Assessment to develop debt for nature and climate swaps and other innovative instruments to finance forest landscape restoration and conservation in the SICA region

The United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON), on behalf of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) invites qualified interested firms to submit Expression of Interest (EOI) to participate in the upcoming solicitation for the Assessment to develop debt for nature and climate swaps and other innovative instruments to finance forest landscape restoration and conservation in the Sistema de la Integración Centroamericana (SICA) region. The assessment regions will include the countries of Belize, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama.The study will be part of the preparatory studies for the development of a full Green Climate Fund programme proposal titled “Regional financing solutions for adaptation and mitigation in the Great Forests of Central America and the Dominican Republic”. The Central America Great Forests Program aims to create a transformative shift in forest conservation and climate resilience across Central America and the Dominican Republic. By aligning and strengthening institutional and regulatory frameworks and accelerating innovative financing through coordinated investments in conservation, restoration, and nature-positive businesses, the Programme seeks to enhance the resilience and adaptive capacity of Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs), reduce CO2 emissions and protect tropical forest biodiversity. The objectives of this asssignment are: 1. To conduct a comprehensive assessment study of the feasibility and potential of innovative debt financing mechanisms, including debt for nature and climate swaps, and other innovative financing instruments such as forest bonds and nature performance bonds and carbon and biodiversity credits in the eight countries SICA region. The instruments identified will support the financing of forest ecosystem conservation, restoration, and sustainable management of existing protected areas (PAs) and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) to achieve adaptation, mitigation and biodiversity conservation national and regional goals. 2. To develop detailed actionable roadmaps for the design and implementation of relevant financing instruments tailored to the unique macroeconomic and environmental contexts in each of the eight target countries based on the findings from the assessment study (objective 1). Some of the expected outputs are: 1. Assessment study of debt for nature and climate swaps and other innovative financing instruments in the eight countries SICA region. This should include records of all stakeholders’ consultations. 2. One meeting to present the assessment findings per country (8 in total) and one regional level presentation to gather stakeholder feedback and validate deliverables. 3. Detailed roadmap for designing and implementing debt for nature and climate swaps in countries where the assessment indicates debt for climate and nature swaps are viable and as per stakeholder consultations. 4. Detailed roadmap for designing and implementing other innovative financing instruments relevant to the context of each country, as per the assessment findings and stakeholder consultations. 5. Government letters of interest in debt swap schemes or alternative innovative financing instruments. 6. Letters of interest and cofinancing from specialized partners identified. The complete details of the requirement will be provided in the tender documents that will be issued to bidders after this request for EOI is closed.