IPU Communications campaign: Mobilizing parliaments to take action on climate

Climate change poses an existential threat to humankind. It is already affecting every region of the world and continues to intensify at a rapid pace. Urgent action is needed to minimize its most devastating potential impacts. Strong political leadership is essential for overcoming this crisis and thus parliaments are key players in the fight against climate change.

Parliaments can use their legislative and budgetary powers to ensure strong laws are put in place and that there is adequate funding to support climate action. Through their oversight functions, they can also hold their government to account on its national and international commitments on climate change, including those made through the Paris Agreement and 2030 Agenda. As representatives of the people, parliaments can ensure the needs of constituents are met, particularly those most at-risk from climate change impacts including women, youth and minorities. Parliaments can also work to reduce their own emissions and become greener institutions themselves.

The IPU has made supporting parliaments and parliamentarians in their efforts to tackle climate change a priority. The IPU works to mobilize parliaments politically around climate and guide parliamentary action on climate change through IPU resolutions, such as Addressing climate change (2019) and Parliamentary strategies to strengthen peace and security against threats and conflicts resulting from climate-related disasters and their consequences (2021), and outcome documents, including the recently adopted Nusa Dua Declaration at the 144th IPU Assembly in March 2022. The new IPU Strategy 2022-2026 includes climate action as one of its key policy goals, and climate will be integrated across all areas of the IPU, including work on gender, youth and human rights.

The purpose of this Request for Proposals is to select one or more suppliers for a communications campaign to mobilize parliaments to act on the climate emergency. 

Objectives

In order to translate the climate goals and commitments made through IPU resolutions, outcome documents and strategies into real results, and to support implementation of the Paris Agreement, the IPU is looking for a supplier or suppliers to help conceptualize, design, launch, implement and monitor the success of a communications campaign to inspire and mobilize parliaments to take concrete action in the fight against climate change.

This campaign will be guided by the overarching aim on climate in the IPU Strategy 2022-2026 which is to “Allow all people to live on a healthier planet with warming limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels”.

The IPU has specifically outlined three specific calls to action for parliaments which are aligned with the IPU Strategy 2022-2026 and the Nusa Dua Declaration:

1. Parliaments pass legislation and budgets that reduce emissions and support inclusive adaptation
2. Parliaments hold government accountable on Paris Agreement implementation
3. Parliaments become greener as institutions

The campaign is designed to encourage parliaments to take clear, tangible steps to realizing these three calls to action.

Target Audience

All IPU Member Parliaments and the 46,000 parliamentarians in the world will be targeted in this campaign.

In addition to parliaments as institutions, there will be an emphasis on engaging parliamentarians who are seen as potential catalysts for change and the most influential in pushing for change. These include:

• IPU Office Holders
• Speakers of parliament
• Chairs and members of environmental and climate parliamentary committees
• Young parliamentarians
• Women parliamentarians
• Indigenous parliamentarians

Particular attention will be paid to strengthening adaptation in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) given their high risk and exposure to climate change impacts.

In addition to parliaments and parliamentarians, the campaign will also engage governments (particularly Ministries of Environment and/or Climate Change), United Nations agencies, international organizations, civil society organizations, youth associations, students and the media, who can also be seen as potential changemakers.

Calls to action

The IPU seeks to inspire parliamentarians to take the following actions, inter alia, to achieve progress in relation to the three calls to action. These three calls to action form the basis of this campaign. The table below also includes indicators to measure change.

Parliaments pass legislation and budgets that reduce emissions and support inclusive adaptation
Examples of specific actions	Promote legislation and prioritize budget allocations for low-carbon development and emissions reductions, e.g. on net-zero emissions and clean energy Promote legislation and prioritize budget allocations for adaptation, with a particular focus on supporting vulnerable and underrepresented groups
Indicators to measure this	# of parliaments that have passed new laws and budgets that support mitigation and/or adaptation

Parliaments hold government accountable on Paris Agreement implementation
Examples of specific actions	Ensure the government has prepared and submitted revised Nationally-Determined Contributions (NDCs) as part of its commitment to the Paris Agreement Ensure legislation is aligned with the Paris Agreement and NDCs and propose amendments and new legislation when needed
Indicators to measure this	# of parliaments that contributed to the revised NDC processes led by government # of parliaments that have conducted reviews of existing legislation and proposed amendments or new legislation to align with the NDCs and Paris Agreement

Parliaments become greener as institutions
Examples of specific actions	Push for internal parliamentary policies on sustainability and climate change, e.g. energy usage, procurement practices, building sustainability, non-essential travel
Indicators to measure this	# of parliaments that have adopted internal policies on climate change and/or sustainability

Partners

The IPU works closely with UN organizations and technical partners to ensure parliamentarians are provided with latest scientific knowledge on climate change, including UNEP, the UNFCCC Secretariat and Grantham Research Institute. With these partners, the IPU ensures parliaments receive tailored capacity-building support and that climate change information and resources are adapted to a parliamentary audience.

Languages

The official languages of the IPU are English and French.

Expected overall deliverables

Under the overall guidance and supervision of the IPU Communications Director and the climate change team, the supplier(s) will be asked to produce the following:

• Conceptualization of the campaign
• Design concept and assets
• Road map for implementation
• Implementation and outreach to the target audience (especially MPs concerned by climate change)
• Monitoring and evaluation of the campaign’s success

Project Timeline

Proposals should be submitted no later than: 20 May 2022

Proposals will be evaluated immediately thereafter and the supplier chosen in time for a contract to start in June 2022

Duration

The campaign will be launched in October 2022 and phase 1 will run for 12 months.

Budget

The total budget for phase 1 of the campaign is 30,000 CHF.