European Union opens Call for Proposals for two major grants to civil society to promote civic and women’s participation

European Union opens Call for Proposals for two major grants to civil society to promote civic and women's participation

The European Union is a long standing and trusted partner of civil society in partner countries.

The European Union in Papua New Guinea has launched a Call for Proposals to strengthen civic participation and accountability, and to promote and protect human rights, democracy and gender equality. Women's political participation and voice in decision-making are particular focus in the context of the 2027 elections and after. We offer two grants for a total amount of approximately 7 million kina.

This new initiative builds on the European Union's ongoing commitment to strengthen democracy and uphold human rights in PNG. Civil society organisations are vital to these efforts. They play a key role in boosting political accountability through advocating for transparency and access to information, and monitoring corruption and the impact of public policies.

Global Gateway is the EU's external investment strategy and aims at building quality, sustainable infrastructure in partner countries. A core element of Global Gateway is creating an enabling environment for sustainable and quality investments, with high social, environmental and governance standards. Civil society plays a strong role in creating this enabling environment.

Despite efforts to address discrimination against women, gender inequality remains very high. While the Government of Papua New Guinea has ratified several international frameworks and established national policies, the level of women's political participation and leadership remains alarmingly low.

In Papua New Guinea, challenges for social accountability include overlapping state and customary governance systems, weak institutional responsiveness, corruption, uneven service delivery, and structural exclusion of women and youth. The European Union and other development partners continue supporting accountability initiatives, including access to public information, budget transparency and citizen monitoring of public spending and service delivery.

The European Union in Papua New Guinea is now inviting eligible organisations to submit proposals as indicated in the published guidelines.

Link to the Guidelines: https://ec.europa.eu/.../prospect-details/186614PROSPECTSEN

Ref: EuropeAid/186614/DD/ACT/Multi