Conference Design & Moderation Consultant

Background

The Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) is a global coalition of more than 200 organizations dedicated to advancing the forest, land, and resource rights of Indigenous Peoples, local communities, Afro-descendant Peoples, and particularly the women within these groups. RRI’s members capitalize on each other’s strengths, expertise, and geographic reach to achieve solutions more effectively and efficiently. RRI leverages the power of its global coalition to amplify the voices of local peoples and proactively engage governments, multilateral institutions, and private sector actors to adopt institutional and market reforms that support the realization of rights.

RRI's 20th Anniversary

The RRI 20th Anniversary celebration will take place May 5-6, 2025, in Washington D.C. It will be a high-profile event, convening key figures from the rights, climate, and conservation sector globally many of whom are Indigenous, local community and Afro-descendant leaders of territorial communities. We will invite partners, allies, donors, multilateral agencies, communicators, and thought leaders to reflect on the past, present, and future of the RRI coalition.

The event will consist of a 2-day hybrid conference, bringing together up to 250 people in person and hundreds more online. Coalition members from Asia, Africa and Latin America will be joining us to celebrate and showcase the coalition to an international audience.  In addition to the conference, we will also host an award ceremony at the closing of the conference, presenting the first edition of RRI's Collective Action Award to recognizing the achievements of communities from Africa, Asia and Latin America.

The tentative programs for the conference and award ceremony are:

1. The RRI Conference – Monday and Tuesday 9am to 5pm

• Opening Session - welcome, keynote speech, and founders panel
• 4 thematic panels on land rights and climate objectives
• 3-4 thematic dialogues (participant breakout discussions)

2. The RRI Collective Action Award and cocktail reception - Tuesday 5pm to 8pm

• Celebration of RRI's history with guest speakers and the recognition of early champions (presentation of certificates)
• Announcement of the winners of the Collective Action Award
• Closing and cocktail reception

RRI is seeking a team of consultants to aid the Coalition and Strategic Networks (CSN) team and broader RRI staff in designing, moderating, and hosting the 2-day conference. Contract personnel with extensive experience facilitating large international and multilingual events are required. An added advantage for professionals with experience in the fields of climate policy, conservation, land rights, development, or human rights.

Scope of Work

Responsibilities of the role include:

• Host and moderate the panels, plenaries and/or workshops of the 2-day hybrid conference and award ceremony.
• Support the design of a conference program that reflects on land rights, conservation and the rights of Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant peoples and local communities. This should include: support development of themes, titles and guiding questions for the thematic panels and thematic dialogues.
• Consistent communication and coordination with RRI team for a smooth planning and implementation process, ensuring timely input and completion of internal administration and tasks.
• The RRI team and our event planner will be responsible for all logistical planning. RRI will co-design the conferences’ objectives and conference/award ceremony details with the consultants.

Deliverables

• List of proposed MC and session moderators with their CVs and/or portfolios for RRI to review and approve.
• At least 5 check-in meetings, in addition to a kick-off meeting, with RRI to review the conference agenda, sessions descriptions, and methodology.
• Propose a flow and methodology for the conference sessions. Produce facilitation notes for the conference including framing of the sessions and questions for panelists.
• Full availability and presence during the 2 days of the Conference May 5 and 6, 2025, coordinating the implementation and facilitation of sessions with the RRI team and event planners.
• Availability in the week prior to the conference for any program alignment and logistics coordination needed.

Required experience:

• At least 10 years of experience facilitating multi-lingual panels, dialogues, and workshops.
• At least 7 years’ experience hosting hybrid international conferences and events with more than 200 people.
• Strong knowledge of at least one of the following sectors: climate policy, environment, Indigenous rights, international development, and human rights. 
• Familiarity with high-level policy, civil society or government audiences, including experience working with thought leaders from international agencies, embassies, journalists, public figures, and political leaders.

Desired experience:

• Experience working across cultures and geographies with Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and local communities in the Global South or North is highly desired.
• Knowledge of one or more of the following languages:  French, Spanish, Swahili, Portuguese, Bahasa Indonesia or Nepali is an added advantage.

 Qualifications:

• Excellent written and verbal communication with the ability to communicate clearly and directly, particularly with people from multilingual backgrounds.
• Reliable, responsive, and attentive to participants’ needs and delivering a high-quality experience.
• Highly organized and meticulous attention to detail for event planning and management.
• Ability to pivot and accommodate last-minute requests or changes.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, G-Suite, project management platforms and other   tools that enhance collaboration and communication.

To apply

Please apply on this website by 5pm Eastern Time on Tuesday January 21, 2025.

1. Team members’ curriculum vitae or portfolio.
2. A 1-page cover letter with the team's background and unique contribution to this project.
3. A proposed approach (concept and format) for the conference (two pages max)
4. Workplan and budget outlining key milestones and deadlines with hourly estimate for each task. Include any limitations or constraints such as unavailability in the months leading up to the event. If applicable, please include added reimbursable expenses and implementation costs to the budget.

Evaluation Criteria

• Proposed workplan approach (30%)
• Work history and experience (30%)
• Compatibility and understanding of the project (20%)
• Costs (20%)