The Active Citizens Fund in Portugal is now accepting proposals for the creation of a platform for the defence and promotion of human rights, which is part of Outcome 4 – “Enhanced capacity and sustainability of civil society (organisations and the sector)”, one of the four areas of the Active Citizens Fund in Portugal.

The objective of this project is to bring together the main Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) that defend and promote human rights in Portugal, through the creation of a platform capable of enhancing the work of its associates; to better defend the fundamental rights of citizens, in particular those who are victims of any kind of discrimination; to monitor public policies; to undertake research on human rights issues; to support the training of its members; to receive and handle complaints of human rights violations; and to sensitize the media and the public administration to the problems underlying this issue.

The platform is intended to be an umbrella organisation that can bring together the various existing organisations and others that may arise in this area and which, without undermining the diversity that characterizes the subsector of human rights NGOs and the autonomy of its organisations, can find common denominators and principles that lead to more shared and evidence-based work, with greater potential for impact on society and policy makers.

Key-elements of the work to be undertaken by the consortium will be the definition of the perimeter of the area of defence and promotion of human rights, the selection of the core of NGOs with which the work will be initiated, its designation, the definition of the legal form to be adopted by the platform and the preparation of a business plan that ensures its sustainability.

Portuguese NGOs meeting the requirements stipulated in Articles 9 and 10 of the Programme Rules may apply as project promoters.

The project is due to be developed and implemented in 48 months, with an expected start date of October 1, 2019 and completion scheduled for September 30, 2023. The project’s total supportable cost cannot exceed 166,500 euros.

Proposals must be submitted electronically until June 24, 2019 here.

Information requests may be submitted to [email protected].