Call for Proposals 2023
Protection and Promotion of Civil and Political Rights and Freedoms
April 14, 2023 - Baytna announces a call for proposals for projects that will enhance Syrian civil society's role as a force for peace, stability, and democratic transition in Syria, with a focus on the protection and promotion of civil and political rights and freedoms. Your proposals must be submitted to this call by the end of May 15, 2023, Syrian time (GMT+3).
Below is an overview of Baytna organization, Baytna Inline Program, the financing plan and its mechanisms, as well as the necessary information and forms. Baytna will study all funding requests and send an invitation to submit a project proposal to successful applications by 05/06/2023. As for project proposals, Baytna will evaluate and respond to them by a maximum time frame of 01/08/2023.
Grant Information:
· Grant subject: Protection and Promotion of Civil and Political Rights and Freedoms in Syria
· Number of Grants: Four thematic grants
· Grant Duration: 12-14 months
· Grant value: 100,000 EUR
About Baytna:
Baytna was established in 2015 as a non-profit/non-governmental organization that works for an active Syrian civil society that fosters knowledge development; promotes active citizenship; practices democracy; defends, preserves, and channels citizens’ rights and interests; and develops a common set of values for all; through:
- Establishing neutral spaces for Syrian civil society actors, and facilitating collaboration among Syrian, regional and international CSOs.
- Disseminating and deepening knowledge about concepts and frameworks of a diverse and inclusive civil society.
- Awarding grants to implement civil society approaches and to strengthening the legitimacy of civic action.
- Promoting transparency and accountability within civil society.
- Advocating for the causes, rights and freedoms of the Syrian people, locally and internationally.
Baytna has grown significantly since it was established, earning a reputation for its competence in assisting Syrian civil society, and it has become less dependent on external factors and more capable of operating autonomously.
As part of its mission of spreading knowledge, Baytna has assessed the capacities of over 1,000 local CSOs, provided training on NGO establishment and CSOs project management, and assisted them in funding proposals.
The organization has awarded more than 200 grants for projects inside Syria totaling 3 million EUR to date. These grants supported priority sectors, including women's empowerment, community engagement, media, rights and governance, education, and emergency response.
Baytna focuses in this call for proposals on the strategic (long-term) grants component of Baytna Inline Program, which focuses on Syrian civil society.
About Baytna Inline Program:
Baytna Inline is a strategic program designed to address the challenges facing civil society inside Syria. It offers Syrian organizations, initiatives and groups the needed support, resources, tools, and skills they need to act as forces for peace, stability and democratic change in Syria.
Through its three main programs, Baytna has adopted adopts a broad definition of civil society, as a community of citizens linked by common interests and working actively and collectively to achieve their aims, based on the respect for fundamental rights and the principle of equality. Civil society is the cornerstone for any democratic and pluralistic future of Syria. Through its support, Baytna not only encourages civil society in itself, but also fosters the environment in which future leaders can emerge.
Due to the nature of the conflict, Syrian civil society has complicated relationships with politics and politicians, as political actors tried to exert control over some CSOs and community initiatives for their political gain and interests. Therefore, Baytna's policy is to refrain from directly supporting political parties or actors, as well as CSOs linked to political parties, whether through capacity-building or grants.
Baytna Inline Program focuses in this call for proposals on the following:
Thematic Grants:
Baytna has researched the topic of “Protection and Promotion of Civil and Political Rights and Freedoms in Syria” with the assistance of specialized experts to identify priority issues, problems, and potential solutions. Based on the research findings and through an open call for project proposals, Baytna will collaborate with other Syrian CSOs to design and implement long-term strategic interventions tailored to the key problems identified in the research. Each of these strategic grants will fund projects for a period of up to 14 months.
Baytuna will also provide a series of organizational development training workshops to ensure that partner organizations have the organizational skills required to carry out such projects to high standards. It will also hold training workshops on the topic of “Protection and Promotion of Civil and Political Rights and Freedoms in Syria” to increase partners' understanding of the projects being implemented.
Baytna will award four thematic grants with an average value of 100,000 EUR each for a period of 12 to 14 months for projects related to the Protection and Promotion of Civil and Political Rights and Freedoms in Syria over a period of 12 to 14 months. Furthermore, Baytna will provide two training workshops on project-related topics each year, as well as 12 customized training sessions on organizational skills to each partner organization to improve implementation quality.
Protection and Promotion of Civil and Political Rights and Freedoms in Syria
Civil and political rights and liberties are among the most important demands for which people have fought throughout history. These concepts evolved greatly until they were recognized in international human rights law, particularly the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) which guarantees the civil and political rights of individuals, including the right to life, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and of association, electoral rights, among others.
However, it is not possible to enjoy civil and political rights unless national legislation and practices provide for and adhere to international human rights standards and principles, particularly during times of war and crisis, when the rule of law (if any) is frequently violated and many violations of these rights are committed.
CSOs working on human rights can engage in and contribute to the advancement of these rights and freedoms at the national level and within the context in which they operate. Therefore, CSOs are invited to submit their project proposals that contribute to the grant's overall goal “Protection and Promotion of Civil and Political Rights and Freedoms in Syria”; these projects should address one or more of the following themes, which can be implemented through the activities listed below or through other creative solutions:
Overall Goal:
Protection and Promotion of Civil and Political Rights and Freedoms throughout Syria, as well as creating a legislative, institutional, and social environment that supports these rights and freedoms.
Scope of Work
Themes:
· Civil and political rights and freedoms in the constitution as well as legally binding protective and oversight mechanisms to ensure political and partisan pluralism, rotation of power, separation of powers, and gender sensitivity.
· Secularization of Syria's national laws and constitution, provided that they take gender considerations into account.
· Bringing Syrian laws and regulations into compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Bill of Human Rights.
· Government systems, independence of powers, participation, rotation of power, and the rule of law.
· Electoral systems that guarantee equal participation, transparency and integrity and that take gender considerations into account.
· Citizens' understanding of political and human rights issues, as well as the culture of political and partisan work.
· Democratic and gender-sensitive political parties.
· Judicial independence and fair trial standards.
· The independence of the Supreme Constitutional Court.
· Countering government corruption and strengthening civil society's capacity to monitor and hold government accountable.
· Freedom of opinion and expression and the independence of the media.
· Freedom of thought and belief.
· The problematic relationship between religion and the state.
· Tools for developing and approving a civil personal status law.
· Freedom to form professional syndicates and civil associations.
· The right to peaceful demonstration.
· The right to private property in the constitution and national legislation.
· Women's right to own property.
· Gender-responsive constitution and national laws.
· Mechanisms of legal application of feminist thought and the dismantling of patriarchy.
· Civil and political rights and liberties for people with special needs.
Activities:
· Analyzing and evaluating national legislation and laws related to civil and political rights and freedoms in Syria, and proposing draft laws or amendments to legal articles to ensure their protection and promotion.
· Developing policy papers on the reality of civil and political rights and freedoms in Syria, in which suggestions and recommendations for change are presented, as well as incorporated in campaigns to gain decision-makers support.
· Analyzing, evaluating, and developing curricula to become objective and impartial towards all religions and ideologies, as well as to promote civil and political rights and freedoms in Syria.
· Establish mechanisms to monitor and document cases of civil rights and liberties violations in Syria, and strengthen civil society's capacity to monitor and document these violations.
· Preparing studies and research on the reality of civil and political rights and freedoms in Syria to mobilize and advocate for changes in laws and societal culture.
· Activities to raise awareness and empower people (seminars, conferences, campaigns, publications, press activities, social media campaigns, animation films) that can lead to the rise of a culture of civil and political rights and freedoms.
· Mutual learning and sharing of international and national practices and experiences among relevant stakeholders such as CSOs, media, women's organizations, and civil local government bodies.
· Building the capacity of concerned professionals, particularly those working with youth (such as schools and extracurricular activities), as well as professionals in the media and advertising sectors, and civil activists.
· Creating and organizing artworks/events that connect art to civil and political rights and freedoms (films, plays, music, art exhibitions, etc.)
· Organizing dialogue sessions to engage all groups of Syrian society in discussions about civil and political rights and freedoms.
Location for Project Implementation:
Inside Syria
Funding Policy:
Baytuna's funding policy is based on increasing the number of grant beneficiaries (both men and women) as much as possible by supporting CSOs and initiatives operating within Syria.
Throughout the funding period, Baytna assists CSOs and initiatives in developing and strengthening their capacities by connecting beneficiaries to the Baytna Inline Program, the M&E department, and field coordinators.
Baytna's funding policy was specifically designed to adapt to the situation inside Syria in terms of flexibility, payments, and work monitoring. It is also available in Arabic, giving everyone more opportunities to obtain grants and funding for their projects. In addition, Baytna relies on a committee with diverse expertise (financial, administrative, field, etc.) to study and evaluate the submitted proposals.
Eligibility Criteria:
To be considered, the submitting organization must meet all of the eligibility criteria listed below:
· The organization should send the project proposal (along with the required attachments) before the deadline; by the end of May 15, 2023, Syrian time (GMT+3).
· The organization must be licensed, have a bank account and accounting program, and it should adopt clear financial policies and procedures.
· The organization must have previously been subject to at least one financial audit.
· This call for proposals does not include political parties or movements.
· This call for proposals does not include local councils, provincial councils, or private companies.
· It is important not to promote any political, military or religious party within the implemented activities.
· The implementation of the proposal's funded activities must begin after its approval and not before this date.
· The organization must have moral and practical credibility in the geographical area in which it operates, and it should demonstrate this by sending a recommendation from a local civil authority and another recommendation from a donor.
· The proposal’s activities should be carried out inside Syria.
· The proposal is committed to covering at least one of the main themes and general recommendations from the research described above.
· The expected risks during the project should be within the risks accepted by Baytna.
· The proposal must meet the Baytna conditions outlined in the financing booklet in terms of the values that Baytna seeks.
· The organization or the initiative is committed to attending trainings and meetings (activities of the Baytna Inline Program).
· The proposals will be evaluated to ensure that they meet a set of criteria, including those mentioned above, as well as adherence to the themes identified for this call and the applying organization's ability to implement, its reputation, and the creativity of the proposal idea. Four proposals will be selected to be funded over the course of the program.
Proposal Evaluation Criteria:
· The proposal is realistic and fulfills the needs of the local community.
· The activities are effective, i.e., they achieve the stated objectives.
· The use of resources should be rational.
· The proposal can influence by catalyzing broader change.
· The proposal should have opportunities for sustainability.
· The proposal should not conflict with human rights values and principles.
· The organization or initiative can implement the proposed project.
· The organization or initiative has a mechanism for accountability and transparency.
· The duration of the proposed project should not be less than 12 months and not exceed 14 months.
· The project budget should not exceed 100,000 EUR.
· Applicant organizations may not submit more than one application.
· Baytna encourages building partnerships between organizations to serve the results of the proposed project.
· In the event of a partnership, the first applicant will be accountable to Baytna for all reporting, M&E, and financial documentation, with the need to clarify the nature, mission, and point of contact for each partner organization.
· After consulting with the partner organization, Baytna owns the right to publish and use parts of the product during and after the implementation of the funded projects.
· Applications for grants will be evaluated after they meet the conditions mentioned above in the “Eligibility Criteria” section.
How to Apply for Funding:
Baytna recently launched an online funding application process; you can apply using the following link:
https://www.baytna.org/concept-note
You can also download the user guide via the following link:
https://www.baytna.org/s/Apply-to-Concept-Note.pdf
Baytna will study and evaluate the submitted applications through a transparent review process.
During this process, our field coordinators or other Baytna employees may contact the applicant to discuss project design, cost, or any other matter.
For more information and advice, you can contact our Baytna coordinators inside Syria.