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.

KEY INFORMATION
Job Title: Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Lead
Reports to: Team Leader
Direct Reports: Knowledge Management and Communications Officer; MEL Officers
Location: Manila, Philippines
Duration: 15 February 2025 to 14 February 2026 with possibility of multiyear extension.
Readvertised Positon
 
SUMMARY OF THE PROJECT
The DFAT (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) Social Protection, Inclusion and Gender equality (SPRING) program is Australia’s flagship investment of support to the Philippine Government on Social Protection, Gender Equality, Disability, Social Inclusion and Indigenous Inclusion. It is an AUD 40 million investment over 5 years that will support the joint Development Partnership Plan (DPP 2024-2029) between the Government of Australia and the Philippine Government. The investment will be the DFAT’s primary avenue in the Philippines for supporting poverty reduction and bilateral funding on gender equality and social inclusion at the national level and with some select Local Government Units (LGUs). SPRING will support efforts under Australia’s new International Development Policy and DFAT’s forthcoming new strategies on gender equality, disability equity and rights, and translate these into implementation in the Philippines.  
 
SPRING will contribute to the goal that the social and economic transformation in the Philippines reduces poverty and provides equal opportunities to all Filipinos in line with the Philippines Development Plan.
 
The objective of SPRING is that Australia works in partnership with the Philippine Government to improve systems and structures that reduce poverty and inequality and advance gender equality and the rights of people with disabilities.
 
SPRING has four mutually reinforcing End of Program Outcomes (EOPOs):

1. Philippine Government social protection plans, policies and programs increasingly close gaps in the social protection floor.
2. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and select LGU systems increasingly deliver quality social protection that is inclusive, gender and shock responsive, and climate sensitive.
3. The Philippine Government increasingly invests in gender responsive policies, plans, programs and systems.
4. The Philippine Government improves data, systems and targeting to enable people with disability and Indigenous Peoples improved access to targeted services.

Location: Jakarta, Indonesia 

Location: Jakarta, Indonesia

Prospera is seeking the services of a Registered Training Organisation or Technical College to deliver an ‘Inclusive and Transformative Leadership’ or ‘Kepemimpinan Inklusif dan Transformatif’ (KIT) training program to an estimated 100 Government of Indonesia (GoI) officials from February to May 2025.

Fiji Program Support Platform (FPSP)

• Base in Suva, Fiji
• Locally Engaged Employee - 3-year Contract, with possible 2-year extension