+44 (0)1727 836427
info@opencities.co.uk
Innovative Finance Strategy for the Global Resilience Partnership (2016-2018)
websitebuilder-hub • Jan 06, 2022
Dr Marc Stephens (director of OpenCities Ltd) provided high level, strategic consultancy support to the Secretariat and sponsors of the Global Resilience Partnership (GRP).
The goal of GRP is to help communities in the Sahel, Horn of Africa, South Asia and South East Asia to better adapt to climatic shocks and thrive in a more resilient future. GRP brokers partnerships and investment opportunities between private, public and not-for-profit bodies around the globe and local communities in vulnerable communities.
It does this by using its knowledge, influence and coordination activities as well as by providing financial resources. Dr Stephens helped GRP by:
1)
Researching, preparing options for, and providing advice towards, the design of a new GRP legal entity. The GRP is currently managed as a project by an international, private firm of auditors based in Nairobi, Kenya. This set up has limited capacity for accessing funds from public donors. To address these limitations and to ensure long-term sustainability, Dr Stephens led GRP's efforts to investigate mechanisms and modalities for establishing an independent (not-for-profit) entity.
2)
Developing a fund-raising, leverage and engagement strategy for GRP. The GRP was convened with an initial US$150 million. It aims to leverage this x100 in order to be able to utilize US$15 billion towards resilience initiatives. Dr Stephens led GRP's work to develop a concrete strategy to support this ambition. This included researching the context and market of GRP, consulting with GRP stakeholders (current and potential), and analysis of models adopted by similar organisations.
3)
Building an innovative finance and markets programme of work in GRP. One of GRP’s four Programmatic Feature streams is Markets and Innovative Financing. This stream deals with identifying unconventional financing instruments that can help mobilize additional private capital for resilience, to optimize the deployment of existing investments and to increase the sustainability of resilience initiatives. Dr Stephens developed a strategy and work plan to support the activation of this work stream and identify early 'quick wins'.
Dr Stephens also brokered potential joint, circular economy, programmatic opportunities between GRP and the Waste Resource Action Programme (WRAP). WRAP is the UK's leading circular economy organisation working with businesses (e.g. through voluntary agreements) in the textiles, food and electrical and electronics sectors. It is committed to accelerating the transition to a sustainable, resource-efficient economy.
Dr Stephens is a trustee and board member of WRAP (http://www.wrap.org.uk/about-us/governance).
The ISA's contribution to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: a review (2021)
An evaluation on behalf of UNESCO (2021)
A strategic review (2021)
The ISA's contribution to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: a review (2021)
An evaluation on behalf of UNESCO (2021)
Employment and Skills Strategy for Kingston Borough Council (2021)
A Review on behalf of the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (2020/21)
Working with the World Bank's Global Crisis Response Platform (2020)
CPFs help to ensure that the World Bank's country driven model is systematic, evidence-based, selective, and focused on ending extreme poverty and increasing shared prosperity in a sustainable manner. CPFs lay out the main country development goals that WBG aims to help the country achieve, and propose a selective program of indicative WBG interventions for this purpose. More specific CPF objectives are derived from these country development goals. These are then used to monitor the program during the CPF cycle and evaluate it at the end. Performance and Learning Reviews (PLRs) are prepared mid-way through the CPF cycle. PLRs identify and capture lessons, and determine midcourse corrections in the CPF objectives and program of interventions.
Working with the IMO to strengthen maritime shipping capacity around the world
These findings are used to help the WBG improve how they integrate inclusion and sustainability dimensions into their programs and are also important in the preparation of a new CPF. Between 2014 and 2018, OpenCities have led the production of six CLRs for Chad, Mozambique, Tanzania, Niger, Guinea and Ghana.