The
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) announces a Request for
Proposals from organizations interested in submitting proposals for projects that
promote the strengthening of civil society and labor rights in the following
regions and countries: Africa (Democratic Republic of Congo); the Near East
(Jordan); East Asia Pacific (Indonesia; Philippines), South Asia (Maldives;
Pakistan); and the Western Hemisphere (Colombia).
DRL
invites organizations to submit proposals outlining program concepts and
capacity to manage projects targeting the following issues:
Africa:
Democratic
Republic of the Congo (approximately $700,000): DRL seeks proposals
to strengthen respect for worker rights in extractive industries.
Successful proposals will seek to develop sustainable approaches to improving
worker rights through activities that may include capacity-building for worker
organizations; awareness-raising about relevant laws; training and livelihoods
support for vulnerable populations; and/or supply chain engagement to promote
identification and remediation of labor law violations in the extractive
sector.
Near
East:
Jordan
(approximately $750,000): DRL seeks proposals for projects aimed at increasing
respect for internationally recognized labor rights and improving working and
living conditions for workers, particularly foreign migrant workers.
Specific activities may include efforts to raise awareness of workers’ rights,
standardize the use of written labor contracts, build the capacity of
organizations supporting or advocating for these workers, encourage increased
organization and representation of foreign workers in worker organizations,
provide direct legal or other support to such workers in defense of their
rights and interests, and promote a culture of respect for such workers.
Successful projects will coordinate with other ongoing programs to protect the
rights of foreign workers in Jordan.
East
Asia Pacific:
Indonesia
(approximately $900,000): DRL seeks proposals to strengthen civil society and
improve respect for worker rights – particularly in the areas of freedom of
association and collective bargaining. Activities may include
capacity-building and organizing for worker organizations (including labor
unions, associations, labor lawyers, recruitment firms, and other groups or
collectives), awareness-raising about relevant laws, and/or engagement in
multi-stakeholders and supply-chain efforts to improve working conditions. Activities may also include training
regarding implementation of existing laws and technical assistance for the
development of implementing regulations for representatives of government,
particularly at the local level.
Philippines
(approximately $750,000): DRL seeks proposals to strengthen respect for
freedom of association and collective bargaining. Activities may include
training and capacity building for government officials, worker organizations,
employers, and individual workers to promote protection of worker rights and
effective social dialogue. Activities may also include efforts to raise
awareness of internationally recognized worker rights, improve implementation
of labor law, and provide legal assistance to victims of labor rights
violations. Successful proposals will include a gender component
addressing the specific challenges facing female workers in the exercise of
their right to organize and build on and coordinate with ongoing projects to
advance worker rights.
South
Asia:
Maldives
(approximately $300,000): DRL seeks proposals to promote respect for worker
rights, particularly in the areas of freedom of association, collective
bargaining, and protection of migrant worker rights in the context of new laws
to protect the right to organize. Project activities may include raising
awareness of new laws, building the capacity of worker organizations, and
providing training and technical assistance to representatives of workers
and/or employers. Successful programs will collaborate with ongoing
initiatives to improve respect for worker rights.
Pakistan
(approximately $800,000): DRL seeks proposals to support innovative and sustainable
approaches to promote the rights and interests of informal sector workers,
particularly home-based women workers. Programs should directly involve
and support local organizations, potentially through sub-grants at levels
appropriate to organizational capacity, to provide services to home-based and
other informal sector workers. Such services may include non-formal
education, rights awareness training, skills training, leadership training, and
income generation activities. Proposals that enhance home-based and
informal workers’ ability to advocate for formal legal and social protections
under provincial/national laws and that can be replicated on a regional,
national, and/or global basis will be highly favored. Proposals that
include innovative strategies to organize and strengthen communication among
home-based and other informal sector workers will also be favored.
Western
Hemisphere:
Colombia
(approximately $900,000): DRL seeks to fund one or more projects to promote the
worker rights of traditionally marginalized groups with a particular focus on
indigenous, Afro-Colombian, and women
workers. Specific activities may include strengthening efforts to combat
workplace discrimination, encouraging equal opportunities, raising awareness
about worker rights, and/or providing support to civil society organizations,
including unions, to organize and assist these workers. Activities may
also include initiatives to improve livelihoods through training and linkages
to alternative employment opportunities. Successful proposals will
coordinate effectively with ongoing projects in Colombia to improve working and
living conditions for vulnerable workers.
Further information can be found at: http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=VIEW&oppId=74874
Click on Full Announcement at the top of the page.
An organization may submit no more than five
(5) proposals. Proposals that do not meet the requirements of the
announcement and PSI may not be considered. Proposals that combine target
countries and/or themes may be deemed technically ineligible. Proposals
that request less than the award floor or more than the award ceiling will be
deemed technically ineligible.
Because the
Department of State only allows an organization to submit five proposals, the University of Kentucky has established an internal selection
process. Individuals interested in submitting to this program are to submit
the following material electronically to the Office of the Vice President for
Research at vpr@email.uky.edu
and a copy to their
Associate Dean for Research by Thursday, March 10, 2011
a) Names and departments of UK Project Director and key personnel, and target
country,
b) Project overview – (1-2 pages) identify the proposed
theme(s), objectives, and brief description of activities
A committee will be appointed to review the information
and make a recommendation. The Dept. of State deadline is April 1,
2011. Questions about the submission process may be sent to Ms. Annette
Evans in the Office of the Vice President for Research (alevan4@email.uky.edu or 257-1663).