CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

 

Realization of participatory enumerations on three pilot sites, Support for the emergence and operation of a citizen and media coalition on issues of sustainable and inclusive urban development and support for the authorities and communities concerned for the establishment of transparent and assistance programs for vulnerable households across Greater Conakry.

Submission Period: December 12 - December 31, 2022

Description

1. Introduction

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, is the agency for human settlements. It is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable cities, with the aim of providing adequate housing for all. UN-Habitat is the lead agency within the United Nations for the implementation of the New Urban Agenda. UN-Habitat supports Member States and development partners to transform cities into safer, more resilient and healthier places with better opportunities. UN-Habitat works with organizations at all levels, including all spheres of government, civil society and the private sector.

The Project “Strengthening multi-stakeholder dialogue for responsible land and environmental governance in Lower Guinea” is funded by the Peacebuilding Fund over a two-year period (January 2022 – December 2023) and implemented by UN-Habitat, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the non-governmental organization ACORD, in close collaboration with national counterparts under the leadership of the Ministry of Urbanism, Housing and Territorial Development.

This initiative aims to strengthen multi-stakeholder dialogue and social cohesion, and to establish gradual pragmatic mechanisms for responsible and secure land governance for vulnerable households and at risk of violence, in order to prevent conflicts linked to land operations exploitation of mining and quarry resources in rural and peri-urban areas and the occupation of public rights-of-way in urban areas in Lower Guinea. More specifically, the project will carry out advocacy and revision of texts for a legal, progressive and adapted land reform, promotion of legal texts and training actions and pilot implementation of tools for securing residential occupation and land; sensitization of local communities, administrative officials, the private sector on their rights and obligations; support in the establishment of redress mechanisms for eligible households subject to infrastructure demolition operations as well as the prevention and monitoring of human rights violations related to mining.

The project responds to the growing problem of violent conflicts and tensions around access to and use of (natural) resources, which excludes part of the population and has not been managed so far in a systemic and inclusive manner. It is structured around three strategic results, respectively: R1 - communities in extractive sites know their land rights and claim them peacefully from local public authorities and the extractive private sector (under the responsibility of ACORD); R2 - collaboration and economic partnership between extractive companies and communities are strengthened in the target areas (under the responsibility of UNDP); and R3 - target municipalities improve their urban planning tools and develop local development policies that mitigate conflict (under the responsibility of UN-Habitat).

Thus, a series of flagship activities included in result 3 in the project implementation plan consists first of all in conducting participatory enumerations in three pilot sites in neighborhoods and in rural areas, an exercise that allows establishing the different status relating to the right of ownership as well as the different modes of land tenure so that the data of the study can be used to identify the possible forms of security of tenure which are likely to guarantee accessibility to housing and land. This will involve ensuring that the concerned populations are informed of their rights and of the appropriate complaint mechanisms that exist or are put in place during eviction operations. The project proposes, for example, to support the independent procedure for filing complaints relating to the services of the Offices of Land Conservation and Technical Services of the Ministry of Urban Planning, Housing and Territorial Development.

Finally, it is foreseen to establish and operationalize a citizen and media coalition on sustainable and inclusive urban development issues to inform, raise awareness and promote exchanges and understanding between communities and authorities for sustainable urban participatory development. This platform will bring together a set of organizations and resource persons mobilized with common and different interests around development issues in rural and urban areas and will act as a 'laboratory of ideas' for strategy, advocacy and constructive interactions with institutions for the planning and management of inclusive urban spaces.

An arsenal of activities aimed at 1) collecting data on land rights from households in three sites identified according to established criteria, 2) supporting the popularization of complaint filing procedures and out-of-court settlements mechanisms for victims of urban displacement, and 3) setting up a citizen and media coalition to communicate and raise awareness on issues of sustainable urban development in Greater Conakry, will be held with a view to providing authorities and communities with tools to promote greater land governance and control of land use in targeted areas.

To achieve this, it will be necessary to seal a partnership with a civil society organization having the expertise in the matter which will be selected for the purpose of carrying out all the above-mentioned activities in partnership with officials of the national directorates of the domain and cadastre (DOCAD) and regional planning and town planning (DATU). The selected partner will also work in collaboration with the prefectural and municipal technical services as well as with the technical team of the project.

At the end of the implementation of these lots of activities, three (03) main results are expected, namely:

Result 1 :

• Data on formal and informal land rights is collected within three areas to inform the prevention and resolution of potential disputes.

Result 2 :

• A multi-stakeholder citizen and media coalition in which local communities necessarily participate is created and operational on land and urban planning issues;
• The communities are informed and sensitized so that their concerns are better taken into account.

Result 3 :

• Communities, in particular vulnerable households (including young people, associations of traders, elected officials and people living with disabilities, etc.) are being familiar and are using procedures for filing complaints and mechanisms for out-of-court settlements judiciary in target areas;

The general objective of this call for interest is to select a civil society organization to lead the collection of data in households on formal and informal land rights, sensitization, advocacy and capacity building of communities and the implementation of transparent mechanisms on land and urban planning issues in order to reduce the risk of land-related conflicts.

Specifically, the various interventions aim to:

• Collect data from 500 households on formal and informal land rights in three pilot localities to inform the prevention/planning and resolution of possible disputes;
• Set up and facilitate a citizen space for exchanges, information, awareness and training of communities in order to strengthen understanding and interactions with decision-makers on issues of sustainable urban development in the Greater Conakry;
• Strengthen the capacities of platform members in facilitation and advocacy techniques on sustainable urban development issues to promote the sharing of ideas between communities, opinion leaders and decision-makers on urban development issues;
• Support the authorities and communities impacted by urban displacement, and reduce the risk of violence and violation of human rights.

2-Proposed projet

The selected implementing partner will work in the targeted localities in close coordination/concertation with the technical services of DOCAD and DATU of the Ministry of Housing, Urban Planning, and Territorial Development under the supervision of UN-Habitat.

Specifically, the selected partner will be responsible for implementing the following key activities:

• Information and community mobilization for participatory enumerations and the subsequent process leading to the establishment of conflict resolution mechanisms;
• Identification of enumerators, training of enumerators, deployment in the field in the three identified sites with the support of technical services (one urban site, one semi-rural site that has been subject to displacement; one mining site) for data collection;
• Establishment of a database and a geographic information system to enable the development of land use plans for the three sites;
• Mapping of potential actors (NGOs/associations, media, academics, community leaders, authorities...) members of the citizen and media platform;
• Elaboration of a draft charter on the organization and functioning of the platform/coalition (or other appropriate mechanism) in collaboration with the communal authorities of the areas concerned and the media organizations;
• Organization of a workshop to share and validate the platform/coalition charter, as well as to train its members in animation and advocacy techniques on sustainable urban development issues;
• Technical and financial support (transportation or connection fees) for the organization of exchange, sharing and advocacy sessions by members over a given period;
• Review of the categorization of the types of evictions (lessors, housing, commerce/economic activities/plantations) following the clearing of public roads and rights-of-way and the operations of extractive companies (mines or sand and granite quarries) (see existing reports);
• Identification and brief evaluation of existing local and/or national mechanisms in support of victims of displacement (e.g., MUHAT's online grievance mechanism);
• Formulation of recommendations for strengthening existing mechanisms if necessary or defining new mechanisms according to the localities or types of evicted persons (in relation to human rights, the protection of land rights and a fair dispute resolution mechanism);
• Define strategies for the appropriation of mechanisms, particularly those outside the judicial system, by communities and local authorities;
• Produce at least one tools for the prevention and management of land conflicts, including tools for land pacification ;

The partner selected to implement these activities will also submit a detailed plan for conducting field activities to the UN-Habitat team for validation; write and submit monthly narrative reports to the UN-Habitat team on the technical progress of field activities; make expenditures within the framework of the allocated funds and prepare financial reports to be submitted to UN-Habitat. The selected partner will also take part in various technical meetings initiated by UN-Habitat, if necessary.

3-Expression of Interest

Interested Not-for-Profit Organizations (NGOs, CSOs) must provide information (documentation in French) indicating that they are qualified to perform the expected services (brochures, references concerning the execution of similar contracts, experience in similar conditions, availability of the necessary knowledge and qualifications among its staff or its network of experts if any, human and financial resources).

The submission should also contain, but not limited to the following:

1. A short conceptual and financial proposal on how the organization plans to develop and implement this project;
2. The support/contribution the organization is willing to make including, cash and in kind (contribution in terms of staff time, office space and equipment and other support in cash and in-kind should be expressed in monetary terms);
3. A certified true copy of the original Audited Account Statement for the last two years and latest annual report; and
4. Governance and organizational structure.

4-Overall Timeframe

The activities described in this EOI are expected to commence as soon as possible and be completed by October 2023 for all three activity packages.

5-Submission Requirements and Guidelines

The expression of interest must be submitted in electronic format no later than December 31, 2022 to the following e-mail address :  gwendoline.mennetrier@un.org

6-Contact Information

Gwendoline Mennetrier

Senior Programme Management Officer

UN-Habitat Guinea Conakry

DATU, Route du Niger, Coléah lanseboundji KM4,

Commune of Matam, Conakry

Telephone: +224 629 48 45 94 

gwendoline.mennetrier@un.org

7-Budget

UN-Habitat will contribute to the financial resources of the cooperation agreement for a maximum amount of US $70,000 for the three activity packages mentioned above.

8-Other

Please note that this EOI does not constitute a solicitation. UN-Habitat reserves the right to modify or cancel this requirement at any time during the EOI/solicitation process.

Submission of a response to an EOI does not guarantee that a cooperating partner will be considered for receipt of the EOI when it is issued. Only those cooperating partners deemed qualified by UN-Habitat following the evaluation of the submission will receive the final bidding document.