Request for Concept Note: Public Awareness Campaign on Inclusive Environmental Governance

Request for Concept Note 

Public Awareness Campaign on Inclusive Environmental Governance

Issuance Date: October 30th, 2024

Closing Date and Time: 5 pm NPT on November 18th, 2024

Partnership Period: Eight months starting from Dec 15, 2024 (tentative)

SUMMARY:

The National Democratic Institute (NDI) invites organizations, media outlets, and environmental advocacy groups to submit concept notes for a public awareness campaign aimed at enhancing understanding of environmental governance related to settlement expansion in Nepal. The campaign will utilize diverse media platforms to ensure accessibility for rural and urban populations, promoting environmental consciousness with a focus on marginalized and Indigenous communities.

I. About NDI

The National Democratic Institute (NDI) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, nongovernmental organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness, and accountability in government. Since its founding in 1983, NDI has worked with local partners in 156 countries and territories, bringing together individuals and groups to share ideas, knowledge, experiences, and expertise. Partners receive broad exposure to best practices in international democratic development that can be adapted to the needs of their own countries. NDI’s multinational approach reinforces the message that while there is no single democratic model, certain core principles are shared by all democracies. It also promotes the development of institutionalized channels of communication among citizens, political institutions, and elected officials, and strengthens their ability to improve the quality of life for all citizens.

II. BACKGROUND:

Internal migration from rural to urban areas in search of better opportunities has driven rapid settlement expansion in Nepal. This unplanned growth strains natural and cultural resources, intensifying environmental challenges and recurrent disasters that disproportionately impact vulnerable groups, especially marginalized and Indigenous communities, and threaten their environmental and socio-cultural heritage. These groups often lack representation in policy processes, limiting effective responses to settlement challenges.

Through its Promoting Inclusive and Participatory Environmental Governance in Nepal program, NDI is supporting the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) in drafting a Human Settlement Development Policy while fostering representative, responsive, and accountable environmental governance. The program aims to strengthen communication between organizations and government entities to address environmental issues. A recent study conducted by NDI’s research partner identified key sites across all seven provinces for two-day community forums on environmental governance, prioritizing emerging settlements. These forums will bring together vulnerable groups, local officials, and community-based organizations, building their capacity to participate in provincial policy dialogues and inter-governmental workshops. This initiative will also support the Ministry of Urban Development in drafting Nepal’s Human Settlement Development Policy.

Alongside the forums and multi-stakeholder dialogues, a Public Awareness Campaign, through traditional and digital media, will increase public understanding of environmental policies around rapid settlement expansion. The campaign will incorporate insights from both the research findings and recommendations from the community forums, amplifying the program's impact on Nepal’s environmental governance.

III. SCOPE OF WORK

Objective:

The objective of this assignment is to engage qualified organizations to design, develop, and implement a robust public awareness campaign on environmental policies and issues in the context of drafting the Human Settlement Development Policy. The campaign will aim to enhance public understanding of the relevant issues and encourage a more environmentally conscious population, emphasizing the development of planned and sustainable settlements adapted to environmental needs. Leveraging research findings, outputs from community forums, and recommendations from program dialogues, this campaign will build awareness of critical environmental issues.

Approach:

NDI expects the selected organization to implement a multichannel outreach strategy. By employing diverse media platforms and creative approaches, the campaign will engage various audiences and ensure accessibility, especially for marginalized communities. NDI has identified two primary themes for the campaign:

1. Community-Based Campaign

This theme focuses on engaging vulnerable communities through traditional media and creative strategies. The approach may include partnerships with newspapers, television, radio, and local media to inform vulnerable populations about environmental policies across selected locations in all seven provinces. NDI encourages innovative low-cost and high-impact strategies that resonate with marginalized groups, ensuring campaign messages are culturally relevant and accessible in rural areas.

2. Digital Media Campaign

This theme seeks to reach a broader audience via digital and social media, with the primary motive to raise awareness of the environmental impacts of rapid settlement expansion and also encourage discussions on settlement policy. NDI expects the institution to create and manage content on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, X, and blogs, using text, images, videos, and infographics.

Applicants are encouraged to propose additional creative approaches aligned with the campaign’s objectives.

Deliverables

These are the anticipated key deliverables:

1. Public Awareness Campaign design plan with defined targets
2. Community-Based Campaign implementation
3. Digital Media Campaign Execution

IV. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:

To ensure that applicants demonstrate sufficient capacity to execute envisioned activities, the following eligibility criteria must be met by the deadline for submitting the application package:

• Legal Registration: Valid organizational registration as a legal entity in Nepal.
• Campaign Experience: Demonstrated prior experience in organizing public awareness campaigns, using traditional and digital media, preferably focused on environmental issues.
• Community Engagement: Proven experience working with vulnerable communities, including traditionally marginalized groups and Indigenous people, with a desired track record in enhancing community capacity in environmental areas.
• Coordinating Skills: Experience in fostering coordination among community members, local partners, and stakeholders, including local civil society organizations, governmental bodies, and research partners, to effectively strategize and implement the public awareness campaign.

Upon completion of all deliverables, the organization is required to submit a tax invoice for payment.

Applicants may propose to partner with another organization for one or more elements of the public awareness campaign, if necessary.

V. EVALUATION CRITERIA

Applications will be evaluated based on the strength of the concept note, organization profile, and budgetary competitiveness. Upon reviewing and evaluating the application package, NDI will select up to three organizations to submit a full proposal, detailed budget, and other required organizational documents. It is anticipated that one fixed-price award will ultimately be granted, subject to the availability of funds.

For more documents, please click on the following link:

Link: Provided Documents

VI. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

The total funding allocation for this grant is up to $35,000, allocated for 8 months, with an anticipated commencement date of December 15th, 2024. The grant will be awarded to an organization to explore creative avenues to enhance public awareness of environmental policies and issues, contributing to Nepal’s environmental governance ecosystem.

Interested organizations are invited to submit a concept note and organization profile (both in MS Word format), using provided templates along with a high-level budget outline (in a spreadsheet), and any relevant supporting documents, via email to nepaljobs@ndi.org  by November 18, 2024. Please use ‘Application Package - Public Awareness Campaign’ as the subject line when emailing the application package.