Consultancy for REGIONAL PESTEL ANALYSIS AND HIGH-LEVEL STAKEHOLDER MAPPING FOR TARGET COUNTRIES IN ASIA AND THE PACIFIC ISLANDS

1. IPARD PROGRAM INFORMATION
2. BACKGROUND

ORGANIZATION DESCRIPTION

In 2019, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) established the FSC Indigenous Foundation (FSC IF) as the operational office for the Permanent Indigenous Peoples’ Committee (PIPC). FSC IF is a private interest foundation pursuant to Law No. 25 of June 12, 1995 of the Republic of Panama. The mission of the FSC IF is to unlock the enabling environment to secure Indigenous Peoples’ rights and promote sustainable forest-based solutions within 300 million hectares of Indigenous forests on the planet. The vision is that the global values of Indigenous Peoples, their rights, livelihoods, ecosystem services, natural capital, and territories are recognized and incorporated into forest governance, climate change governance, and market systems.

Indigenous Peoples’ Alliance for Rights and Development

FSC IF is the implementing partner of the USAID and FSC funded five-year Global Development Alliance Program: Indigenous Peoples Alliance for Rights and Development (IPARD). IPARD is guided by three development objectives:

• Objective 1: To organize and convene a Capacity Development Program for Indigenous Peoples’ organizations and stakeholders;
• Objective 2: To foster an enabling environment for Indigenous Peoples’ recognition, effective participation, and joint decision-making in matters affecting them, and;
• Objective 3: To promote Indigenous Peoples’ sustainable development based on sustainable economic models.

IPARD utilizes on three interconnected approaches to support Indigenous Peoples to overcome their development challenges:

1. Multi-Sectoral Approach (MSA): Under the strategic guidance of the IPARD Steering Committee (SC), IPARD convenes and leverages expertise from multi-sectoral. This approach ensures that IPARD considers the needs of Indigenous communities across a wide array of sectors. Based on the MSA, IPARD will bring diverse technical partners to support cross-sectoral projects that will achieve IPARD’s development objectives.
2. Country-Focused Approach (CFA): the IPARD’s programmatic strategy is guided by a country-by-country focus driven by specific national contexts related to Indigenous Peoples. IPARD implements a structured process to identify, assess, and select countries to target its programs. FSC IF works jointly with the SC, and as guided by the MSA, in order to select countries and identify key priorities and strategies.
3. Indigenous Project Management Approach (IPMA): Building on FSC IF’s network and relationships with Indigenous leaders and organizations around the world, IPARD pursues continuous dialogue, consultation, and feedback with Indigenous Peoples to inform the program. IPARD supports a forum through which FSC IF serves as a bridge between Indigenous Peoples, technical partners, national governments, and the private sector. IPARD invests in curating best practices and effective approaches and methodologies to ensure the strategic cohesion of multi-level partnerships.

Through these three approaches, IPARD aims to empower Indigenous Peoples’ organizations and catalyze an enabling environment where Indigenous Peoples can pursue their development.

1. CONTEXT

The IPARD Program is expected to implement activities in Asia including the adjacent Pacific islands during year four of operations. The IPARD Program will work very closely with USAID regional and country offices as well as initiate the engagement with Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations, key stakeholders in government, and the private sector to coordinate and start an initial dialogue to map out opportunities.

To use the resources of IPARD, which ends on August 11th, 2025 in the most effective way, a context and stakeholder analysis for target countries in Asia and the Pacific Islands is a necessary step for the team to adequately prepare for the future engagement with Indigenous Peoples and to mitigate risks. The analysis will examine issues that are of utmost importance for the IPARD team to understand the context, to make decisions on the countries to focus on, which strategic programmatic interventions to undertake, and most importantly, the Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations to partner with. The results of this consultancy will be reviewed and discussed by the team and presented to IPARD´s Steering Committee to select the countries with the highest potential of success for IPARD to implement activities. Additional analysis at the country level will have to be completed before IPARD fully engages.

A PESTEL (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal) analysis is a strategic framework commonly used to evaluate the context in which a program or an organization operates. This framework is used by teams in their strategic planning processes and risk management planning. Therefore, a PESTEL analysis and a stakeholder analysis are sought as the two main tools to get a better understanding of the situation of Indigenous Peoples and the factors that affect them in order to prepare appropriately to initiate activities in this critical and complex region of the world.

Political: The political environment in which development programs operate is mainly influenced by the political forces in a country. The political forces refer to political trends, government policies and interventions and political risk. The main emphasis should be put on the forces that are most likely to be the drivers of change and that have the most negative impact on the external environment of the IPARD Program.

Economic: This applies to economic sectors and opportunities, economic growth, investment security, currency stability, employment, inflation, easiness to open businesses, unemployment rate among other key macroeconomic indicators.

Social: The differences in cultures, distance, income distribution, level of education, and existing prejudices against Indigenous Peoples, incorporating the gender approach. Recommendations on strategies to communicate with Indigenous Peoples of the region and their governance structures to address the sectoral needs and priorities of Indigenous Peoples. The strategies for stakeholder engagement should provide recommendations on the best channels to communicate with other key stakeholders such as the national government, private sector, and the Traditional Authorities/Organizations of Indigenous Peoples at various levels (regional and national) to achieve the participation of stakeholders in decision making processes that affect them. It should also recommend frequency and channels to communicate with the stakeholders.

Technological: The need for know-how, machines and equipment which has great effects on a country’s competitiveness and opportunities for communities to combine modern knowledge and traditional knowledge.

Environmental: The natural resources and other assets (forest, biodiversity, minerals) or environmental conditions that can impact Indigenous Peoples territories, especially climate change vulnerabilities.

Legal: Public policies that affect or facilitate the implementation of development programs for Indigenous Peoples.

In addition to the PESTEL analysis, a high-level regional stakeholder analysis will help IPARD to identify Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations (IPOs) and key stakeholders (from different types of organizations and sectors) to ensure their inclusion in the co-creation, planning, decision-making and implementation phases of the IPARD program in a structured and inclusive manner. These two tasks will help the IPARD team identify the most relevant impact areas/priorities the program can support to respond to the needs related to the Indigenous communities aligned with IPARD´s vision.

The consulting services should perform the analyses covering the following countries: Nepal, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Laos, East Timor, Philippines, Brunei, Indonesia, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, Palau, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna and Papua New Guinea.

Note: Proponents should specify if travel and consultations are required and budget accordingly.

1. OBJECTIVES

1. General Objective

Prepare a well-documented report containing a regional context analysis and a stakeholder mapping for Asia and the Pacific Islands (target countries) to assess opportunities and constraints for the implementation of the IPARD Program in the region.

2. Specific objectives

1. Conduct a PESTEL analysis of the Asia region including the following countries: Nepal Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Laos, East Timor, Philippines, Brunei, Indonesia, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, Palau, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Wallis and Futuna.
2. Conduct a high-level stakeholder mapping, including Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations, including traditional Indigenous Peoples’ authorities, public institutions, private sector, international cooperation, academia, and NGOs.
3. Provide recommendations for stakeholder engagement strategies with Indigenous Peoples and other key stakeholders as opportunities for the implementation of the IPARD Program implemented by the FSC-Indigenous Foundation.
4. Review and adjust the matrix and other tools for the prioritization of the countries to be targeted prepared by IPARD, as part of the steps to conduct the PESTEL analysis, keeping in mind the regional approach.

2.I. Political, Economic, Social,Technological, Environmental, and Legal Analysis

This exercise should include an analysis of 6 factors, political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal as forces that could limit or foster the IPARD Program.

2.II High-level Regional stakeholder mapping

This exercise will identify the most relevant Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations (IPOs) and key stakeholders (from different types of organizations and sectors) at the regional level and country level to ensure their inclusion in the co-creation, planning, decision-making and implementation phases of the IPARD program in a structured manner. As part of this exercise, relevant information should be completed, using the matrix to be provided by the IPARD Program, including any information on risks to the Program should they become partners. It should also include the identification of organizations that are not aligned with the Program but should be addressed through other strategies for the effective implementation of IPARD´s activities.

The consultant should keep in mind that some of the organizations to be mapped have the potential to become partners or stakeholders for all three IPARD objectives, or recipients of the capacity development programs.

The list of organizations to be mapped by category is shown below. The top 5 organizations in each category which are the most aligned with IPARD´s criteria should be included:

a. INDIGENOUS PEOPLES ORGANIZATIONS (IPO) – Community organizations that identify themselves as indigenous. Although they may or may not have legal status.

b. NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS

c. NGOs MANAGED BY INDIGENOUS PEOPLES (NGO-IP) – Non-profit organizations legally established, founded and operated by Indigenous Peoples.

d. INDIGENOUS PEOPLES ENTERPRISES-legal or not legal but operated by Indigenous Peoples.

e. NON-INDIGENOUS PEOPLES MANAGED NGOs (NGOs) – Non-profit, legally established organizations working on Indigenous Peoples’ issues.

f. PRIVATE SECTOR-Forestry, agribusiness, mining, industry (tourism, textiles, handicrafts, etc.) retail, etc.

g. GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

h. RESEARCH CENTERS AND ACADEMIA

I. MULTILATERAL AND BILATERAL ENTITIES

J. RELIGIOUS GROUPS

K. CHARITABLE GROUPS OR INDIVIDUALS

L. Others relevant to the Indigenous agenda

2.III Recommendations on Strategies for Stakeholder Engagement with IPO and other key stakeholders

This task should provide recommendations on the best strategies for building relationships between IPARD and Indigenous Peoples and their governance structures to address the sectoral needs and priorities of the region’s Indigenous Peoples. In addition, it should describe the coordination between the central government and Indigenous Peoples’ Traditional Authorities/Organizations at the regional level and with key organizations at the national level. The recommendations should include a prioritization of participatory activities that should be carried out and develop communication channels to support the activities of the three objectives.

2.IV Review and adjust the matrix and other tools

IPARD prepared a stakeholder mapping matrix and other tools for national level interventions that will be provided for review and adjustments through discussions with the IPARD team and members of the FSC-IF. Although high level information at the country level will be necessary, the tools and focus of this consultancy prepared by IPARD should be adjusted to ensure it facilitates and is aligned to a regional rather than country by country in-depth analysis.

Illustrative tasks for the PESTEL analysis:

1. 1. Agree on a preliminary outline of the report.
   2. Conduct a desk review.
   3. Confirm the data gathered during the desktop review with target interviews.
   4. Brief the FSC-IF team and other stakeholders on preliminary findings.
   5. Draft a baseline PESTEL analysis report.
   6. Finalize the PESTEL analysis and submit for approval consultancy products based on feedback from the FSC-IF, the regional USAID mission staff and other stakeholders.

Illustrative tasks for Stakeholder Mapping:

1. Gather information on IPO and other key stakeholders
2. Highlight the organizations and individuals that may pose a risk to the Program due to reputational issues, political or philosophical positions.
3. Prepare the matrix.

Illustrative tasks for Stakeholder Engagement Strategies:

1. 1. 1. 1. Prepare recommendations on Stakeholder Engagement Strategies with Indigenous Peoples and other stakeholders, including opportunities for the IPARD Program and the FSC-Indigenous Foundation. 2. List channels of communications among IPO and other stakeholders most relevant for the region.

Technical and Financial Proposal:

Include a technical proposal including the methodology for completion of the consultancy. The methodology should include approach and research methodology, data collection method, analysis method to be used and why, obstacles to gather information that might come up and ways to mitigate it and validation method (FSC-IF and regional IPO). The financial proposal should include a budget, with a narrative explaining the line items of the budget. All financial proposals should include taxes when applicable.

Profile of the proponent firm:

• Interdisciplinary team that includes professionals in social sciences, economics, Indigenous affairs, gender, or related topics, with at least 10 years of experience in preparing analyses and conducting research studies.
• A consultancy firm with at least 5 years of experience in development projects, and extensive experience working in Asia and the Pacific Islands region.
• Demonstrated experience and knowledge of the proposed team on Indigenous Peoples’ rights and sustainable development.
• Experience working with Indigenous Peoples is required.
• Demonstrated cultural awareness and sensitivity to the diversity of values, views, and approaches to issues relevant to the FSC IF.
• Strong oral and written communication of the team in English and Spanish.

Applications need to include the following documents:

1. CV of the consultants including descriptions of relevant responsibilities (not just job title).
2. CV of the consultancy firm including information on clients, project location/country, duration, consultancy months provided (if different from duration), main activities, objectives.
3. Technical proposal including timeline.
4. Financial proposal including an explanation of the budget line items.

Coordination:

The consultancy firm will coordinate the expected work with the Program Lead on Capacity Development and Inclusion who will coordinate with the rest of the IPARD and FSC-IF team.

Deadline for submission of proposal:

Three weeks after publication.

Conditions for payments of the products:

The deliverables must be authorized by the IPARD Program Director to proceed with other internal approvals and payment. All products must be delivered in digital format according to the following schedule and payment percentages.

Deliverable

Timeline

Payment percentage

Work Plan presentation and approval

To be presented in the first week of the consultancy

PESTEL analysis approved

40%

To be presented in the eighth week of the consultancy

Stakeholder Analysis Study approved

30%

To be presented in the twelfth week of the consultancy

Report with recommendations for a Stakeholder Engagement Strategy with Indigenous Peoples and other stakeholders, including opportunities for IPARD – Indigenous Foundation

30%

To be presented for approval in the fourteenth week of the consultancy

Duration of the assignment:

Fourteen weeks upon signing of the contract or more if supported by the proponent.

How to apply

Technical and Financial Proposal:

Include a technical proposal including the methodology for completion of the consultancy. The methodology should include approach and research methodology, data collection method, analysis method to be used and why, obstacles to gather information that might come up and ways to mitigate it and validation method (FSC-IF and regional IPO). The financial proposal should include a budget, with a narrative explaining the line items of the budget. All financial proposals should include taxes when applicable.

Profile of the proponent firm:

• Interdisciplinary team that includes professionals in social sciences, economics, Indigenous affairs, gender, or related topics, with at least 10 years of experience in preparing analyses and conducting research studies.
• A consultancy firm with at least 5 years of experience in development projects, and extensive experience working in Asia and the Pacific Islands region.
• Demonstrated experience and knowledge of the proposed team on Indigenous Peoples’ rights and sustainable development.
• Experience working with Indigenous Peoples is required.
• Demonstrated cultural awareness and sensitivity to the diversity of values, views, and approaches to issues relevant to the FSC IF.
• Strong oral and written communication of the team in English and Spanish.

Applications need to include the following documents:

1. CV of the consultants including descriptions of relevant responsibilities (not just job title).
2. CV of the consultancy firm including information on clients, project location/country, duration, consultancy months provided (if different from duration), main activities, objectives.
3. Technical proposal including timeline.
4. Financial proposal including an explanation of the budget line items.

SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSALS AT: [email protected]