Carbon Markets Training-of-Trainer Workshop Consultant

The Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) is a global coalition of more than 150 organizations dedicated to advancing the forest, land, and resource rights of Indigenous Peoples, local communities, Afro-descendant Peoples, and in particular the women within these groups. RRI’s members capitalize on each other’s strengths, expertise, and geographic reach to achieve solutions more effectively and efficiently. RRI leverages the power of its global coalition to amplify the voices of local peoples and proactively engage governments, multilateral institutions, and private sector actors to adopt institutional and market reforms that support the realization of rights.

RRI is coordinated by the Rights and Resources Group (RRG), a non-profit organization based in Washington, DC.

Background

In the context of growing support for nature-based solutions by states and corporations alike – including the development of a market-based mechanism under the Paris Agreement (Article 6.4) and ongoing efforts to establish biodiversity crediting and offsetting schemes per Target 19 of the Global Biodiversity Framework – rural communities face increasing pressure for engagement in complex initiatives that are still being defined, tested and applied with various degrees of success. Yet, despite uncertainties, the failure of developed countries to meet their financial pledges and commitments towards the Global South is leading more and more governments and communities to seize market-based financing opportunities to advance their interests and priorities. While some countries have formalized legal frameworks to support the trade of carbon and other ecosystem services, others – including governments and communities – are signing voluntary agreements for the sale of emission reductions and/or removals over large proportions of their territories with limited legal guidance or technical support to safeguard their rights or interests. At the community level, such transactions have the potential to generate positive social and financial outcomes, but due to their complex nature and inherent information asymmetries between communities and proponents, market-based transactions also harbour tremendous risks for IPs, LCs, ADPs and women within these groups, thus hindering the prospects of fair, transparent and equitable agreements irrespective of efforts to achieve high integrity outcomes.

All this has far-reaching implications for IPs , LCs, and ADPs. As the broader international community prepares to scale-up market-based approaches to resolve the climate and biodiversity crises, communities need to be better prepared and enabled to advance their self-determined priorities while ensuring their rights are recognized, respected and protected.

Purpose and Scope

To build rightsholders’ capacity around engaging with carbon market initiatives, the Consultant will draw on existing literature, curricula and training materials* to develop a 3-day, in-person, training-of-trainer workshop for rightsholders that will: 1) strengthen participants’ understanding of market-based approaches to carbon and biodiversity offset and crediting schemes and their potential to contribute to social and environmental outcomes; 2) explain the relevance of high integrity principles and the challenges associated with their realization; 3) identify key risks and challenges for communities; 4) draw on the Land Rights Standard and dedicated guidance developed by RRI partners and collaborators, allied organizations and other expert groups to identify the distinct and differentiated rights of IPs, LCs, APs and women within these groups that can be leveraged to uphold community rights to tenure, ecosystem functions and services, and the governance of associated benefit flows in the context project or jurisdictional schemes; and 5) provide an overview of underlying steps in the elaboration of carbon or biodiversity crediting schemes, including project documents, baseline requirements and other related decision-points.

In the end, workshop participants should acquire the basic knowledge, resources, and background materials needed to make informed decisions, determine when to seek independent technical or legal advice, and share key messages with members of their community and other partners or allies within their respective networks. We envision the program as a learning space that empowers coalition members to come away with the technical knowledge, skills, and advocacy tools they need to build the capacity of their own communities, organizations, and networks around carbon markets.

The workshop will be piloted in Madagascar in the first half of October 2024 for francophone and anglophone rightsholders from Africa, with long-term plans to scale up the train-the-trainer model and hold the workshop in other regions across the globe.

*Source materials will include, but not be limited to, contributions developed by RRI partners and collaborators, allied organizations, UN agencies, expert groups, and other sources, including contributions from RRI, Forest Peoples Programme, Rainforest Foundation US, CIFOR, Peoples Forest Partnership, Namati, Carbon Market Watch, Climate Focus, Calyx Global, and UNDP.

Consultant Activities

The Consultant will: 

• Review existing training curricula, guidance, tools, and other resources produced for strengthening rightsholder understanding and participation in the design, assessment, implementation, monitoring and verification voluntary carbon and biodiversity crediting schemes.
• Consult with RRI and relevant stakeholders to determine key elements to include in the workshop curriculum.
• Develop a preliminary curriculum outline for the workshop.
• Develop the full curriculum for a 3-day, in-person workshop, including facilitated discussions and activities, reading materials, a participant’s guide, an instructor’s manual, and a compendium of existing resources for communities on carbon markets.
• Revise the draft curriculum and produce final workshop curriculum based on feedback from RRI and other stakeholders.
• Be available to participate in the delivery of the pilot workshop in Madagascar.
• Ensure a smooth handover of all workshop materials and all other associated guidance to RRI for future application and use.

Consultant Deliverables:

The consultant will complete the following deliverables:

1. A proposed outline of the workshop curriculum with proposed times, topics, and activities (3–5 pages).
2. A first draft of the workshop curriculum, with facilitated discussions, reading materials, a participant’s guide, an instructor’s manual, and a compendium of existing resources for communities on carbon markets.
3. A final draft of the in-person workshop curriculum.
4. Participation in the delivery of the pilot workshop in Madagascar in early October 2024

While workshop materials will be developed in English, the pilot workshop facilitation in Madagascar will be conducted in both English and French with simultaneous interpretation.

Minimum Requirements

• Proven professional expertise in areas related to carbon markets (both jurisdictional and project initiatives) as well as emerging biodiversity crediting schemes, how they function, their potential benefits and risks for Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and Afro-descendant Peoples;
• Deep understanding and knowledge of indigenous, community and afro-descendent rights, the specific challenges that women within these groups face, and the relationship between rightsholders and the pursuit of just, equitable, and sustainable climate and biodiversity actions;
• Experience designing and delivering tailored training modules and programs targeting Indigenous Peoples and/or local communities on topics such as environmental justice, leadership, human rights defense, advocacy, community organizing, and more.
• Experience designing training-of-trainer curricula to empower workshop participants to scale up training impacts and share information with their communities and networks.
• Professional fluency English.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in the African context is highly desirable.
• Professional fluency in French is a plus.

Budget

The anticipated budget for developing the curriculum is between US$10,000-15,000 plus travel expenses.

Proposed Timeline

The anticipated contract duration is approximately August 15 to October 15, 2024. Final workshop materials should be submitted by September 23. The 3-day workshop will conducted the week of October 7-11, 2024.

Key Contract Terms

This will be a fixed price contract plus approved expenses. The consultant will be paid based on completion of deliverables and reimbursed for approved travel expenses.

Proposal Requirements

Please submit your proposal through this website with the documents listed below.

1. Summary of qualifications describing how your background, or that of your team, positions you to deliver the project (no longer than 1.5 pages);
2. Workplan in Gantt format (no longer than 1 page);
3. Financial proposal with all costs to deliver the project including level of effort;
4. Annexes, including CVs for relevant team members (each no longer than 2 pages), and any other relevant information.

The deadline for submission is 11:59pm ET on August 5, 2024.

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be scored based on the following parameters:

• Understanding of the work (40%)
• Consultant work history and experience (40%)
• Costs (20%)