For the 2024 Fellowship, we are looking for civil society actors who support communities in contexts of fragility, particularly communities facing conflict.

The results of the 2023 Global Organized Crime Index show that conflict zones are particularly vulnerable to organized crime. High levels of conflict in a country not only affect its resilience to organized crime, but also allow illicit economies to flourish and create space for the involvement of domestic and foreign criminal actors. States that have been embroiled in conflict and instability rank high under the Index in terms of their criminality levels.

In fragile contexts, where state institutions are weak or lack legitimacy, civil society organizations play a critical role in countering the effects of criminality. Civil society actors often fill the gap left by the state by assisting victims of crime, implementing prevention programmes and initiating investigations. Civil society becomes a lifeline in fragile communities.

The following examples illustrate the dynamics between fragility and organized crime, and how civil society actors from different sectors are actively responding to these challenges. This list is not exhaustive and we will give priority to innovative strategies that go beyond these examples.

• Activists and social workers providing victim-support services and legal aid to counter arms trafficking by militias, thereby increasing the community’s absorptive capacity to deal with the immediate impacts of organized crime.
• Grass-roots leaders distributing basic necessities and providing vocational training to mitigate the effects of economic collapse and illegal oil siphoning, thereby increasing the community’s adaptive capacity by providing alternative livelihoods and reducing economic dependency.
• Community leaders mediating peace talks and pushing for inclusive policies to address ethnic divisions exploited by drug cartels, building transformative capacity by promoting social cohesion and unity.
• Local leaders developing community-led security initiatives to address ongoing conflict and the illicit opium trade, building both the community’s absorptive capacity by preventing crime and its adaptive capacity by creating sustainable safety networks.
• Environmental activists organizing health camps to address poor waste management from illegal dumping, building the community’s absorptive and adaptive capacities to health and environmental risks exacerbated by organized crime.
• Social workers and activists providing covert human rights education to empower communities against widespread abuses by drug cartels, building transformative capacity by educating and mobilizing citizens for rights protection.
• Grass-roots campaigns and journalist investigations for accountability and reform to tackle illegal mining and corruption, building the community’s transformative capacity by increasing transparency and trust in institutions.

The 2024 Fellowship aims to support ten civil society actors working on community responses to organized crime that strengthen resilience in fragile regions affected by conflict, violence and criminal governance.

Applicants should have a background in any of the following fields: journalism and media; activism; advocacy and community mobilization; the creative arts (artists, writers, filmmakers and others); community leaders (religious, cultural and youth leaders); academia (researchers, consultants, scholars and policymakers); and human rights practitioners working directly with affected communities. Individuals from other disciplines will be considered if their work is relevant to the Fellowship’s objectives and the annual theme.

The Fellowship invites applications from individuals of all genders, ethnic backgrounds, ages, religions or other defining characteristics who are active in communities affected by organized crime.

Applicants must have full or professional working proficiency in at least one of the following three languages: Spanish, English or French.

Applicants will be shortlisted for interviews on the basis of the following four criteria.

• Contextual relevance
• Problem identification
• Solution feasibility
• Capacity to build community resilience

Each Fellow will be awarded a total of US$15 000, payable in three instalments of US$5 000 each. The use of these funds should adhere strictly to the principles of professionalism, integrity and transparency, be consistent with the plan proposed in the application form, comply with the terms and conditions of the Fellowship agreement, and used to engage in collaborative activities with other Fellows.

Interested parties must submit an application through the online form available at the end of this section. This form includes questions for applicants to showcase their background and experience in addressing fragility contexts, especially in communities facing conflict.

Please make sure that your responses are clear, succinct and do not exceed the maximum of words stablished.

You will not be able to attach any documents to your application. Please make sure that you have included all relevant information in the online form. It will not be possible to edit it once it has been submitted.

Applications will not be received by email. They must all be submitted via the online form.

If you have technical issues uploading your application or if you have any questions, please contact: fellowship@globalinitiative.net