Innovative Media for Peace, Social Cohesion, and Reconciliation

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Innovative media for peace, social cohesion and reconciliation in Turkey, the Middle-East and North Africa

Background

The Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP) is an EU financial instrument to support security initiatives and peace-building activities in partner countries. The IcSP focuses on crisis response, crisis preparedness, conflict prevention and peace-building.

The present Call for Proposals is implemented under the 2018 Annual Action Programme for the IcSP under Article 4, which aims at supporting in-country civil society in their endeavours to prevent conflicts, respond to crises and build peace.

By targeting specifically in-country civil society actors, this Action is aligned with the general recommendation provided for in the 2014-2020 Strategy Paper under Article 4 measures, whereby due attention should be given to contribute to building in-country capacities (particularly of civil society actors). It is also aligned with, and contributes to the implementation of ‘the Global Strategy for the European Union’s Foreign And Security Policy’ which calls for stronger and deeper engagement with civil society organisations in order to strengthen societal resilience and nurture positive change in contexts affected by conflict, fragility and weak governance.

The present Call for Proposal concentrates specifically on priority area (3) of the Annex 1 to the 2019-2020 Multi-Annual Action Programme for the IcSP under Article 4: Media and Conflict. Often considered as the “fourth power”, alongside the legislative, executive and the judiciary, contemporary media have decisively shaped perceptions, political opinions and influenced conflict dynamics all across the globe. In the Middle East and North Africa region in particular, ever-growing access to media and the emergence of new information and communication technology (ICT) yielded profound social and political change. The wave of popular uprisings that swept the region, the ”Arab Springs”, showed how the digital revolution facilitated new forms of activism that could bypass the sometimes excessive filter of state censorship. Since then, the Internet and the dramatic spread of digital technologies have been widely associated with an instrumental tool to support non-state actors’ emancipatory endeavours and efforts to prompt political participation. They have also emerged as tools to support more effective humanitarian and crisis-response support in contexts where social media and digital applications are the only source of news and information.

The complexity of contemporary crises and the shifting media landscape, paradoxically, also benefited violent militant actors. Terrorist groups, among other actors, have proved remarkably agile in manipulating digital tools to bypass conventional media and to promote hate speech and propaganda across national and cultural boundaries. While the inherent capacity of ICT to distribute information and capture the public’s attention has proved useful to accompany pacific forms of protest, address grievances and support reconciliation efforts, recent history has shown that it can also be used to perpetuate tensions, promote divisive narrative and spread harmful rumours, thus contributing to further polarise the media sphere.

The role of civil society in tackling their impact on conflict dynamics and in maximising their potential to promote incentives for peace is therefore an essential part of contemporary peace-building efforts in a region that has faced significant challenges over the past decade, including conflicts, forced displacement, political unrest and violent extremism.

Opportunity Structure

Objectives of the programme and priority issues

The global objective of this call for proposals is to promote peace in the digital space and enhance resilience of conflict-affected and fragile societies to media harmful content in Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, West Bank and Gaza Strip and Yemen.

The specific objectives of this call for proposals are:

  • To use the potential of ICT (digital media, digital applications, mobile phones, data, etc.) to positively change the dynamic of conflict/crisis resolution and support peacebuilding initiatives;
  • To raise awareness about and fight disinformation/information influence and strengthen media literacy for key users (youth, influencers, journalists, citizens, etc.

The priorities of this call for proposals are:

  1. Promoting free open source software, digital tools and platforms to monitor, counter the spread and mitigate the impact of hate speech, rumours and disinformation.
  2. Promoting creative media content as a tool for outreach to reinforce shared identities, support social cohesion, mediation and post-conflict reconciliation efforts.
  3. Promoting informative and educational programme contributing to increase knowledge of complex issues and help the audience critically think about it.
  4. Supporting the implementation of digital mediation and diplomacy initiatives in conflict-affected areas.
  5. Contribute to empower and strengthen the voice of marginalised groups through the use of media and ICT.
  6. Foster innovation and policy development between ICT, peace and security.

Integrated approaches that combine multiple media platforms (radio, print, television and online media) with offline engagement, when necessary, are authorised. All proposals will have to demonstrate that they are compliant with the regulations of the country where the action takes place and with the EU General Data Protection Regulation.

Each application has to address the following methodological elements:

  • Clearly demonstrated knowledge of the local context and identified priority: the applicant must show a sound understanding of local context and targeted audience. Organisations have to show that they can rely on an existing network of contacts and that they can deploy in the targeted country.
  • Conflict sensitivity and do-no-harm: the approach followed in developing the design of the proposals is expected to be conflict-sensitive, right-based, inclusive and participatory. Particular attention shall be given to the risks associated with digital activity.
  • Innovation and use of transformative technologies: priority will be given to applications using the potential of data-driven information and technology to achieve peacebuilding objectives. This includes databases, smartphone applications, messaging services, video games, virtual reality headset and all manners of Geographic Information System. Public-private partnerships shall be sought when relevant and necessary. Applications funded by this project must be released under the European Union Public License.
  • Capacity-building component, transfer of know-how and sustainability: priority will be given to actions reinforcing the capacities of local civil society actors and including a potential of replicability and transferability of skills. Notably, actions enabling local civil society organisations to engage with and/or use media in their peacebuilding work and to act as agent of positive change, or to strengthen the role of youth and women in crisis prevention and peacebuilding via media-related interventions.
  • Synergies with other EU or non-EU programmes are highly recommended. Multi-level coordination and cooperation between relevant stakeholders involved is fundamental for effective and efficient delivery of results.
  • Cross-cutting issues: in accordance with Article 2(4) of the IcSP Regulation, whenever possible, the following cross-cutting issues shall be reflected in the design of the proposals: the promotion of human rights and humanitarian law; non-discrimination of vulnerable groups; the promotion of gender equality and women empowerment and combatting gender-based violence; the prevention of climate change; the promotion of democracy and good governance. The selected initiatives should contribute to create, restore or consolidate appropriate tools and mechanisms at local, national and regional level to prevent conflicts and contribute to durable peace.

Each application can cover one or several beneficiary countries (see section 2.1.4).

  • Financial allocation provided by the contracting authority

The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 6,000,000.
The contracting authority reserves the right not to award all available funds.

Size of grants

Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:

  • minimum amount: EUR 1,200,000.00
  • maximum amount: EUR 2,000,000.00

Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum percentages of total eligible costs of the action:

  • Minimum percentage: 80 % of the total eligible costs of the action.
  • Maximum percentage: 95 % of the total eligible costs of the action (see also Section 2.1.5).

Please note that in case of different maximum co-financing rate for local and non-local organisations, international organisations are not entitled to claim the maximum co-financing rate as they may never be considered as a local organisation even though they have local offices or headquarters established in the country.

The balance (i.e. the difference between the total cost of the action and the amount requested from the contracting authority) must be financed from sources other than the general budget of the Union or the European Development Fund.

The grant may cover the entire eligible costs of the action if this is deemed essential to carry it out. If that is the case, the lead applicant must justify full financing in Section 2.1 of Annex A.2. The validity of the justification provided will be examined during the evaluation procedure. The absence of any justification may lead to the rejection of the application.

Competitive Scope

Eligibility criteria

There are three sets of eligibility criteria, relating to:

(1) the actors:

  • The ‘lead applicant’, i.e. the entity submitting the application form (2.1.1),
  • if any, its co-applicant(s) (where it is not specified otherwise the lead applicant and its co-applicant(s) are hereinafter jointly referred as ‘applicant(s)’) (2.1.1),
  • and, if any, affiliated entity(ies) to the lead applicant and/or to a co-applicant(s). (2.1.2);

(2) the actions:

Duration

The initial planned duration of an action may not be lower than 24 months nor exceed 36 months.

Location

Actions must take place in one or more of the following countries: Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey West Bank and Gaza Strip, Yemen.

(3) the costs:

  • types of cost that may be taken into account in setting the amount of the grant (2.1.5).

Where and how to send concept notes

The concept note together with the declaration by the lead applicant (Annex A.1 section 2) must be submitted online via PROSPECT https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/europeaid/prospect following the instructions given in the PROSPECT user manual.

Upon submission of a concept note online, the lead applicant will receive an automatic confirmation of receipt in its PROSPECT profile.

Please note that incomplete concept notes may be rejected. Lead applicants are advised to verify that their concept note is complete by using the checklist for concept note (Annex A.1, Instructions).

Deadline for submission of concept notes

The deadline for the submission of concept notes is 29/01/2021 at 12:00 (Brussels date and time). In order to convert this deadline to local time you can use any online time converter tool that takes into account timezones and winter/summer time changes (example available here) The lead applicant is strongly advised not to wait until the last day to submit its concept note, since heavy Internet traffic or a fault with the Internet connection (including electricity failure, etc.) could lead to difficulties in submission. The Contacting Authority cannot be held responsible for any delay due to such afore-mentioned difficulties.

Any concept note submitted after the deadline will be rejected.

Further information about concept notes

Questions may be sent by e-mail no later than 21 days before the deadline for the submission of concept notes to the address below, indicating clearly the reference of the call for proposals:

E-mail address: [email protected]

The contracting authority has no obligation to provide clarifications to questions received after this date.

Replies will be given no later than 11 days before the deadline for submission of concept notes.

To ensure equal treatment of applicants, the contracting authority cannot give a prior opinion on the eligibility of lead applicants, co-applicants, affiliated entity(ies), an action or specific activities.

No individual replies will be given to questions. All questions and answers as well as other important notices to applicants during the course of the evaluation procedure will be published on the website of DG International Cooperation and Development: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/europeaid/online-services/index.cfm?do=publi.welcome, as the need arises. It is therefore advisable to consult the abovementioned website regularly in order to be informed of the questions and answers published.

All questions related to registration in PADOR or the online submission via PROSPECT should be addressed to the IT helpdesk at [email protected] via the online support form in PROSPECT: Please note that the working languages of the IT support are: English French and Spanish. Therefore users are invited to send their questions in English, French or Spanish should they wish to benefit from an optimum response time.

Please note that the contracting authority may decide to cancel the call for proposals procedure at any stage according to the conditions set out in Section 6.5.9 of the PRAG.The above is a summary of the original procurement notice.Additional information and documents are available for download from the original procurement notice page.


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Timeline

  • Grant announced on1 Dec 2020
  • Deadline29 Jan 2021
  1. To apply to this call for proposals, organisations must register in PADOR and submit their application in PROSPECT.

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