Request for Proposal – Regional Trade for Development Program

Event Organisation and Management for an on-site event on AISP Project “Implementing AANZFTA Data Rules: Advancing Cross-Border E-Commerce.

About RT4D

The Regional Trade for Development (RT4D) initiative is funded by both the Governments of Australia and New Zealand. It assists ASEAN Member States (AMS) in meeting their commitments and realising the advantages offered by the Agreement establishing the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area, or AANZFTA, and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, or RCEP.

Through the AANZFTA Implementation Support Program (AISP) and the RCEP Implementation Support Program (RISP), RT4D provides tailored support to enhance the capabilities of ASEAN Member States by strengthening skills, building networks, facilitating policy options and ensuring that trade benefits everyone, including Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), women and people with disabilities.

Also operating under RT4D is the Trade and Gender Equality Incubator (TGEI), an initiative funded by the Australian Government. The incubator tests ideas and methods, drawing on promising examples, that integrate gender in trade policy, technical cooperation, and development programming.

The Governments of Australia and New Zealand have committed up to AUD 48.7 million to fund RT4D from 2020-21 to 2027-28.

Project Summary

The AANZFTA Implementation Support Program (AISP), implemented RT4D Facility, aims to support AMS to realise the full benefits of AANZFTA through the provision of capacity-building support and access to technical expertise.

The following project is approved under AISP.

•Project Name: Implementing AANZFTA Data Rules: Advancing Cross-Border E-Commerce.

•Project Objective:

• The Regional Workshop is intended to deepen mutual understanding of the regulatory landscape, promote alignment, and support the development of business-friendly policies. It will also provide an opportunity to seek preliminary recommendations for best practice principles, ensuring their relevance and practicality for AANZFTA economies.
• To foster discussions on challenges, successes, and best practices in implementing cross-border data rules. This activity directly supports the project’s objectives of enhancing regulatory alignment and strengthening the implementation of cross-border data rules across the AANZFTA region.

Request for Proposal – Regional Trade for Development Program

Event Organisation and Management for an on-site event on RISP Project “Fostering Inclusive Policies and Practices in ASEAN’s E-Waste Management and Recycling Industry to support Manufacturing Related Services”

About RT4D

The Regional Trade for Development (RT4D) initiative is funded by both the Governments of Australia and New Zealand. It assists ASEAN Member States (AMS) in meeting their commitments and realising the advantages offered by the Agreement establishing the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area, or AANZFTA, and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, or RCEP.

Through the AANZFTA Implementation Support Program (AISP) and the RCEP Implementation Support Program (RISP), RT4D provides tailored support to enhance the capabilities of ASEAN Member States by strengthening skills, building networks, facilitating policy options and ensuring that trade benefits everyone, including Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), women and people with disabilities.

Also operating under RT4D is the Trade and Gender Equality Incubator (TGEI), an initiative funded by the Australian Government. The incubator tests ideas and methods, drawing on promising examples, that integrate gender in trade policy, technical cooperation, and development programming.

The Governments of Australia and New Zealand have committed up to AUD 48.7 million to fund RT4D from 2020-21 to 2027-28.

Project Summary

The RCEP Implementation Support Program (RISP), implemented RT4D Facility, aims to support AMS to realise the full benefits of RCEP through the provision of capacity-building support and access to technical expertise.

The following project is approved under RISP and TGEI.

•Project Name: Fostering Inclusive Policies and Practices in ASEAN’s E-Waste Management and Recycling Industry to support Manufacturing Related Services

•Project Objectives:

• To strengthen the capabilities of key stakeholders who are engaged in e-waste management and recycling services to use digital technologies, especially in the area of EV batteries and solar cell panel supply chains.
• To identify GEDSI issues and recommendations to support businesses, including those owned by women and people with disabilities, to effectively participate in e-waste management and recycling services.
• To encourage key stakeholders, particularly policy makers, to align trade-related policies and regulatory frameworks to advance GEDSI and circular economy practices at the national and regional levels.

• Long Term Role – January 2025, 9 months with an option for extension, subject to program extension 

Program Overview

FPSP, also referred to as the ‘Platform’, a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) investment, will contribute to the delivery of Fiji’s national development priorities, in line with the Australia’s International Development Policy, the Fiji-Australia Vuvale Partnership and the Development Partnership Plan. 

The Platform will deliver key bilateral programs, such as health, education, scholarships, social infrastructure, governance, climate and emergency preparedness and response. Platform activities will identify and address climate risks, promote climate action, and gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI) across and beyond the sector programs.

The Platform has three functional Outcomes: 

1. The Platform has delivered its sector program outcomes, including through supporting strategic coherence, planning, partnerships management, data and learning across the portfolio of investments.
2. The Platform has prioritised gender equality, disability-inclusive development, and climate and disaster resilience, in its systems and practices. This includes in how it undertakes sector programming and its engagement with selected Government of Fiji (GoF) agencies.
3. The Platform administers timely and efficient programming that is: value for money; maximises use of local supply chains; and supports good governance, and public diplomacy, effective decision making and risk management.

IPEF Overview

Fiji is the only Pacific Island member in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), representing a significant step in integrating the Pacific’s second largest economy into our region’s economic architecture. Australia and Fiji have both signed the four IPEF agreements that have been substantially concluded by IPEF Ministers: the IPEF Supply Chain, Clean Economy, Fair Economy, and Overarching Agreements. The IPEF Trade Agreement is still under negotiation. The Fijian Ministry of Trade, Co-operatives, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MTCMSMEC) is Fiji’s coordinating agency on IPEF, led by its International Trade team, which also has responsibility for domestic and international trade initiatives, including PACER Plus and WTO commitments.

Following intensive IPEF negotiations over 2021-2023, MTCMSMEC now needs to focus on its other domestic and international responsibilities. Line ministries face similar challenges. Additional support is needed for MTCMSMEC to coordinate and report on IPEF commitments across Government of Fiji including providing support for line ministries to guide legislative drafting and technical readiness assessments.

Under Australia’s IPEF Fund for Technical Assistance and Economic Cooperation (IFTAEC), Australia is providing tailored support for Fiji to implement its IPEF commitments, through the establishment of a Fiji IPEF Implementation Unit within the MTCMSMEC. The Implementation Unit will consist of an embedded IPEF Program Manager and IPEF Coordination Officer, who will have responsibility for developing targeted capacity building and technical assistance projects for MTCMSMEC and other Fijian line agencies with IPEF responsibilities, and providing administrative, coordination and logistical support to free MTCMSMEC officials to focus on IPEF engagement.