30 September 2020

EIDHR Global Call for proposals on shrinking civic, democratic and civil society space

The European Commission´s European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) has issued the 2020 EIDHR Global Call for Proposals on Shrinking civic, democratic and civil society space.

The global objective of this call for proposals is to support and empower civil society in protecting and promoting democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms worldwide with a focus on Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean and Enlargement and Neighbourhood countries share the same thematic issues: the freedoms of association, peaceful assembly and expression are fundamental universal civil and political rights that underpin the respect for other human rights and democracy. Civic space (the legal and practical framework for the exercise of these freedoms) and democratic space (transparency and the possibility of civic and political participation, holding government to account, critique, dissent and contestation), are essential to the functioning of any democracy, to the effectiveness of human and economic development, and to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The priorities of this call for proposals are:

  • Engage long- and medium-term drivers of civic space dynamics according to specific country contexts;
  • Offer programmes of capacity building, networking and exchange for human rights defenders and related civil society (including with other stakeholders as appropriate) at a national level and/or with a multi-country or regional dimension;
  • Counter the criminalisation and defamation of civic actors and civil society;
  • Develop and pilot multi-stakeholder response protocols for early action; maintain contacts/networks with national and international actors to assess opportunities for meaningful action; coordinate or mobilise measures at different levels as appropriate;
  • Provide direct support (services and/or financial assistance) in case of sudden-onset changes or significant signals of change;
  • Analyse trends and assess the dynamics of civic, democratic and civil society space.

Those interested in the call can find all the relevant documents here.