Deadline: 24-Apr-23
Submissions are now being accepted for the Great Blue Wall Challenge from the ocean-positive startups and social enterprises which contribute to the sustainability and resilience of the Western Indian Ocean, aligning with the Great Blue Wall Initiative and delivering benefits to people and nature.
The Great Blue Wall initiative aims to establish a first-of-its-kind connected network of seascapes to benefit people and nature. The initiative will assist countries to make progress towards: protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030; achieving net gain of critical blue ecosystems by 2030 (e.g. mangroves, corals, seagrasses); developing a regenerative blue economy and create millions of jobs by supporting local communities through funding, training and technical assistance.
Seascapes will be connected by the “great blue wall”: composed of conserved and restored ecosystems that shelter communities from the impacts of climate change, and help biodiversity recover. Participating in the initiative will help countries meet commitments made under three international frameworks: the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
This challenge contributes directly to the upcoming Africa Climate Action Summit (4-6 September) which will convene The Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC) under the leadership of President William Ruto of Kenya and co-hosted by the African Union Commission.
The 5-10 winners of the Great Blue Wall Challenge will be featured in both the Africa Climate Action Summit and the 2023 UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 28) hosted by the United Arab Emirates.
Focus Areas
- Sustainable and equitable use of ocean resources
- Innovations which focus on value chain development and enhancement.
- Innovations which diversify ocean uses while conserving the resource provisioning services of ecosystems.
- Supporting Activities
- Innovative approaches to financial technology (fintech) which can enable conservation, ecosystem regeneration, or other ocean-positive activities.
- Innovations which contribute to ocean knowledge (data or indigenous knowledge) and/or develop new uses for that knowledge.
- Pollution (excluding plastic)
- Innovators addressing all types of waste which affect marine environments (chemical, domestic, industrial, agricultural, etc).
- Seascape Conservation and Restoration
- Innovations which protect or restore marine ecosystems.
- Innovations which derive sustainable revenues from healthy marine environments and thereby enable their protection and restoration.
- Protecting and Restoring Blue Carbon Ecosystems
- Innovators which protect or restore blue carbon ecosystems (whether seeking certification or not) and contribute to increased income generation for local communities.
Benefits
- The best submissions will be recognised as “Top Innovators” and invited to join the UpLink Innovation Network Programme, facilitated by Friends of Ocean Action & World Economic Forum and partners to help scale and advance their impact. It will offer:
- Visibility through the World Economic Forum and IUCNs media and social media platforms.
- Access to Friends of Ocean Action, World Economic Forum, IUCN and Partners events.
- Connection to networks, organizations, companies, and funding opportunities in particular those related to the Great Blue Wall.
- Capacity and community building sessions, the programme objective is to help the Top Innovators gain visibility, attract partners and funding to scale their solution, and ultimately to accelerate their impact.
What they were looking for?
- Geography: successful submissions have operations in coastal and marine areas of the ten original WIO countries of the Great Blue Wall: Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa and Tanzania.
- Type: Successful submissions must be beyond the ideation or prototype phase, with a measurable track record toward impact and scale. Current UpLink Top Innovators are primarily selected once they’ve reached the pilot to growth/scale phase of their operations.
- Stage: Priority is given to for-profit start-up companies or social enterprises with a sustainable funding model. Not-for-profit organizations with a clearly defined, revenue generating project may also be considered.
- Scale: Innovations must demonstrate the potential and desire to scale and/or the potential for replicability, and have a vision for achieving long-term financial viability, impact, and sustainability.
Eligibility Criteria
- Submissions will be assessed against the following criteria:
- Nature-positive impact: Solutions should have a positive impact on seascape conservation and restoration, healthy ecosystems, biodiversity restoration and/or carbon sequestration.
- Socio-economic impact: Solutions should demonstrate how they create local job opportunities and/or improve local livelihoods. This includes the sharing of financial and non-financial benefits with and empowerment of women, youth, and indigenous peoples. Appropriate social license to operate must be demonstrated, particularly in situations where tenure or access rights are of concern.
- Innovation and potential for scale: The solution must be a tested and used approach – including combinations of innovative approaches with traditional knowledge and practices that can be scaled and replicated.
- Governance & operating model: Solutions should have a legal entity attached to the project or technology, have a diverse leadership team with the right capacity and skill set to deliver on the project’s mission. The inclusion of local stakeholders in the decision-making process is paramount. Teams should have effective strategies for managing regulatory and administrative hurdles.
- Financially viable business model – Solutions need to demonstrate a sustainable business model and approach to revenue. They must show the extent to which the project has achieved financial viability and sustainable revenue streams or has a vision and plan for achieving it. A strong preference is given for those that offer investable opportunities for investors or philanthropic funders.
- Traction: Solutions should ideally have their first customers, or at a minimum letters of intent. The extent to which other organisations have been willing to demo, partner with, invest in or otherwise support this solution will be assessed.
- Measurement and standards verification: Solutions should demonstrate a clear impact monitoring and evaluation framework, particularly for any socio-ecological impact claims being made. The metrics and indicators should be tracked transparently, relevant robust standards are referenced and applied, and/or independent credentialing and third-party verification received.
- Note: Innovations led by women, youth and/or Indigenous groups are strongly encouraged.
Timeline
- April – May 2023: Review and selection of solutions. Shortlisted solutions will be required to submit additional supporting questionnaires and a short video
- 8 June 2023: Announcement of winners on World Ocean Day
- June 2023 and onwards: Winning cohort programme to scale and advance impact
For more information, visit Western Indian Ocean (WIO).