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.

Program Background

Australia and Lao PDR (Laos) came together to deliver the Laos-Australia Connectivity Partnership, which focuses on supporting the Government of Laos (GoL) to improve transport connectivity and infrastructure decision-making and practice. The LACP Memorandum of Subsidiary Arrangement (MSA) was signed on 7 July 2022 by GoL and Australian Government with a budget of at least $10 million to 30 June 2024 ($13.2 million has been committed), with an option to extend. LACP is delivered by the Partnerships for Infrastructure (P4I) initiative and complement GoL’s Southeast Asia Regional Economic Corridor and Connectivity (SEARECC) project, which the World Bank funds.

P4I is now continuing to work with MPWT in the transport sector during the bridging period January to December 2025, in preparation for a second phase of work beyond December 2025. During the bridging period, P4I will continue to support GoL to improve transport connectivity and infrastructure decision-making and practice - building on Laos’ ASEAN chair year connectivity and resilience agenda. P4I will support the implementation of the National Transport Strategy and will help to balance national and regional transport connectivity interests and consensus on priority regional issues as it transitions to become a land-linked country.