Deadline: 06-May-24
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) solicits proposals from the region to finance projects that promote Regional Public Goods (RPGs) by means of collective action.
The Regional Public Goods (RPG) Initiative of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is based on the premise that the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) share numerous development challenges and opportunities that can be addressed more effectively and efficiently through regional collective action and cooperation.
The Initiative defines regional public goods (RPGs) as goods, services or resources that are produced and consumed collectively by the public sector and, if appropriate, the private, non-profit sector in a minimum of three borrowing member countries of the IDB.
The Initiative focuses on RPGs that have the potential to generate significant shared benefits and positive spillover effects. Spillover effects can be expressed in terms of scope (benefits extend beyond the originally targeted sector in each country) and/or scale (benefits extend beyond the original group of countries). Each year, the IDB solicits proposals from the region to finance projects that promote RPGs by means of collective action. The RPG needs to be produced collectively. This means that the partner countries and institutions decide together their goal, how to achieve it. All participating countries should have equal access to the products generated collectively.
Thematic Focus
- The Regional Public Goods Initiative is open to the promotion of Regional Public Goods that are aligned with the IDB Group’s new Institutional Strategy
- The 2024 Call for Proposals will select high regional value-added proposals that address, through collective action and cooperation among proposing institutions, a shared challenge or opportunity related to one or more of the following 3 objectives of the new Institutional Strategy of the IDB Group:
- Reducing poverty and inequality: Proposals that seek to eliminate obstacles to economic participation and improve the standard of living for the poor and vulnerable in Latin America and the Caribbean. Proposals that address distortions in labor and financial markets, human capital interventions, such as regional initiatives in education and health, as well as proposals aimed at strengthening social protection, food security, gender equality, the inclusion of diverse population groups, and citizen security will be valued.
- Addressing climate change: Proposals focused on achieving a future with net zero emissions by 2050, resilient and positive for nature, in line with the Paris Agreement. Priority will be given to BPR focused on: promoting the conservation and sustainable management of biodiversity and natural capital, strengthening the region’s climate resilience and adaptation capacities, including disaster risk management, and promoting a green and just transition, including reducing pollution and improving governance.
- Bolstering sustainable growth: Proposals focused on increasing the region’s real GDP per capita by promoting initiatives aimed at strengthening regional integration by addressing market failures that limit investment in sustainable, resilient, and inclusive physical and digital infrastructure, and the empowerment of the private sector to stimulate productivity and the innovation.
Funding Information
- Although the RPG Initiative is open to financing second-phase proposals (those projects that have already received financing from the RPG Initiative), such proposals must not exceed the amount of US$250,000 and will need to provide a solid justification on why the provision of additional resources for the project are warranted. Please note that if a second phase proposal is selected for financing it will receive a maximum contribution of US$250.000 from RPG Initiative resources.
- The period to implement an RPG project will be of a maximum of three (3) years.
Eligible Projects
- The RPG Initiative seeks to finance specific regional coordination products that can then be implemented at the national level by the participating countries and other interested countries that could not participate in the original project. This type of products can be, for example, regional regulatory frameworks, harmonized legislation and common agreements or standards among countries; regional sectoral strategies and action plans; diagnoses and studies in support of investment decisions or projects at the regional level; and methodologies and instruments of regional application.
- Although knowledge networks and regional studies are valuable instruments for cooperation between countries, given the limited resources available for the RPG Initiative, it will not be able to finance projects that only support the creation of networks, regional or national academic studies carried out by public or private universities and/or capacity building events.
- Notwithstanding the foregoing, the RPGs may include as part of their activities the formation of networks, the financing of specific studies and specific events related to the RPG, as long as these do not constitute the ultimate goal of the project and are in accordance with IDB’s policies and procedures.
Eligibility Criteria
- The following entities are eligible to submit proposals:
- Public national, sub-national and local institutions in the IDB’s borrowing member countries with legal capacity to enter into agreements with the Bank.
- Private, non-profit entities that are legally established in one of the IDB’s borrowing member countries.
- Latin American and/or Caribbean regional or sub-regional institutions with legal capacity to enter into agreements with the IDB.
- Regional dimension of the RPG
- To comply with the regional criterion, a proposal must meet the following two conditions:
- Number of countries: A minimum of three (3) borrowing member countries of the Bank are identified as beneficiaries of the proposal and are involved in the production of the RPG. The Initiative may exceptionally consider proposals to finance bi-national projects. These bi-national proposals will have to demonstrate that (i) the issue to be addressed is of strictly bi-national nature; (ii) the proposal fully justifies that the RPG to be produced has the potential for an exceptionally high development impact; and (iii) the RPG produced can be replicated in other contexts should similar circumstances arise. All other eligibility criteria of the Initiative will continue to apply.
- Collective action: RPGs need to be promoted by means of collective action among all participating countries. This means that the institutions engaged in the promotion of the RPG decide collectively how to achieve that goal, including the agenda, mechanisms, and partners of their regional cooperation, as well as the regional commitments that they are willing to undertake. Please note that regional value-added is a selection criterion. Therefore, proposals need to make the case that collective action will produce benefits that countries cannot achieve individually or that can be achieved only at a higher cost.
- To comply with the regional criterion, a proposal must meet the following two conditions:
Ineligible
- The following entities are eligible to execute proposals:
- Public national, sub-national and local institutions in the IDB’s borrowing member countries with legal capacity to enter into agreements with the Bank.
- Private, non -profit entities that are legally established in one of the IDB’s borrowing member countries.
- Latin American and/or Caribbean regional or sub-regional institutions with legal capacity to enter into agreements with the IDB.
- Each project can only have one (1) executing agency.
For more information, visit IDB.