Technical Assistance to implement gender-responsive solid waste management / circular economy and green public spaces in India

The project "Gender in Smart Cities / Resilient Urban Development: Gender and Digital Approaches as drivers for sustainable growth and recovery in Cities" (GRC) is implemented by GIZ in India on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), along with the political counterpart the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). The project is being implemented in three partner cities in India: Guwahati in Assam, Kochi in Kerala and Faridabad in Haryana. The project GRC focuses on two municipal public services: solid waste management (SWM) / circular economy (CE), and safe and green public spaces. Context India"s economic transformation is a story shaped mainly by its cities. Indian cities act as powerful hubs for sustainable growth by driving innovation, creating inclusive economies, and fostering collaboration to achieve development goals. They achieve this by developing smart urban policies, investing in green, climate-resilient infrastructure, improving public services, and using technology for better resource management. By strategically addressing urban challenges through integrated and interdisciplinary solutions, cities can achieve prosperity while minimizing environmental impact and enhancing the quality of life for their growing populations. Objective In selected cities in India, women and girls benefit as users or providers from climate-resilient, municipal public service systems in the areas of solid waste management (SWM) / circular economy (CE) as well as from safe and green public spaces. Approach 1) Improving the evidence base The project aims to improve the data and knowledge base for the provision of climate-resilient municipal public services. This is based on the following impact hypotheses: On the basis of strengthened cooperation between the actors relevant to service provision, the evidence base (knowledge and information base) will be improved and particularly with regard to gender responsiveness (esp. consideration of the needs of women and girls), environmental and resource protection and climate resilience (esp. use of the adaptation potential, e.g. through greening and reduction of illegal waste disposal in public spaces) of selected services. 2) Development of Practical Models The project aims to develop practical models in which women and girls benefit as users and providers from the improvement of climate-resilient, municipal public services in the partner cities. These practical, replicable approaches can include various elements such as standard operating procedures (SOPs), handouts, business models, training modules, etc. Within the framework of demonstration projects in partner cities in the areas of a) SWM / CE and b) greening and improving safety in green public spaces, innovative approaches to improve gender responsiveness, environmental and resource protection as well as climate resilience of selected services will be tested and validated.. On the basis of this implementation experience, scalable practical models / transfer packages should be developed and disseminated to other cities for further application and institutionalization as part of upscaling. 3) Strengthening capacities The project aims to strengthen and empower the relevant stakeholders for the implementation of the demonstration projects and practical models to ensure the improvement of climate-resilient municipal public services. The capacities of officials and experts of relevant institutions (esp. municipal corporations and state departments) as well as women in municipal public service provision (e.g. women's self-help groups or entrepreneurs) lead to both more informed decisions and the implementation of practice-oriented measures that sustainably improve climate resilience, gender responsiveness, environmental and resource protection of municipal public services. The services included in this tender contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the project "Gender in Smart Cities / Resilient Urban Development: Gender and Digital Approaches as drivers for sustainable growth and recovery in Cities" (GRC) that GIZ is implementing in India on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), along with the political counterpart the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). The services included in this tender are to be implemented in the cities of Guwahati in Assam and Kochi in Kerala and focuses on two urban public services: solid waste management (SWM) / circular economy (CE), and safe and green public spaces. The contractor is responsible for implementing the following 3 work packages in 2 partner cities in coordination with the GIZ team in Delhi. Work package 1 - Improving the evidence base Work package 1 aims to improve the data and knowledge base for the provision of climate-resilient municipal services. To this end, a city-wide community of practice (CoP) will be set up, comprising representatives from the municipal corporation, state departments, civil society, and the private sector, to analyze the evidence base for selected services in the areas of SWM / CE as well as safe and green public spaces, with regard to gender equality and the potential for adaptation to climate change and for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. In Guwahati, the evidence base for green and safe public spaces must consider nature-based solutions and sponge park approaches. In Kochi, the evidence base must consider the existing Kudumbashree women groups from the Kerala government's flagship poverty eradication and women empowerment mission and the Centre for Heritage, Environment and Development (c-hed). In the process, potential problem areas with regard to evidence (e.g., reliability, completeness, acceptance by stakeholders, especially decision-makers, data quality, distortions, level of digitization, and status of gender disaggregation) will be jointly identified and prioritized. On this basis, selected evidence elements are specifically optimized with a focus on key aspects along the information and data cycle using innovative digital approaches with a view to improving the information content on gender and climate aspects (especially gender disaggregation). Decision-makers in the public service sectors are advised to analyze and formalize this qualified evidence and to use it in decision-making processes. Finally, the project promotes knowledge transfer between partner cities with cross-city CoPs in order to exchange best practices regarding evidence qualification and scale up evidence-based decision-making. Work package 2 - Development of practical models Work package 2 aims to develop models in which women and girls benefit as providers and users of improved climate-resilient municipal public services in partner cities. Based on evidence-based analyses and identified service problems, demonstration projects shall be designed and implemented in the partner cities in close cooperation between city officials, the private sector, and civil society. The demonstration projects focus both on a) improvements in key areas of SWM / CE (e.g., in selected neighborhoods or wards) and b) the enhancement of safe and green public spaces (e.g., in selected parks or green spaces). They serve as practical test environments for evidence-based improvement measures, including physical upgrades to infrastructure, organizational optimization of service processes, digital innovations to increase efficiency, and approaches to promote economic activity. A particular focus is placed on strengthening gender responsiveness and, on the other hand, on strengthening the potential for climate adaptation and resource conservation. Specific thematic focus and requirements apply for the 2 project cities Guwahati and Kochi (see full ToR document for details). Scalable practical models including investment concepts for further implementation shall be developed as well as reviewed and documented in a structured manner on the basis of success factors to be defined. The practical models shall be disseminated for further application and institutionalization through the exchange of experiences between the partner cities and with other cities. Work package 3 - Strengthening capacities Work package 3 aims to train relevant actors to improve climate-resilient municipal public services. To this end, the city officials and their departments responsible for public service provision are supported in their organizational development in line with their needs. Cooperation with NGOs and women self-help groups (SHGs) shall be promoted in order to anchor inclusive and needs-based solutions. The skills of various target groups are to be strengthened in a targeted manner: a) City and state officials receive further training (e.g., on gender-responsive service planning, climate resilience, or digital skills); b) Women working in public service provision (e.g., in municipal corporations, self-help groups, contracted companies, or the informal sector) shall receive needs-based practical training on relevant topics;. c) Women entrepreneurs shall be supported through targeted mentoring and training on business and financing models. Awareness-raising activities shall be carried out at various levels, both Households and schools. Selected training institutions shall be supported in incorporating the developed training modules into regular training programs for other cities, including a cross-city CoP. Specific thematic focus and requirements apply for the 2 project cities Guwahati and Kochi (see full ToR document for details).