Abt Global is seeking a suitably qualified individual to fill the role of Procurement Officer to be based in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (with travels to Daru, WP).

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.

• Project Name: Study on Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) Reform – Introducing Safeguards in Modern Investment Agreements
• Project Objective: The project addresses the AANZFTA Committee on Investment’s (COI) Sectoral Strategic Directions Priorities Document (SSDP) to ‘Progress in Advancing the Work Programme for the Upgrade AANZFTA Investment Chapter’ and in particular, the COI Work Programme activity to review Section B (Investment Disputes between a Party and an Investor) of the Upgraded AANZFTA. It aims to support AANZFTA Parties’ consideration of modern ISDS safeguards included in recent agreements and ISDS reforms discussed in international fora, in the context of the review of the AANZFTA ISDS provisions. The project is designed with the following objectives:

o Provide AANZFTA Parties with the latest discussions and outcomes on ISDS reform in other fora.

o Enhance AANZFTA Parties’ understanding of the safeguards to protect governments’ right to regulate as introduced in newer International Investment Agreements (IIAs), and its usage under arbitration cases.

o Align AANZFTA Parties’ understanding on the potential benefits of introducing safeguards to the current ISDS provisions under the AANZFTA.

o Provide recommendations for AANZFTA Parties on the potential modern ISDS safeguard elements that are suitable to be considered for inclusion under the AANZFTA ISDS review.

Fiji Program Support Platform (FPSP)

• Locally engaged role; commencing March 2025 to 31 December 2027
• Based in Suva, Fiji

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.

Palladium is a global company working to design, develop and deliver positive impact on the lives and livelihoods of people around the globe.  We operate in over 90 countries and have a workforce of more than 4,000 talented, motivated, and diverse staff of all religions, races, languages, and gender identities. We are seeking a Regional Finance & Administration Officer, Australia Awards – South Asia & Mongolia on a Fixed Term Contract to be located in Colombo, Sri Lanka. This is a locally engaged position, and Palladium is not able to sponsor employees to relocate. 

Role Summary

Reporting to the DFAT Counsellor (Development) and with a high degree of autonomy, the Communications Adviser will assist in the development and delivery of the Mekong Australia Partnership’s communications functions. The role will be responsible for helping develop and implement a communications strategy, determine MAP core messages and ensuring that these core messages reach identified stakeholders and intended audience. The role will work with Investment Managers located in Bangkok and across DFAT’s Posts in the Mekong sub-region to collect, create and disseminate information and messaging. The Adviser will work with the Adviser – Performance, Quality and Risk, to create content to support Monitoring and Evaluation.

The Adviser will be located in the Mekong Hub in Bangkok and work closely with sector specialists, Australian Government posts in the region, implementing partners, Australian Government agencies and DFAT Canberra. 

The Adviser will directly supervise one Locally-engaged Public Diplomacy Officer.

Role Summary

The Adviser is responsible for assisting the MAP Advisor – Performance, Quality and Risk, implement the MAP Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL) system, and managing information flows to inform management of lessons learned from investment implementation. This includes working closely with delivery partners to ensure investment MEL systems are fit for purpose, contribute to MAP objectives, are in line with DFAT requirements, and supportive of the overall MAP Performance Assessment Framework (PAF). The Advisor will support DFAT Investment Managers prepare Investment Monitoring Reports (IMRs) for MAP regional programs managed from Bangkok, and assist Posts across the region to report bilateral activities, including through IMRs, within the MAP MEL framework as required.

The Adviser will be located in the Mekong Hub and report to the Advisor – Performance, Quality and Risk. The Advisor will work closely with sector specialists, Australian Government posts in the region, implementing partners, Australian Government agencies and DFAT Canberra.  The position will support coordination within and between Mekong countries and facilitate cross-fertilisation and learning between MAP investments.

Role Summary

Reporting to the DFAT Counsellor (Development) and with a high degree of autonomy, the Operations Adviser will manage a small team to deliver Mekong Australia Partnership accountability and administration functions to ensure the efficient and effective delivery of Official Development Assistance (ODA) investments across the MAP portfolio.  The position will work closely with DFAT staff to design, establish and implement core integrity and administrative measures across the entire MAP portfolio. The position will represent DFAT with external stakeholders across the Mekong sub-region, as we deepen our partnerships. This position will also work closely with Australian Posts in the Mekong subregion, implementing partners, and other Australian Government agencies based in Australia and the region. 

Location: Gorontalo, Indonesia

• Opportunity to provide strategic leadership and program oversight of the -Solomon Islands-Australia Partnership for Governance 
• Long Term contract from September 2024 - to December 2025 (with possible extension)
• Based in Honiara, Solomon Islands 

About the Program

Solomon Islands-Australia Partnership for Governance commenced in January 2022 and is an AUD $35.8 million investment where Australia partners with the Solomon Islands Government (SIG) to support its critical priorities over four years. The goal is to build economic resilience and promote policies and practices for sustainable economic recovery and growth. Australia’s objective for this partnership is to strengthen accountable and inclusive governance in partnership with SIG and other stakeholders. The program will contribute to the goal through four end-of-program outcomes (EOPOs):

• EOPO1: SIG has strengthened public financial management and oversight.
• EOPO2: SIG has improved domestic revenue generation and improved capability in targeted areas.
• EOPO3: SIG has strengthened inclusive democratic processes and expanded opportunities for stakeholder engagement in public policy dialogue.
• EOPO4: The program generates strengthened relationships between SIG and the Government of Australia.