The United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON), on behalf of Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) invites qualified interested firms to submit Expression of Interest (EOI) to participate in the upcoming solicitation for the implementation of technical assistance on Introducing Phase Change Materials (PCM) into Gambia's cold chain to address post-harvest loss and other waste across the primary sector. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on behalf of the Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) requires the services of an institution to deliver the technical assistance as approved by National Designated Entity from Gambia. The objective of this Technical Assistance is to strengthen the resilience of The Gambia’s food systems by introducing sustainable cooling technologies based on Phase Change Materials (PCM) to reduce post-harvest losses in agriculture, fisheries, and poultry sectors. The Gambia faces a critical challenge of food insecurity, exacerbated by the compounding effects of climate change and substantial post-harvest losses. Climate change is manifesting through sea level rise and saltwater intrusion, damaging coastal agricultural lands, particularly rice paddies. Reports from the National Environment Agency of The Gambia indicate that some coastal rice fields have seen yield reductions of up to 30% due to increased salinity. Additionally, data from the World Bank's Climate Change Knowledge Portal reveals a trend of increasing dry spells, severely impacting rain-fed agriculture. The National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) of The Gambia has also documented an increase in flood events, leading to crop damage and infrastructure destruction from unpredictable rainfall. These climate-induced challenges are significantly worsened by post-harvest losses. Reports from organizations like the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF) highlight that post-harvest losses can reach up to 40% for perishable goods like fruits and vegetables. Furthermore, according to the FAO, issues like aflatoxin contamination, due to improper storage, can cause yield losses ranging from 10% to 70%. A key factor contributing to these losses is the lack of adequate cooling infrastructure. Perishable goods deteriorate rapidly in The Gambia's hot and humid climate, and the absence of reliable cold storage facilities, particularly in rural production areas, forces farmers to sell produce immediately, often at reduced prices, or face total loss. The limited availability of reliable and affordable energy in rural areas, as evidenced by data related to rural electrification from the World Bank's Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) database, further hampers the adoption of cooling technologies. The Gambia faces limited resilience and adaptive capacity to address the impacts of climate change on its primary sectors, particularly agriculture, fisheries, and livestock. These vulnerabilities are compounded by resource gaps, technological barriers, and a lack of affordable and sustainable cooling solutions critical to preserving food in a warming climate. High post-harvest losses, worsened by rising temperatures, increasing dry spells, and unreliable rural energy infrastructure, significantly threatening food security, rural livelihoods, and national economic stability. Some of the expected outputs are: 1. Mandatory Output: Project Management. 2. Developing a mapping of stakeholders and a Steering Committee. 3. Feasibility & needs assessment and technology valaidation. 4. Piloting and testing PCM cooling solutions. 5. Scaling up roadmap and closure workshop. The complete details of the requirement will be provided in the tender documents that will be issued to bidders after this request for EOI is closed. Specific Requirements/Information The Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) is the Operational arm of The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and hosted by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The mission of the CTCN is to promote accelerated development and transfer of climate technologies at the request of developing countries for energy-efficient, low-carbon and climate-resilient development. CTCN provides technical assistance to the countries using its own funds ( which it recives through voluntary contributions of donor) or through the other funding sources specifically the Green Climate Funds (GCF) through the Readiness Programme. The requests for Technical Assistance (TA) are submitted to the CTCN by the National Designated Entity (NDE) of the respective country. In this present case the CTCN has developed a response plan and expect to implement the technical assistance on its own funding. In case you are not a CTCN network member yet, you may apply for this REOI and subsequent soliciation (Request for Proposal), subject to the condition that you submit your completed application for CTCN membership before the proposal submission closing date, which will be communicated in the subsequent Request for Proposal in due course of time. Furthermore, the contract award – should your proposal be selected – is conditional to your application for CTCN network membership being approved by CTCN management. The requirement to join the CTCN network is only relevant to the main bidder and not subcontractors. Please find more information to join CTCN Network at- https://www.ctc-n.org/network The purpose of this REOI is to identify suitable firms who may be invited for the Request for Proposal after the REOI is closed. In addition to CTCN registration, all applicants should also be registered (free of charge) at United Nations Global Marketplace (www.ungm.org). IMPORTANT: Please note that this REOI is not an invitation for submission of tenders. Its purpose is to identify companies that would be interested and eligible to participate in the solicitation when issued. UNON will examine the outcome of this request for EOI and will consider those companies that have expressed their interest . UNON reserves the right to change or cancel the requirement at any time during the EOI and/or solicitation process. Thus, submitting a reply to this Request for EOI does not automatically guarantee your company will be considered for receipt of the solicitation when issued.