Consultancy – Coordination of the Indigenous Economies Working Group

A) BACKGROUND

Organization description

In 2019, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) established the FSC Indigenous Foundation (FSC IF) as the operational office for the Permanent Indigenous Peoples’ Committee (PIPC). FSC IF is a private interest foundation pursuant to Law No. 25 of June 12, 1995 of the Republic of Panama. The mission of the FSC IF is to unlock the enabling environment to secure Indigenous Peoples’ rights and promote sustainable forest-based solutions within 300 million hectares of Indigenous forests on the planet. The vision is that the global values of Indigenous Peoples, their rights, livelihoods, ecosystem services, natural capital, and territories are recognized and incorporated into forest governance, climate change governance, and market systems.

We are Indigenous Peoples; our strategies and our future actions are shaped by ancestral knowledge, practices, cosmovision, values, and respect for Mother Earth and our past. We as FSC-IF are providers of Indigenous-based solutions, and our ancestral knowledge and traditions have driven Indigenous-based solutions for centuries. We are Indigenous Peoples; we are the owners of Indigenous-based solutions to global challenges, and the FSC Indigenous Foundation is the global vehicle to design, manage, facilitate, and scale up Indigenous-led solutions through multi-sectoral partnerships. The FSC Indigenous Foundation has an Indigenous perspective driven by Indigenous values, vision, principles, ancestral knowledge, and traditional practices connected to Mother Earth. FSC-IF is shaped to respond to key challenges and opportunities faced by Indigenous Peoples to achieve their cultural self-development, self-governance, and self-reliance. Driven by this perspective, the way we operate differs from traditional organizational planning because our cultural and traditional way of thinking, acting, and interacting do not fit into a predetermined Western tradition of thoughts, organizational management, or governance.

We are committed to work driven by our values of being guided by and supporting Indigenous Peoples’ values of: 1) Respect for Mother Earth Managing our lands, waters, and ecosystems with great respect to nature and care by recognizing that we only borrow them from future generations and 2) Respect for ancestral knowledge Keeping our promises to our ancestors to manage nature and the resources provided by the Mother Earth in a sustainable and respectful way.

Indigenous Peoples’ Alliance for Rights and Development

FSC IF is the implementing partner of the USAID and FSC funded five-year Global Development Alliance Program: Indigenous Peoples Alliance for Rights and Development (IPARD). IPARD is guided by three development objectives:

Objective 1: To organize and convene a Capacity Development Program for Indigenous Peoples’ organizations and stakeholders;
Objective 2: To foster an enabling environment for Indigenous Peoples’ recognition, effective participation, and joint decision-making in matters affecting them, and;
Objective 3: To promote Indigenous Peoples’ sustainable development based on sustainable economic models.

IPARD utilizes three interconnected approaches to support Indigenous Peoples to overcome their development challenges:

A. Multi-Sectoral Approach (MSA): Under the strategic guidance of the IPARD Steering Committee (SC), IPARD convenes and leverages expertise from multi-sectoral. This approach ensures that IPARD considers the needs of Indigenous communities across a wide array of sectors. Based on the MSA, IPARD will bring diverse technical partners to support cross-sectoral projects that will achieve IPARD’s development objectives.

B. Country-Focused Approach (CFA): the IPARD’s programmatic strategy is guided by a country-by-country focus driven by specific national contexts related to Indigenous Peoples. IPARD implements a structured process to identify, assess, and select countries to target its programs. FSC IF works jointly with the SC, and as guided by the MSA, in order to select countries and identify key priorities and strategies.

C. Indigenous Project Management Approach (IPMA): Building on FSC IF’s network and relationships with Indigenous leaders and organizations around the world, IPARD pursues continuous dialogue, consultation, and feedback with Indigenous Peoples to inform the program. IPARD supports a forum through which FSC IF serves as a bridge between Indigenous Peoples, technical partners, national governments, and the private sector. IPARD invests in curating best practices and effective approaches and methodologies to ensure the strategic cohesion of multi-level partnerships.

Through these three approaches, IPARD aims to empower Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations (IPOs) and catalyze an enabling environment where Indigenous Peoples can pursue their development.

B) CONTEXT

The FSC-IF seeks to establish the Indigenous Economies Working Group (IEWG) which is connected to IPARD’s Objective 3. The IEWG expects to bring key partners committed to the IPARD vision and the members to work collaboratively. The IEWG will include members from Indigenous Peoples, business and finance sector, academia experts, and practitioners including leaders of the international development community with long-standing experience in Indigenous Peoples’ economies.

IEWG’s objective is to become the leading international platform that facilitates dialogue and creates shareable knowledge around Indigenous Peoples’ business models, their challenges and opportunities. IEWG will help identify development opportunities and solution to overcome the constraints faced by Indigenous business owners and provide guidance to policymakers, governments, development practitioners and business representatives of best practices and lessons learned to scale up innovative Indigenous-led businesses.

The IEWG envisions Indigenous Peoples’ sustainable development based on self-determined economic models that strengthen Indigenous Peoples’s traditional structures and culture beyond just wealth creation. Additionally, IEWG aims to break the barriers between the North and South creating shareable knowledge around local and regional development policies, sustainable practices of autonomous development in different parts of the world or promoting business initiatives that Indigenous Peoples have created with positive redistribution impact.

The IEWG will be led by a General Coordinator (GC) that will convene, coordinate, and moderate the assembly of members in each meeting. The GC will also be responsible for coordinating research efforts and specific inquiries among the IEWG, including filling the gaps in assessments and case studies recommended by the IEWG. The GC will also oversee advancing the agenda of discussions agreed within the IEWG, coordinating task forces among the members, if necessary. Similarly, the GC will promote partnerships to ensure the fulfillment of the IWEG’s objectives, operation and disseminate the IEWG’s findings and achievements. Most of the group’s meetings will be held virtually, considering the geographical distribution of the members. However, special face-to-face events may also be scheduled in accordance with the work plan defined by the IEWG.

C) OBJECTIVES

1. General Objective

Provide technical and strategic leadership to convene and coordinate the Indigenous Economies Working Group (IEWG) which aim to promote and analyse Indigenous led business models globally.

2. Specific objectives

Consolidate the IEWG, coordinating and moderating the meetings held and leading the implementation of the work plan agreed to and promoted by the group.
Propose case studies and research related to Indigenous enterprises and Indigenous economic models to be considered by the IEWG.
Coordinate IEWG research efforts and specific IEWG consultations, including filling gaps in IEWG-recommended assessments and case studies.
Establish partnerships to promote Indigenous economies and position the IEWG in different regions of the world.
Define clear success indicators and report on its advancement once the workplan is defined. Monitor the progress of the IEWG work plan.

Illustrative activities:

Moderate the IEWG membership assembly and IEWG meetings and take reports and minutes when requested.
Facilitate the definition of a clear work plan for the first year of operation of the IEWG.
Define targets and indicators to measure the success of that work plan
Coordinate with IEWG members their participation in meetings and events promoted by the IEWG.
Identify potential Indigenous enterprises and models that could become case studies to be proposed to the IEWG.
Coordinate and in some cases conduct research in the topics promoted by the IEWG, especially defining a clear research agenda around Indigenous Peoples economies, making recommendations or support to overcome gaps or challenges identified during the studies and assuring compliance with Free, Previous and Informed Consulting with Indigenous Peoples.
Supervise the progress of the IEWG meeting agenda and the overall work plan, coordinating meetings and thematic working groups among members, if necessary.
Identify and establish partnerships to advance the IEWG’s goal.
Deliver reports regarding IEWG’s activities and achievements and coordinate communication strategies to disseminate them with the FSC-IF communication officer support.

Expected deliverables:

Consultancy work plan and proposed methodological approach to consolidate the IEWG
IEWG’s one-year work plan co-designed with its members. Based on the co-designed workplan the consultant will present indicators to measure the plan and more specific deliverables which will then be linked to the consultancy payments IEWG meetings reports.
Establish partnerships to promote the achievement of IEWG objectives.
Report on actions taken to disseminate IEWG activities and achievements.
Research papers regarding Indigenous economic models or around the areas promoted by the IEWG.

Profile of the consultant:

Professional in economy, business, political science, or anthropology.
At least 10 years of experience working in economic development programs or projects.
At least 6 years of experience leading or conducting research.
Proven experience facilitating regional and/or global groups and/or processes.
Demonstrated experience and knowledge on Indigenous Peoples’ rights and sustainable development.
Consultants must be able to provide a physical or electronic invoice
Experience working with international organizations and donors is desirable.
Demonstrated cultural awareness and sensitivity to the diversity of values, views, and approaches to issues relevant to the FSC IF.
Strong oral and written communication in Spanish and English.

Applications need to include the following documents:

CV of the consultant including descriptions of relevant experiences (not just job title).
Technical proposal including methodology to meet the objectives of the consultancy.
Financial proposal for the services for six months (including taxes).

How to apply:

Submit your CV, technical proposal, and financial proposal to the FSC IF e-mail address: procurement.fscif@fsc.org no later than October 15, 2023.

Coordination:
The consultant will coordinate the expected work with the Program Lead on Business Partnerships and Indigenous Economies who will coordinate with the rest of the IPARD and FSC-IF team.

Deadline for submission of proposal:
Two weeks after the publication of the terms of reference

Conditions for payments of the products:
The deliverables must be authorized by the IPARD Program Director to proceed with other internal approvals and payment. All products must be delivered in digital format according to the expected activities detailed above and the following schedule and payment percentages.

Payments will be made according to the following two phases of the consultancy:

First phase (15%).

Work plan including activities, methodology, deliverables, indicators, timeline and costs for all consultancy phases. The activities of this work plan should include the following four topics: 1) IEWG Coordination, 2) Partnership management and engagement to promote the IEWG; 3) Research management promoted by IEWG; 4) Dissemination of IEWG activities, findings and achievements.

The consultancy work plan should be aligned with the timeline and work plan approved by the IEWG.

Second phase (85%)

In this phase, payments will be split based on the activities and deliverables defined in the consultancy work plan agreed upon in the first phase. The percentages of the payments and the specific deliverables will be agreed between the consultant and the FSC Indigenous Foundation once the workplan is defined with the IEWG members.

Note: IPARD will cover all logistical expenses (transportation, lodging and meals for participants) to conduct the workshops and events promoted by the IEWG. For this purpose, the consultant shall provide on time the justification and other information required for the procurement processes of these events.

Duration of the assignment:
Six months upon signing of the contract. Depending on the advancements of the development of the IEWG the contract could be extended.