Consultancy To Support The Coordination And Growth Of The WIO LMMA Alliance

TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR IUCN CONSULTANCY Title: Consultancy to support the coordination and growth of the WIO LMMA Alliance Coverage: Madagascar, Comoros, Tanzania, Mozambique and Kenya Objective of the Consultancy The main objective of this consultancy is to provide continued day-to-day coordination, implementation and strategic support to the WIO LMMA Alliance during its consolidation and growth phase. Building on work undertaken through previous Alliance processes and consultancies, the consultant will review progress to date, consolidate existing work and support the implementation of outstanding and emerging priorities, ensuring continuity as the Alliance moves from its establishment towards a functioning and active community-led regional platform. The consultant will work under the overall supervision of the IUCN Regional Coastal and Ocean Governance Manager and in close collaboration with the WIO LMMA Alliance Steering Committee. The consultant will provide practical support for the day-to-day functioning and implementation of the Alliance, including supporting the preparation and follow-up of Steering Committee meetings and decisions, coordinating activities across the five ReSea countries, engaging national networks and partners, and ensuring that agreed priorities are translated into concrete actions. The consultant will also facilitate communication and alignment between the Steering Committee, IUCN and the specialised consultancies supporting the Alliance's communications and visibility, and direct access to finance and organisational development workstreams, as needed. The consultant will help ensure that these processes benefit from the guidance and engagement of the Steering Committee and remain connected to the Alliance's priorities, while respecting the independent technical responsibilities of each consultancy. Ultimately, the consultancy will help establish the practical systems, relationships and momentum needed for the WIO LMMA Alliance to operate effectively as a community-led regional platform and prepare for its next phase of development, including a clear and practical workplan for 2027. Background Project Reference: P05126 Donor reference: DR04216.74 About IUCN IUCN is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together. Created in 1948, IUCN is now the world's largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of more than 1,400 Member organisations and around 15,000 experts. It is a leading provider of conservation data, assessments and analysis. Its broad membership enables IUCN to fill the role of incubator and trusted repository of best practices, tools and international standards. IUCN provides a neutral space in which diverse stakeholders including governments, NGOs, scientists, businesses, local communities, Indigenous Peoples organisations and others can work together to forge and implement solutions to environmental challenges and achieve sustainable development. Working with many partners and supporters, IUCN implements a large and diverse portfolio of conservation projects worldwide. Combining the latest science with the traditional knowledge of local communities, these projects work to reverse habitat loss, restore ecosystems and improve people's well-being. About the Project In September 2024, the first Western Indian Ocean (WIO) Locally Managed Marine Area (LMMA) Forum was held in Mahajanga, Madagascar, bringing together more than 200 participants from nine countries. The Forum resulted in the adoption of the WIO LMMA Declaration and a strong collective call to establish a regional LMMA Alliance. The WIO LMMA Alliance was subsequently officially launched at the Our Ocean Conference in June 2026, with a Steering Committee composed of community leaders from across Africa providing leadership and guidance to the Alliance. The Alliance is designed to ensure that coastal communities and LMMA practitioners have a stronger collective voice in national, regional and global processes and that community leadership remains at the centre of regional LMMA development. The WIO LMMA Alliance aims to address key regional challenges, including the absence of a shared understanding of LMMAs, uneven development across countries, and limited representation of LMMA communities in national, regional and global platforms. It also seeks to promote gender equity and inclusivity in LMMA management, strengthen local leadership and facilitate greater access to knowledge, technical support and financing for community-led marine conservation. The Alliance builds on existing networks and initiatives in the region, fostering collaboration, learning and collective action. It also draws on Madagascar's leadership and lessons learned from MIHARI to support the sharing and replication of successful community-led approaches across the region. The broader vision is to contribute to the establishment of a Pan-African LMMA Alliance, with the WIO serving as a starting point and regional learning space. In support of the establishment of the Alliance, Mission Inclusion (Mi) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) implement the Regenerative Seascapes for People, Climate and Nature (ReSea) project in partnership with local feminist organisations in Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Madagascar and Comoros. The project is funded by Global Affairs Canada as part of the Partnering for Climate initiative. Its broader goal is to enhance the physical and socioeconomic resilience of coastal communities in these five countries by accelerating the uptake of nature-based solutions and gender-responsive conservation practices to protect, restore and sustainably manage marine and coastal ecosystems and [...] Procurement details Reference: IUCN-26-09-Consultancy To Support The Coordination And Growth Of The WIO LMMA Alliance-642 Procedure: SOP1 - Open Procedure Procurement type: Consulting IUCN office (lead): ESARO Kenya Requisitioning unit: ESARO - Coastal and Ocean Programme (KE) Project: P04216 ReSea Expected contract duration: 2 months Estimated contract value: <25,000 CHF Currency of proposals: USD - United States dollar Language of documents: English Deadline for questions: 14 September 2026 20:59 UTC Deadline for technical and financial proposals: 25 September 2026 20:59 UTC Expected contract award date: 09 October 2026 20:59 UTC Documents - Terms of Reference: TOR WIO LMMA Coordination.pdf - Conditions for Participating: Conditions for Participating ENG-SPA-FRA.docx - Standard contract: Standard Agreement.docx The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is a membership union of government and civil society organisations working on nature conservation and sustainable development. IUCN procures consulting services, goods and works for its projects worldwide through the IUCN Procurement Portal. For all contracts above CHF 25,000 IUCN selects contractors through a formal competitive tendering process under its Standard Operating Procedure 1 (Open Procedure). Interested bidders must register on the portal, review the Terms of Reference, the Conditions for Participating and the standard contract, and submit their technical and financial proposals through the portal before the stated deadline. Questions must be raised through the portal's Q&A function before the deadline for questions.