Development of a CITES Gender Toolkit for Gender Mainstreaming in International Trade in Wild Fauna and Flora

The United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON), on behalf of the CITES Secretariat, invites qualified and interested firms to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) to participate in an upcoming solicitation for the development of a CITES Gender Toolkit. The Toolkit will compile and systematize existing guidance, tools, strategies, and experiences relevant to gender and legal and illegal international trade in wild fauna and flora. It is intended to be non-prescriptive and supportive, providing a body of knowledge, lessons, and experiences to inform the drafting of the CITES Gender Action Plan and to support Parties and other stakeholders, including Management Authorities, Scientific Authorities, Enforcement Authorities, and other relevant institutions and actors. The assignment will include: 1. Conducting a desk-based review of relevant gender and wildlife trade materials; 2. Collecting experiences, case studies, and lessons learned through a Notification to the Parties and targeted interviews; 3. Identifying good practices, lessons learned, and gaps in existing knowledge, guidance, policies, and capacities; and 4. Structuring the analysis and Toolkit content around the elements contained in CITES Decision 19.51, including: i) the needs, perspectives, and knowledge of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, particularly women and girls; ii) gender equality in access to, control over, and benefits from the use and trade of wild fauna and flora; iii) prevention of and response to gender-based violence in wildlife trade chains; iv) participation and leadership of women in decision-making related to wildlife trade; v) capacity-building and meaningful participation of all genders in CITES implementation; and iv) actions across wildlife trade chains, including harvesting, enforcement, and policy-making. Expected outputs include: 1. Inception Report, including the workplan, methodology, and proposed outline; 2. Draft CITES Gender Toolkit for review by the CITES Secretariat, including a synthesis of good practices, lessons learned, and key gaps in knowledge, policy, and capacity; and 3. Final CITES Gender Toolkit, incorporating feedback from the CITES Secretariat. The assignment is expected to be completed within five months, with the final output delivered no later than 1 February 2027. Detailed requirements will be provided in the solicitation documents to be issued following the closure of this EOI. Specific Requirements/Information 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: Submission of an Expression of Interest at this stage only requires the vendor to indicate its interest by clicking the “Express Interest” option. No supporting documents or technical/financial submissions are required at this stage. Detailed requirements and submission instructions will be provided in the solicitation documents issued following the closure of this REOI. 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.