be considered.

4.      Change, alteration and modification of the application file

Any change in the format, or any alteration or modification of the original application file, will cause the immediate rejection of the application concerned.

VI.              EVALUATION AND SELECTION PROCEDURE

The projects presented will be assessed by the Advisory Board to the Scheme, acting as Evaluation Committee, composed of 4 members as follows:

•           2 representatives of the European Commission

•           1 representatives of the Secretariat of the Council of Europe

•           1 member of the Steering Committee for Educational Policy and Practice (CDPPE) of the Council of Europe.

The procedure shall be based on the underlying principles of grant award procedures, which are transparency, non-retroactivity, non-cumulative awards, not-for-profit, co-financing and non-discrimination, in accordance with Rule 1374 of 16 December 2015 on the grant award procedures of the Council of Europe.

The applicants, and their projects, shall fulfil all of the following criteria:

1.      Exclusion criteria:

Applicants shall be excluded from the grant award procedure where they:

a. have been sentenced by final judgment on one or more of the following charges: participation in a criminal organisation, corruption, fraud, money laundering;

b. are in a situation of bankruptcy, liquidation, termination of activity, insolvency or arrangement with creditors or any like situation arising from a procedure of the same kind, or are subject to a procedure of the same kind;

c. have received a judgement with res judicata force, finding an offence that affects their professional integrity or constitutes a serious professional misconduct;

d. do not comply with their obligations as regards payment of social security contributions, taxes and dues, according to the statutory provisions of the country where they are established.

By signing the Application Form, applicants shall declare on their honour that they are not in any of the above-mentioned situations (See Appendix I, Items 7 and 8).

The Council of Europe reserves the right to ask applicants at a later stage to supply the following supporting documents:

-          for the items set out in paragraphs a), b) and c), an extract from the record of convictions or failing that an equivalent document issued by the competent judicial or administrative authority of the country where the applicant is established, indicating that these requirements are met;

-          for the items set out in paragraph d), a certificate issued by the competent authority of the country of establishment.

2.      Eligibility criteria:

In order to be eligible for a grant, an applicant must:

·         be legally constituted as a non-for-profit structure (e.g. NGOs or public entities);

·         be entitled to carry out the activities described in the project proposal;

·         have sufficient financial capacity (stable and sufficient sources of funding) to maintain its activity throughout the period for which the grant is awarded and to participate by way of its own resources (including human resources or in-kind contributions);

·         have sufficient operational and professional capacity, including staff, to carry out activities described in  its project proposal;

·         have a bank account.

Moreover, in order to be eligible, the project proposals for pilot projects shall:

·         be implemented in at least three (and maximum eight) States party to the European Cultural Convention with at least half of the participating countries being Member States to the European Union, and;

·         have the support of the co-ordinators on education for democratic citizenship and human rights education of the Council of Europe for the countries concerned, who shall sign the reference letter using the template reproduced in Appendix III to the present call for proposals.

The list of coordinators is available by means of the following link: http://www.coe.int/fr/web/edc/edc/hre-coordinators. Contact details of the coordinators will be provided upon request, by sending an email to [email protected].

Multiple applications are not allowed and shall lead to the exclusion of all applications concerned.

3.      Award criteria

Applications will be assessed against the following criteria:

·         Appropriateness and relevancy of the proposal in accordance with the principles of the Council of Europe Charter on Education for democratic citizenship and human rights education and with the Paris Declaration on Promoting citizenship and the common values of freedom, tolerance and non-discrimination through education (20%)

·         Potential impact on educational policy and practice in the participating countries (20%)

·         Potential for awareness raising at national and / or international level (20%)

·         Quality, accuracy, clarity, completeness and cost-effectiveness of the application and the estimated budget (20%)

·      Participation of NGOs, youth organisations/associations, parents associations in the project design and implementation (10%);

·      Participation of the States party to the European Cultural Convention, which had not previously taken part in the pilot projects (10%).

VII.           NOTIFICATION OF THE DECISION AND SIGNATURE OF GRANT AGREEMENTS

On completion of the selection process, all applicants will be notified in writing of the final decision concerning their respective applications as well as on the next steps to be undertaken.

The selected Grantees will be invited to sign a Grant Agreement, formalising their legal commitments (See Appendix IV, for information only). Potential applicants are strongly advised to read the draft contract, in particular its requirements in terms of payment and reporting.

VIII.        INDICATIVE TIMETABLE

Phases

Indicative timing

Publication of the call

10 May 2016

Deadline for submitting applications

12 June 2016

Information to applicants on the results of the award procedure

20 June 2016

Signature of the grant agreements

30 June 2016

Implementation period

31 March 2017

* * *