Please see below for the terms and responsibilities, eligibility requirements, and selection criteria for observer organizations and individuals used in the 2021 CSO Observer selection process. Vea la versión en español aquí . Consultez la version française ici .

 

Background

The Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) is a global partnership of governments, businesses, civil society, and Indigenous Peoples and other forest dependent communities focused on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, forest carbon stock conservation, the sustainable management of forests, and the enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries (activities commonly referred to as REDD+).

The FCPF is made up of two funds, the Readiness Fund and the Carbon Fund, and their governance bodies. The former supports national REDD+ readiness activities while the latter advances programming and payments for measured and verified emissions reductions from REDD+ countries.

The FCPF Charter establishes Observer roles for both the Participants Committee for the Readiness and the Carbon Funds. In addition to Civil Society Organization (CSO) Observers, the Charter also designates Observer roles for representatives from relevant international organizations, forest-dependent indigenous peoples and forest dwellers, relevant private sector entities, the UN-REDD Programme and the UNFCCC Secretariat. These representatives may have a seat at meetings as Observers and speak to the issues being discussed without voting rights on any motion or resolution.

In accordance with the Charter, each sector developed their own process to officially "self-select" observers. These terms of references are for observers representing Global Northern and Southern CSOs, as well as those which are focused on Gender equality in REDD+, climate change, and forestry. The sections below outline the terms and responsibilities, eligibility requirements, and selection criteria for CSO and Gender Observer organizations and individuals.

 

Terms, Responsibilities, and Meetings

• Observer organizations will serve until the end of the Readiness Fund on 31 December 2022, unless decided otherwise by the FCPF Facility Management Team (FMT).
• Participants Committee Readiness Fund:
  • Individuals representing Observer organizations will be expected to attend approximately one FPCF Participants Committee meeting per year.
  • The official Observer seat during FCPF Participants Committee meetings shall rotate for the Southern CSOs observers from the three regions; however, all Observers are expected to attend. CSO representatives shall self-select the periodicity and order of this rotation, based on relevance of topic of discussion.
• Carbon Fund: One Southern regional Observer, the Northern regional Observer, and the Gender Observer will also be responsible for attending Carbon Fund meetings, which occur approximately two times per year. The Southern regional CSO Observer seat rotates between the three Southern Observers. CSO Observers shall self-select the periodicity and order of this rotation, based on relevance of topic, and upon invitation by the FMT.
• All Observers will be expected to participate in occasional teleconferences, working groups, and other “virtual” meetings when invited by the FMT.
• Observers play an important liaison role between their constituents and the FCPF. All Observers are expected to actively communicate with, engage, and gather input from their constituents (via listservs, conference calls, meetings, or other appropriate avenues). This includes disseminating FCPF and REDD+-related documents of interest; gathering constituent perspectives on issues of potential interest at upcoming FCPF meetings (especially views from civil society in countries with agenda items in the FCPF meetings); and provide reports back to their constituents on meeting proceedings, outcomes, and their activities. Observers also provide important linkages between their constituents and the FMT, which may include communicating constituent feedback to members of the FMT and FCPF and organizing consultations and discussions with constituents. This liaison role is important leading up to, during, and after meetings, as well as in the interim period between meetings.
• Northern CSO observer organizations must be able to cover the travel costs associated with FCPF meetings. Upon request, FCPF will sponsor travel costs for the Southern and Gender Observers (including roundtrip airfare, visa fees, airport transfer, accommodation and meals) to the meetings when invited by the FMT. The FCPF follows World Bank rules when covering expenses related to Observers’ travel. This means, among other things, that it pays on an “actuals” basis: reimbursement is provided after the event or meeting, based on receipts submitted.
• Retiring or term-limited observers are expected to support the subsequent self-selection process and the onboarding of new observers.

 

Eligibility Requirements

 

1. Country Eligibility:
   1. The three Southern regional CSO representatives and the Gender CSO representative shall be chosen from REDD+ countries participating in the FCPF[1] (preferably located in a Carbon Fund country[2]). Organizations based in REDD+ countries in each of the three regions are eligible to stand for self-selection as the regional representatives.
   2. One CSO representative shall be from an organization based in a Northern country (Note: In this process, Northern countries are defined as those not eligible to financing from the International Development Association (IDA) or International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD). Please visit this website to learn more).
2. Organization Type: Observers must be not-for-profit, non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Eligible NGOs include, but are not limited to, think tanks, advocacy groups, community-based organizations, regional networks, and aid organizations. Academic institutions, private foundations, government affiliated institutions, and discrete projects, activities, programs, or initiatives managed by CSOs are not eligible.
3. Applicants – Organizations and Individuals:
   1. Only one application may be submitted per organization per region.
   2. CSOs that are part of regional and national networks or coalitions have independent nomination and voting privileges.
4. Each organization should identify one primary representative who will attend FCPF meetings, and one alternate who can prepare for, travel to, and actively participate in FCPF meetings in the event the primary representative is unable to attend. Individual applicants not affiliated with an organization will not be considered eligible for the purposes of this selection process.
5. Term Limits: Observers (organizations and individual representatives) are eligible to serve up to two (2) consecutive terms of two (2) years each. Observers wishing to serve a second consecutive term must participate in the selection process. Applicants must declare in their application if and when they or their organization have previously served Observer terms for the FCPF or other climate funds (or if they are currently serving in that role).
6. Conflict of Interest Disclosure: In order to avoid conflicts of interest, Observer applicants must disclose the scope of their organizations’ funding with multilateral development banks, export credit agencies, and governments in areas relevant to FCPF activities and programming, along with any other potential conflicts of interest. Observer applicants must agree to declare any potential conflict of interest that may arise during its tenure as Observer. Please see the separate section on Conflict of Interest related rules and requirements below.
7. Advisory Committee Members: Members of the Advisory Committee that support the self-selection process are ineligible for selection.

 

General CSO Observer Selection Criteria

The following CSO and individual selection criteria represent important qualities for CSOs and individuals serving as Observers; CSOs will be asked to demonstrate how they meet the criteria in the application materials.  

1. Technical Expertise: CSO Observers to the FCPF will have verifiable knowledge and understanding of the purpose, functions, and operations of the FCPF and demonstrate an understanding of REDD+ policy and issues. In addition:
   1. Southern CSO Regional Observers must be able to demonstrate past and current experience working with communities and community-based organizations.
   2. The Northern CSO Observer must have a proven record of collaborative work on REDD+-related, results-based climate finance, for instance through analytical work, advisory work, or support in advancing REDD+ globally.
   3. The Gender CSO Observer must have a proven record of actively working on issues of gender in REDD+, in climate change, or in land and/or forest management. The organization must demonstrate that its primary focus is on gender empowerment, gender inclusion, gender mainstreaming, gender equality or a similar focus, with the majority of its portfolio (not less than 70% of funding) dedicated to this work. Organizations with female leadership are particularly encouraged to apply.
2. Connectivity: Observer organizations must demonstrate membership in, or subscribe to information from, at least one networking organization (i.e., an alliance organization that provides services to similarly focused NGOs) engaged on REDD+ and FCPF at the local, national, and/or international level to illustrate connectivity to other organizations in the region.
3. Regional Liaison: Candidate organizations will demonstrate their capacity to establish links with groups and networks within and outside of their home country, including grassroots-level and community-based organizations.
4. Commitment to Gender Equity: Observer organizations with a demonstrated commitment to gender equity in their work are strongly encouraged to apply.

 

Selection Criteria for Individuals Representing Observer Organizations 

1. Communications Capacity: Individuals representing observer organizations must demonstrate the capacity to communicate and negotiate effectively, and the willingness and ability to interact actively via the internet and telephone with FCPF participants and their constituencies. 
2. Leadership: Individuals nominated to be the primary and alternate representatives for an organization should be in a leadership or managerial position within their organization (e.g., Executive Director, Program Director, etc.).
3. Commitment to Transparency: Individuals representing observer organizations must demonstrate their commitment to open and transparent communication with any interested stakeholders in the FCPF process.
4. Represent Constituents: Individuals representing observer organizations must be committed to representing the diverse concerns and interests of their constituents – not only members of their own organizations or regions, but also the larger community to whom they are accountable. They also must report back to those constituents on FCPF activities and programming. Individuals are also expected to communicate regularly and effectively with representatives of the FMT and FCPF.
5. Language Preference: Individuals representing observer organizations should be able to demonstrate the ability to actively participate in FCPF meetings. Individuals representing regions should be able to demonstrate the ability to communicate in one or more of the main regional languages of the constituency being represented (e.g., English, French, Spanish, etc.).

 

Balance Considerations

The following criteria will be applied to the Observer organizations to ensure greater balance and equanimity among the observers in terms of regional support, gender balance, and youth representation. The process leads and Advisory Committee members will conduct targeted outreach to encourage applications from organizations meeting these criteria. The Advisory Committee will apply these criteria when making final selection recommendations to ensure greater balance across the cohort of observers.

1. Gender Balance: The goal is to have an equal number of men and women among the primary representatives for CSO regional Observers. For this reason, special effort will be made to recruit and select observer organizations that are represented by women.
2. Youth Representation: The goal is to ensure that youth led organizations or organizations focused on issues affecting youth are represented among Observers. For this reason, special effort will be made to recruit and select observer organizations that are led by youth or focused on youth-specific issues.
3. Regional Representation: Observers are responsible for serving as a liaison for constituents across their region and representing input from constituents across their region at meetings. Therefore, it is important for selected candidates to demonstrate regional diversity in the votes they receive. Candidate organizations for the Southern CSO Observer regional seats and the Gender Observer seat will receive one bonus point for each vote received from a different country (including their own), added to the total number of votes received. In the case of a tie, the organization with the highest number of total votes received will be considered the leader. Regional balance will be considered alongside the other balance criteria and the Advisory Committee will be consulted on the outcome of the process. (NOTE: Following the decision of the Advisory Committee in the 2018 self-selection process, the position of Northern CSO Observer is exempt from the regional support stipulation.)

 

Conflict of Interest

As noted above, applicants must disclose any potential conflict of interest, including the scope of their organizations’ funding with multilateral development banks, export credit agencies, and governments in areas relevant to FCPF activities and programming, and agree to declare any potential conflict of interest that may arise during its tenure as Observer. The FCPF Secretariat will review disclosures and determine whether the conflict of interest precludes the organization or individual from serving as an Observer.

Organizations or individuals with actual or potential conflicts of interest cannot serve as Observers to the FCPF Participants Committee. An actual or potential conflict of interest occurs when an Observer or a candidate to become Observer is in a position to influence a decision that may result in personal gain, gain for their organization, or gain for a relative. In connection with any actual or possible conflict of interest, an individual interested in becoming or continuing to serve as an Observer must disclose the existence of the (potential) conflict of interest and be given the opportunity to disclose all material facts to the FCPF Secretariat considering the proposed / existing transaction or arrangement. FCPF Secretariat shall decide if an actual or perceived conflict of interest exists and warrants exclusion from the selection process.

If the FCPF Secretariat has reasonable cause to believe that an Observer or candidate to become an Observer has failed to disclose actual or possible conflicts of interest, it shall inform the Observer of the basis for such belief and afford him/ her an opportunity to explain the alleged failure to disclose. If, after hearing the Observer’s response and after making further investigation as warranted by the circumstances, the FCPF Secretariat determines the Observer has failed to disclose an actual or possible conflict of interest, it shall take corrective action.

 

Additional Information

It is recommended that organizations interested in applying for CSO observer seats review the FCPF Charter establishing the roles and functions of the CSO Observers, the Rules of Procedure.

 

Interested organizations should also review the FCPF website, which contains background exand up-to-date information concerning FCPF activities, including the official Observers page of the website.