CONSULTANT – Access to Climate Financing Assessment, Caribbean Regional Development Program (CRDP), Global Affairs Canada

Global Affairs Canada (GAC), through the Field Support Services Project – Caribbean (FSSP-C), is seeking a Consultant to identify existing resources that are available to government and local private sector,in CARICOM ODA eligible countries (except Haiti), to access current multi-donor Climate Finance funds

BACKGROUND

The Government of Canada under the Caribbean Regional Development Program (CRDP)^[1] provides support to 13 CARICOM countries in the English-speaking Caribbean with a focus on the eight countries eligible for Official Development Assistance (ODA), which, as of January 2022, includes Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Suriname.

The CRDP’s initiatives are firmly rooted in Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP), focusing on key action areas such as Environment and Climate Action, Inclusive Governance, Growth that Works for Everyone, and Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women and Girls. The programming is predominantly multi-country, aiming to foster regional harmonization and cooperation, and is complemented by country-specific investments following a comprehensive evaluation in 2017.

CONTEXT

Caribbean countries are especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change due to their geographic location, small landmass, and reliance on sectors sensitive to environmental variations. These nations face heightened risks from sea-level rise, more frequent and intense hurricanes, and changing precipitation patterns. The majority of Caribbean economies heavily depend on sectors like tourism, agriculture, and fisheries, which are highly susceptible to climate-related disruptions. Additionally, many Caribbean countries have limited financial and technical resources to implement robust climate adaptation measures. As a result, the vulnerabilities of these nations are exacerbated, making collaborative international efforts, climate resilience strategies, and targeted adaptation financing crucial for their sustainable development and resilience in the face of climate change.

Recognizing the urgency and global nature of the challenges posed by climate change many countries and international institutions have established and/or contributed to multi-donor funds to address this pressing issue and support their climate resilience and adaptation efforts. Canada is currently contributing to a number of these multi-donor funding facilities including the: Global Environment Facility (GEF); Green Climate Fund (GCF), Adaptation Fund, and Global Shield Financing Facility.

These various funding facilities are anticipated to benefit Caribbean countries, which are disproportionately more affected by the impacts of climate change. These nations have however highlighted difficulties in accessing these funding sources, primarily due to the difficult/complex nature of application requirements, limited awareness of existing funding modalities, and a lack of knowledge about initiatives aimed at facilitating access to these funds.

As a contributor to many of the multi-donor climate finance funds, Global Affairs Canada is interested in better understanding why countries/organisations have not accessed these funds to the extent expected and identifying possible interventions that could help address these issues.

SCOPE OF WORK

The consultant is expected to undertake the following activities/tasks, including but not limited to:

A comprehensive desk review and where necessary relevant stakeholder interviews to: (a) understand the challenges experienced by ODA-eligible countries in accessing multi-donor Climate Finance funds with a particular focus on the GEF and GCF, Adaptation Fund and the Global Shield Financing Facility (b) identify existing donor-funded initiatives that are designed to help CARICOM ODA eligible countries access climate financing,

Categorize the donor-funded initiatives geared towards helping ODA-eligible countries access Climate Financing. The initiatives should be organized in the following categories : (a) Support to help governments identify and prioritize key interventions to improve their resilience to Climate change, (b) Support to help governments identify the most relevant funding envelope/financial package to finance their prioritized interventions to improve their resilience to Climate change, and (c) Support to help governments access Climate Finance through project preparation facilities[2](for government or local private sector) or support  for preparing applications to access funds.

In identifying existing initiatives, the consultant will use relevant information to assess the impact of these initiatives in helping countries access Climate Finance modalities. A particular focus will be placed on understanding the impact of Canada-funded support such as the ENGENDER Project (UNDP) and Canada – CARICOM – FAO – “Cooperation for Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience in the Caribbean” Initiative

Provide a comprehensive document detailing the identified initiatives, their descriptions, objectives, available resources, donors, implementation periods, target countries/organizations or sectors, and lead implementors, organized according to the specified categories outlined in 4.2 above. This information will assist GAC in understanding why Caribbean countries have not been able to access Climate Finance funds to the extent anticipated and propose potential interventions to address these challenges.

EXPECTED DELIVERABLES

Refno.	Deliverable	Activities	Approximate Level of Effort
		Initial Meeting to review TORs and agree on deliverables	.5
1	Desk review and stakeholder interview	Conduct desk review of existing documentation and conduct stakeholder interviews as needed Review existing documentation	4.5
2	Draft report	Prepare a comprehensive document detailing the identified initiatives, their descriptions, objectives, available resources, donors, implementation periods, target countries / organizations or sectors, and lead implementors, organized according to the specified categories.	7
4	Revised Final report	Finalize report based on comments/ feedback from GAC	3

CONSULTANT PROFILE

Qualification:

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree(s) in relevant fields such as climate change, environmental science, sustainable development, international relations, international development, economics or public policy.

Experience and Knowledge:

• Knowledge and experience in climate finance, particularly related to multilateral climate funds such as the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and Global Environment Facility (GEF).
• Proven expertise in conducting research, data collection, and analysis, preferably with experience in the Caribbean region engaging government and private sector
• Strong networks within Climate Change and or Environment sector in the Caribbean 
• Proficient writing and communication skills to prepare comprehensive reports and present findings effectively.
• Experience in stakeholder engagement, including the ability to liaise with government agencies, non-governmental organizations, private sector and international donors.

LANGUAGE OF WORK

English is the working language for this assignment. All deliverables must be provided in English and MS Word.

ESTIMATED LEVEL OF EFFORT

A level of effort of up to fifteen (15) days is anticipated during the period of May – October 2024.

LOCATION OF WORK AND TRAVEL

The consultant will work from their own facilities. No travel is anticipated.

APPLICATIONS

This position is open to all suitably qualified CARICOM Nationals. Only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. No telephone calls, please.

If you wish to apply for this position, please send an expression of interest and curriculum vitae by May 15, 2024, to [email protected]

Please indicate “FSSP-Caribbean – Access to Climate Financing Assessment” as the subject line of your email.

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[1]The Caribbean Regional Development Program includes the following countries: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.

[2] –A Project Preparation Facility (PPF) is a mechanism or entity established to provide financial and technical support for the early stages of project development. Its primary purpose is to assist in preparing and structuring projects before they reach the implementation phase. A PPF aims to address the challenges and costs associated with project preparation, which can include data collection, feasibility studies, environmental and social impact assessments, financial structuring, legal assessments, and other activities required to ensure a project is well-prepared for successful implementation.