Communications Media Strategy to Highlight the IPARD Model in Panama At FSC Indigenous Foundation

Indigenous Peoples Alliance for Rights and Development – IPARD

Cooperation Agreement No. 7200AA20CA00013

REQUEST FOR CONSULTING SERVICES

Communications media strategy to highlight the IPARD model in Panama

1. INFORMATION ABOUT THE IPARD PROGRAM
2. BACKGROUND

In 2019, the Forest Stewardship Council ( FSC ) established the FSC Indigenous Foundation ( FSC-IF ) as the operational office of the Standing Committee of Indigenous Peoples ( CPIP ). The FSC-IF is a foundation of private interest in accordance with Law No. 25 of June 12, 1995 of the Republic of Panama. FSC-IF’s mission is to enable an enabling environment to guarantee the rights of Indigenous Peoples and promote sustainable forest-based solutions within 300 million hectares of indigenous forest on the planet. The vision is for global values, rights, livelihoods, ecosystem services, natural capital, and Indigenous Peoples communities to be incorporated into forest governance, to the governance of climate change and to market systems.

We are Indigenous Peoples; Our strategies and future actions are shaped by ancestral knowledge, practices, worldview, values and respect for Mother Earth and our past. We, as FSC-IF, are providers of solutions based on Indigenous Peoples, and our ancestral knowledge and traditions have promoted solutions based on Indigenous Peoples for centuries. We are Indigenous Peoples; we are the owners of solutions based on Indigenous Peoples for global challenges, and the FSC Indigenous Foundation is the global vehicle for designing, managing, facilitate and expand solutions led by Indigenous Peoples through multi-sectoral alliances. The FSC Indigenous Foundation has an indigenous perspective driven by values, vision, principles,ancestral knowledge and traditional indigenous practices connected with Mother Earth. FSC-IF is formed to respond to the key challenges and opportunities faced by Indigenous Peoples to achieve their self-development, self-government and self-sufficiency. Driven by this perspective, our way of operating differs from traditional organizational planning because our cultural and traditional way of thinking, acting, and interacting does not fit into a predetermined western tradition of thinking, organizational management or governance.Our way of operating differs from traditional organizational planning because our cultural and traditional way of thinking, acting, and interacting does not fit into a predetermined western tradition of thinking, organizational management, or governance.Our way of operating differs from traditional organizational planning because our cultural and traditional way of thinking, acting, and interacting does not fit into a predetermined western tradition of thinking, organizational management, or governance.

We commit to work driven by our values ​​to guide and support the values ​​of Indigenous Peoples of 1) Respect for Mother Earth Manage our lands, waters and ecosystems with great respect for nature and care, recognizing that we only borrow them from generations future and 2) Respect for ancestral knowledge Keep our promises to our ancestors to manage nature and the resources that Mother Earth provides us in a sustainable and respectful way.

Alliance of Indigenous Peoples for Rights and Development

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

• Objective 1 : Organize and convene a training program for Indigenous Peoples’ organizations and interested parties;
• Objective 2: Foster an environment conducive to the recognition, effective participation and joint decision-making by Indigenous Peoples on matters that affect them;
• Objective 3: Promote the sustainable development of Indigenous Peoples based on sustainable economic models.

IPARD uses three interconnected approaches to help Indigenous Peoples overcome their development challenges:

1. Multi-Sector Approach (MSA): Under the strategic direction of the IPARD Steering Committee (SC), the Program convenes and leverages the expertise of multi-sector partners to ensure that the needs of indigenous communities are taken into account across a wide range of sectors.
2. Country Centered Approach (CFA): IPARD’s programmatic strategy is guided by a country-centered approach, driven by specific national contexts related to Indigenous Peoples. IPARD applies a structured process to identify, evaluate and select countries for its programs. The FSC-IF works jointly with the IPARD Steering Committee, and in accordance with the multi-sectoral approach guidelines, to select countries and identify key priorities and strategies.
3. Indigenous Project Management Approach (IPMA): Leveraging FSC-IF’s networks and relationships with Indigenous leaders and organizations around the world, IPARD seeks ongoing dialogue, consultation and feedback with Indigenous Peoples to inform the Programme. IPARD supports a forum through which the FSC-IF Indigenous Foundation serves as a bridge between Indigenous Peoples, technical partners, national governments and the private sector. IPARD invests in conservation best practices and effective approaches and methodologies to ensure strategic cohesion of partnerships at various levels.

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

The work of the FSC-IF in Panama

FSC-IF is working with 4 congresses of traditional authorities (Naso Tjer Di, Tuira, Wounaan, Madugandi) of 57 Indigenous communities in Panama in the development of Organic Charters for the Indigenous territories (comarcas), agricultural assistance and technical training, restoration of the ancestral cultural practices of Indigenous women, and more. Before committing, we carried out Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) and co-creation processes with authorities and communities, and so far we have carried out 15 of these processes in Panama.

The FSC-IF has supported several public policies in favor of Indigenous Peoples in Panama that include: 1) Support for the design and approval of a law that creates a University of Indigenous Peoples in the Ngöbe Buglé Comarca, 2) Design and approval of a law that adopts measures to implement the Development Plan for Indigenous Peoples – Draft Regulation of Law 301, 3) Design of the governance of the Economic Development Plan for Indigenous Women (PEMIP 2025) that was recently approved as public policy , and 4) Draft Regulation of Law 37 on Free, Prior and Informed Consent, and 5) Organic Charter of the Naso People that may be adopted by the Government as national policy.

In these and other activities, we are working closely with the National Council for the Comprehensive Development of Indigenous Peoples (CONDIPI), government institutions such as the Ministry of the Interior and its Vice Ministry of Indigenous Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, and international organizations such as the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank.

We are supporting the implementation of the Economic Empowerment Plan for Indigenous Women of Panama (PEMIP 2025), working with multisectoral actors. The FSC-IF is also committed to capacity development and we constantly conduct trainings and workshops.

1. CONTEXT

FSC-IF is looking for a consultant to facilitate connections with traditional and Indigenous media to showcase the IPARD model in Panama to diverse audiences.

The consultant will collaborate with the IPARD Program and Communication Manager to strengthen the IPARD team’s approach to media relations.

The proposed methodology is the following.

• Develop a media strategy that includes identifying events, meetings and workshops in Panama that offer opportunities to reach the media and diverse audiences to highlight the IPARD model in Panama. These audiences include: Indigenous Peoples, government, private sector, international cooperation actors, Panamanian public in general.
• The strategy should lead to key events, such as forums in which the government of Panama will celebrate progress and enact different policies related to Indigenous Peoples in Panama. IPARD has been supporting these policies.
• Include traditional and Indigenous media channels in the strategy, including media interviews with IPARD senior directors and program heads, as well as OPIs working with the program.
• Apply the strategy in coordination with the IPARD Program and Communication Manager and IPARD Objective 2, taking into account the time necessary for approvals from funders.

The consultant may propose adjusting or expanding this proposal in the technical section.

1. OBJECTIVES OF CONSULTING SERVICES
2. General objective

Develop and implement a media strategy to publicize the IPARD model in Panama to the different audiences mentioned above.

Specific objectives:

1. Increase the visibility of the FSC Indigenous Foundation and the IPARD Program in the national media of Panama.
2. Increase the visibility of the FSC Indigenous Foundation and the IPARD Program in the Indigenous media of Panama.

Expected results:

1. Media strategy
2. At least 3 publications (article/radio/TV) in national media
3. At least 2 publications (article/radio/TV) in Indigenous media

Offeror profile

• Journalist and communications professional with experience writing on issues related to Indigenous Peoples in Panama.
• Wide and solid network of contacts with the national and Indigenous media.
• Experience in providing high-level international consulting services.
• Good interpersonal communication and coordination skills.
• Proficiency in Spanish is required and spoken and written English is preferred.
• Demonstrated cultural awareness and sensitivity to the diversity of values, points of view and approaches to issues relevant to Indigenous peoples.
• It will be an advantage if candidates are deeply familiar with the culture and communities of Indigenous Peoples or are native members of an Indigenous People.
  1. INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS

Coordination

The consultant will coordinate the planned work with the Program and Communications Officer, who will liaise with the FSC-IF Managing Director and the IPARD Program Director and all other stakeholders involved in this consultancy.

Payment terms for products:

Products must be authorized by the FSC-IF Program Administrator to proceed with payment. All products must be delivered in digital format.

Mission duration

Between March 2024 and June 2024.

1. Proposal submission deadline

• The submission deadline is XXX (5:00 pm Panama time)
• See Annex 1 for the format of the technical proposal and the cost proposal.

a) Shipping address

Both the Technical Proposal and the Cost Proposal must be sent by email to: procurement.fscif@fsc.org with the subject – ” MEDIA STRATEGY TO HIGHLIGHT THE IPARD MODEL IN PANAMA”.

b) Proposal requirements

All proposals must comply with the requirements established in Annex 1 – TECHNICAL AND COST PROPOSAL PRESENTATION FORMAT.

c) Validity of the offer

Offers must be valid until three months after the date of submission.

d.) Evaluation and selection criteria

Please take into account the evaluation criteria of this call:

Weight Criteria

1. Cost 40%
2. Technical focus 30%
3. Previous results 30%

Annex 1

• PRESENTATION FORMAT OF THE TECHNICAL AND COST PROPOSAL
• TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

Interested consultants must submit the proposal in Spanish, including the information listed below and not exceeding 25 pages. The technical proposal format must consist of the following sections:

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
2. BACKGROUND OF THE OFFEROR
3. GOALS
4. PROPOSED METHODOLOGY
5. WORK PLAN – ACTIVITIES/TASKS
6. PROGRAM SCHEDULE

• Insert the Gantt chart with the activities/tasks
• Insert delivery schedule

1. PREVIOUS RESULTS

• Please include a list of completed assignments similar to this consulting activity and references of clients served.
• EXPENDITURE PROPOSAL

The cost proposal format must consist of the following sections:

1. Cost breakdown

• Provide a detailed breakdown and explanation of all expenses for executing the activity. Taxes must be included.

How to apply

Both the Technical Proposal and the Cost Proposal should be sent by email to: procurement.fscif@fsc.org with the subject – “MEDIA STRATEGY TO HIGHLIGHT IPARD’s MODEL IN PANAMA”. No later than March 10th, 2024.