Contracting Authority:

Lebanon Eco Movement and Lebanese Environment Forum

Lebanese civil society combating for a plastic free Mediterranean Sea

Guidelines for applicants

Grants between 1,000 and 20,000 EUROS

Deadline for submission of applications:

30 JUNE 2020 at 16:00

 

1- BACKGROUND

1.1- Context

Marine litter is a complex and multi-dimensional problem with significant implications for the marine and coastal environment and human activities the world over. It originates from many sources and has a wide spectrum of negative environmental, economic, safety, health, and cultural impacts. According to studies¹, of all global microplastics in the world, somewhere between 21% and 54% are in the Mediterranean Sea. The problem is exacerbated by the basin’s limited exchanges with other oceans, its densely populated coasts, highly developed tourism, highly maritime traffic and various additional inputs of litter from rivers. Plastic litter in the Mediterranean is abundant on beaches, in the surface waters and on the sea floors.

The mobility of plastics on sea water surface due to wave motion and in deeper water layers due to currents make plastic count activities somewhat ineffective. Secondary data available in the literature shows that plastic pollution is a dynamic moving target. Traveling floating plastic raises questions about responsibilities of neighbouring nations, extent of collaboration and coordination about remedial actions, and urgency of preventive actions. Rivers dump from 0.47 million to 2.75 million metric tons of plastic in the oceans per year. 10 rivers, including the Nile, carry 93% of that weight. Marine litter has been an issue of concern in the Mediterranean since the 1970s. Within the framework of the Barcelona Convention, the Mediterranean countries adopted in 1980 a Protocol for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea against Pollution from Land-Based Sources. In this Protocol, the importance of dealing with the problem of marine litter was recognised.

Sources of marine litter are traditionally classified as either land-based or sea-based, depending on where the litter enters the water. Other factors, such as ocean current patterns, climate, tides, and proximity to urban centres, waste disposal sites, industrial and recreational areas, shipping lanes, and commercial fishing grounds, influence the type and amount of marine litter found in open ocean areas or collected along beaches and ocean, including underwater areas. Land based source pollution can be measured mainly in rivers or storm drains, although there is temporal heterogeneity due to weather events. Ocean-based sources for marine litter include merchant shipping, ferries and cruise liners, commercial and recreational fishing vessels, military fleets, research vessels, pleasure craft, and offshore installations such as oil and gas platforms, drilling rigs, and aquaculture sites.

By far the No. 1 type of marine litter in the Mediterranean is cigarette filters (closely followed by cigar tips), which constitute a real menace to the region and can be found even in the most remote coastal areas. On the sea floor, compilation of data from 16 studies covering the entire basin of the Mediterranean Sea confirmed the importance of plastic, representing almost 63% of total debris. Analysis of the composition of floating litter, considerably large debris and small fragments measuring less than 2.5 cm referred as mesoparticles and microparticles, demonstrates again the prevalence of plastic (accounting for more than 95%, sometimes up to 100%).²

Very few surveys have been conducted on marine litter in Lebanon, though plastic constitutes a large proportion of the waste in this country. In Lebanon, it is estimated that 2,040,000 tons of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) are produced every year. While organic waste exceeds 50% of the total waste production, paper, cardboard, plastic, iron and glass constitute a significant proportion. It is believed that plastic material makes up to 11% of the waste. This composition makes wastes in Lebanon abundant with high moisture, exceeding 60%³. An estimated 48% of solid waste is land-filled, 29% openly dumped, and 8% recycled and these percentages are relevant to plastics. Therefore, at best, we can estimate that 20 thousand tons of plastics in Lebanon are recycled yearly, while 120 thousand tons are land-filled and 73 thousand tons are openly dumped⁴. Lebanese rivers convey large amounts of solid waste and plastic debris into the Mediterranean, but the country suffers from large and disproportionate direct dumps of solid waste and landfills on its coast. If we were to consider river flows exclusively, then we would find that Nahr el Kabir, Ostuene, Araqa, El Bared, Abou Ali and Al jaouz would constitute about 24% of total Lebanese river discharge. Nahr Ibrahim would constitute about 13% and Nahr el Kalb 6% of total Lebanese river discharge. However, the presence of landfills and industrial activity yield different numerical values. For example, even though Nahr Beirut contributes about 3% of Lebanese river discharge, the presence of landfills, population density, and industrial activity tripled the percentage in that particular zone yielding 10% and 11% between Nahr el Kalb and Nahr Beirut⁵.

Marine litter causes marine environmental, economic, health and aesthetic problems, including possible transfer of toxic substances and invasive species, destruction of marine habitats and loss of biodiversity. It also threatens marine life as well as poses a risk to human health and life. The most visible and disturbing impacts of marine plastics on marine environment are the ingestion, suffocation and entanglement of thousands of marine species. Marine wildlife such as seabirds, fishes and turtles, mistake plastic waste for prey, and most die of starvation as their stomachs are filled with plastic debris. They also suffer from infections, reduced ability to swim, and internal injuries. Floating plastics also contribute to the spread of invasive marine organisms and bacteria, which disrupt ecosystems. Plastic particles of different sizes were found inside different marine species in Lebanon, including tuna fish, sea turtles, and others. The chemical material resulting from plastic litter affects marine organisms and the large plastic remains prevent the reproduction because of the eggs being lied on plastic bags. Plastic litter blocks sea cavities that are considered refuges for a variety of marine species and obstructs the mobility of small fish. Turtles also tend to eat the plastic bags and die.

Very few studies have addressed how microplastics affect human health. However, microparticles have been shown to enter the blood and potentially other organs, and results from animal and test-tube studies suggest they may have negative effects. Evidence of microplastics contamination in seafood, sea salt and other products has been highlighted by several studies conducted in recent years around the world. Plastic particles, fibers and microplastics were identified in a high variety of commercial fish species. They were mostly found in species that are consumed whole such as molluscs, crustaceans and small or juvenile phases of fish as compared to those consumed gutted or peeled. More recently, microplastics were identified in the muscle of commercial species of fish and of crustacean. Because microplastics are associated with chemicals from manufacturing and that sorb from the surrounding environment, there is concern regarding physical and chemical toxicity. Evidence regarding microplastic toxicity and epidemiology is emerging.⁶

The economic impacts of marine litter are extensive such as economic losses to industries like fishing, shipping and tourism. Tourism is a key segment of Lebanon’s economy, generating 18.4% of GDP and 17.9% of jobs in 2017. In order for beaches and harbours to remain clean, safe and attractive for users, local authorities and non-governmental organisations incur significant costs to remove marine litter. The cost of clean ups generally includes the cost of collection, transportation and disposal of litter. Marine litter also causes revenue losses to beach resorts and maritime activities. In fact, the clean and unspoiled coastline is the principal attraction for tourists and residents recreational users. Beaches, coasts and seas are used for different recreational activities such as swimming, diving, boating, and water sports. On one hand, accumulations of marine litter can have a strong deterrent effect and would discourage the country’s recreational users from visiting polluted areas. Beach users, for instance, frequently rank cleanliness as their top priority when choosing where to visit.

Marine litter causes direct and indirect costs to the fishing industry. The direct cost associated with marine litter includes repairing damage to the vessels, cleaning nets, propellers and blocked water intakes. The indirect cost is incurred because of loss of fishing opportunities due to time spent cleaning nets and other equipment. The presence of marine litter in hauls causes loss in earnings because of reduced fishing time and restricted and/or contaminated catch. The fishing industry does not only suffer from marine debris but also contributes to it because of lost or abandoned fishing gears, also called derelict fishing gears (DFG).

Maritime transport plays a vital role in Lebanon’s economy and is considered to be the most important mode for external trade. There are three main commercial ports in Lebanon located in Beirut, Tripoli and Saida. In addition, there are about 40 small ports along the coastline which are mainly used for fishing. 13 private marinas are also used for cruising and pleasure boating. Marine litter can cause safety risks for vessels, hence affecting recreational craft and commercial shipping. The costs are partially bared by the owners/operators of the vessels and the harbours. The direct cost for vessel operators are entangled propellers and rudders that can seriously damage vessels resulting in expensive repairs, spending on litter removal and crew downtime. In addition to this, harbours and marinas face increased costs associated with marine litter removal and management in order to insure that their facilities are safe and clean.

The social impacts are rooted in the ways in which marine litter affects people’s quality of life and include reduced recreational opportunities and loss of aesthetic value. Unfortunately, there are no reliable data on the distribution, quantities and types of marine litter in Lebanon. Hence, data on costs to quantify the socio-economic impacts of marine litter in Lebanon are not available. Establishing exactly how and at what level marine litter starts to have an appreciable social impact has not been done yet for Lebanon.

In this context, Lebanese Environment Forum (LEF) and Lebanon Eco Movement (LEM) received a grant from the European Union to work on combating marine pollution in the Mediterranean Sea, specifically pollution by plastics. As part of this Grant, LEM and LEF will support small initiatives through the provision of funds to third parties.

1.2. Objectives of the programme and priority issues

The global objective of this programme is to reduce discharges of waste thrown in the sea, prevent additional harming to the environment and mitigate the economic damage to activities such as tourism and fisheries.

The specific objective is to provide financial and technical support to projects that contribute in preserving the biodiversity of Lebanese coastal zones, while indirectly enhancing sustainable income generating activities” and tackling marine litter in Lebanon, with a special focus on single-use plastic products and micro plastics, potential threat to both the environment and human health.

This call for proposals is divided into 3 lots. Under each of the lot, subtopics have been identified as follows:

Lot I: Tackling land-based sources of pollution

0. • Supporting existing operators recycling municipal (organic, paper, aluminium, glass, cardboard) and electronic / electrical wastes.

   • Implementing comprehensive source separation schemes for household, commercial or industrial wastes (only the municipalities outside the Governorate of Beirut – Mount Lebanon are eligible).

   • Encouraging innovative measures to recycle, re-use or upcycle plastics, rubber, fishing related waste, cigarette filters and cigar tips; sanitary litter.

   • Supporting initiatives to limit the use of single use plastics and promoting eco-friendly alternatives.

   • Conduct regular clean-up efforts on coastal lands, in watersheds and in waterways.

   • Supporting initiatives to collect wastes in areas frequented by fishermen and tourists and in remote areas.

Lot II: Tackling sea-based source of pollution

0. • Removing marine debris, including ghost fishing nets, from shorelines and seabed.

   • Developing and promoting use of technologies and methods to effectively locate and remove marine debris accumulation.

   • Developing and strengthen implementation of waste minimisation and proper waste storage at port reception facilities.

   • Develop and promote use of fishing gear modifications or alternative technologies to reduce the loss of fishing gear and/or its impact.

Lot III: Tackling socio-economic impacts

0. • Improving livelihoods of fishermen and sea salt producers (must include an expected result aiming at reducing of their environmental footprint).

Close collaboration between primary stakeholders (municipalities, marine protected areas, fishermen, divers, restaurants, beach resorts, etc.) is encouraged.

1.3. Financial allocation provided by the contracting authority

The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 239,284.00. The Contracting Authority reserves the right not to award all available funds.

Size of grants

Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:

0. • minimum amount: EUR 1,000

   • maximum amount: EUR 20,000

2- Rules for this call for proposals

These guidelines set out the rules for the submission, selection and implementation of the actions financed under this call

2.1. Eligibility criteria

There are three sets of eligibility criteria, relating to:

(1) the applicant and if any, the co-applicant(s), i.e. the entity submitting the application form (2.1.1);

(2) the actions that may be implemented under this call for proposals (2.1.2);

(3) the costs that may be taken into account in setting the budget of the project (2.1.3).

2.1.1. Eligibility of applicants (i.e. Lead Applicant and Co-Applicant(s))

In order to be eligible for a grant, the Lead Applicants must be registered in Lebanon. They could be:

• Not-for-profit organisations legally established before 30/06/2017 and managing less than EUR 120,000 per year;

• For-profit organisations legally established between 30/06/2016 and 30/06/2019 and with a turnover of less than EUR 120,000 per year;

Municipalities, universities (public or private) and cooperatives are eligible only as co-applicants.

In order to be eligible for a grant, the Co-applicant(s) must be registered in Lebanon. They could be:

• Not-for-profit organisations legally established before 01/01/2019 and managing less than EUR 120,000 per year;

• For-profit organisations legally established before 01/01/2019 and with a turnover of less than EUR 120,000 per year;

• Universities with research capacities in environment related fields.

• Municipalities
• Cooperative

The maximum number of co-applicants to be involved in the action is 1.

Co-applicants participate in designing and implementing the action, and the costs they incur are eligible in the same way as those incurred by the lead applicant.

International NGOs established in Lebanon, consultancy firms, political parties and affiliated associations are not eligible neither as lead applicant nor as co-applicant.

Entities (As lead applicant and co-applicant) awarded under the first call for proposal of Bahr Bala Plastic Project (June 2019) are not eligible for this call for proposals (June 2020) neither as lead applicant nor as co-applicant.

 

Supporting documents for the Lead Applicant and the Co-Applicant(s):

• 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. • Evidence proving the legal existence of the organisation (official document such as registration number, commercial circular for companies …)

                 • Evidence proving that the person submitting the application is authorized to act for and on behalf of the applicant or co-applicant (e.g. power of attorney duly signed and stamped).

                 • Evidence proving experience on the issues addressed in their project in the past 3 years (e.g. reference letter from the donor, the relevant pages of the contract).

                 • For non-profit organisations: annual budget for 2017, 2018 and 2019⁷ submitted to a competent authority (such as Ministry of Interior and Municipal Affairs, Ministry of Finance …) or certified by a public accountant;

                 • For profit-organisations: annual statement of account for 2017 and 2018 or a letter from the bank stating the revenues for 2018 and 2019.

                 • For universities: 2017 or 2018 annual report (or any other official document) providing information on education and research capacities in the environment related fields.

Additional supporting documents for Lead Applicant

• Legal entity sheet (Annex A)

• Financial identification form duly stamped by the bank (Annex B).

Additional documents for selected projects may be requested before the contract signature.

Number of applications and grants per applicants:

Applicants can only submit 1 application as a Lead Applicant under this call for proposals.

A Lead Applicant can participate as a Co-Applicant provided the following (1) maximum 1 application per lot (2) in a different lot than the one they submitted as Lead Applicant.

Therefore, an applicant can participate in a maximum of 3 applications, irrespective of the budget. Universities are considered as one entity / applicant. Therefore faculties are advised to coordinate among each other to ensure that the above is respected.

All the applications not respecting the above will automatically be rejected.

2.1.2. Eligible actions: actions for which an application may be made

Definition: An action is composed of a set of activities.

Duration: The initial planned duration of an action must not exceed 6 months.

Location: Actions must take place in municipalities listed in annex I.

Non eligible actions: Actions consisting only or mainly in the provision of individual scholarships for studies or training courses; in the purchase of equipment; in the organisation of events or conferences.

Visibility: The applicants must take all necessary steps to publicise the fact that the European Union has financed the action. Applicants must comply with the objectives and priorities and guarantee the visibility of the EU financing (see the Communication and Visibility Manual for EU external actions specified and published by the European Commission at http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/funding/communication-and-visibility-manual-eu-external-actions_en).

2.1.3. Eligibility of costs: costs that can be included

Only “eligible costs” can be covered by a grant.

Eligible direct costs

To be eligible under this call for proposals, costs must have been incurred after the date on which the grant contract is signed.

Note that indirect costs (such as Salaries, Rent, Transportation, Electricity, Internet, Phone, Water, Cleaning services) can be included in the budget but shall not exceed 5% of the overall budget.

Ineligible costs

The following costs are not eligible:

• 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. • Debts and debt service charges (interest);

                 • Provisions for losses or potential future liabilities;

                 • Costs declared by the beneficiary(ies) and financed by another donor;

                 • Currency exchange losses.

                 • Purchase of lands and buildings

                 • Office rent

2.1.4. Ethics clauses and Code of Conduct

Absence of conflict of interest

The applicant must not be affected by any conflict of interest and must have no equivalent relation in that respect with other applicants or parties involved in the actions. Any attempt by an applicant to obtain confidential information, enter into unlawful agreements with competitors or influence the evaluation committee or LEF or LEM during the process of examining, clarifying, evaluating and comparing applications will lead to the rejection of its application.

Respect for human rights as well as environmental legislation and core labour standards

The applicant and its staff must comply with human rights. In particular and in accordance with the applicable act, applicants who have been selected must comply with the environmental legislation including multilateral environmental agreements, and with the core labour standards as applicable and as defined in the relevant International Labour Organisation conventions (such as the conventions on freedom of association and collective bargaining; elimination of forced and compulsory labour; abolition of child labour).

Anti-corruption and anti-bribery

The applicant shall comply with all applicable laws and regulations and codes relating to anti-bribery and anti-corruption. LEF and LEM reserves the right to suspend or cancel project financing if corrupt practices of any kind are discovered at any stage of the award process or during the execution of a contract. For the purposes of this provision, ‘corrupt practices’ are the offer of a bribe, gift, gratuity or commission to any person as an inducement or reward for performing or refraining from any act relating to the award of a contract or execution of a contract already concluded with LEF and LEM.

Unusual commercial expenses

Applications will be rejected or contracts terminated if it emerges that the award or execution of a contract has given rise to unusual commercial expenses. Such unusual commercial expenses are commissions not mentioned in the main contract or not stemming from a properly concluded contract referring to the main contract, commissions not paid in return for any actual and legitimate service, commissions remitted to a tax haven, commissions paid to a payee who is not clearly identified or commissions paid to a company which has every appearance of being a front company.

Grant beneficiaries found to have paid unusual commercial expenses on projects funded by LEF and LEM are liable, depending on the seriousness of the facts observed, to have their contracts terminated.

Error, irregularities or fraud

LEF and LEM reserve the right to suspend or cancel the procedure, where the award procedure proves to have been subject to substantial errors, irregularities or fraud. If substantial errors, irregularities or fraud are discovered after the award of the contract, LEF and LEM may refrain from concluding the contract.

2.2. How to apply and the procedures to follow

2.2.1. Application

Applications must be submitted in accordance with the instructions specified here below. Any error or major discrepancy related to the points listed below or any major inconsistency in the application may lead to the rejection of the application:

0. Applicants may apply in Arabic or English.

1. Lead Applicants must send, the following items annexed to these Guidelines:

1. Oral Presentation as per the PDF format in Annexes (Annex G)

2. 1 original of Legal entity sheet (Annex A), stamped and signed by the person authorized to represent the Lead Applicant;

3. 1 original of Financial identification form (Annex B), stamped and signed by the person authorised to represent the Lead Applicant;

4. 1 original in A4 size of the Declaration Letter (Annex C), stamped and signed by the person authorised to represent the applicant and if any, the co-applicant(s);

5. 1 original in A4 size of the Project Identification Sheet (Annex D), stamped and signed by the person authorised to represent the applicant and if any, the co-applicant(s);

6. 1 original in A4 size of the Budget (Annex E), stamped and signed by the person authorised to represent the applicant and if any, the co-applicant(s);

7. 1 original of the Administrative and Eligibility Checklist (Annex F) signed for acknowledgement by the person authorised to represent the applicant;

8. supporting documents required in 2.1.1.

Clarifications will only be requested when the information provided is unclear and thus prevents LEF-LEM from conducting an objective assessment.

Hand-written applications will not be accepted.

No additional annexes should be sent.

2.2.2. Where and how to send applications

The subject of the Email must bear the name of the call for proposals together with the number of the lot, “Lebanese civil society combating for a plastic free Mediterranean sea – Lot [number]”, the full name of the Lead Applicant.

Applications must be submitted only by email to:

contact@bahrbalaplastic.org

Applications sent by any other means will automatically be rejected.

2.2.3. Deadline for submission of applications

The deadline for the submission of applications is JUNE 30, 16:00.

Any application sent after the deadline will automatically be rejected.

2.2.4. Further information about applications

Questions may be sent no later than Monday 22 June, 2020, 23.59 pm to the following web address https://bahrbalaplastic.org/en/forums/grants/questions/

LEF and LEM have no obligation to provide clarifications to questions received after this date.

Replies will be given no later than 5 days before the deadline for submission of applications.

No individual replies will be given to questions. All questions and answers as well as other important notices to applicants during the course of the evaluation procedure will be published on the website of the project [www.bahrbalaplastic.org] as the need arises. It is therefore advisable to consult the above mentioned websites regularly in order to be informed of the questions and answers published.

To ensure equal treatment of applicants, the contracting authority cannot give a prior opinion on the eligibility of lead applicants and co-applicants, an action or specific activities.

2.3. Evaluation and selection of applications

Applications that have passed the administrative and eligibility check must be presented orally with a media (such as Powerpoint, Prezi, …) to an evaluation committee nominated by LEF and LEM and endorsed by the European Union.

Step 1: Administrative and eligibility check

During the opening and administrative check the following will be assessed:

• 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. • If the deadline has been met. Otherwise, the application will be automatically rejected.

                 • If the Application satisfies all the criteria specified in Sections 2.1 and 2.2 of these guidelines. This includes also an assessment of the eligibility of the applicant and of the action. If any of the requested document/information is missing or is incorrect, the application may be rejected on that sole basis and the application will not be evaluated further.

The eligibility verification will be performed according to the attached Administrative and Eligibility Checklist (Annex F).

Step 2: Oral presentation of the project proposal

The format for the presentation is provided in Annex G. Each presentation should last a maximum of 12 minutes. No exception will be granted.

The evaluation of the project proposal will be performed only for the applications that have passed the Administrative and Eligibility check.

The project proposal will receive an overall score out of 27 using the breakdown in the evaluation grid below.

The evaluation grid is divided into Sections and subsections. Each subsection will be given a score between 1 and 3 as follows: 1 = poor; 2 = good; 3 = excellent.

Evaluation grid

Project title:
Evaluator:
Date:

		Poor	Good	Excellent
1.	Relevance
1.1	Are the beneficiaries (target groups and final beneficiaries) clearly identified?
1.2	Are the problems of the target groups and/or beneficiaries sufficiently described?
1.3	Does the Project Purpose express a direct benefit for the target groups?
	Maximum score			9
2.	Feasibility
2.1	Are activities and project purpose realistic and achievable in the proposed time frame?
2.2	Is the applicant and/or co-applicant(s)’s level of involvement and participation in the action clearly defined?
2.3	Will there be adequate ownership of the project by the target groups / beneficiaries?
	Maximum score			9
3.	Budget
3.1	Are the activities appropriately reflected in the budget?
3.2	Are the unit costs in line with current market prices?
	Maximum score			6

4.	Operational Capacity
4.1	Do the applicants and, if applicable, the co-applicant(s) have experience on the issues addressed in their project in the past 3 years?
	Maximum score			3

After the evaluation, applications will be ranked according to their score. The highest scoring applications will be provisionally selected until the available budget for this call for proposals is reached.

2.4. Notification of the award decision and Reserve List

Applicants will be informed in writing of the decision concerning their application, including the score obtained. If rejected, LEF and LEM shall not be obliged to provide reasons of such rejection but may do so.

Applicants who are not initially considered for contractual negotiations may be included on a reserve list that shall be valid up to 31 December 2020. Upon availability of funds, LEF and LEM may decide to finance the project proposals included in the Reserve List according to their ranking position.

2.5. Indicative timetable

	DATE	TIME
1. Deadline for requesting any question from the contracting authority	June 22, 2020	23:59
2. Last date on which replies are issued by the contracting authority	June 27, 2020	16:00
3. Deadline for submission of applications	June 30, 2020	16:00
4. Pitching sessions*	July 1-15, 2020	09:00-16:00
5. Notification of award*	July 20, 2020	[Not applicable]
6. Contract signature*	July 31, 2020	[Not applicable]

* Provisional dates.

3- Conditions for implementation after the contracting authority’s decision to award a grant

Following the decision to award a grant, the beneficiary(ies) will be offered a contract based on the standard grant contract (see Annex H of these guidelines). By signing the application form (Annex A of these guidelines), the applicants agree, if awarded a grant, to accept the contractual conditions of the standard grant contract.

Before awarding the contract, the evaluation committee may undertake different types of controls to verify the information provided by the applicants, including on-site visits.

LIST OF annexes

Documents to be completed

Annex A: Legal entity sheet

Annex B: Financial identification form

Annex C: Declaration Letter (Word format)

Annex D: Project identification sheet (Word format)

Annex E: Budget (Excel format)

Annex F: Administrative and Eligibility Checklist (PDF format)

DOCUMENTS FOR INFORMATION

Annex G: Format of the oral presentation (PDF format)

Annex H: Standard grant contract

Annex I: List of Eligible Municipalities

* * *