| Overview : Take on the P.E.A.R.L. Innovation Challenge Call Uganda is endowed with abundant natural resources and a rich cultural and historical heritage which are the base for its tourism industry. Prior to the disruption brought about by the novel Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19), tourism was Uganda’s leading foreign exchange earner, driving socio-economic development and job creation, particularly for the youth and women; and made significant contributions to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The advent of the novel Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) has not only caused a global health emergency and created new challenges, but also severely impacted on the tourism industry particularly Micro, Small and Medium enterprises offering tourism experiences. A socio-economic impact assessment of COVID-19 by the United Nations in Uganda estimates that the tourism sector is projected to lose US$5 billion in revenue over the next 5-year period (2020-2025). It also estimates that national poverty rates could rise between approximately 2 and 8% with the increase in unemployment resulting in a 15.7% increase in the poverty rate among wage earning households UNDP Uganda in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities (MTWA); and Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) have initiated the “Take on the P.E.A.R.L Innovation Challenge Call”. This Innovation Challenge Call will support the piloting and or scaling of inclusive business solutions as a mechanism to recover from the impact of COVID-19, by addressing key business level barriers through targeted funding and/or targeted technical assistance. P.E.A.R.L refers to Private-Sector Lead; Effective and Feasible solution; Additionality (from a development/donor perspective); Addressing COVID Recovery & Resilience; Improve Livelihoods. Applicants should present an innovative idea/solution that helps them to scale-up operations and impact. We are inviting proposals from interested innovators who can implement their suggested ideas in an inclusive and sustainable manner. All proposals must present the business model of the company/organization, show how it is inclusive and financially viable, explain which barriers the business/organization faces in scaling up, how the prize award would be used to overcome them, and what impact the solution would have on low income people and local communities. For additional information on the Call, please visit https://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=72757 Interested enterprises are encouraged to submit proposals and other related documents to tenders.kampala@undp.org by no later than 14:00 hours, Friday 26 February 2021. UNDP will receive, evaluate and award successful applicants on a rolling basis up to 14:00 hours, Friday 26 February 2021. | 
