Call for EOIs: Technical Advisory Group Small Grant Programme (Botswana)

Deadline: 10-Jan-2025

The Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme invites Individuals from Civil Society Organizations, Academia, Research & scientific institutions, NGOs, and private sector to submit an Expression of Interest to serve in the Technical Advisory Group (TAG).

The SGP is a global and multi-focal area GEF project, approved for funding by the GEF Council on a rolling replenishment, and implemented on behalf of the GEF partnership by UNDP, and executed by UNOPS. Within the UNDP framework, the SGP, as a global programme, is handled differently from UNDP core national or regional programmes.

The Programme Specialists are primarily responsible for guidance on GEF focal areas and thematic directions, country programme support, assigned regional coordination responsibilities, knowledge sharing, partnership development and networking.

Experts in the strategic initiatives of community landscape conservation, climate smart innovative agro-ecology, low carbon energy access co-benefits, local to global chemical management coalitions including Civil Society Organisation-government policy and planning

SGP Country Programme Structure 

• The SGP operates in a decentralized and country-driven manner through a National Coordinator (NC), the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) and the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) in Botswana, with financial and administrative support provided by the UNDP Country Office (CO).
• Both TAG and the TAG is composed of voluntary members from NGOs, academic and scientific institutions, other civil society organizations, the UNDP CO, and government, with most members coming from the non-governmental sector.

Selection Criteria

• The Technical Advisory Group is an ad-hoc and technical sub-committee of the Technical Advisory Group; is a voluntary and multi-sectoral. TAG screen/review, evaluate and recommend projects for funding to the TAG through consensus decision-making. It provides specific technical guidance in specialized areas of work, developing partnerships and cofinancing for the programme and in supporting the translation of its lessons learned to improvements in policy and development practices in the country.
• TAG members should have expertise, experience, an abiding interest and commitment to working with communities and share a vision of sustainable development and “thinking globally, acting locally” in terms of linking the GEF focal areas and strategic initiatives.
• The technical capacity of the individual TAG members is an important criterion in determining its composition, and to the maximum extent possible the membership should include experts in the strategic initiatives of community landscape conservation, climate smart innovative agro-ecology, low carbon energy access co-benefits, local to global chemical management coalitions including Civil Society Organisation-government policy and planning dialogue platforms, promoting social inclusion and global reach for citizen practice based knowledge program.
• In addition, individuals should be knowledgeable and experienced in the relevant GEF focal areas of biodiversity; climate change mitigation; international waters; sustainable land management; sustainable forest management and Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD); persistent organic pollutants/ chemicals; as well as capacity development

Responsibilities

• The Technical Advisory Group
  • The TAG is responsible for the review, selection and approval of projects, and for ensuring their technical and substantive quality as regards the strategic objectives of the SGP.
  • TAG members are expected to support the country programme in resource mobilization and in mainstreaming SGP lessons learned and successes in national development planning and policymaking. TAG members are encouraged to participate in pre-selection project site visits and in project monitoring and evaluation.
• National Coordinator
  • The NC major functions inter alia include:
    • assisting CSOs in the formulation of project proposals;
    • serving as the ex officio secretariat for the TAG;
    • ensuring sound programme monitoring and evaluation, including periodic project site visits;
    • resource mobilization;
    • communication and dissemination of SGP information; and
    • global reporting to CPMT, UNOPS, responding to audits, and other tasks as stipulated in their ToR.
• United Nations Development Programme Country Office
  • The UNDP CO provides management support to the SGP country programme. The UNDP Resident Representative/Resident Coordinator (hereafter abbreviated to UNDP RR) in each UNDP CO assigns a senior staff person (typically the Sustainable Development Advisor or environment focal point) to serve as the SGP focal point

For more information, visit UNDP.