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Terms of Reference (ToR) for supporting the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change in developing National Guidelines on the Voluntary Carbon Market Mechanism

The Federal Government of Somalia is a Party to the Paris Agreement and is advancing implementation of its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), Article 6 readiness, and international carbon market participation. In 2025, Somalia established its Designated National Authority (DNA) to oversee engagement in international carbon markets. A recent readiness assessment confirmed the country’s strong potential and recommended the urgent development of national guidelines and governance frameworks for voluntary and compliance carbon market participation.

The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MoECC), with support from the International Rescue Committee (IRC), is therefore seeking an experienced International Consultant to lead the development of Somalia’s National Guidelines for the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM). The consultant will undertake the bulk of the analytical and drafting work, working closely with two national consultants to ensure contextual alignment and knowledge transfer.

Purpose

The purpose of this assignment is to develop technically robust, internationally aligned, and nationally coherent guidelines that establish clear institutional arrangements, approval procedures, safeguards, benefit-sharing mechanisms, and reporting requirements for voluntary carbon market activities in Somalia. The guidelines must align with the Paris Agreement, Somalia’s NDC, environmental and social safeguards, and international voluntary carbon standards.

Roles and Responsibilities

The International Consultant will:

• • Lead the overall technical design, structure, and drafting of the National VCM Guidelines
  • Provide technical quality assurance on the national consultants’ desktop review, ensuring alignment with international voluntary carbon standards, Article 6 requirements, and global best practices, and identifying any gaps in coverage.
  • Provide technical guidance on the stakeholder mapping and engagement plan developed by the national consultants ahead of the consultation workshop in March/April.
  • Provide remote technical input and advisory support for the March/April consultation workshop, which will be facilitated by the national consultants.
  • Attend the validation workshop in May
  • Prepare draft and revised versions of the guidelines
  • Integrate stakeholder feedback and finalize the document
  • Provide strategic technical guidance to MoECC and support capacity transfer to national consultants
  • Work closely with the IRC Climate Research & Innovation team, who will conduct a complementary carbon market landscape assessment, to identify how best to leverage these outputs.

National Consultants

The International Consultant will work closely with two national consultants, who will be hired to conduct the preparatory and national-level work for this assignment. The national consultants will operate under the technical direction of the International Consultant, who will oversee their outputs, provide quality assurance, and support knowledge transfer throughout the engagement. Specifically, the national consultants will:

• Conduct the comprehensive desktop review of all national-level climate frameworks, environmental legislation, DNA mandates, and related policy and legal instruments
• Develop the stakeholder mapping and engagement plan ahead of the March consultation workshop
• Facilitate the March consultation workshop and prepare the workshop report
• Support stakeholder coordination, contextual inputs, and workshop logistics throughout the assignment
• Provide technical contributions and contextual review of draft guidelines under the direction of the International Consultant
• Support the validation workshop logistics and documentation

Deliverables

Deliverables for the International Consultant include:

• Inception report and workplan – outlining the consultant’s methodology, approach, timeline, and coordination plan with national consultants and MoECC.
• Technical review of national inputs – quality assurance review of the national consultants’ desktop review and stakeholder mapping, ensuring alignment with international standards.
• Draft national VCM guidelines – first full draft incorporating findings from the desktop review, stakeholder mapping, and consultation workshop
• Revised national guidelines – updated draft incorporating feedback from the consultation workshop and MoECC review
• Final national guidelines – finalised version incorporating validation workshop inputs, ready for formal adoption
• Validation workshop report – summarizing outputs from workshop, including inputs into national guidelines and other actions
• Executive policy brief – using a template provided, for approval by the DG and technical team

The assignment will be completed within 25 working days from April-June. The assignment includes mandatory travel to Mogadishu for the validation workshop, and may include a second trip if feasible. Travel is expected to be 5 days each trip, with costs incurred reimbursed.

The consultant must possess an advanced degree in climate policy, environmental law, carbon markets, or a related field, with at least 10 years of experience in carbon markets or Article 6 mechanisms. Demonstrated experience developing national carbon market frameworks and working with governments in developing or fragile contexts is required.

The consultant will report to the Director General of MoECC and work closely with the Climate Finance Unit and the DNA.

Required Expertise

• Advanced degree in climate policy, environmental law, carbon finance, environmental economics, or a related field.
• Minimum 8-10 years of demonstrated experience in carbon markets, including voluntary carbon market standards and/or Article 6 mechanisms under the Paris Agreement.
• Proven experience leading the development of national carbon market frameworks, guidelines, or regulatory instruments for government institutions.
• Strong technical knowledge of environmental integrity, safeguards, benefit-sharing models, MRV systems, and alignment with NDC targets.
• Demonstrated experience structuring institutional arrangements for Designated National Authorities (DNA) or similar governance mechanisms.
• Proven ability to lead multi-stakeholder consultations and translate technical inputs into coherent, policy-ready documents.
• Experience working in developing or fragile contexts, with strong understanding of climate governance challenges.
• Excellent analytical, drafting, and policy-writing skills with a track record of producing high-level national guidelines or regulatory frameworks.

Technical Evaluation Questions

VCM governance architecture and decision rights: Who has what decision rights (MoECC vs other ministries vs federal member states), what are the approval “gates, ” and what’s the minimum viable system that’s credible and enforceable?

Standards alignment, integrity risks, and practical MRV design: Which standards and integrity requirements will Somalia align to, and how will MRV work in practice? Which international standards are most relevant, what integrity risks are most material (additionality, permanence, leakage, safeguarding), and what MRV approach is feasible given data and security constraints?

National legal, policy, and mandate alignment (including carbon rights/authorization): What do existing climate frameworks, environmental legislation, land/NRM rules, and DNA-like mandates imply for carbon ownership, project eligibility, and the host-country authorization process? Stakeholder engagement, safeguards, benefit-sharing, and grievance mechanisms: Which stakeholders shape feasibility across the project lifecycle, what consent/consultation threshold is required, and what safeguards, benefit-sharing, and grievance mechanisms must be mandatory?

Operationalization, templates/SOPs, and capacity transfer for sustained implementation: What templates/SOPs and capacity are needed for MoECC and national consultants to run reviews, manage revisions, and improve the system over time (performance metrics, learning loop, update cycle)?

PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS

All International Rescue Committee workers must adhere to the core values and principles outlined in IRC Way – Standards for Professional Conduct. Our Standards are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Safeguarding, Conflicts of Interest, Fiscal Integrity, and Reporting Wrongdoing and Protection from Retaliation. IRC is committed to take all necessary preventive measures and create an environment where people feel safe, and to take all necessary actions and corrective measures when harm occurs. IRC builds teams of professionals who promote critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity to deliver the best possible services to our clients.