Request for Proposal – Regional Trade for Development Program

Technical Consultant, Project “Advancing Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) in Regional Economic Integration and Trade in ASEAN – From Learning to Policy Actions”

About RT4D

The Regional Trade for Development (RT4D) Facility supports ASEAN Member States to maximise benefits from the upgraded ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement. Under the operation of the RT4D, the Trade and Gender Equality Incubator (TGEI), with funding support from Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), tests ideas and methods, drawing on promising practice to advance gender equality within trade-related policies, technical cooperation, and development programming.

Project Summary

GEDSI-responsive trade policy is important to ensure that all economic actors benefit from regional trade and economic integration. This regional project aims to build ASEAN Member State (AMS) capacity in gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI) and trade, such that relevant officials are better able to design and implement GEDSI-responsive trade policy and trade facilitation programs in their countries. TGEI intends a partnership with the World Trade Organization (WTO) to:

1. Adapt existing training materials on gender and trade to the ASEAN context.

2. Deliver these trainings to ASEAN officials (online and in-person).

3. Provide technical assistance to select AMS to implement GEDSI-responsive trade policy.

4. Foster a community of practice to support policymakers in these endeavours.

Be part of a panel of gender equality, disability and social inclusion consultants providing advice on the Australian Government’s Climate Resilient Communities (CRC) program in the Indo-Pacific, covering the Pacific, Southeast Asia and South Asia regions

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.

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 realizing 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 RT4D Facility, aims to support AMS to realize 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: Effective application of Good Regulatory Practices (GRP) in developing technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures.
• Project Objectives: The objective of this project is to build capacity and a better understanding of (1) the effective application of GRP and (2) conducting Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) for Country officials who are involved in developing technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures in Viet Nam.

Through that, the project contributes to the strategic objectives of The RCEP Agreement as stated in Chapter 6, Article 2, namely, 6.2 (a), (b), (c), and (d).

• Project Structure: The project consists of four activities designed to deliver multiple outputs:
• Activity 1: Development of two Research Reports
• 1. One Research Report on GRP application
• 2. One Research Report on RIA implementation
• Activity 2: Development of two Guidelines acting as manuals for implementing organizations
• 1. One Guideline on GRP application
• 2. One Guideline on RIA implementation
• Activity 3: Organization of capacity building Training Courses
• 1. Three 1.5-day Training Courses on GRP: one in Vinh Phuc, one in Da Nang and one in Ho Chi Minh City.
• 2. One 1.5-day Training Course on RIA in Vinh Phuc
• Activity 4: Organization of one final Regional Workshop communicating project components’ findings.

The STTA Pool is a roster of vetted and qualified consultants from which Development Pathways can rapidly engage technical experts for DFAT-funded programs. The STTA Pool enables programs to effectively respond to emerging opportunities by drawing on exceptional external experts to deliver services.

Cowater is recruiting an experience professional as Project Officer in Lao Cai to support the provincial work of its socio-economic development initiative - Gender-Responsive Equitable Agriculture and Tourism Phase 2 (GREAT 2 Program) in Vietnam. 

Communications Training Consultancy (Photography, Storytelling, Social media)

The GREAT Program, a 10-year flagship initiative of Australian Government, managed by Cowater International, is looking for a service provider (an individual consultant or a consultancy firm) who can provide high quality training in areas of communications and promotion for our partners in provinces of Lao Cai and Son La.