The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Bureau for Development, Democracy, and Innovation, Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance (DDI/DRG) Center invites applications for the Justice, Rights, and Security (JRS) Annual Program Statement (APS).
Through the APS, USAID announces its desire to engage in a diverse range of partnerships, including with new and underutilized development actors to expand and amplify the Agency’s work in Promoting Justice, Protecting Rights, and Promoting Security.
This APS is neither a Request for Applications nor a Request for Proposals. Rather, this APS allows for Addenda to be published that will request Concept Papers. Concept Papers should not be submitted in response to this global APS, and should only be submitted in response to Addenda. Based on the review of those Concept Papers by a USAID team, USAID will determine whether to request a Full Application from an appropriate partner or partners
Closing Date: May 11, 2023
Human Rights for All -- Guatemala
Concept Note Submission Closing Dates: May 24, 2023
Through this Human Rights for All Addendum, USAID/Guatemala aims to strengthen Guatemala’s human rights system. This Addendum disseminates information to prospective Applicants so they may develop and submit Concept Papers in response, prior to potentially being asked to submit a full application to be considered for USAID funding.
USAID/Guatemala seeks to improve the enabling environment to prevent human rights abuses. By working with civil society organizations, government entities, and other stakeholders, the Human Rights For All project aims to strengthen the human rights system so that all citizens are respected and protected. Through advocacy, education, awareness‐raising and capacity building, the project will promote a culture of respect for human rights and social behavior change to foster the further development of Guatemala.
All interested organizations are restricted to submitting only one concept paper as the Prime Applicant. Interested applicants from within Duke should contact fundopps@duke.edu as early as possible.
Concept Note Submission Closing Date: May 22, 2023
The Nature Crime Addendum issued under the Justice, Rights, and Security (JRS) Annual Program Statement (APS) is not a Request for Application (RFA) but rather a request for Concept Note(s) in response to this Addendum published under the JRS APS. To be competitive under this procurement, the Concept Note submission must be fully responsive to all directions under this Addendum and the JRS APS. Based on the submitted Concept Note, DDI/EEI/Biodiversity will determine whether to request a Full Application from an eligible organization. Applicant(s) should not submit a Full Application unless an invitation to do so by USAID is received.
Nature crimes, including illegal harvest and trade of wildlife, fish and timber, and illegal conversion of forests for commodity production, are often perceived as minor infractions, crimes of necessity, or even legitimate economic development, with no victim and warranting no serious consequences. However, these crimes often involve intimidation and violence against vulnerable individuals and enforcement officials and are often driven by well-resourced criminal networks that rely on bribery, extortion, fraud or laundering to acquire, store, transport and sell goods for which trade can decimate populations of wild animals and plants or destroy forests that may never recover. Habitat loss and fragmentation, closely followed by species overexploitation, are the top threats to biodiversity globally. In commercial sectors, negligence regarding compliance and law enforcement is occurring at great costs to economies and ecosystems and hurts law abiding resource users in source and consumer countries, including the United States.
Nature crimes frequently converge with each other and with other forms of criminal activity, including forced labor and narcotics trafficking. These crimes flourish in countries where rampant corruption and poor delivery of police and judicial services erode citizens’ confidence in democratic institutions and rule of law, or where there is a lack of capacity, implementation and incentives for enforcement and compliance of existing laws, including those related to protected areas, land tenure, management regulations or jurisdiction.
The goal of the Nature Crime Addendum is to prevent and address illegal activities that harm wild species and natural ecosystems, threaten the lives and livelihoods of rural people, and degrade security at multiple levels. This goal will be advanced through support for policies, practices and systems that decrease international trade in protected wild species, keep illegally harvested fish, timber, and wildlife out of legal supply chains and business operations, and reduce illegal deforestation associated with key commodities. USAID expects Nature Crime responses to strengthen rule of law, promote justice, and protect human rights, and to have a transformative and catalytic impact on efforts to conserve biodiversity and mitigate climate change.
All interested organizations are restricted to submitting ONLY one (1) Concept Note as the Prime Applicant. Interested applicants from within Duke should contact fundopps@duke.edu as early as possible.
The following types of organizations are eligible to apply for this APS: ● U.S. and Non-U.S. Non-Profit Organizations ● U.S. and Non-U.S. For-Profit Organizations ● U.S. and Non-U.S. Colleges and Universities ● Private Voluntary Organizations ● Public International Organizations ● New and Underutilized Partners