Strategic Facilitation of Republic of Korea (ROK)-Honduras Blue Economy Partners

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. 

• Project: Blue Fonseca: Enabling Blue Economy Investments in the Honduran Gulf of Fonseca (HN010) 

• Duty Station: Honduras, with expected coordination and travel to the Republic of Korea as required for the assignment. 

• Contract Duration: 1 October 2026 - 31 March 2027 (6 months) 

• Consultant Level: Level 4 

• Total Fees: USD 36,000 

PROJECT BACKGROUND

GGGI is implementing the Korea Green New Deal Trust Fund (KGNDTF) funded project Blue Fonseca: Enabling Blue Economy Investments in the Honduran Gulf of Fonseca, which is set within the Gulf of Fonseca, a biodiverse Pacific Bay shared by Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. It supports the Master Plan for the Gulf of Fonseca (MPGulf), a trinational initiative backed by the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) to promote sustainable development, focusing on aquaculture and logistics.

Through its four Outputs, Blue Fonseca is undertaking a territorial and sectoral diagnosis, developing prioritized business models and investment plans, designing a dedicated Blue Finance instrument, and facilitating partnerships with Republic of Korea (ROK) institutions and private-sector actors. Under Output 4, this consultancy will serve as the Korea–Honduras partnership interface of the project, using the investment opportunities, technology needs, market requirements, constraints and financing requirements identified through Outputs 1–3 to facilitate strategic partnerships, technology cooperation, market access, investment linkages and knowledge exchange.

OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT

1) General Objective

To facilitate and advance strategic partnerships between ROK entities and Honduran stakeholders, based on the investment, technology, market-access, requirements and capacity needs identified through the Blue Fonseca Project, in order to promote technology cooperation and transfer, market access, research collaboration, investment opportunities and sustainable aquaculture development in the Honduran Gulf of Fonseca.

2) Specific Objectives

1. Identify and facilitate strategic partnerships between Honduran stakeholders and relevant ROK institutions, technology providers, investors, buyers, research organizations, academia and other private-sector actors, matching priority needs identified through Blue Fonseca with appropriate cooperation, investment and commercial opportunities.

2. Facilitate the assessment, demonstration and potential transfer of appropriate ROK aquaculture and blue-economy technologies, supporting the development of concrete cooperation arrangements, pilot concepts, business linkages or other partnership outcomes.

3. Strengthen Honduran stakeholders’ capacity to access the ROK market, including regulatory and Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) requirements, commercial channels, buyer requirements, logistics, certification, traceability and business practices, among others.

3) Activities

Activity 1: Map and facilitate strategic ROK–Honduras partnerships based on identified project needs and opportunities.

• Develop and maintain a ROK Partnership and Solutions Landscape and Matching Matrix linking priority needs and investment opportunities identified under Outputs 1–3 with potential ROK institutions, research organizations, universities, technology providers, investors, financial institutions, seafood buyers/importers and other strategic partners.

• Organize and facilitate targeted technical, institutional and business matchmaking between ROK and Honduran key stakeholders.

• Support the preparation and follow-up of appropriate partnership instruments, including Letters of Intent, Letters of Collaboration, MOUs and other documented cooperation arrangements, and coordinate with CABEI and other relevant financing or development partners as appropriate.

Activity 2: Facilitate ROK–Honduras technical, investment and market-access dialogue.

• Support targeted ROK–Honduras dialogue, matchmaking, trade missions, business roundtables, fairs and other sectoral events that provide concrete opportunities for market access, technology cooperation or investment promotion.

• Facilitate technical exchanges with relevant ROK institutions and experts on priority areas identified through Blue Fonseca, including smart aquaculture, water quality, renewable energy, blue carbon, processing and cold chain, as relevant.

• Facilitate B2B, B2G and technical discussions regarding technology supply, pilots, investment, joint ventures and other cooperation modalities.

Activity 3: Facilitate matching and potential transfer or demonstration of appropriate smart aquaculture and blue-economy technologies.

• Based on Outputs 1 and 2, assess the readiness of selected Honduran stakeholders to adopt priority technologies, considering technical suitability, investment cost, operational requirements, energy demand, maintenance capacity, environmental conditions and financial viability.

• Facilitate technical dialogue and matching between ROK technology providers and Honduran stakeholders regarding adaptation to local production and operating conditions.

• Facilitate and document, where feasible, at least one concrete technology transfer, demonstration, pilot, supplier–producer agreement or other verifiable knowledge-transfer mechanism accepted by GGGI.

Activity 4: Strengthen Honduras market-access capacity and facilitate engagement with the ROK seafood market.

• Assess ROK market-access requirements and product-specific barriers affecting priority Honduran aquaculture exports, including SPS/aquatic animal health, quarantine, food safety, FTA preferences, certification, traceability, logistics and buyer requirements, among others.

• Support ANDAH and relevant Honduran institutions in defining practical pathways to address identified barriers and facilitate dialogue with relevant ROK regulatory, commercial and sectoral actors.

• Deliver practical capacity-building and develop a ROK Market Access Roadmap and periodic market information for priority Honduran aquaculture products.

The Consultant shall make systematic use of relevant outputs generated under Outputs 1, 2 and 3 of the Blue Fonseca Project —including the comprehensive diagnosis, infrastructure assessment, market studies, business models, investment plans and financial-market analysis— and shall avoid duplicating analytical work already undertaken by other project consultants. GGGI will facilitate access to relevant approved project outputs and coordination with the consulting teams.

The consultancy will be implemented through a monthly deliverable-based arrangement. Payments will be made upon satisfactory completion and formal approval by GGGI of six Monthly Progress Reports covering the consultancy period from October 2026 to March 2027.

Each report shall provide a concise account of activities undertaken, progress achieved against the objectives and activities established in these Terms of Reference, key results and partnership opportunities generated, challenges encountered, follow-up actions required, and priorities for the following month.

Reports shall be supported, as applicable, by relevant evidence and updated working instruments, including stakeholder engagement records, a Partnership and Technology Matching Matrix, market-access information, technical briefs, cooperation instruments, event or mission documentation, capacity-building materials, market information and other relevant outputs.

Additionally, each Monthly Progress Reports must include the following:

• Report 1 (October 2026): work plan, initial ROK partnerships and solution landscape and initial Partnerships and Technology Matching Matrix.

• Report 2, 3, and 4 (November 2026 - February 2027): detailed summary of the meetings, workshops, dialogues, and technical exchange sessions held between ROK and Honduran stakeholders, progress made regarding the signing of collaboration letters and cooperation-related documents between Honduran producers/entities and ROK entities (public or private), progress made related to potential technology transference or adoption, capacity building materials, market information and other relevant outputs.

• Report 5 (March 2027): final monthly and consolidated progress report and a consolidated assessment of achievements, the final Partnership and Technology Matching Matrix, status of partnership and technology-transfer initiatives, final ROK Market Access Roadmap, capacity-building outputs, lessons learned, outstanding actions and recommendations for sustaining priority ROK–Honduras partnerships.

The specific focus of the monthly reports may reasonably evolve during implementation, in consultation with the GGGI Project Manager, provided that any adjustments remain within the overall scope and objectives of these Terms of Reference.