Islamabad, 19 February 2025: Today, the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Pakistan has launched two calls for proposals with a combined value of EUR 8.33 million to support civil society-led projects in Pakistan. The call is for proposals that address gender equality and youth empowerment, as well as human rights standards in the criminal justice system of Pakistan.

The EU considers civil society organisations (CSOs) as key development partners in their own right, alongside bilateral its cooperation with governments. The 2012 EU Communication “The Roots of Democracy” outlined three goals for civil society: fostering an enabling environment for civil society operations; supporting CSOs’ involvement in domestic policies; and supporting their capacity development. CSOs and human rights defenders are in particular vital to the attainment of human rights, the rule of law, accountability, democracy, peace and stability.

As such, the two calls for proposals aim to complement ongoing EU cooperation projects with the Government of Pakistan in the field of human rights, rule of law, gender equality and economic empowerment of youth and women – such as through Technical Vocational and Education Training.

The first call for proposals (ref. EuropeAid/183536/DD/ACT/PK) is divided in two lots, on 1) gender equality and empowerment of women and girls and 2) youth empowerment and leadership, respectively. The call aims to address key challenges faced by women and youth in Pakistan and the strengthening of women’s and youth organisations. Concept notes for this call must be submitted by Wednesday 09 April 2025 at 18:00 (Islamabad time).

The second call for proposals (ref. EuropeAid/183532/DD/ACT/PK) aims to support CSO-led initiatives to protect and promote human rights in the area of criminal justice in Pakistan, and support improvements in the legal, procedural and institutional frameworks, to the benefit of the citizens and residents of Pakistan. Concept notes for this call must be submitted by Wednesday 16 April 2025 at 18:00 (Islamabad time).

The EU Delegation encourages eligible organisations to submit their project proposals. The official and comprehensive information on each call can be found in the respective guidelines for applicants. The guidelines spell out priorities, eligibility criteria and submission procedures. Please visit the following webpage to read the guidelines and find more information about the calls:

https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/online-services/#/

For further details, please contact:

Samar Saeed Akhtar

Press and Information Officer

[email protected]

Delegation of the European Union to Pakistan