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The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in North Macedonia is announcing a Public Call for civil society organizations registered in North Macedonia to submit project proposals that would contribute to the promotion of transitional justice, social cohesion and the protection of human rights in order to build trust, support communities and initiate multi-ethnic constructive dialogue.

The public call is being launched as part of the regional project "EU Support for Confidence Building in the Western Balkans", funded by the European Union and implemented by UNDP. The project provides expertise and support to the judiciary and law enforcement agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Kosovo. 

Specifically, in North Macedonia, the project focuses on strengthening the capacities of judicial authorities through training and expert support, as well as on public awareness-raising activities on addressing conflict relapse and promoting reconciliation. This is achieved in particular through close cooperation with civil society organizations actively working on these issues, thus fostering their role and influence as key actors in these processes.

In this context, a call for project proposals is being announced aimed at raising public awareness and encouraging dialogue and exchange between various stakeholders, with a focus on young people and future opinion leaders, who through advocacy and activism will contribute to promoting reconciliation, interethnic dialogue and addressing the challenges of the past.

Focus Areas

• Organizations selected for regranting should be particularly focused on promoting activities and results in the following areas:

  • Public debates, media campaigns, including those on social media, and other outreach activities to promote fact-based dealing with the past;

  • National/regional research, academic exchange and internship programs for social science researchers focusing on transitional justice, the advancement of interethnic relations and solidarity;

  • Developing and/or piloting new university curricula for transitional justice and peace studies that include gender aspects, with an emphasis on the context of the region;

  • Promoting various forms of inter-societal and inter-ethnic dialogue, especially youth dialogue and youth engagement, to overcome past relapses and promote reconciliation and closer inter-ethnic relations;

  • Promoting dialogue regarding past recidivism that includes gender aspects with feminist approaches to reconciliation;

  • Strengthening or building sustainable partnerships between civil society (including self-starting initiatives) and institutions – at national or local/municipal level – aimed at promoting interethnic reconciliation and fact-based remembrance (remembrance), as well as dialogue about the past;

  • Supporting artists and cultural activists and promoting artivism (artistic activism) in dealing with the recurrences of the past and promoting reconciliation.

Funding Information

• The minimum amount per grant is 5,000 euros.

• The maximum amount per grant is 35,000 euros.

• Duration of the proposed project:

  • Minimum: four months,

  • Maximum: fifteen months.

Selection Criteria

• The selection of the project proposal will be made based on, among other things, the following:

  • the estimated impact of the project proposal on raising public awareness for promoting interethnic dialogue and reconciliation,

  • the potential of the proposed project to contribute to systemic change,

  • the sustainability of the intervention,

  • the anticipated costs (cost-effectiveness).

Eligibility

• Eligible candidates for grants are legal entities registered in an appropriate legal form in North Macedonia that belong to one of the following categories:

  • civil society organizations, non-governmental organizations, working to promote and protect transitional justice, human rights and social dialogue; non-governmental sports associations and clubs may also be eligible, in combination with the other criteria listed above;

  • non-governmental academic or educational institutions;

  • non-governmental organizations whose field of activity is focused on cultural development;

  • civil society organizations and non-governmental organizations that have proven experience in working with youth, especially on topics related to reconciliation, interethnic dialogue, conflicts and conflict resolution, legal aspects of conflicts and the consequences of (armed) conflicts;

  • civil society organizations and non-governmental organizations that have proven experience in implementing projects, writing analyses/papers, or organizing dialogues on the armed conflict in North Macedonia since 2001.