Germany - Environmental engineering consultancy services - 10044493 - Climate resilient urban development and financing in selected municipalities in Zambia

Short description of the project: Just and Climate Resilient Urban Development and Decentralisation (CitiZen+D) CitiZen+D is a technical cooperation project financed by the Federal Ministry of Economic Development and Cooperation of Germany and implemented by GIZ in Zambia. The objective of the project is to support urban development in selected cities in Zambia with an emphasise on climate resilience, social inclusion, and sustainable financing, setting best practice for the whole country. Context In Zambia, increasing numbers of people are moving to cities, posing a major challenge for these urban centres. Tight budgets, complicated regulations and unclear responsibilities in planning and development result in a lack of adequate urban planning. This particularly affects temporary, poor settlements in and around cities. The population here has only limited access to public services such as waste disposal, fresh water and sanitation, and safe road planning. Disadvantaged groups such as women, children, people with disabilities and people living in poverty are especially hard hit. Environmental pollution and social problems also result. Approach The project advises selected cities on planning, coordinationng and implementationing of socially just and climate-friendly urban development. This allows the cities to realise development plans created in the earlier project phase and incorporate specific financing and operating arrangements into these plans. The project promotes cooperation between civil society, governmental institutions, organised interest groups and business to enable broad-based, socially just and future-oriented development in cities. The project aims for the population to have a say in planning and design, bolstering promoting trust in democratic institutions. Traditional authorities are also involved in the project. Locally successful approaches provide an example for other cities and feed into national aspects such as laws and guidelines. This should also result in administrative decentralisation. The project is part of the "Responsible Governance in Zambia" German development cooperation programme. Objective of the assignment: The project "Just and Climate Resilient Urban Development and Decentralisation in Zambia" (CitiZen+D), implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), supports urban development and decentralisation in Zambia in four output areas: Output 1: The coordination, planning, and implementation capacities of selected cities for equitable and climate-resilient urban development have been improved. Output 2: The financial capacities of selected cities for equitable and climate-resilient urban development have improved. Output 3: The participation of civil society actors, especially women, in the implementation of equitable and climate-resilient urban development has improved. Output 4: The professional exchange between government and civil society actors on successful approaches to equitable, climate-resilient urban development has improved. Under Output 1, the programme supports the development of 1 Planning Agreement and 5 Local Area Plans (LAPs) in the cities of Choma, Mazabuka, and Livingstone in Southern Province and Mansa and Samfya in Luapula. In 2025 the programme was focusing on the selection of informal settlements in the respective cities and on developing a planning and implementation framework for the development of the LAPs. Based on this the LAP process was initiated in Mansa and Livingstone. To progress with the remaining cities CitiZen+D is looking for a contractor supporting the preparation of three LAPs and one Planning Agreement in Choma (LAP), Samfya (LAP), and Mazabuka (LAP). The location of the Planning Agreement is yet to be determined. The local area plans are meant to: - Guide sustainable land use and development, for example safeguard natural sensitive areas, such as for water catchment and wildlife - Improve infrastructure and service delivery - Support climate change adaptation - Align with national and regional planning strategies The contractor will assist local authorities in designing a participatory planning approach that integrates climate resilience while including the views and opinions of residents, including women, elderly, youth and other marginalized groups. To achieve active inclusion and consideration of communities and marginalized groups, the contractor will sub-contract civil society organizations for the LAP in Choma and Mazabuka through a financing instrument (local subsidy). In order to strengthen planning capacities and use of Geographic Information Systems the contractor is expected to implement and coordinate a local subsidy with the University of Zambia (UNZA). Once the Local Area Plans are approved the contractor shall support local authorities in developing a comprehensive and context-sensitive implementation concept for the LAPs targeting the selected settlements. This concept will outline actionable strategies, institutional frameworks, and phased interventions to formalize land tenure, improve access to basic services (water, sanitation, waste management, and mobility), and enhance housing conditions while preserving community livelihoods. The concept needs to explicitly emphasis on identifying, structuring, and accessing viable financing options to ensure real-world execution. The output will empower local authorities and partners to move beyond planning into funded, scalable, and accountable implementation that delivers tangible improvements in housing, infrastructure, and livelihoods for informal settlement residents. This includes strengthening of resource mobilisation in local authorities. The assignment is structured in the following work packages to be implemented by the contractor: Work Package Title Work Package 1 Climate resilient local area planning and planning agreements Work Package 2 CSO support for inclusive Local Area Plans (LAPs) Work Package 3 GIS capacities for local authorities Work Package 4 Financing models for LAP implementation Work Package 5 Strengthening national dialogue Work Package 6 Strengthening resource mobilisation Work Package 7 Support processes (Expert Pool)