Access to Justice Small Grants Program

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I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION The Coordinating Director (CD) at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul is pleased to announce that we are currently accepting applications for the Access to Justice Small Grants Program. The CD invites Afghan organizations to submit applications for funding for projects that will strengthen the rule of law in Afghanistan. Purpose of the Program: The Access to Justice Small Grants Program will fund projects that improve access to the formal Afghan justice system; increase the participation of civil society organizations (CSOs) in advancing the rule of law and access to justice, in particular with respect to vulnerable populations such as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), detainees, women, minority groups, juveniles, and victims of sexual exploitation and human trafficking; and that increase the public's legal awareness and ability to assert their legal rights. II. AWARD INFORMATION FUNDING INSTRUMENT TYPE: GRANT OR COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT MINIMUM AMOUNT FOR A GRANT APPLICATION: $10,000 MAXIMUM AMOUNT FOR A GRANT APPLICATION: $200,000 PROJECT AND BUDGET PERIODS: PROJECTS MUST BE COMPLETED IN TWELVE MONTHS OR LESS. III. BACKGROUND A legal system based on the rule of law (ROL) is a key element of democracy, and the vehicle through which fundamental political, social, and economic rights are protected and enforced. The concept assumes the existence of effective and legitimate institutions, primarily within a country’s national government, to administer the law as well as to guarantee personal security and public order. Rule of law also requires citizen confidence in the fairness and effectiveness in the application of the law, including procedural fairness, protection of human rights and civil liberties, and access to justice. The absence of significant government corruption is a prerequisite for effective rule of law to be established, because corruption undermines the effectiveness of the judicial system. The U.S. Government (USG) is one of the principal international donors working to support the efforts of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA) to establish a strong and credible justice sector in Afghanistan. USG assistance programs in Afghanistan center on efforts to improve access to the state-sector justice, provide support to the detentions and corrections system, improve the traditional dispute resolution system and the formal (e.g., Supreme Court, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Interior, and Attorney General’s Office) institutions, to combat corruption and illicit activities, to deal with policy issues and initiatives relating to strengthening the rule of law in Afghanistan, including gender-specific policies, and to support the creation of a strong and functioning civil society. IV. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION The Access to Justice Small Grants Program is a USG initiative, launched in 2011, to expand assistance efforts in the area of rule of law in Afghanistan. The aim of the program is to give Afghan civil-society organizations, private sector companies, academic institutions, and professional associations the opportunity to develop projects that will strengthen the rule of law in Afghanistan. In addition, the program aims to strengthen and reinforce the capacity of civil society organizations to advocate for justice and the rule of law in Afghanistan. To this end, the program seeks to fund creative and sustainable rule of law projects in Afghanistan that address one or more of the program priorities listed below. Priority will be give to projects in under-served areas. Although this list is not exhaustive, preference will be given to projects that meet GIRoA development priorities, and one or more of the following USG priority areas: 1. Improve access to the Afghan formal justice sector. Preference will be given to projects that: 1. Increase the provision and accessibility of legal aid (in particular for vulnerable groups such as IDPs, detainees, women, minority groups, juveniles, victims of sexual exploitation and human trafficking). 2. Enhance the quality of legal defense services through legal education and other initiatives. 3. Increase the availability of Afghan formal justice in underserved districts. 4. Build capacity and expand legal support services for women. 2. Increase the participation of civil society organizations (CSOs) and support their leadership of efforts to reform the justice sector and advance the rule of law. Preference will be given to projects that focus on: 1. CSO advocacy on human rights, women’s rights, and the administration of justice. 2. CSO oversight and monitoring of government policy on justice issues. 3. Strengthening constructive engagement on legal and justice sector reform between CSOs and GIRoA 3. Increase the public's legal awareness and ability to assert their legal rights.

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