On Tuesday 3 July, the Government announced that Zac Goldsmith MP will play a key role in the preparations for an international conference about the illegal wildlife trade.

As Champion for the Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference being hosted in London in October, Mr Goldsmith will help bring together global leaders, the private sector and wildlife experts in the fight against the illegal wildlife trade, building support and partnerships among external stakeholders before the conference.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said:

The London conference is a once in a generation opportunity to produce a seismic shift in global attitudes to better protect the world’s most iconic species from the threat of extinction.

Zac has the extensive knowledge of, and passion for, environmental issues to make the London Illegal Wildlife Conference 2018 in October as ambitious and successful as possible.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove said:

We are introducing one of the world’s toughest bans on ivory sales and showing global leadership through international funding for enforcement projects.

But wildlife crime does not respect borders. We must share skills and expertise worldwide. That’s why the London conference will be crucial in tackling international issues that allow the vile and illegal trade in wildlife to continue.

Zac will bring tremendous energy and drive to this new role. Through his extensive knowledge and experience of working with international environmental groups I am sure he will help to make the conference a huge success.

International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt said:

Protecting endangered species and tackling the criminal activity that threatens them also delivers opportunities for people to be lifted out of poverty.

The British public care deeply about this issue, and UK aid is working to eradicate the trade in illegal wildlife which fuels corruption and insecurity. This is a win for developing countries, a win for the UK and a win for our planet.

Zac Goldsmith MP said:

The illegal wildlife trade is not only taking countless species to the brink of extinction, it is a serious organised crime and fuels some of the world’s worst organisations. The UK has led global efforts to tackle it, but the problem continues to grow and now is the time for us to significantly step up our efforts. I am thrilled to have been asked to play a part in making that happen.

The Illegal Wildlife Trade is a serious criminal industry, estimated to be worth between £7bn and £17bn a year.

The UK government has committed £26 million to tackle the Illegal Wildlife Trade. This includes around £14 million through the joint DFID/Defra Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund. The fund has been allocated to 47 projects since 2015 and demonstrates the UK Government’s commitment to tackling the wider illegal trade in wildlife. Projects that have received support encourage the development of sustainable livelihoods, strengthening law enforcement, ensuring effective legal frameworks and reducing demand for products made from illegal flora and fauna.

Mr Goldsmith has campaigned for many years on issues related to animal welfare through the Ecologist Magazine, which he edited for a decade, and as an MP since 2010. He is a member of the Environment Audit Committee and during his political career animal welfare has been a strong focus for him.

The Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference will be co-hosted by the FCO, Defra and DFID between 11-12 October.

Further information

• Follow the Foreign Secretary on Twitter @BorisJohnson and Facebook

• Follow the Foreign Office on Twitter @foreignoffice and Facebook

• Follow the Foreign Office on Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn

Call for proposals in now CLOSED. All applicants have been notified on the decision, if you have not heard about your application by October 3rd, 2018 please write to let us now at: ICF.Mexico@fco.gov.uk

The International Climate Fund (ICF) in the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), has allocated up to £2 million for technical assistance activities in Mexico through an open and competitive call for proposals.

The BEIS ICF Technical Assistance Programme aims to:

1. Contribute to the reduction of the country’s emissions by improving the capacity and capability of key institutions (national, sub-national and non-state)
2. Support demand-led technical assistance that prioritises implementation and helps raise climate ambition, by addressing barriers, constraints and areas of opportunity at different levels of government based on the country’s political and economic context and sectorial priorities

The programme has five themes:

a) Local level implementation that translates Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets into actions at the state and municipal level

b) Coordination across different levels of government and non-state actors remains a challenge and needs to be strengthened

c) Increase transparency through development and implementation of functional MRV systems and standardisation of disclosure practices

d) Capacity building and developing technical capabilities for effective policy implementation and enforcement in key areas at different levels of government

e) Innovative approaches to overcome systemic barriers, constraints and develop markets that accelerate the mobilisation of private sector capital at scale

Call for proposals (C4P)

BEIS ICF has allocated up to £2 million for technical assistance activities in Mexico through an open, competitive call for proposals. Funds are available for projects of up to one year in length.

This C4P request implementation partners to submit concept bids for the following project types:

1. Year 1 projects. Year 1 projects should aim to deliver a series of activities between November 2018 and November 2019

2. Skill share projects. Skill share projects should aim to facilitate skill-sharing between Mexican, UK or international experts (public and private) to share technical knowledge and embed good practice in an identified policy area of specific need. Skill-sharing could range from short-term deployments, thematic conferences and long-term secondments depending on need

3. Early transition activity projects. Early transition activity projects will be delivered between October 2018 and March 2019 and shall aim to support the new administration’s transition period

Projects funded though this bidding round must:

• relate to one or more of the five themes of the call for proposals

• require funding of between £25,000 – £500,000 (indicative), for up to one year length of activity from the point of contracting, based on the project types described in the ICF Mexico Call for Proposals Strategy and Guidelines

• be compatible with Official Development Assistance (ODA) criteria

• facilitate the exchange of policy and commercial expertise. Good proposals will demonstrate substantial collaboration and involvement on implementation between Mexican and UK and/or international partners

• demonstrate that host relevant actors have been consulted and are supportive of the project

Further information on our programme work can be found in the attached publication (links below).

Bidding round stages

The ICF Technical Assistance Programme in Mexico is coordinated by the British Embassy in Mexico City. The bidding process is split between a concept stage and a full proposal stage.

• Stage 1: Concept bid development. Implementing organisations develop concept bids in consultation with the Embassy, and submit by the deadline (using the Project Concept Bid form provided)

• Stage 2: Approval of concept bids. Concept bids are assessed on five criteria: strategic fit, potential for transformational impact, value for money, additionality and deliverability. Implementers successful at this concept stage will be invited to develop full bids

• Stage 3: Development and approval of full bids. Successful implementing organisations are invited to submit full bids, which are assessed by a Programme Board. Successful projects will then begin from Autumn 2018

Applications for TAP are now closed.

Notification of results

• Feedback on Early Transition Activity proposals: Successful and unsuccessful candidates will be notified on 17 August 2018 via email.

Successful candidates will be invited to a 45 minute chat with the Mexico TAP team to address feedback prior to submission of a full proposal.

Unsuccessful candidates will be provided with feedback via email.

*Feedback on Skill Sharing and 1 Year Projects: Due to the large number of concept bids for Skill Sharing and 1 Year Projects received, notification of successful and unsuccessful proposals will be delayed.

Updated timelines for these projects will be updated on this website in due course.

The timetable is subject to change, at the discretion of the Mexico TAP Team

• 
  1 ICF Mexico Call for Proposals Strategy and Guidelines
  (PDF, 882KB, 12 pages)
  

• 
  2 Technical Assistance Project Concept Bid template
  (MS Word Document, 149KB)
  

• 
  3 Technical Assistance Project Concept Bid Guidance
  (PDF, 757KB, 4 pages)
  

• 
  4 Technical Assistance Project Concept Bid Checklist
  (MS Word Document, 110KB)
  

• 
  5 Frequently Asked Questions for ICF Mexico
  (PDF, 354KB, 3 pages)
  

If proposals are accepted at the concept stage, implementers will be required to submit a more detailed bid form and more detailed activity-based budget (ABB). The Mexico TAP Team will provide the template documents for full proposals to successful implementing organisations in due course.

Deadline for full proposals

Candidates who were successful in the concept bid stage will be invited to submit a full proposal according to the following timetable:

• Early Transition Activity: 23:59 (Mexico Time) on Sunday 2 September 2018
• Skill Sharing: to be announced
• 1 Year Projects: to be announced

Templates and guidance for full bid submission will be sent via email to successful candidates only.

Please be aware that our servers will block any emails with attachments exceeding 8MB without any warning. Where possible, please try not to attach any files larger than this size.

The timetable is subject to change, at the discretion of the Mexico TAP Team.

Mexico TAP Team contact details

For further details on the call for proposals, please contact the Mexico TAP Team by email at icf.mexico@fco.gov.uk and ICF.Mexico@beis.gov.uk

TAP Programme Questions & Answers

Does the scope of the project cover geothermal energy, training and capability training of Mexican scientists, CCUS?

The Technical Assistance Programme Call for Proposals (C4P) has identified the following as indicative priority sectors for 2018/2019:

• Mobility

• Waste

• Green Finance

• Diffusion of renewable energy

However, it is important to note that this C4P is not limited to activities that fall under this initial prioritisation of sectors. However, implementers must provide strong evidence to justify the consideration of other sectors. In this sense, geothermal energy and CCUS may be considered as potential themes for TAP proposal, but must comply with eligibility and selection criteria, as well as with rest of the requirements included in the Call for Proposals – Strategy and Guidelines document. It is advised to consult the full Strategy and Guidelines document and the rest of attachments contained in this website

Under the theme Priority Sector: Green Finance: Is it possible that the key beneficiary is a private bank?

No, private and/or commercial banks cannot be implementers nor beneficiaries. NGO’s, think tanks and consultancy firms related with the financial sector can be potential implementers, but not beneficiaries. Only governmental sector is eligible to be beneficiary.

If we cannot attend the workshop, will there be a website (live streaming)

Unfortunately, we will not be live streaming the workshop.

What must be delivered or what must be the output of the project?

The Technical Assistance Programme, funded by the International Climate Fund (ICF) will support technical assistance activities that contribute to at least one of the following objectives:

*The reduction of the country’s emissions by improving the capacity and capability of key institutions (national, sub-national and non-state).
*Support demand-led technical assistance that prioritises implementation and helps raise climate ambition, by addressing barriers, constraints and areas of opportunity at different levels of government based on the country’s political and economic context and sectorial priorities.
Please visit our website for further details about eligibility and selection criteria, other requirements and indicative priority sectors.

Can an organisation submit more than one concept bid? E.g. different bids against different project types?

Yes, you can. Each organisation can be the lead implementer in more than one application. However, the organisation must guarantee team capacity delivery for each proposal. For any further question, please consult the Call for proposal website Frequently Asked Questions Document.

Can you tell me if “Administration costs” refers to staff time or if it refers to another category instead?

No, administrative costs are mainly operational costs.

If it does refer to another category, is there a limit (%) on staff time that can be included in the budget?

Yes, staff will be considered as another category. There is no limit on staff time that can be included in the budget. That responds to an internal decision from implementer.

May the staff team of our main Mexican project partner would be eligible?

Yes, if they form part of the project during the implementation phase.

Given that this is the concept stage and not the full bid stage, please can you tell me what the accepted parameters for changes in budget will be between concept stage and full bid stage?

Budget in concept stage is indicative and further information can be provided in more detail at the full bid.

I was wondering if I could apply for funding despite being a former Chevening Scholar

You are eligible to apply for funding despite being a former Chevening Scholar.

Are you able to give suggestions regarding best deliver mechanisms in order to give technical advice? e.g. workshops, round tables, discussion panels, conferences, group and personal mentoring are there other suggestions?

This will depend on each project

Through one organisation is possible to address 2 sectors within one project? E.g. Waste and Mobility.

It can address more than two sectors within one project, the four sectors are indicative.

Within skills share projects; by short-term deployments and long-term secondments, do you mean personalised advice from the firm experts to beneficiaries (government, private sector) on-site, remote, etc.?

Yes, that is correct.

Regarding and calculation for key implementer’s payment; I assume is correct to do it as a full-time job taking into account the timescale of the project proposal?

It can be full-time however; it can be less depending on the activities that might need to be implemented.

Does the budget includes taxes or is this type of funding-activity exempt from Mexican taxes?

This is not under our jurisdiction; therefore, it is up to implementers to declare income and that income to be subject to national tax laws.

I assume that fiscal invoices (facturas) despite they could be taxed cero, will be issued by the lead implementer in order to demonstrate expenditure on detail e.g. (administration costs). Does this include cost of each individual working in the organisation? e.g. professional services cost of 2 key implementers are declared on 1 invoice or each needs a separate invoice, that is, 2 separate invoices?

The payment schedule will be determined in the proposal. Payments will be paid to the lead organisation and should be distributed accordingly between partner organisations.

I read in the “Mexico Call for Proposals Strategy and Guidelines” that implementing organisations should develop bids in consultation with the British Embassy. Could you please let us know how we can fulfil this requirement? What information we need to send you to check the eligibility? Do we need to wait until British Embassy’s approval of eligibility to submit the Concept bid?

You can find these on our website Strategy and Guidance and must be compatible with ODA. You do not need our approval for you to submit your concept bid; however, you must fulfil the eligibility requirements. If something is not clear with some of the criteria then you should contact us.