Deadline: 1-Jul-23

Submit applications for the Marianne Initiative to assist human rights defenders in their struggle, both abroad and in France.

Each year, an independent selection committee will honour some foreign laureates, representing a diversity of regions of the world and types of struggles: civil and political rights; the fight against violence; the rights of women, children, LGBTQI+ people; economic, social and environmental rights; etc.

The hosting programme in France provides for an accommodation near Paris, the payment of a monthly grant to cover daily needs, personalised support, and networking with Human Rights Defenders for a period of 6 months. After the 6 months, participants no longer benefit from the grant, the accommodation and the support provided in the programme.

Benefits

From January to early July 2024, the selected winners will benefit from:

• the financing of their trip in and out of France (financing of one round trip);
• an accommodation in the Paris region;
• the payment of a monthly grant (conditional on active participation in the programme),
• administrative, social, and medical support,
• support in their militant project, networking, and skill improvement through training.

Activities

• Group Activities
  • Project development: training in project management; public speaking, communication, fundraising; language courses; access to certain courses at Sciences Po Paris as an independent auditor; thematic workshops; networking with actors involved in the promotion of Human Rights, as well as with former laureates of the programme;
  • Meetings/interviews: visits to emblematic institutions, meetings and interventions of high-level personalities, visits of Human Rights protection and promotion facilities.
• Individual activities
  • Project diagnostic and/or co-construction of a project as part of a regular follow-up.
  • Operational, administrative and logistical support to carry out a project (examples: support to create an association, organisation of conferences, development of digital platforms, booking of rooms, etc.);
  • Networking with potential operational, institutional, and financial partners. Psychological support will be offered if necessary.

Eligibility Criteria

• You are committed to the promotion and defence of Human Rights in your country;
• You are a Human Rights Defender in the sense recognized by the United Nations;
• You are an adult, you do not hold the exclusive nationality of a member state of the European Union;
• You can provide document(s)/evidence, produced by others (recommendations, press articles, etc.), attesting to your commitment/action in favour of Human Rights;
• You can justify that participation in the Marianne Initiative’s French aid programme will strengthen your capacity for Human Rights action in your country and internationally, and that it will enable you to create or develop existing or planned links or projects with French organisations;
• You have a valid passport (with a validity of at least six months) or you are willing to follow the procedures to obtain one;
• You are not subject to any legal ban on leaving the territory;
• You are willing to travel to France from January 2024 to early July 2024.
• You are willing to participate fully to the programme and to all the proposed activities.
• Participation is individual and does not provide for the laureates to be accompanied by their family.

For more information, visit Embassy of France to Sri Lanka and the Maldives.