Notice of Funding Opportunity on Rule of Law Community Engagement

Description

The Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Embassy in Lima is pleased to announce a competition for assistance awards through this Notice of Funding Opportunity. The program should support a “community policing program” that encourages partnerships between law enforcement and local community organizations and businesses to reduce crime and change attitudes towards the police and to guarantee citizen security. It would include working with police stations and communities. Gender-based violence and hate crimes have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and law enforcement agents are sometimes disconnected from the local community they serve, thus making it difficult to address the issues, specifically when it comes to understanding the causes and working on prevention programs. The killing of unarmed Black Americans including Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor in 2020 sparked an unprecedented global movement for racial justice and police reform in the summer of 2020. Tens of millions of people around the world demonstrated, marched, and protested against structural racism in the United States and racial and social injustice globally. The U.S. Embassy’s Public Affairs Section invites community leaders, judicial and social operators, police officers, and NGO representatives to design and implement a program that brings communities closer to law enforcement to help understand the function of law enforcement in addressing community needs, specifically as it relates to dealing with crimes that involve violence. The program should explore the function of law enforcement in addressing violent crimes and organize community meetings to promote values and practices that demonstrate respect for and adherence to the law. The grantee should explore the ramifications for communities that have lost confidence in their police force or judicial system and propose strategies to regain the communities’ trust in law enforcement. The grantee’s proposal should also explore methods to promote collaboration between the police and the community to increase citizen trust and enhance police ability to enforce the law for assessing the security needs of the public and suggest actions to increase community security. The whole program should be carried out through workshops with community members and law enforcement agents so that together they can identify community problems and propose solutions. Participants should work in groups to learn how to support the police to prevent and/or reduce crime and disorder, to create best practices to combat gender-based violence, and to promote volunteerism and community engagement. If selected, the grantee must be able to carry out the following activities: • Organize four virtual and at least two in-person workshops with the participation of at least 50 community members and police officers (when possible) to address the issues mentioned above. • Invite at least two U.S. specialists to participate in the workshops and share experiences on how U.S. communities have addressed community policing programs. • Establish a minority community liaison unit of at least 20 people to help integrate the police with the community. Following the workshops, this group of 20 participants from the community and law enforcement should work in groups throughout six months to offer specific solutions for their communities. Community members should tell officers what is happening in the community so they can provide services effectively and efficiently. These solutions should include alternatives to crime prevention, best practices to combat gender-based violence, volunteerism, and community engagement. • Organize one workshop with judicial and social operators, police officers, and NGO representatives inviting one U.S. specialist to examine approaches to address and remedy the lasting impact of racial inequality, including the entrenched architecture of discrimination and racial disparity in the areas of education, economic opportunity, fair housing, and equal justice under the law. • Grantee must provide a plan for sustainability after the conclusion of the grant that shows that positive change can be made enabling communities to live in safety. * For Spanish version go to: https://pe.usembassy.gov/es/education-culture-es/oportunidades-de-financiamiento/

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