Agro-environmental Observatory for Climate Adapatation in Cuba: Integrating Innovative Technologies into Ecosystem Monitoring and Management.

The United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON), on behalf of Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) invites qualified interested firms to submit Expression of Interest (EOI) to participate in the upcoming solicitation for the implementation of technical assistance on Agro-environmental Observatory for Climate Adaptation in Cuba: Integrating Innovative Technologies into Ecosystem Monitoring and Management. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on behalf of the Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) requires the services of an institution to deliver the technical assistance as approved by National Designated Entity from Cuba. The objective of this Technical Assistance is to develop an agro-environmental observatory that integrates advanced environmental monitoring technologies and educational tools to strengthen stress diagnosis capabilities, mainly in crops, which are critical for addressing food security in the face of the effects of climate change. Climate change poses complex challenges to the sustainability of critical ecosystems such as mangroves, agricultural areas, forests, and other natural areas, which are essential for biodiversity, food security, and carbon emission mitigation. The degradation of these ecosystems, combined with a lack of accessible technological tools and technical knowledge for their monitoring and management, limits local capacities to address climate impacts. Cuba faces several urgent problems in monitoring and managing its agricultural, forest, and natural ecosystems, especially in sensitive areas such as mangroves and tropical crops. These challenges are determined by both environmental vulnerabilities and systemic constraints. This technical assistance proposes the creation of an Agro-Environmental Observatory as an innovative platform for monitoring agricultural and natural ecosystems, with an emphasis on tropical crops and using advanced technologies such as soil and weather sensors, multispectral drones, machine learning, and satellite observation to provide data on sensitive areas such as mangroves. The observatory will also have a specialized classroom for undergraduate and graduate training and capacity building for agricultural producers, ecosystem managers, and local communities, strengthening climate resilience at the regional and national levels. Some of the expected outputs are: 1. Mandatory Output: Project Management. 2. Identification and prioritization of precision agriculture and environmental monitoring technologies. 3. Development of a monitoring system based on observation using remote sensing. 4. Specialized training in environmental monitoring technologies and precision agriculture for students, technicians, researchers and local procucers. 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. Specific Requirements/Information The Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) is the Operational arm of The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and hosted by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The mission of the CTCN is to promote accelerated development and transfer of climate technologies at the request of developing countries for energy-efficient, low-carbon and climate-resilient development. CTCN provides technical assistance to the countries using its own funds ( which it recives through voluntary contributions of donor) or through the other funding sources specifically the Green Climate Funds (GCF) through the Readiness Programme. The requests for Technical Assistance (TA) are submitted to the CTCN by the National Designated Entity (NDE) of the respective country. In this present case the CTCN has developed a response plan and expect to implement the technical assistance on its own funding. In case you are not a CTCN network member yet, you may apply for this REOI and subsequent soliciation (Request for Proposal), subject to the condition that you submit your completed application for CTCN membership before the proposal submission closing date, which will be communicated in the subsequent Request for Proposal in due course of time. Furthermore, the contract award – should your proposal be selected – is conditional to your application for CTCN network membership being approved by CTCN management. The requirement to join the CTCN network is only relevant to the main bidder and not subcontractors. Please find more information to join CTCN Network at- https://www.ctc-n.org/network The purpose of this REOI is to identify suitable firms who may be invited for the Request for Proposal after the REOI is closed. In addition to CTCN registration, all applicants should also be registered (free of charge) at United Nations Global Marketplace (www.ungm.org). IMPORTANT: Please note that this REOI is not an invitation for submission of tenders. Its purpose is to identify companies that would be interested and eligible to participate in the solicitation when issued. UNON will examine the outcome of this request for EOI and will consider those companies that have expressed their interest . UNON reserves the right to change or cancel the requirement at any time during the EOI and/or solicitation process. Thus, submitting a reply to this Request for EOI does not automatically guarantee your company will be considered for receipt of the solicitation when issued.