IC: Development of GCF Concept Note for the Greater Virunga

Please note that the deadline is based on Korean Standard Time Zone (KST, UTC+9)

INTRODUCTION TO GGGI

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) is a treaty-based international, inter-governmental organization dedicated to supporting and promoting strong, inclusive and sustainable economic growth in developing countries and emerging economies. To learn more please visit about GGGI web page. 

The Greater Virunga Landscape (GVL) is a vital transboundary ecosystem spanning Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It is home to diverse and unique biodiversity, including endangered species such as mountain gorillas, and provides essential resources for millions. However, climate change poses significant threats to this region, impacting ecosystems, livelihoods, and local communities. Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, and the increased frequency of extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods, exacerbate environmental degradation, reduce agricultural productivity, and threaten water and forest ecosystems.

Given its importance, there is a growing need for integrated, cross-border climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts that address these challenges. Transboundary climate initiatives in the GVL aim to enhance ecosystem resilience, promote sustainable land use, reduce deforestation, and strengthen adaptation to climate impacts. These efforts focus on fostering collaboration among Uganda, Rwanda, and the DRC to ensure climate action is holistic, sustainable, and inclusive, safeguarding both natural ecosystems and the livelihoods of local populations.

Equitable and sustainable development of the GVL will require a coordinated, cross-sectoral, and multidisciplinary approach to identify and implement sustainable solutions to the challenges surrounding the nexus between climate adaptation and mitigation. Such challenges are linked to invasive species, land use, disease prevalence, water quality and quantity, food security, access to affordable renewable energy, land-use planning, biodiversity conservation, job creation, and vulnerability. Thus, GGGI and the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration (GVTC), under the auspices of the East Africa Climate Finance Director Level Meeting hosted by the Climate Finance Unit in the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development ( all parties collectively hereinafter the project proponents) seeks to address problems around the root causes of ecosystem degradation and the above-mentioned nexus to enable climate-resilient livelihoods. Given its importance, there is a growing need for integrated, cross-border climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts that address these challenges. Transboundary climate initiatives in the GVL aim to enhance ecosystem resilience, promote sustainable land use, reduce deforestation, and strengthen communities' capacity to adapt to climate impacts. These efforts focus on fostering collaboration among Uganda, Rwanda, and the DRC to ensure climate action is holistic, sustainable, and inclusive, safeguarding both natural ecosystems and the livelihoods of local populations.

This will require broader engagement to directly address proximate contributors to ecosystem degradation and vulnerability. Given these issues, and to strengthen the resilience of communities and ecosystems in the GVL, the project proponents seek to prepare and submit to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) a concept note (CN) for a transboundary project titled “Transboundary Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation for Resilient Ecosystems and Communities in the Greater Virunga Landscape”. The CN will be submitted to the GCF for consideration by the Project Preparation Facility (PPF).

Against this backdrop, GGGI in collaboration with the GVTC is seeking the servoces of an individual consultant to prepare a GCF Concept Note to mobilize climate finance for transboundary mitigation and adaptation interventions. Building upon technical and stakeholder inputs developed under a related assignment, this  works will focus specifically on developing the climate rationale and full GCF aligned concept Note, worthy of consideration for a project preparation facility.

Specific objectives of the assignment/consultancy

The consultant will be responsible for delivering the following:

• Concept Note according to the published guidance of the GCF:
  • Project Outline and Rationale
  • Develop the climate rationale
  • Formulate clear, practical and proven strategies and gender-responsive restoration—to drive productivity, climate resilience, and inclusive growth across the GVL.
  • Develop a concise theory of change
  • Provide tools and methods (such as checklists) for prioritisation of adaptation and mitigation actions, and checking resource escalating conflicts and Ecosystem Collapse
  • Specify the roles of stakeholders institutional arrangements, and knowledge management
  • Clear description of the project
  • Consolidate inputs from a related assignment into the full concept note.

The consultant will be responsible for leading a participatory and technically rigorous process to develop a concept note for submission to the GCF. The assignment will include the following activities:

Review and integrate deliverables from a related preparatory assignment

The consultant will begin by thoroughly reviewing all analytical outputs produced under a related prepartory assignment, including the situational analysis, stakeholder engagement report, technical assessments, baseline information, and any supplementary datasets. The consultant will synthesise these inputs and ensure they are coherently incorporated into the concept note, forming the foundation for the climate rationale, problem analysis, and project justification.

Develop Climate rationale

 Building on the reviewed materials, the consultant will develop a comprehensive climate rationale that directly links observed and projected climate risks to the proposed interventions. This will include outlining the scientific basis for the project, identifying climate vulnerabilities, articulating barriers to resilience, and demonstrating how proposed investments address these gaps. The consultant will craft justifications for each project component, including feasibility, relevance to national and regional priorities, and alignment with GCF investment criteria.

Draft full concept note in line with GCF requirements

The consultant will prepare a complete draft of the Concept Note using the official GCF template and guidelines. This will include detailed sections such as: project background, objectives, theory of change, expected results, implementation arrangements, environmental and social considerations, financial structure, and risk assessments. The consultant will ensure that the narrative is coherent, evidence-based, and responsive to GCF criteria such as impact potential, paradigm shift, sustainable development benefits, country ownership, and efficiency.

Finalize and submit the full GCF concept Note

The consultant will integrate feedback from key stakeholders and refine the concept note, ensuring all comments are fully addressed and that the document meets the standards for submission to the GCF for a PPF. The final concept note will be in MS Word ready for submission and will have a complementary powerpoint presentation that summarises the project rationale, components, theory of change, and expected impacts for use in future technical meetings and stakeholder engagements.

The selected Consultant shall have the following experience and qualifications:

• Must posess a Master’s degree or higher in natural resources management and climate change, Environmental Policy or Management, Public Policy, or other related disciplines.
• Over 7 years of experience related to climate finance, the formulation of climate change and natural resource related legal and policy frameworks (policies, plans and strategies) at the national and sub-national level
• At least 3 years of experience developing climate finance proposals, especially for the GCF, GEF, AF, etc, with strong expertise in climate rationale development, theory of change, and project design.
• Proven experience in working on transboundary climate change-related assignments within the Greater Virunga Landscape or related landscapes.
• Excellent writing, analytical, and communication skills.
• Proven experience in coordination and organisation skills of projects that relate to climate change management, conducting policy and institutional reviews, climate risk and vulnerability assessments and working with government ministries, districts, and/or development partners in Uganda or similar contexts.
• High level of self-motivation as well as diplomatic tact and political awareness.
• Demonstrated strong interpersonal and motivational skills and sensitivity to the local environment, as well as the ability to work with minimal supervision.

• Experience in capacity building and knowledge transfer related to climate finance or environment management.
• Fluent in English with strong skills in both written communication and technical reporting.

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

• All relevant technical papers, reports, and other documents prepared from the start to the end of the assignment shall be attached to the Final Report.
• The Consultant shall submit the report in both hard copies and electronic versions readable by a Microsoft Office application.
• All outputs must be in English. In addition, the Consultant may be required to submit the outputs in other languages. 
• Final report must be approved by the GGGI with the agreement of the GVTC and GGGI