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.

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 by the 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: Promoting the utilisation of RCEP, especially in digital trade, through better understanding and enhanced engagement of the private sector, MSMEs and women-led businesses.

• Project Objectives: In celebration of the third anniversary of RCEP’s entry into force, this project aims to reinforce the practical utilization of RCEP commitments by MSMEs and women-led enterprises through the following objectives:

o to assess the awareness and utilization of RCEP among MSMEs, women led businesses in Viet Nam, identifying gaps and areas for improvement. 

o to address identified gaps by raising awareness and improving communication on RCEP benefits among MSMEs and women-led enterprises, especially in digital trade, through capacity-building workshops and the development of user-friendly materials to enhance understanding and utilization.

o to strengthen collaboration between the MSMEs and women-led enterprises, and policymakers to improve FTA implementation and support. 

KONEKSI program, managed by Cowater International, is seeking Head of Partnerships Management who will lead the partnerships management. They will lead the partnerships team in implementing collaborative research grants and technical assistance to knowledge partnerships. In addition, the Head of Partnerships Management is responsible for implementing new initiatives related to KONEKSI’s partnership work including communities of practice and research and partnership platform.

Abt Global, through Investing in Women (IW), is looking for a partner to implement the Gender-Responsive Innovations for At-Home Aged Care Initiative in Vietnam, which aims to build the evidence base on gender-responsive, private sector-led solutions that can improve the quality of at-home care for older adults in Vietnam while supporting the rebalancing of women’s responsibility for unpaid care work.