China WBG Global Center for Ecological Systems and Transitions CWGC

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Assignment Title: China WBG Global Center for Ecological Systems and Transitions CWGC

Assignment Countries:

- China ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTION

1. Background

Launched in December 2024, the China-WBG Global Center for Ecological Systems and Transitions (CWGC) aims to contribute to large-scale ecosystem conservation and restoration through structured, two-way knowledge exchange between China and developing countries. The CWGC curates and disseminates scalable solutions from China, while also bringing cutting-edge knowledge to China. It is a partnership between the Ministry of Finance of the People's Republic of China and the World Bank Group (WBG), with the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) designated as the key delivery partner. As a dedicated global knowledge exchange center, the CWGC is a tangible example of the WBG's Knowledge Bank in action, and a new step in the evolving WBG-China partnership from primarily financing toward a more selective engagement built on knowledge, innovation, and mutual learning. The Knowledge Hub. Building on its work to date, the CWGC is developing a new initiative: the CWGC Knowledge Hub for Ecosystem Restoration Solutions (the "Knowledge Hub").[^1] It is an evolution of the CWGC's knowledge work, from individual events and products toward a structured, accessible and regularly updated body of knowledge. The Knowledge Hub will curate the most relevant and up-to-date knowledge from China on solutions in policy, technology and finance that promote large-scale ecosystem restoration. It will include peer-reviewed papers, videos and manuals, together with a curated set of specialized institutions and associated experts, and it will make them accessible to the countries engaged by the CWGC. The Knowledge Hub is about curation only: it brings together existing knowledge and does not produce new knowledge. The Knowledge Hub is a beginning, not an end point. It will be built over time through a series of modules (Table 1). Its overall objective is to strengthen the quality and impact of the CWGC's three product lines: ●

Knowledge Curation and Analytics: curating relevant WBG

and external knowledge and producing new analytical knowledge. ●

Knowledge Exchange and Learning: facilitating learning

through study tours, dialogue series, workshops, trainings and hybrid exchanges. ●

Country Engagement and Partnerships: longer-term,

demand-driven collaboration with partner countries and institutions to apply, adapt and scale knowledge and solutions, delivered through Country Action Plans, technical assistance (including bilateral technical assistance), institutional partnerships, twinning, peer-to-peer learning, and joint restoration demonstration sites.

Objectives

The Consultant will help the

CWGC to:

● Curate the most relevant and up-to-date knowledge from China for Module 1 (solutions on policy, finance and technology to address desertification and grassland degradation), together with a list of specialized experts and institutions. ● Design a Knowledge Hub Architecture that can be applied to all future modules, and that can be built and maintained with the minimum possible effort and cost. ● Identify the areas where China itself would benefit from inbound global knowledge on these topics, in line with the two-way nature of the CWGC. ● Connect the curated knowledge to the demand of the countries engaged by the CWGC, and advise on the most effective ways of sharing it for impact. Task 1 Country Demand and Scoping At the start of the assignment, the WBG and theConsultant will consult WBG teams and country teams on the demands of thecountries engaged by the CWGC initial focus Kenya, Ethiopia, Brazil and Mongolia, so that what is curated is calibrated to country demand. All directengagement with country counterparts is led by the WBG country team. TheConsultant provides technical support, prepares materials and synthesizes findings,and does not engage country counterparts independently. Review existing CWGC work, WBG reports andoperational experience, and relevant external literature, to see what knowledgealready exists on Module 1 topics. Produce a Scoping Report that summarizes countrydemand, maps existing knowledge and gaps, and proposes the content of Module 1building on Table 2 for CWGC approval. Task 2 Knowledge Hub Architecture The Knowledge Hub Architectureis the blueprint for how the knowledge in the Knowledge Hub is organized,selected and described. It is designed once and applied to every module. Module1 is its first application, and later modules can be added without redesign.The Consultant will Structure. Define how the Hub is organized byecosystem module, pillar policy, finance, technology and thematic collection. Athematic collection is a curated group of existing materials and expertise onone solution or topic within a pillar for example, Ecological Redlines andspatial planning in desert and grassland areas. It includes selected peerreviewed papers, videos and manuals, and the experts and institutionsassociated with that topic. Using Table 2 as the starting point, define thethematic collections of Module 1 and expand the examples as needed, in linewith country demand. Selection and quality criteria. Propose the rules fordeciding which materials, experts and institutions are included relevance,recency, practical use, reliability of the source, and how Chinese languagematerials are handled. The criteria require WBG approval before curationbegins. Categories and tags. Propose a simple, common set ofcategories and tags for example ecosystem, pillar, topic, language, source,compatible with the way Scalable Solutions describe resources title, shortdescription, source, resource type, sector and topic. Minimum effort and cost. Estimate the minimum humaneffort staff days by profile needed to build Module 1 and to keep it up todate, and propose low cost options, for example by building on existing WBG andChinese repositories, using simple tools and limiting the number of materialsper collection. The Architecture is a design andnot a platform. Where and how the Hub is hosted is addressed in Task 5. Task 3 Curation of Knowledge, Experts and Institutions for Module 1 Identify, review and select the most relevant and upto date existing knowledge for each thematic collection peer reviewed papers,videos and manuals, applying the approved criteria. This task is about curationonly and does not involve producing new knowledge. Make sure all selected materials pass quality review,with technical leadership from the CWGC team. Prepare a list of the selected materials, by thematiccollection, with source, type, language and intended audience. Where a selectedmaterial is in Chinese, provide a short English summary. To give countries facilitated access to expertise,prepare a list of experts from the public and private sectors relevant to thethematic collections, with their specialty, institutional affiliation and howthey can be contacted. Prepare a list of institutions specialized in thetopics curated for example government agencies, research institutes,universities and companies, with their areas of expertise and contact points. Propose vetting criteria for experts and institutionssubject to WBG approval and a low cost way of connecting countries with them,in coordination with the CWGC team and the WBG country teams. Task 4 Inbound Knowledge for China The CWGC works through two wayexchange. For the topics covered by Module 1, the Consultant will i dentify gaps in Chinas knowledge, for example areaswhere China faces unresolved challenges or where it has limited access tointernational experience, drawing on the review in Task 1 and on consultationswith the MNR, the NFGA, the CAF and other relevant institutions. Propose a short list of priority areas where Chinawould benefit from inbound global knowledge, and suggest where this knowledgecould come from for example WBG experience, partner countries or internationalinstitutions, for CWGC consideration. This task is limited toidentifying gaps and proposing priority areas. It does not involve producingnew knowledge. Task 5 Knowledge Sharing Advice The Knowledge Hub is not only anonline platform. The Consultant will provide its expert judgment on the bestways of sharing this knowledge with partner countries for impact, includingonline access and, as appropriate, in person, hybrid and facilitated exchanges.The advice will cover Platforms. A review of existing platforms of theChinese government and other partners, as well as WBG platforms, and arecommendation on where and how to host the Hub, how users will find andnavigate the material, and low cost options. Matching supply and demand. Suggestions on howtechnology, including artificial intelligence AI, could make the matching ofknowledge supply and country demand more efficient, building on world bestpractice and on Chinas market. The Consultant is not expected to implementthese suggestions. Product lines. How the Hub can support the CWGCsKnowledge Exchange and Learning and Country Engagement and Partnerships productlines. Tracking use. Tracking use is a priority. TheConsultant will review the CWGC results framework and propose how the KnowledgeHub can provide inputs to it efficiently, with a simple and low cost way oftracking use. FUNDING SOURCE The World Bank Group intends to finance the assignment / services described below under the following:

- BB: Bank Budget

- TF0C8644: CWPF

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS The World Bank Group invites eligible firms to indicate their interest in providing the services. Interested firms must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform the services (brochures, description of similar assignments, experience in similar conditions, availability of appropriate skills among staff, etc. for firms; CV and cover letter for individuals). Please note that the total size of all attachments should be less than 5MB. Firms may associate to enhance their qualifications unless otherwise stated in the solicitation documents. Where a group of firms associate to submit an EOI, they must indicate which is the lead firm. If shortlisted, the firm identified in the EOI as the lead firm will be invited to the request for proposal (RFP) phase. Expressions of Interest should be submitted, in English, electronically through WBGeProcure RFx Now NOTES Following this invitation for EOI, a shortlist of qualified firms will be formally invited to submit proposals. Shortlisting and selection will be subject to the availability of funding. Only those firms which have been shortlisted will be invited to participate in the RFP phase. No notification or debrief will be provided to firms which have not been shortlisted. If you encounter technical difficulties while uploading documents, please send an e-mail to the Help Desk at corporateprocurement@worldbank.org prior to the submission deadline.

Procurement number: 0002024236. Expressions of interest are submitted through the World Bank Group's eProcure (RFx Now) portal, which requires vendor registration.