Request for Proposals for Secretariat Services for the Brazil In-Country Working Group

August 1, 2025 •

The Voluntary Principles Initiative (VPI) is looking for an organization to provide secretariat services for the Brazil In-Country Working Group (ICWG) for a period of twelve months, renewable by mutual agreement.

The Brazil ICWG Secretariat will provide facilitation, policy leadership and direction in the group’s meetings and activities. They will also be responsible for providing the administrative, logistical, and operational support necessary for the effective functioning of the working group, ensuring the smooth coordination of meetings, communication, documentation, and the implementation of decisions made by the ICWG.

To participate in the process, bidders must meet the following eligibility requirements:

• Be a registered non-profit organization based in Brazil such as an NGO, civil society organization, academic institution, foundation, think tank, etc.
• Be able to demonstrate administrative capacity to run a Working Group, expertise and knowledge of human rights issues (ideally, security and human rights).
• Demonstrate a high degree of fluency in English, with proven ability to draft documents and communicate in English.

The deadline to submit proposals is Friday, September 12, 2025, at 5:00pm EDT (Eastern Daylight Time).

Questions related to this RFP will be accepted until Friday, August 22, 2025.  Answers will be posted on the RFP page on Tuesday, August 26, 2025.

Please click on the button below for more information about the project and the complete RFP.

Background

For many years, the VPI has been creating multistakeholder In-Country Working Groups (ICWGs), intended to facilitate effective country-level implementation of the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights.  These groups have proven effective in fostering multistakeholder dialogue on the ground through in-country coordination and engagement with national, state and local governments, companies (primarily in the mining and energy sectors), civil society organizations, and embassies.

About the Brazil ICWG

VPI Members identified Brazil in 2022 as a country with significant potential for a successful ICWG, mainly due to strong demand on the ground by the membership and the likelihood that collective multistakeholder efforts could deepen in-country VPSHR implementation and positively impact human rights landscape. In November 2022, the Brazil ICWG held its first meeting and since then the group has been meeting regularly.

To support the effective implementation of the VPSHR on the ground, the VPI is supporting ICWGs by providing Core/Administrative Funding on a renewable basis. The seed Core Funding is generally provided for 3 (three) consecutive years to VPI-created ICWGs for core activities required to support and sustain a working group. The Brazil ICWG has so far received one year of Core Funding and is eligible for two further years, plus there will be other potential funding opportunities from donors and members.