Provision of CONSULTANCY TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMESA SUSTAINABLE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK AND IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, hereby seeks expressions of interest (EOI) from qualified and experienced vendors for the Provision of CONSULTANCY TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMESA SUSTAINABLE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK AND IMPLEMENTATION PLAN. Interested consultancy service provider will be invited to the tender by an "Request for Proposal" (RFP) at a later stage. This tender envisages a selection of capable consultancy Service provider. The objective of the consultancy is to support COMESA in developing a Sustainable Tourism Development Framework and Implementation Plan that enhances the region’s competitiveness, sustainability, and inclusivity. The consultancy will develop a comprehensive tourism framework for the COMESA region, prepare a detailed and costed implementation plan aligned with regional and continental priorities, It will also strengthen COMESA’s capacity to design and implement sustainable tourism instruments while facilitating stakeholder engagements and validation processes to ensure ownership among member States. Additionally, the consultancy will integrate gender equality, disability inclusion, environmental sustainability, and human rights considerations throughout the framework. Under the overall guidance of UNECA SRO-SA, the technical guidance of SRO-EA and the strategic review by the COMESA Secretariat, the consultant will undertake the following tasks: i. Conduct a situational analysis of the tourism sector in the COMESA region, including policy, regulatory, institutional, and sustainability assessments. ii. Benchmark regional and global best practices to identify opportunities for strengthening sustainable tourism development. iii. Conduct stakeholder consultations with member States, private sector actors including trade associations, MSMEs, civil society, academia, and development partners. iv. Develop the Draft COMESA Sustainable Tourism Development Framework aligned with regional and continental instruments. v. Identify entry points for stronger MSME engagement, particularly women-owned enterprises in the sector. vi. Prepare a detailed and costed Implementation Plan for operationalizing the Framework. vii. Facilitate a regional consultative workshop to present and refine the draft documents. viii. Final Draft ofthe Sustainable Tourism Development Framework and Implementation Plan, incorporating stakeholder inputs and cross-cutting considerations including gender, disability inclusion, environmental sustainability, and human rights. The consultant will be expected to deliver the following outputs: i. Inception Report – including methodology, timelines, and work plan (within 10 days). ii. Situational Analysis & Benchmarking Report. iii. Draft COMESA Sustainable Tourism Development Framework. iv. Draft Costed Implementation Plan. v. Four (4) separate Business Case Reports for a)agro-tourism, b)blue tourism, c)circular/eco-tourism & d)medical tourism, as further delineated under Annex 1 & 2. vi. Stakeholder Consultation Report of Proceedings summarizing key inputs. vii. Validation Workshop Facilitation – including presentation materials. viii. Final COMESA Sustainable Tourism Development Framework and Implementation Plan. Please note that those interested in responding to this EOI but not currently registered as vendors with ECA, are encouraged to register before submission of the EOI in the United Nations Global Market Place (UNGM). Further details may be obtained by visiting https://www.ungm.org/Vendor/Registration. In order to be eligible for UNGM registration, please make sure to declare in writing the prerequisite for eligibility criteria itemized from A-F as included in EOI instructions attached.