The inception phase of the Programme is a requirement from the donor (European Commission) to ensure that the point of view of program stakeholders and beneficiaries is taken into account in the program intervention strategy and the detailed planning of program activities. An inception report is expected by the end of July 2023, covering component 1 and 2 of the Programme.

Two consultancies will be deployed (one per component). The objective of this assignment is part of component 2 and is three-fold:

• Map actors and existing initiatives / programs related to the component’s issues (inclusive forest governance with participation of indigenous peoples and local communities; deforestation reduction) in the area.
• Carry out a participative assessment of needs of target beneficiaries of component 2 (local, regional and national indigenous and local communities organizations of the Amazon Basin, as well as governmental entities dealing with indigenous issues and forest management, disaster risk reduction (especially to forest fire), and conservation initiatives in the 8 countries.
• Undertake the baseline study to produce all the necessary data against the logical framework indicators under Result 2.

In order to reach these objectives, the team will provide the following services:

Task 1: Carry out the initial diagnostic of Component 2 of the Amazonia+ Programme, to be implemented by Expertise France, including mapping of actors and existing initiatives/programs, and needs assessment of target beneficiaries, based on direct consultations with stakeholders and key actors of national, regional and local levels.  

Task 2: Collect and analyse quantitative and qualitative data to inform the baseline values of the logical framework indicators under Result 2, with achievable and measurable methodologies.

Task 3: Deliver and present the diagnostic findings and recommendations (including specific recommendation towards the involvement of stakeholders and key actors, the capacity building strategy, the knowledge management and monitoring and evaluation system, and different intervention scenarios), to the Technical Committee of the Programme, INTPA and the Delegations of the European Union in the area.

Main users of the diagnosis and recommendations: the entities and organizations that have an interest in the results of the diagnosis are:

• Component 2 Management Team (EF);
• Component 2 stakeholders and beneficiaries (local, national and regional indigenous organizations and local communities of the Amazon Basin, as well as governmental entities dealing with indigenous issues and forest management at sub-national, national and regional levels);
• The Secretariat of the Amazonia+ programme (AICS), which will ensure the coordination between diagnostic study of component 1 and diagnostic study of component 2.
• The European Union (INTPA, EUD).

In general, the proposed approach will be as follows:

Step 1: Revision of documents

After signature of the service contract the team will receive access to all project documents (European Union Action Document for the Programme, Description of Action, and Logical framework with indicative activities), as well as relevant studies and documentation produced by the European Union regarding green transition and biodiversity issues in Latin America. The team is expected to identify and review relevant strategic / framework documents available at national, regional and local level regarding:

• inclusive environmental governance mechanisms in the AFOLU sector;
• national and regional commitments towards mitigation and adaptation to climate change (Paris Agreement), and corresponding implementation plan / policies in the AFOLU sector;
• national commitments towards biodiversity (CBD) and corresponding implementation plan / policies in the AFOLU sector;
• national commitments towards access to environmental information and justice (Escazu agreements and related agreements) and corresponding implementation plans / policies in the AFOLU sector.
• national commitments towards disaster risk reduction (Sendai framework), and corresponding implementation plan / policies about to forest fire and AFOLU sector;
• regional and local commitments towards in environmental and agriculture authorities and responsible entities, and corresponding implementation plan / policies in the Amazonia region;
• Indigenous peoples and local commitments towards life plans and other self-government documents.

The team is expected to identify and review available statistic and qualitative data on systems of protected areas in the Amazon basin,  and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) including Territories and areas that are conserved by indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs) and others complementary conservation strategies, understood as “geographically delimited area that is not a protected area, which is managed in such a way as to achieve positive and long-term results for the in situ conservation of biodiversity, with associated ecosystem functions and services and, where appropriate, cultural, spiritual, socioeconomic, and other locally relevant values”.

These data and studies identified will then be analyzed and classified in order to establish an initial documentary base (Cf. 5. Deliverable: A/ Documentary base). The technical proposal will be supplemented by a methodological guidance note (see 4. Deliverable: B/ Methodological guidance note). The technical resources/diagnostic tools (maintenance grid, mapping, etc.) that will be mobilized in step 2 will accompany this guidance note.

Step 2: Field data collection

Consultants are required to adopt a participatory and inclusive approach in order to take into account the issues and expectations of the various stakeholders and key actors. To do so, various tools, interviews, workshops, mapping, etc., can be used. These methodological choices must be presented in the technical proposal for this contract. The Consultants will more specifically:

• Identify and characterize the main territorial issues in connection with the following sectors: forest management and natural resources management (biodiversity, soil, water), agricultural development, in territories with prevalence of indigenous communities.
• Identify and characterize the local systems of actors and the territorial dynamics relating to forest and natural resources management in the Amazon basin, per country and per territories.
• Identify and characterize mechanisms and systems of protected areas, OECMs and others conservation strategies, different types of existing governance mechanisms at sub-national, national and regional level (inclusive / non-inclusive environmental governance models, decentralization, territorial management, citizen participation mechanisms, private sector participation, partnerships and mixed implementation actions etc.), existing monitoring mechanisms for deforestation, degradation and biodiversity (ecosystems, flora / fauna), existing networks, identification of leading communities or indigenous organizations with proven experience on inclusive forest governance, identification of institutional gaps, etc. The areas must be characterized in number, categories and be spatialized.
• Identify and characterize leaders and representatives of indigenous peoples and local communities organizations of the Amazon Basin (national and subnational) with experience in forest and natural resources management, including an extensive effort to distinguish and characterize the women leaders, groups, networks and indigenous women organizations.
• Characterize the situation of environmental rights in terms of access to information, protection to environmental rights activists and environmental justice per country and per territories, describing existing laws and mechanisms and / or gaps.
• Identify and characterize initiatives, programmes, projects about forest and natural resources management implemented and under development in the Amazon Basin. (adaptation and mitigation to climate change) (in articulation and complement with component 1).
• Governance analysis and identify good practices (community, institutional and private sector) in the promotion of the rights of indigenous environmental leaders per country.
• Identification and analysis of progress in standards of social and environmental safeguards.
• Detailed analysis of the influence or dependence of actors in the Amazon basin in relation to the Programme, emphasizing their influence on the project – component 2, including interests, decision-making capacity, and connections or strategic relationships.

The Consultants will use the most adapted approach to each actor interviewed (individual interviews, restricted meetings, workshops, focus groups). To this aim, consultants may propose on site missions.

Methodology design and approach of actors will be subject to a concertation process and join work with component 1. For this purpose, initial and coordination meetings will be organised with component 1 consultants team.

Step 3: Data organization (database), analysis and synthesis

The information and data collected during steps 1 and 2 will be synthesized. The summary should include:

• The main territorial issues in connection with the topics of forest management and natural resources management (biodiversity, soil, water), agricultural development, in territories with prevalence of indigenous peoples and local communities;
• Actors (or groups of actors) active in the target areas;
• Existing and effective support mechanisms at the local, national and regional level.

At least three tools will be provided:

• Typologies:
  • A typology of territories regarding existing environmental governance mechanisms and their degree of inclusiveness (participation of Indigenous organizations, the private sector and citizens in general);
  • A typology of countries / states (in the case of federal states) regarding existing laws on environmental rights (access to information, protection to environmental rights activists and environmental justice);
  • A typology of the degree of influence or dependence, considering interest, decision-making capacity and connection or strategic relationship.
• Maps:
  • Mapping of relevant existing initiatives / programs in the target areas, at local, national and regional level, characterizing their main objectives regarding natural resources management (water management, wildlife / endangered species protection, sustainable timber production, etc.) and if they have a monitoring and evaluation mechanism;
  • Mapping of actors characterizing their relationships, roles and place in the project – component 2 (Venn diagram).
• Stakeholder influence and dependency matrix. A SWOT matrix of indigenous organizations in the Amazon basin regarding environmental and forest governance – including participation to forest degradation and deforestation monitoring, decision-making and articulation with government policies, by level of association (base organizations / second level organizations / national federations / regional coordinations / women organizations), by country (except for regional coordination level).

Step 4: Recommendations and intervention scenarios

The areas of intervention will be compared and different intervention scenarios will be built on the basis of criteria established in coordination with Expertise France teams.

As an indication, the following criteria could be used:

• Capacity/willingness of target groups to get involved in future arrangements;
• Level of structuring of indigenous organizations and local communities;
• Potential for scaling-up in the case of pilot interventions and/or maturity/adaptability in the case of a scaling-up intervention;
• Consideration of the diversity of territories;
• Presence and involvement of women in local dynamics;
• Accessibility of the territories concerned;
• Level of conflict of the territories concerned.
• Consideration of social and environmental safeguard standards

Several intervention options will be proposed for each of the three lines of action of component 2 and presented during one (or more) discussion workshop(s) in order to facilitate the choice of the most suitable intervention scenario.

The Consultants will propose recommendations to approach stakeholders, and strengthen forest governance, institutional capacities, and encourage collaboration between actors, to ensure Indigenous peoples and local communities are able to exercise, improve and receive support to managing and protecting the Amazon basin.

Step 5: Intervention strategy and baseline

Based on the selected scenarios, the intervention strategy and the resulting capacity building measures/actions will be defined for component 2. The intervention strategy should detail:

• the expected results for component 2, accompanied by a specific logical framework feeding into the logical framework of the programme;
• the resulting capacity building measures/actions (at the individual, organizational and societal levels);
• the areas of intervention prioritized for actions in the field;
• the key players to be mobilized for each result and the strategy for mobilizing these players;
• concrete recommendations on knowledge management;
• tangible recommendations concerning the monitoring and evaluation system to be put in place.

The Consultants will propose strategies to articulate and complement the implementation efforts with stakeholders, especially other initiatives, projects, and programmes.

A specific logical framework for component 2 will be defined, with monitoring indicators (with deadlines for implementation). The baseline values of the logical framework indicators will be completed.

All steps shall be conducted bearing in mind an ethnic and gender-sensitive approach which shall be developed within the proposed methodology.