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.

GENERAL INFORMATION

1) GGGI’s Mission and Approach

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) is an intergovernmental organization established with the objective of promoting sustainable development in developing and emerging countries, including the least developed countries. GGGI is focused on supporting the creation and promotion of the “green growth” model, which is a model that integrates economic growth, environmental sustainability, poverty reduction, and social inclusion.

GGGI works with countries around the world, building their capacities and collaborating on green growth policies that positively impact the lives of millions of people. The Institute partners with countries, multilateral institutions, government agencies, and the private sector to help build economies that grow strongly, are more efficient and sustainable in the use of natural resources, less carbon-intensive, and more resilient to climate change.

2) Background and objectives of the project

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is a financial mechanism of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) established to provide financial support for countries like the Dominican Republic to achieve their climate goals. In 2017, GGGI and GCF signed a strategic agreement to leverage GGGI’s presence in partner governments to support countries’ access to non-reimbursable financing for GCF Readiness and Preparatory programs. As an implementing partner of the GCF Readiness and Preparatory Programs in the Dominican Republic, GGGI is committed to strengthening local capacities in green and inclusive growth.

Within this program signed with the Dominican Republic, there is a line of action aimed at supporting the development of a National Ecotourism Strategy in collaboration with the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Tourism, which defines the investment needs of the sector, the analysis of the value chain, ecotourism providers, environmental and social potential, capacity, and regulatory gaps, and recommended priority actions. The development of the strategy will take as input the results of nature questionnaires and audits to better understand the needs, preferences and dislikes of national and international tourists and a strategic environmental and social assessment to ensure the integration of environmental and social factors, as well as considerations in the preparation and adoption of the strategy.

3) Objectives and Purpose of the Assignment

1. Diagnose the current situation of nature-based tourism in the Dominican Republic, from a legal/juridical and market perspective, based on the detailed analysis of current programs and projects, laws and regulations, competitive advantages, market niches, trends, experiences, current flow of national and foreign tourists, both from the Dominican Republic and from countries with similar offerings.
2. Lead the selection of tourism products with the greatest potential and that drive the growth of the tourism sector in the medium term, as well as carry out on-site audits to identify gaps and strategic barriers.
3. Develop the National Ecotourism Strategy, from the shared vision of the actors involved and strategic objectives to the construction of action plans, budget and performance indicators, identifying potential sources of financing.
4. Design and launch a proposal for a National Ecotourism Certification for tourism providers to increase their capacity to transform to an environmental and social tourism model.

4) Scope of Consulting

The Ecotourism Consultant will report to the Senior Sustainable Finance Officer in coordination with the focal point designated by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism.

Based on the above, the scope of the work of this consultancy covers the following aspects:

DELIVERABLES

Deliverable 1: Detailed work plan and methodological structure for addressing the national ecotourism strategy

Upon assuming this assignment, the consultant is expected to review the materials and consult with relevant project stakeholders (GGGI, MMARN, and Ministry of Tourism), as needed, to develop a detailed work plan outlining the schedule with major activities, methodology, milestones, validation meetings, drafts, and final deliverables. The consultant shall communicate any deviations from the work plan to the focal point of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and/or the GGGI Project Manager. The deliverable must be approved by the GGGI Project Manager and the focal point of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources.

The consultant must develop a methodology with a quantitative and qualitative approach to the approach of the national ecotourism strategy, in which different instruments of collection and analysis of information, problems and potentialities identified by destination and nature tourist attractions are used. It will also detail the methodology for prioritizing products with greater potential and that promote the growth of the tourism sector in the medium term.

It should also identify the relevant actors for the national ecotourism strategy under a broad perspective, including communities, guilds, associations, local and regional government institutions, central government, tour operators, tourism service providers, among others. It should also clarify the role of nature tourism in relation to the different sectoral actors, such as the environment, science, innovation and trade. It is expected that I will map these relevant actors for each of the phases and activities within the work plan where these actors will need to be involved, consulted and/or informed and the mechanisms to be used (meetings, workshops, focus groups, among others).

It should consider the execution of collective and participatory construction workshops with the key actors of each of the attractions, as well as with national, regional and local institutions, in the environment and tourism sector, virtually and in person, to determine the action plan. Likewise, it must include meetings to socialize the business plans structured with each of the attractions prioritized in the project, including meetings and consultations with all public, private and community actors, as well as with support and financing entities.

The deliverable must be approved by the focal point of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Tourism and the GGGI Project Manager.

Deliverable 2: Desk Review – Report with the analysis of the legal and juridical ecosystem of nature tourism at local and regional level

The consultant should carry out a comparative analysis of the means of implementation contained in the relevant nature-based tourism policies and laws in the Latin American region and addressing criteria such as governance, financing and investment mechanisms, environmental education, capacity building, among others.

Likewise, the consultant is expected to analyze the legal and juridical ecosystem of the Dominican Republic in environmental matters, tourism, trade, business development, regulation of protected areas, land use and territorial planning, including a list of findings and recommendations to strengthen the legal framework for the implementation of the National Ecotourism Strategy. It must analyze the incidences and convergences of the environmental and territorial planning regulatory system with the framework of current tourism development.

It should also review the current and relevant sectoral plans, development plans, programs, projects, and studies of sustainable tourism in the Dominican Republic, generating key findings and recommendations for the National Ecotourism Strategy. A special focus is required on success stories of co-management in the Dominican Republic (e.g., Damajagua Falls), compiling the critical success factors, governance schemes and management of the area’s carrying capacity, advantages and disadvantages, which could be replicated in other sites of nature tourism offer.

Based on the above, the consultant will make a recommendation of criteria and definition of nature-based tourism for the Dominican Republic, in consultation with the relevant actors previously identified.

The deliverable shall contain, at a minimum, the following sections:

• Comparative analysis of regional policies and laws relevant to the ecotourism strategy, including the scope and status of compliance with these instruments
• Analysis of the legal and juridical ecosystem and list of recommendations (environmental, tourism, commercial laws, business development, regulation of protected areas, land use and land use planning).
• Relationship with other sectoral benchmarks and key findings of the relevant plans.
• Relationship with sustainable tourism programs and key findings from relevant programs.
• Proposal of criteria and conceptual definitions of ecotourism or nature-based tourism, including scientific, community, adventure, agrotourism, among others that could be applied.

The deliverable must be approved by the focal point of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Tourism and the GGGI Project Manager.

Deliverable 3: Critical Situational Diagnosis of the Nature Tourism Offer

The consultant is expected to analyze the competitive advantages and opportunities of the ecotourism offer of each region or tourist attraction of the country, based on the richness of natural and cultural attractions, level of competition, market prices, tour operators, attractions and activities, among others. Likewise, it must identify product gaps to incorporate WOW factors, natural tourism experiences, accommodation offer, among others.

Based on this diagnosis and based on the methodology approved in deliverable 1, the consultant will make a representative sample of the nature products with the greatest potential and develop on-site audits, generating a list of key findings and mapping sites with high potential, evaluating elements such as development status and infrastructure needs, facilities for visitors, constructions, training of guides, kitchen staff, management staff among other relevant criteria. The representative sample should be input, where available, from statistics, quantitative studies and official databases from the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (e. g. database of visits to protected natural areas) and the Ministry of Tourism.

Likewise, the consultant is expected to analyze the problems or strategic issues that limit the growth of sustainable tourism, in the dimensions of governance, legal/regulatory, economic, social, environment and territorial planning[1]. This should incorporate, but not be limited to, environmentally friendly tourism schemes, income control, profitability, land use, carrying capacity, among others. The consultant is expected to address the factors of gender equality and social inclusion from a special approach.

The deliverable will be considered successfully completed once a preliminary report and a final report are submitted with at least the following sections:

• Competitive advantages and strengths of the Dominican Republic in sustainable tourism.
• Nature-based tourism product gaps.
• Analysis and recommendations of nature attractions with potential for further development.
• Summary of nature tourism product audits, with total and/or potential score, and key findings for the national ecotourism strategy.
• Strategic gaps and barriers identified for the development of a national nature tourism strategy.

The deliverable must be approved by the focal point of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Tourism and the GGGI Project Manager.

Deliverable 4: National Ecotourism Strategy of the Dominican Republic developed and validated

Based on the methodology defined in deliverable 1 and a participatory approach, the consultant is expected to develop the National Ecotourism Strategy of the Dominican Republic (ENE-RD), integrating opportunities for mobilization of private, public-private and public investments. It must define a long-term vision proposal for the strategy and market niches to which the ENE-RD will focus. Likewise, the consultant must define the guidelines and strategic objectives, as well as action plans in the short, medium and long term of the ENE-RD. Such action plans should contain high-level estimated budgets. The consultant should analyze the impact of the legal and regulatory analysis of Deliverable 2 with the implementation of the ENE-RD, as well as a mapping of the ENE-RD with the legal and regulatory recommendations of Deliverable 2.

The ENE-RD must be aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Law 1-12 of the 2030 National Development Strategy and the Dominican Republic’s 2020 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC-RD). A focus on gender equality and social inclusion should be included in action plans and programmes, as well as training and capacity-building lines of action.

The consultant is expected to organize at least one event to launch the development of the ENE-RD, convening the main actors involved in the formulation of the strategy, as well as generate a virtual seminar for the exchange of experience with other countries (e.g., Colombia and Mexico). In the case of face-to-face events and meetings, these will take place at the facilities of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, at no additional cost to GGGI.

Likewise, the consultant is expected to develop the monitoring and evaluation scheme in order to follow up on the implementation of the ENE-RD, as well as recommendations for reporting, responsible parties and accountability schemes. You will also need to develop the list of performance indicators with their definition, responsible, baseline, and monitoring method.

The deliverable will be considered successfully completed once a preliminary report and a final report are submitted with at least the following sections:

• Vision and segmentation of target markets
• Strategic Guidelines and Objectives
• Action Plans and Estimated Budget
• Monitoring and evaluation scheme
• List of Performance Indicators

The deliverable must be approved by the focal point of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Tourism and the GGGI Project Manager.

Deliverable 5: Report of recommendations for the establishment and operationalization of the National Ecotourism Certification

The consultant is expected to conduct a comparative analysis on international best practices on Ecotourism certifications. Based on the above, it will develop a proposal for a National Ecotourism Certification, including: (i) principles, (ii) requirements, (iii) governance, (iv) follow-up and monitoring principles, (v) expected impact, and (vi) marketing and communication channels. It will also need to develop technical guidelines for tourism providers to increase their capacity to shift to an environmental and social tourism model.

You will need to conduct a series of participatory and collaborative consultations with government entities, tourism associations, and ecotourism providers to define the proposed scope of the National Ecotourism Certification, as well as validation sessions with key stakeholders. It is also expected to develop a list of recommendations to integrate the National Ecotourism Certification into national policies and regulations.

The deliverable will be considered successfully completed once a preliminary report and final report are submitted with at least the following sections:

• International comparative analysis with the best practices of ecotourism certification.
• Scope of the National Ecotourism Certification, including the definition, objective, target users, indicators, eligibility criteria, and certification process.
• List of recommendations on the implementation of the National Ecotourism Certification in national policies and regulations.
• Ecotourism Technical Guidelines

The deliverable must be approved by the focal point of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Tourism and the GGGI Project Manager.

Deliverable 6: National Ecotourism Certification Trainings

The consultant will provide support to tourism providers interested in a green transition by conducting at least 4 training and awareness sessions, where the necessary technical capacities are developed to implement the National Ecotourism Certification. The material should guide and describe short- and medium-term actions that ecotourism providers can implement to shift to a sustainable tourism model and obtain a National Ecotourism Certification.

The deliverable will be considered successfully completed once a preliminary report and a final report are submitted with at least the following sections:

• Report of the trainings: agenda, participants disaggregated by gender, presentation.
• Pre- and post-training assessment reports.

The deliverable must be approved by the focal point of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Tourism and the GGGI Project Manager.

Deliverable 7: Dissemination and communication of the National Ecotourism Certification

To promote tangible benefits, the consultant will develop and implement a communication and marketing campaign of the National Ecotourism Certification and will generate the technical content and support the dissemination of communication material aimed at national and international tourists through the social networks of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Ministry of Tourism, industry associations and influencers.

The deliverable will be considered successfully completed once a preliminary report and a final report are submitted with at least the following sections:

• Campaign and marketing and communication material of the National Ecotourism Certification.
• Communication and marketing material of the National Ecotourism Certification, disseminated by the Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of the Environment and sectoral associations through social networks.
• A report on the delivery and breakdown of the audience reached, including the audience reached (who, how many, and gender, channel) and impact.

The deliverable must be approved by the focal point of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Tourism and the GGGI Project Manager.

Reporting Information

The consultant will be located in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The consultant will be provided with a workspace whenever he/she deems it necessary to carry out his/her activities in the office of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources. The consultant is expected to have daily interactions with the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and weekly meetings with the GGGI Project Manager and the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources. During the meetings, the consultant will be asked to report on progress against the objectives, activities and milestones of the contract. The consultant will participate in weekly meetings of the project team.

Suggested Methodology and Competency Requirements

The consultant shall follow the specific methods detailed in the work plan and follow the instructions of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and GGGI. The consultant shall make the best possible use of primary and secondary sources of information to carry out the activities defined in the objective of the contract. For each deliverable, the consultant is required to submit a preview by a date agreed with GGGI, solicit and respond to comments, and deliver a final version (tracked versions and clean version for deliverables in MS Word) within the set deadline.

PAYMENT SCHEDULE

Deliverable	Estimated Date	Value (% of total)	Amount (USD)
Deliverable 1	3 weeks after signing	5%	$3,750
Deliverable 2 – Draft	7 weeks after signing	7%	$5,000
Deliverable 2 – Final	8 weeks after signing
Deliverable 3 – Draft	16 weeks after signing	12%	$8,125
Deliverable 3 – Final	17 weeks after signing
Deliverable 4 – Draft	27 weeks after signing	12%	$8,125
Deliverable 4 – Final	28 weeks after signing
Deliverable 5 – Draft	35 weeks after signing	26%	$18,200
Deliverable 5 – Final	36 weeks after signing
Deliverable 6 – Draft	39 weeks after signing	19%	$13,650
Deliverable 6 – Final	40 weeks after signing
Deliverable 7 – Draft	47 weeks after signing	19%	$13,650
Deliverable 7 – Final	48 weeks after signing

The exact dates and specific percentages of each payment will be agreed as set out in the contract with GGGI.

QUALIFICATIONS / EXPRIENCE

• Graduate degree (doctorate and/or master’s) in management, tourism, environmental sciences, economics, law, or other related disciplines.
• Bachelor’s degree in business, economics, finance, tourism management or related areas.
• Specific professional experience: familiar with and directly involved in the development of strategic plans, investment plans, tourism products and projects in the tourism sector.
• At least 7 years of relevant professional experience with an emphasis on project management and business strategy development.
• At least 4 years of experience in climate change, sustainability and nature-based solutions related to sustainable tourism management.
• Excellent writing, analytical, organizational, and communication skills.
• Experience with community work and participatory processes is desirable.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Exceptional analytical and quantitative skills, including synthesis, presentation, communication, and strategic thinking skills.
• Proven time management skills.
• Proven teamwork and collaboration skills.
• Ability to work under pressure and have a flexible approach to activities.
• Proficiency in Spanish and English is required.

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

The Consultant will report to GGGI’s Senior Sustainable Finance Officer. The consultant will be located in Santo Domingo and stationed at the office of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources.

Social and sustainability safeguards

GGGI as an institution complies with project-level social and sustainability (SRH) safeguards for all projects aligned with international environmental and social standards. SRH aligns with recognized international standards such as the World Bank Performance Standard, which ensure project-level protection of communities and individuals impacted by GGGI’s activities. GGGI has integrated project-level Environmental and Social Safeguards into its Project Management Cycle (SCP) with Preliminary Gender and Social Assessments, as well as mandatory ESS assessments of all projects to identify and manage risks.

In addition, GGGI’s Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Strategy 2021-2025 provides a framework to achieve the principle of “Leaving No One Behind” in the transformation towards green growth, guiding GGGI’s approaches to integrating gender equality and poverty reduction into GGGI’s Colombia Program. This also includes the implementation of GGGI’s Gender Equality and Poverty Reduction Policy Markers in all projects. GGGI’s Corporate Results Framework requires gender-disaggregated indicators for participation in GGGI capacity building events. The Child Protection Rules and the GGGI Rules Against Sexual Exploitation ensure the protection of children impacted by GGGI’s activities or in contact with GGGI contracted staff, with a zero-tolerance approach to child exploitation. GGGI is committed to the protection of children, regardless of whether any specific area of work involves direct contact with children. GGGI’s Child Protection Policy is written in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child. All of the above-mentioned procedures are accompanied by guidelines and capacity-building efforts.

Fraud

GGGI is committed to applying transparency and accountability in its decisions and actions, and to practicing integrity in all aspects of its operations. GGGI’s anti-corruption policy establishes zero tolerance for corruption and fraudulent, coercive and collusive practices in GGGI’s operations. The whistleblowing policy is available at the following link: hhttps://gggi.org/site/assets/uploads/ 2017/11/Whistleblower-Policy_02072015.pdf

In addition, all GGGI policies are available for open consultation at the following link:

https://gggi.org/policy-documents

Child protection – GGGI is committed to child protection, irrespective of whether any specific area of work involves direct contact with children. GGGI’s Child Protection Policy is written in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child.