In order to ensure appropriate representativeness of the RAC, IUCN seeks expressions of interest from experts specifically from Pacific ACP countries to join the committee (Cook Islands, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu). To address real or perceived conflicts of interest, experts who are affiliated with organisations that apply for funding under the Action Component are eligible to serve on the RAC, but will be required to sit out assessing proposals from that particular round.

BIOPAMA is a global initiative of the ACP Group of States financed by the European Union’s 11^th European Development Fund that aims to improve long-term conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. In the Pacific, BIOPAMA is led by IUCN’s Oceania Regional Office in partnership with the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).

As part of BIOPAMA’s approach of applying knowledge to action for a protected planet, the initiative has created a €20 million grant facility, known as the Action Component. This will support activities in protected and conserved areas of Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific. Grants will range up to €400,000, and will run for up to 36 months.

The BIOPAMA Action Component Pacific RAC will play an important role in evaluating and recommending grant proposals, ensuring that the selection process is robust, fair, impartial, transparent and independent. It is anticipated that there will be five calls for proposals over the next four years. RAC experts will be compensated at a rate of €1,500 per call and the cost of any travel required will be covered by IUCN. The time commitment per call may vary depending on the number of grant applications received, but is expected to be approximately 7-10 days.

                                          Applications close Friday 5:00pm, 26 April 2019 (Fiji time).

For further information, please contact the BIOPAMA Regional Coordinator Paul van Nimwegen at Paul.vanNimwegen@iucn.org.