ThaiNGO

USAID End Wildlife Crime

Statement of Work

Seeking Facilitation Experts for USAID’s End Wildlife Crime Side Events

in Conjunction with the Nineteenth Meeting of the

ASEAN Working Group on CITES and Wildlife Enforcement

Date: July 2-4, 2024

Location: Novotel Marina Sriracha & Koh Sri Chang, Chonburi, Thailand

Deadline:

The proposal must be submitted to kcorpuz@rti.org before Friday June 21, 2024, with the subject line “EWC’s AWG CITES WE Side Events”.

Program – USAID End Wildlife Crime

USAID End Wildlife Crime (EWC) is a five-year regional program of the U.S. Agency for International Development that will conserve biodiversity and strengthen rules-based order by building on the long history of USAID Regional Development Mission for Asia (RDMA) in countering wildlife trafficking (CWT) through partnerships with regional organizations, governments, the private sector, and civil society. The program primarily focuses on China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. It aligns with USAID/RDMA's strategic objectives of reducing transnational environmental crime and bolstering regional civil society networks, and supports USAID policies on biodiversity, gender, indigenous peoples, and youth, as well as priorities on locally-led development, private sector engagement, and climate change. The program aims to:

1. Support regional civil society organizations and platforms that implement initiatives, activities, or social movements to counter wildlife trafficking and other wildlife crimes through advocacy, social mobilization, and behavior change campaigns using a Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) approach emphasizing the inclusion of historically underrepresented groups, such as women, indigenous peoples, youth, and communities of faith.
2. Strengthen the rule of law by working with law enforcement, judicial, and policymaking professionals to further institutionalize the competencies necessary to decrease wildlife trafficking and other wildlife crime through support to the region’s criminal justice sector training institutes and their alumni associations to incentivize professional networks that can share best practices and increase conviction rates in wildlife prosecutions.
3. Cultivate the growth of constituencies for collective action to support conservation and counter-wildlife trafficking efforts spanning civil society, government agencies, the private sector, and their development partners to build multi-stakeholder regional coalitions that can assume leadership for regional knowledge sharing, consensus building, planning for common action, and implementation of coordinated efforts to reduce wildlife crime.

Background and Event Description

The ASEAN Working Group on CITES and Wildlife Enforcement (AWG-CITES and WE) is a specialized body within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) framework. The group was officially established to assist Member States in meeting their CITES obligations, improve enforcement capabilities, and combat illegal wildlife trade. The annual meetings of the AWG-CITES and WE serve as an important venue for discussing progress, addressing emerging challenges, setting priorities, and planning future actions.

In support of nineteenth meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on CITES and Wildlife Enforcement taking place between July 2-4, 2024, the EWC team will organize two half-day side events. The first side event will take place on July 2 during the afternoon of the closed session of the main meeting and is titled “Counter Wildlife Trafficking Partner Roundtable”. The participants (approximate 8-12 people) will be EWC’s main development partners attending the event including but not limited to WWF, TRAFFIC, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). Other participants may include representatives from ASEANAPOL, INTERPOL, WCO, and the CITES Secretariat.  

 It has the following objectives:

1. Review counter wildlife trafficking (CWT) activities being implemented by partners and map them to Plan of Action (POA) for ASEAN Cooperation on CITES and Wildlife Enforcement.
2. Identify implementation gaps in the Plan of Action and discuss opportunities to address them.
3. Review and discuss roadmap to establish and operationalize the CWT Partnership Coordination Platform.
4. Discuss and advance the planning for the establishment of regional thematic working groups on social behavior change and communication and wildlife cybercrime.
5. Review and discuss coordinated responses to key of CWT events.

The second side will take place on the morning of July 4 after the main and is titled “Advancing Regional Collaboration to Counter Wildlife Trafficking in Support of the Plan of Action for ASEAN Cooperation on CITES and Wildlife Enforcement”. Participants (approximate 15-20 people) will include those highlighted above as well as representatives from ASEAN Member Countries attending the main event. The objectives of this event are:

1. Identify priorities, gaps, challenges, and opportunities to counter wildlife trafficking throughout Southeast Asia.
2. Explore how donors and development partners can support counter wildlife trafficking (CWT) programming, and regional and national implementation and advancement of the Plan of Action for ASEAN Cooperation on CITES and Wildlife Enforcement.
3. Identify opportunities for a Regional CWT Partnership Platform to enhance counter wildlife trafficking efforts in coordination with ASEAN bodies and member states.

To support these two side events, EWC is seeking a sub-contractor to provide facilitation and transcription support and to help ensure that each of the events are engaging and productive. The sub-contractor is anticipated to also join the open session for partners on July 3^rd to help contextualize facilitation support for the side event on July 4^th.

The sub-contractor will work in close collaboration with and report to EWC’s Chief of Party, Lead Advisor, and Technical Advisor, as well as coordinate and communicate with other key EWC team members as required. For administrative issues, the sub-contractor will report to Ms. Orraphan Sanonork, EWC’s Operations Manager.

Request for Service:

The USAID End Wildlife Crime team is seeking a facilitation consultant or vendor to support two half-day side events from July 2 to July 4. Detailed tasks and responsibilities are outlined below.

Tasks and Responsibilities

Event Design and Planning:

• Collaborate with the EWC team to understand the objectives and desired outcomes of the work planning meeting.
• Provide expert advice and recommendations on the design and structure of the event to ensure it effectively meets the intended objectives.
• Provide guidance on optimizing the overall flow of the meetings while maximizing productivity and engagement.
• Help identify exercises and activities to be included in the agenda, as well as design interactive and engaging facilitation techniques to encourage participation, collaboration, and creativity among participants.
• Prepare materials and resources needed to support the smooth execution of each session.
• Advise on the appropriate layout of the meeting venue to ensure that it is set-up properly for the needs of the event including both plenary and breakout sessions.
• Ensure that all necessary equipment and materials are secured and properly set up for the meeting, including audio-visual equipment, flip charts, and supplies.

Facilitation and Participant Engagement:

• Facilitate and moderate the overall event including introducing speakers and presenters.
• Lead and facilitate exercises, discussions, and group activities.
• Ensure that discussions, interactions, and deliberations are focused, relevant, and contributing to the objectives of the meeting.
• Foster a positive and inclusive atmosphere that encourages open communication, collaboration, and constructive problem-solving among participants.
• Ensure that agenda items are covered within the allotted time frame, making adjustments as needed to maintain momentum and focus.
• Engage participants actively throughout the meeting, encouraging their involvement in discussions, activities, and decision-making processes.

Documentation and Reporting:

• Provide a full transcription of each meeting including all breakout groups to be used as a basis for developing the event reports.
• Join the open session for partners on July 3^rd to help contextualize facilitation support for the side event on July 4^th.

• Participate in a debriefing session to reflect on the effectiveness of the meeting design, facilitation techniques, and overall execution to identify lessons learned and areas for improvement.

Deliverables

• Facilitation plan outlining the structure, session topics, and facilitation approach for the two side events.
• Full transcription of the meetings including all breakout groups capturing presentations, inputs, discussions, outcome and any wrap-up and next steps for each side event within one week of the completion of the event.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Demonstrated experience in designing, planning, and organizing interactive and engaging in-person planning workshops, meetings, fora, and other related events to advance coordination and collaboration on counter wildlife trafficking.
• Strong facilitation skills, including the ability to lead group discussions, foster collaboration, and manage dynamics of groups comprised of multi stakeholder groups involved in counter wildlife trafficking efforts across ASEAN including, but not limited to USAID, ASEAN bodies and agencies, development partners such as NGOs, and government and intergovernmental agencies.
• Demonstrated ability to guide creative processes to ensure optimal standards and outcomes.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate ideas clearly and concisely to diverse audiences.
• Strong active listening skills to understand participant needs, gather feedback, and address concerns.
• Experience working collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams to achieve common objectives and deliver high-quality outcomes.
• Strong problem-solving skills to quickly identify issues, evaluate alternatives, and implement effective solutions under pressure.
• Ability to be flexible and adapt to the changing need of an assignment, and to remain open to feedback.
• Knowledge and working experience with a broad range of development/conservation stakeholders.
• Experience supporting USAID programs.

Procedure

USAID End Wildlife Crime is requesting interested consultants or vendors to submit a proposal of maximum 2 pages (excluding CVs, sample work and references). The proposal must include:

• A succinct, well-documented approach detailing your approach to organizing the event.
• A rate in USD (ex VAT) with a break-down of Level of Effort (LoE) and rate for each team member and other direct costs (e.g. travel).
• A clear description of the project team, relevant experience of team member(s) and time allocation per team member.
• CV of the team member(s) and 3 examples from prior work for assessment of capability.
• Sample work.
• Three client references.

The proposal must be submitted to kcorpuz@rti.org before Friday June 21, 2024, with the subject line “EWC’s AWG CITES WE Side Events”.