Development of Social and Environmental Safeguards Instruments for the CI IUCN GEF-7 “Inclusive Conservation Initiative”

Conservation International (CI) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) requested safeguards support in the development of the full-size GEF-7 project entitled “Inclusive Conservation Initiative”. The project aims to support indigenous peoples and local communities in their continuing efforts to safeguard Earth’s natural ecosystems, recognizing the historical roles they have played in nature conservation. The project consists of a local component (Local Action to deliver Global Environmental Benefits) and three global components (Capacity Building, Leadership and Knowledge to Action), requiring separate ESMFs and GMFs for the local and global level, in line with the Environmental and Social Management Framework of the CI-GEF/GCF Project Agency.

Main tasks

• Conduct a high level scan on environmental and social risks of the local component, utilizing literature, expressions of interest and geographic analysis produced by ICI consultants and information provided by Executing Agencies;
• Develop a tool to assess safeguards capacity of IPLC-led organizations implementing activities under the local component;
• Conduct safeguards screening for the global components;
• Carry out required assessments and develop specified safeguard instruments for both components;

Main outputs

• Report of the contextual risks of the local component;
• Safeguard capacity assessment tool;
• Screening and risk categorization summary report for the global components;
• High-level Environmental and Social Management Frameworks (ESMF) for both components;
• High-level Gender Mainstreaming Frameworks (GMFs) for both components.