OMCT provides support to local human rights organisations from any region of the world in order to enable them to consolidate their operational activities, allowing them to develop sensitive initiatives and/or sustain their work, as well as to strengthen their capacities to implement local innovative activities and projects to prevent and respond to infringements facing human rights defenders and their organisations.
The objective of this support is to reach out, reinforce and sustain the work of local human rights organisations worldwide (including loose and unregistered groupings) to promote and defend respect for fundamental rights by strengthening their capacities to prevent and respond to developments adversely affecting human rights and human rights defenders’ movements at the local level, especially in the most difficult countries and working on behalf of vulnerable communities.
1) Who can apply?
Applications for grants to receive financial support to strengthen and sustain
sensitive initiatives by local human rights organisations are evaluated on a
case-by-case basis.
Eligible applicants for receiving financial support should meet the following 3
criteria of identity, situation and needs:
1. The applicant is a human rights organisation working in accordance with the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders (human rights organisations that are working to promote and protect the universally recognised human rights and freedoms of third parties and using peaceful and non-violent means in their work);
2. The applicant organisation is facing risks because of its human rights work;
3. The applicant needs emergency support (lack of access to alternative sources of support will be taken into account).
This medium to longer term support is especially directed at groups or NGOs that have limited capacity to approach donors, including those recently established or not having the possibility to register in their countries of operation, those in need of a timely and flexible response, and those working in remote and isolated areas.
Human rights organisations at risk working in any region of the world, are encouraged to apply, and in particular:
· Organisations working in the most difficult countries and/or in remote locations;
· Organisations particularly targeted because of the issues they work on (including the fight against torture and ill-treatment; the defence of land, environmental and indigenous rights; of women’s and sexual rights; challenges to violations of economic, social and cultural rights, etc.).
2) For which type of activity?
Eligible activities for financial support for local human rights
organisations include the following:
· Consolidating operational capacities of local human rights organisations, allowing them to develop sensitive initiatives and/or sustain their work. Priority will be given to the funding of operational activities rarely covered by other donors yet important to the medium to long term prospects for human rights defenders, such as:
- Providing a lifeline to local organisations that are ‘endangered’ by unexpected and/or grave security, financial, legal or administrative situations through bridging funds or other financial means - where otherwise not available - allowing them to remain operative;
- Leveraging emerging and innovative local protection initiatives, especially ones in isolated areas, whose timeliness with respect to on-the-ground developments is crucial to influence the human rights or human rights defenders’ situation at the local level, or strengthening human rights defenders protection structures, such as networks, focal points or others;
· Expanding capacities to implement local innovative activities and projects to prevent and respond to infringements facing human rights defenders and their organisations, and to advance a human rights agenda. Support will be given to strategies related to advocacy or public campaigns, capacity building and trainings, documentation and printing of materials, joint development and implementation of protection plans by human rights organisations and networks etc.
In particular:
- Campaigning and advocating for the protection of defenders and to advance a human rights agenda, such as through national, regional and international campaigns or advocacy missions to counter violations including contesting laws, restrictions, sanctions and administrative provisions restricting the work of human rights defenders, funding restrictions, defamation and the criminalisation of human rights defenders in countries in situations of early warning, and to support initiatives for legal and policy changes (enabling environment, protection mechanism), etc. OMCT particularly encourages the submission of applications from NGOs affected by foreign funding issues.
- Building capacities of local organisations by allowing them to obtain and/or conduct specific trainings in areas that would assist in protecting them, such as physical and digital security, legal defence, litigation, etc.
· Longer-term torture rehabilitation to human rights defenders victims of torture can also fall among the activities to be funded under OMCT financial support to local organisations.
3) How to apply?
Applications for a grant to receive financial support to a local human rights
organisation can be submitted by any human rights organisation which is facing
risks because of its human rights work and in need of support.
Please use the Application Form available in English, French or Spanish, and send it by email or fax to:Formulaire Financement ONG_FR
OMCT International Secretariat
Human Rights Defenders Programme
Email: grants[at]omct.org
Tel: +41 22 809 49 39
Fax: +41 22 809 49 29
To submit the application form by encrypted email, kindly contact OMCT International
Secretariat at the above-mentioned email address.
Applying organisations will need to provide evidence of support/recommendation from other professionals in the human rights movement.
The amount of the grants allocated shall range from EUR 5,000 to EUR 15,000, with an average of EUR 10,000. The duration of support shall not exceed one year.
All applicants will receive a written response whether or not their application is successful.
A grant agreement will be signed with human rights organisations receiving financial support, specifying the purpose of the grant, the mutual obligations and the reporting requirements. Depending on the size of the grant, the release of tranches of funding may be made conditional to reporting and justification.
Human rights organisations receiving financial support will be required to provide a narrative and financial report as well as original receipts of related expenses six weeks after the completion of the grant. This report may include qualitative documentation of changes in the operational capacities of human rights organisations and advocacy outcomes. If a report including all original receipts is not received on completion of the grant the applicant will no longer be eligible for any further grants and will be asked to return the funding.
OMCT is a member of ProtectDefenders.eu, the European Union Human Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented by international civil society.

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