EXTENSION OF DEADLINE: The deadline for proposal submission has been extended from 5 January 2025 to 31 January 2025, with no changes to the scope. 

The Santiago network secretariat is pleased to announce the first call for proposals to catalyze technical assistance from organizations, bodies, networks and experts in response to a request from the government of Vanuatu, marking a significant step toward its full operationalization.

The Santiago network was established under the Warsaw International Mechanism for loss and damage (WIM) in 2019 as a mechanism to catalyze technical assistance by relevant organizations, bodies, networks, and experts (OBNEs) to avert, minimize and address loss and damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change at the local, national and regional level. The technical assistance is for developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. The Santiago network secretariat is co-hosted by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS).

This Santiago network call for proposals is managed by UNOPS as a co-host of the Santiago network secretariat. 

The main goal of this demand-driven technical assistance is to create and bolster the enabling conditions for the Republic of Vanuatu to effectively design and commence the operationalization of a long-term nationally determined programme to address loss and damage, including the required conceptual underpinnings, policy frameworks, institutional arrangements, decentralized governance systems and financial mechanisms. It contributes directly to building the capacity of Vanuatu to access relevant funding to address loss and damage, in particular with regards to accessing the Fund for responding to Loss and Damage.

Members of the Santiago network are eligible to respond to this call for proposals. Interested organizations, bodies, networks and experts (OBNEs) may respond to this call for proposals, provided they also submit their expression of interest for membership in line with the membership guidelines before the deadline of the call for proposals.* Any OBNE selected to respond to the call for proposals must have also been confirmed as a member of the Santiago network prior to their selection. More information can be found in Section 2.10 Applicant eligibility in this call for proposals.

Relevant expertise and experience in the subject matter are required for this call for proposals. Applicants are encouraged to highlight their qualifications at different levels, including local, national, regional and international. Applicants are also encouraged to promote strategies that benefit from a diversity of expertise, particularly at the local level. This includes consortia, particularly those including locally-based OBNEs, in order to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of the diverse components of the technical assistance in this call for proposals.  

*It is highly recommended that interested OBNEs that are not currently members of the Santiago network but are eligible under the membership criteria, submit their expressions of interest as soon as possible to avoid any delays. More information on the membership process and criteria can be found on the Santiago network membership page.

Questions and answers: Requests for clarification that are sent to the secretariat are being addressed individually on a rolling basis. All questions and responses are being compiled and published on UNGM (in an anonymized way) to ensure that all potential applicants have access to the same information in a timely manner. Please refer to the latest version of the Q&A document on the UNGM page.