CALL FOR PROPOSALS
Support to civil society organisations for increasing access to justice for victims of discrimination in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine
PGG 17 – Application for grant for increasing access to justice for victims of discrimination in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine
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Project |
Partnership for Good Governance – Joint EU /Council of Europe project “Strengthening access to justice through non-judicial redress mechanisms for victims of discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes in the Eastern Partnership countries” |
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Awarding entity |
Council of Europe |
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Click here to enter text |
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Funding |
European Union and Council of Europe |
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Duration |
Projects shall be implemented by 30 April 2022. Reporting requirements shall be completed by 31 May 2022. |
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Estimated starting date |
01 December 2021 |
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Issuance date |
06 September 2021 |
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Deadline for applications |
03 October 2021 |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
II. BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE PROJECT
6. Further to the general objective, preference will be given to:
7. The following types of action will not be considered:
4. Change, alteration and modification of the application file
VI. EVALUATION AND SELECTION PROCEDURE
VII. NOTIFICATION OF THE DECISION AND SIGNATURE OF GRANT AGREEMENTS
Appendices:
- Appendix I - Application Form
- Appendix II - Provisional budget (Template)
- Appendix III - Template Grant Agreement (for information only)
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This call for proposals is launched in the framework of the joint European Union and Council of Europe Programme Partnership for Good Governance, through the project “Strengthening access to justice through non-judicial redress mechanisms for victims of discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes in the Eastern Partnership countries”. The programme is co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe.
This call aims to co-fund national and local projects in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine aimed at supporting victims of discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes, particularly from vulnerable groups.
Project proposals shall aim to produce an added value to the Council of Europe/European Union efforts in this domain, contributing to the EU 2020 deliverables for the Eastern Partnership and to the achievement of the Partnership for Good Governance objectives.
The applicants’ attention is drawn to the fact that the agreement between the Council of Europe and the European Union, setting forth the start of the possibility to use the project budget for these grants, has not been signed yet. Signature of the contract is expected to take place shortly and the estimated starting date of the grants is 1 December 2021. Applicants are informed that the grant agreement under the present Call for Grants will only be signed with the successful applicants if and once said agreement between the Council of Europe and the European Union is signed. The Council of Europe shall not be held liable for any damage sustained by the applicants in connection with the above.
II. BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE EUROPEAN UNION / COUNCIL OF EUROPE PROJECT
The joint European Union/Council of Europe project “Strengthening access to justice through non-judicial redress mechanisms for victims of discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes in the Eastern Partnership countries” supports the development and implementation of policies and practices in line with European standards on combating discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes. The project bases its interventions on the Council of Europe standards in these fields, notably the European Convention of Human Rights and the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights, and on the monitoring and general policy recommendations of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI).
The project aims to support:
· National stakeholders to align anti-discrimination legislation and policies to European standards on discrimination, hate crime and hate speech
· ‘Equality bodies’/Ombudsperson institutions and NGOs to have increased capacities to assist vulnerable groups in pursuing discrimination complaints
· ‘Equality bodies’/Ombudsperson institutions and NGOs to carry out awareness raising on discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes, for vulnerable communities as well as the general public
· National stakeholders to develop the necessary competences to address hate speech in line with human rights standards.
Project partners include Ministries of Justice, law enforcement agencies, the equality bodies/Ombudsperson institutions, civil society organisations from the Eastern Partnership countries, among other stakeholders.
The indicative available budget under this call for proposals is 95.000 Euros (ninety-five thousand Euros). The Council of Europe intends to award up to 5 grants of a maximum amount of 19.000 Euros (nineteen thousand Euros) each.
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 call for proposals.
The grants will fund projects designed to support the victims of discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes in their access to redress, in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Republic of Moldova or Ukraine.
Projects should be linked to current issues related to discrimination affecting vulnerable communities and make reference to the issues raised in the latest country monitoring report of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI).
Link to ECRI monitoring reports:
· Armenia, https://www.coe.int/en/web/european-commission-against-racism-and-intolerance/armenia
· Azerbaijan, ECRI - Country monitoring in Azerbaijan (coe.int)
· Republic of Moldova, https://www.coe.int/en/web/european-commission-against-racism-and-intolerance/republic-of-moldova
· Ukraine, https://www.coe.int/en/web/european-commission-against-racism-and-intolerance/ukraine
Projects could address the following:
· Prevention of discrimination, such as awareness raising, human rights education, information to vulnerable communities about redress mechanisms and victims support
· Capacity building of national authorities, law enforcement, judiciary, civil society and other actors, at central or local levels to effectively allow them to combat discrimination and provide adequate victim support and access to justice
· Actions for supporting vulnerable communities when they are victims of discrimination, by empowering them to ask for redress to discrimination
· Promotion and the protection of the rights of vulnerable communities at the local level, for example through awareness raising actions or services for communities, such as ethnic minorities, Roma, LGBT, the disabled, etc.,
· Strengthening victim support services and information at the local level
· Combating hate speech and hate motivated violence or the stigmatisation of certain groups
· Tackling multiples forms of discrimination affecting certain groups, for example Roma women, or LGBT people from ethnic minorities, etc.
· Legal and psychological advice for victims of discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes.
Projects may include activities such as capacity building, development of awareness raising or information products, direct assistance to victims of discrimination, hate speech or hate crimes, community actions, and so on.
Project are encouraged to have a gender dimension, for example through engagement with women from vulnerable communities, or through targeted actions.
The implementation period of the projects should start on 1 December 2021 (see indicative timetable under VIII. below) and shall not extend beyond 30 April 2022.
Reporting requirements shall be completed on 31 May 2022 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 could be eligible (provided the agreement concerned so provides).
Projects should target in particular victims of discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes and vulnerable communities, for example, but not exclusively, ethnic minorities, Roma, LGBTI, migrants, women, etc.
The above list is not exhaustive, and projects may propose to target other relevant stakeholders, while keeping in mind the general objective of the Project.
Project proposals shall be accompanied by a draft budget (See Template Budget, in Appendix II) amounting to a maximum of 20.900 Euros (twenty thousand nine hundred Euros), more specifically a maximum of 19.000 Euros (nineteen thousand Euros) can be awarded by the Council of Europe while selected grantee entity is expected to contribute 10% to the overall project budget, in amount of maximum 1900 euro (one thousand nine hundred euros). 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. Further to the general objective, preference will be given to:
· Projects/actions foreseen to be implemented as a partnership between NGOs and a public institution, such as an equality body/Ombudsoffice (the applicant should still remain an NGO)
· Projects/actions targeting vulnerable communities and showing a clear added value in supporting access to justice for victims of discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes
· Projects/actions involving
o Equality bodies and/or Ombudsoffices as partners for carrying out the project activities
o Local public institutions, such as local municipalities, local police, etc.
Projects are encouraged to have a gender dimension, by considering the different effects and inequality that discrimination leads to for women and men and by responding this through specific activities.
7. The following types of action will not be considered:
· Projects/actions providing financial support to third parties (re-granting schemes);
· Projects/actions concerning only or mainly individual scholarships for studies or training courses;
· Projects/actions supporting political parties.
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, and after the presentation and acceptance by the Council of Europe of the final narrative and financial reports for the Grant implementation.
· 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.
Each application shall contain:
· the completed and signed Application Form (See Appendix I);
· a provisional budget (using the template reproduced in Appendix II);
- the other supporting documents: work plan for the project activities and the CVs of project manager(s).
Applications that are incomplete will not be considered.
General information about the Partnership for Good Governance programme can be found at https://pjp-eu.coe.int/en/web/pgg2/home and information about the specific project can be found on the website of the Council of Europe: https://www.coe.int/en/web/inclusion-and-antidiscrimination/eap-regional-project
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 and shall be exclusively sent to the following address: [email protected], with the following reference in subject: PGG 17 – Questions application for grant for increasing access to justice for victims of discrimination in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.
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: PGG 17 – Application for grant for increasing access to justice for victims of discrimination in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.
Applications must be received before 3 October 2021 (at 17.00 CET). 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 an Evaluation Committee composed of three staff members 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:
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;
e. are or if their owner(s) or executive officer(s), in the case of legal persons, are included in the lists of persons or entities subject to restrictive measures applied by the European Union (available at www.sanctionsmap.eu).
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, Item 12/14).
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;
1. for the items set out in paragraph e);
1. for natural persons, a scanned copy of a valid photographic proof of identity (e.g. passport)
2. for legal persons, an extract from the companies register or other official document proving ownership and control of the applicant.
In order to be eligible for a grant, an applicant must:
· be legally constituted as a non-governmental organisation in Armenia, Azerbaijan, the Republic of Moldova or Ukraine;
· be entitled to carry out in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Republic of Moldova or Ukraine the activities described in its project proposal;
· have been active for at least three years in the field of human rights and combating discrimination;
· 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.
Multiple applications are not allowed and shall lead to the exclusion of all applications concerned.
Applications will be assessed against the following criteria:
· the quality, relevance and added value of the project proposal with regard to the objectives of the call (50%)
· the cost-effectiveness and accuracy of the estimated budget (25%);
· the relevance of the experience of the applying organisation(s) and staff (25%).
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 (See Appendix III, for information only), formalising their legal commitments. Potential applicants are strongly advised to read the draft contract, in particular its requirements in terms of payment and reporting.
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Phases |
Indicative timing |
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Publication of the call |
8 September 2021 |
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Deadline for submitting applications |
3 October 2021, 17.00 CET |
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Information to applicants on the results of the award procedure |
30 October 2021 |
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Signature of the grant agreements |
15 November 2021 |
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Implementation period |
1 December 2021 – 30 April 2022 |
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