1. General context
West Africa is characterized by intensive population movements, with many migrants moving in precarious contexts, planned or unplanned, and falling prey to smuggling networks leading to environments prone to human rights violations. Migrants in West Africa are often confronted to insecurity in route but also at destination. They face risks of multiple human rights violations including violence, torture, arbitrary detention, trafficking in persons, labour exploitation, sexual and gender-based violence and lack of access to economic, social and cultural rights such as the right to descent housing, to education, to healthcare and adequate standard of living. Some categories of migrants may be at heightened risks of violations of their human rights because they may already be facing situations of vulnerability from the start of the migration journey. Gender-based, age, sex, minority status may constitute elements of increased risk of rights violations. This also means that certain individuals require specific protection needs and support at various stages of the migration journey. Migrants are rights-holders and states have obligations towards them just as much as vis-à-vis any other individual under their jurisdiction.

In the context of this call for proposals, we are referring to Principles and Guidelines on the human rights protection of migrants in vulnerable situations. The vulnerable situations that migrants face can arise from a range of factors that may intersect or coexist simultaneously, influencing and exacerbating each other and evolving or changing over time as circumstances change. The concept of vulnerability is a foundational element of the human rights framework.

2. Objectives
The objective of this grant is to support CSOs, which are involved in the promotion and protection of the human rights of migrants in West Africa by improving their access to basic services as well as specific support responding to specific situations of vulnerability. In particular, the grant will support them in their efforts to increase access to basic services for migrants, including shelter, while ensuring that those in increased situation of vulnerability receive adequate tailored support, such as medical and psycho-social support and or the identification and rehabilitation of victims of torture and sexual and gender-based violence. Through the grant, grantee organizations will be able to identify migrants in vulnerable situations, provide them with assistance in meeting their immediate needs, support them with administrative procedures where necessary ; and make appropriate referrals and follow up with specialised government and other appropriate services.

This grant will also increase the capacity of grantee organizations to collect data on the situation of migrants in vulnerable situations, provide accompaniment to migrants. We encourage organizations to explain how their services/programs are tailored to meet the specific needs of their targets.

3. Project Implementation
This grant is a short-term grant that envisions specific actions and activities that can be completed quickly. Projects must be completed within a maximum of 12 months from the date of the grant award, and no later than November 2024.

Once a decision to award a grant has been taken, a grant agreement will be concluded with the head of the organisation. This person acts as a contact point for OHCHR throughout the project.

N.B. : Eligible organisations may, if they wish so, propose in their application to partner with international organisations to assist them in the implementation of the planned activities. These international organisations must demonstrate their capacity and experience in the field of assistance to migrants in vulnerable situations.

4. Funding
Grants will each be awarded for an amount of no more than US$30,000 for a maximum of 12 months. The grant may be used for the following expenses :

  Costs related to the provision of emergency temporary shelter ;
  Costs related to access to basic health needs ;
  Costs related to referrals and follow-up to facilitate access to basic services (education, water and sanitation, housing, health care) ;
  Costs related to support with basic administrative procedures ;
  Costs related to providing psycho-social assistance to migrants who are victims of human rights violations ;
  Costs related to data collection activities (transportation, Daily Substance Allowance, including accommodation for staff conducting field visits) ;
  Additional humanitarian assistance for migrants in need who receive legal support from the organisation.

Cost sharing
For each of these categories, it is possible to share the costs between the grant and other sources of funding, and such an effort would be viewed positively.

N.B. :
  In the budget document attached to the grant application, all costs must be clearly defined. It is particularly necessary to indicate whether the costs are to be financed entirely by the grant or through cost sharing ;
  Staff training and general operating costs can only be funded if they are shared between the grant and other funding sources.

General Operating Costs
General operating expenses may not exceed 13 percent of the total budget submitted.

Equipment
Equipment costs must be prorated if the life of the equipment extends beyond the end of the project.

5. Monitoring, evaluation and reporting
Monitoring, evaluation, and reporting are essential elements of successful project implementation and management. It helps to better understand the impact of grants and informs the strategic direction and development of future funding programs.
Monitoring, evaluation, and reporting will also help the grantee to gather valuable information about the impact of your work and how migrants benefit, what works and what doesn’t, and how you might be able to make your work more effective.
As part of the grant proposal submission, we require that all potential grantees include in their proposals a potential implementation plan, including monitoring, evaluation, and reporting strategies to ensure effectiveness and achieve maximum impact.
Following the award of grants, all (selected) grantees and their team members will be invited to a kick-off workshop. During this kick-off workshop, key topics that will be covered include grant project management, monitoring, evaluation and reporting, and financial management. Templates for all required technical narrative and financial reports will also be shared.

6. Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for the grant, applicant organizations must meet the following criteria :
  Be a civil society organization, community associations and center, or NHRI legally constituted and registered for at least one year ;
  Work in one of the following countries : Burkina Faso, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Nigeria, or Senegal.
3) Have in their mandate the assistance to migrants, protection of migrants’ rights, in the country concerned, as well as being already engaged in one or more of the activities covered by this call for applications.
7. Content and Format of Applications
All applications must be written in English or French and include the following information and documents :
  A project proposal by filling in the dedicated Word document (10 pages maximum) ;
  A budget by filling out the dedicated Excel table, which clearly indicates the fees and cost sharing between the grant and other funding sources ;
  If appliable CVs of staff members whose salaries will be paid (in whole or in part) by the grant ;
  Proof of official registration of the organization in the country where the organization is based (certificate, registration receipt, etc.) ;
  Most recent financial report, if available ;
  If the initial grant proposal is written in French and the grant is accepted, all final project documents will need to be translated to English. If necessary, please include a budget line for translation services.

8. Review of applications
Each application will be evaluated by an OHCHR-appointed panel and may also be shown to external reviewers. Based on the panel’s recommendations, the OHCHR Grants Committee will make the final determination on the funding decision. In evaluating applications, the panel will consider, among other things, the following criteria :

− Does the application follow all the instructions contained in the previous section ("Application Content and Format") ? If not, the application will not be further evaluated and will not receive funding. In particular, attention must be paid to the length of the proposal, the required signatures, and the submission of the various documents required ?
− Is the project clearly described, with the problem well defined and the objectives clearly stated ?
− Are the outcomes, impact and deliverables specifically identified ?
− Is the project designed to be completed within 12 months ?
− Is the package of documents submitted sufficient to adequately assess the proposal ?
− Is there mention of the number of migrants proposed to be supported and their characteristics (gender, age, nationality, etc.) ?
− Are there sufficient resources and expertise available in the applicant organization ?
− Is there strong institutional commitment to the project, as evidenced by some cost sharing ?

9. How to apply
Only applications from organisations that meet the three eligibility criteria (see point 6) and that have an adequate content and format (see point 7) will be considered.
Applications must be sent by email to adja.diop@un.org and atta@un.org no later than 20 October 2023 at 23h59 (Dakar time). After this deadline, applications will no longer be considered. It is therefore advisable to allow sufficient time to prepare the application before the deadline. Decisions will be made in due course after validation by the OHCHR Grants Committee.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the above-mentioned email addresses before 13 October 2023.