Bolstering the Strength and Credibility of Libyan Civil Society

• Eligibility Criteria:
  – DRL welcomes applications from U.S.-based and foreign-based non-profit organisations/non-governmental organisations (NGO) and public international organisations; private, public, or state institutions of higher education; and for-profit organisations or businesses.
• Type of funding: Programmatic
• Target countries: Libya
• Application language: English

The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) announces an open competition for proposals that enhance protections for Libyan civil society, human rights defenders, and journalists so that they can operate securely and freely.

DRL’s goal is to empower and protect human rights defenders, journalists, and civil society organizations in Libya.  DRL aims to ensure that Libyan civil society and human rights defenders are able to safely operate and be seen as essential avenues of information representing issues of public importance in Libya.

The programme has two programme focus areas including:

Strengthening Credibility for Libyan Civil Society (not to exceed $1,500,000): Programs should seek to curb online harassment targeting Libyan civil society and strengthen the credibility of CSOs as an essential avenue of information on and representation of issues of public importance in Libya.  Program approaches may include:

• ​Strengthening public trust in high-quality information produced by independent Libyan civil society and media.
• Supporting CSOs to raise awareness about disinformation, including its origins, identification, and potential negative effects particularly highlighting the harm it brings to underserved groups.
• Promoting CSOs to lead fact-based and human rights-centered reporting and digital media literacy programs that deter online harassment of CSOs and human rights actors​.
• Providing CSOs and human rights actors with tools and resources to counter disinformation, hate speech and online harassment campaigns that impedes their ability to operate and engage with the communities they seek to represent and access.

Please note that all proposed program objectives must have their primary scope and impact inside Libya. Working with local Libyan partners, including substantive engagement of Libyan civil society organizations in the program’s design and implementation, should be a central aspect of any proposed program.

All programs should aim to have impact that leads to reforms and have the potential for sustainability beyond DRL resources.

See here to learn more and apply.

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