Applications Invited for Pilot Cities for Urban Ecosystem Restoration

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About the Organization

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global authority on the environment.

UNEP’s mission is to inspire, inform, and enable nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.

For over 50 years, UNEP has worked with governments, civil society, the private sector and UN entities to address humanity’s most pressing environmental challenges - from restoring the ozone layer to protecting the world's seas and promoting a green, inclusive economy.

UNEP is driving transformational change by drilling down on the root causes of the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss and pollution.

UNEP’s work is focused on helping countries transition to low-carbon and resource-efficient economies, strengthening environmental governance and law, safeguarding ecosystems, and providing evidence-based data to inform policy decisions.

About the Event

The United Nations Environment Programme is issuing a call for proposals for cities interested in starting or scaling up ecosystem restoration efforts, closing on 30 June 2023 at 23:59 UTC+2 (European time). 

This call for proposals is part of a global project called Generation Restoration funded by the Federal German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), which seeks to engage with eight cities that will be selected for project funded catalytic grants (EURO 50.000-100.000) to make the case, develop innovative policy approaches, and initiate implementation of urban ecosystem restoration and nature-based solutions implementation.

The project duration is 21 months, starting in December 2023 and ending in September 2025.

Proposed projects must focus on supporting the implementation of nature-based solutions and ecosystem-based approaches aiming to help address the triple planetary crisis of nature loss, climate change and pollution. Successful proposals should align with global principles, including Target 12 of the Global Biodiversity Framework and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.

What we offer -

• Implementation grants in the range of USD 50,000 to 100,000.
• Technical assistance and expert advice from ecosystem restoration experts
• In-person and online capacity building workshops and peer-to-peer exchanges..
• Support in developing an investment pipeline for urban nature-based solution projects.
• Development of city-specific knowledge and guidelines to support ecosystem restoration.
• Matchmaking opportunities with donors, funders and a wide community of experts.
• Visibility as part of the communication campaigns of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.

What we ask -

• Political will and commitment to project objectives until September 2025.
• Participation of city officials to two in-person capacity building workshops (in December 2023 and Q1 2025), to online webinars and peer-to-peer exchanges with other cities.
• Contribution to the development of tools & products to help cities accelerate ecosystem restoration, including:
• Ecosystem baseline assessments
• Datasets on nature investments at urban level 
• Knowledge products
• City-specific guidance to catalyse urban ecosystem restoration
• Site visits

Eligibility

• The call is open to local governments, municipalities and their implementation partners for cities located in ODA eligible countries.
• Applicants need to demonstrate political will and commitment to the project’s objectives until its end, in September 2025.
• Activities delivered with Generation Restoration grants should:
• Be linked to existing priorities and commitments, efforts and strategies within the city
• Have the necessary planning and other permissions to avoid delays
• Have the necessary resources available/lined up to implement if and once the concept is approved
• Be backed by the city’s government and leadership, and
• Successful proposals must highlight the potential of implementation grants to help bring these existing efforts to scale and/or enhance ongoing initiatives.
• UNEP, FAO and ICLEI offices are not eligible. 

How to Apply

Submission deadline: 30 June, 2023

Proposals should be submitted to irene.fagotto@un.org and must include the filled Submission Template and Budget Template, which you can downloadhere: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1jE_ZcagWcoidKV-Vdu8zOx88wWbMc-US

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