Request for Proposal – AANZFTA Implementation Support Program (AISP) - Promoting AANZFTA through Communications and Business Engagement
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. 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
This project will support a series of connected communications activities to promote AANZFTA throughout the Financial Year 2024-25 (until June 2025) under the AANZFTA Implementation Support Program (AISP) to strengthen public and private sector stakeholders' awareness of its economic benefits.
Objectives:
(i) Increase understanding of AANZFTA, the AANZFTA Upgrade, and AISP activities.
(ii) Build on 2023 AISP-ECWP communications and business engagement initiatives, including:
(iii) Develop business engagement resources to strengthen partnerships with diverse and potentially marginalised communities.
Key Outputs:
Request for Proposal – Regional Trade for Development
Implementation Consultant and Event Organiser for Building Institutional Capacity for Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards (SPS) Implementation under RCEP
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. 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.
This project was created to implement activities that align with RCEP Chapter 5 on SPS. The objective is to enhance the practical application of SPS measures by promoting transparency and understanding of the development processes and applications among relevant stakeholders. The project seeks to strengthen coordination, communication, and consultation among the domestic parties involved in SPS measures, adhering to international standards, guidelines, and recommendations. With support from RCEP and the RT4D program, the fundamental goal of this project is to build the institutional capabilities of key stakeholders at the central and provincial levels under the leadership of FDD. This will set up a foundation to establish a modern, comprehensive, high-quality, and mutually beneficial economic partnership, facilitating regional trade and investment expansion and contributing to global economic growth.
Improving inter-departmental coordination is another crucial component of the project; it will establish a collaborative, dynamic platform for stakeholders such as the FDD, Department of Agriculture (DOA), Department of Livestock and Fisheries (DOLF), and Department of Planning (DOP) to monitor and evaluate the implementation of SPS chapters. This initiative aims to promote transparency, ensuring senior decision-makers and policy formulators have a unified understanding of the SPS chapter and the ASEAN Sectoral Mutual Recognition Arrangement for Inspection and Certification Systems on Food Hygiene for Prepared Foodstuff Products (MRA) guidelines, alongside developing implementation regulations that clarify procedural and operational parameters. This framework seeks to mitigate arbitrary decision-making while reinforcing compliance with national legal standards through stringent oversight and formalised inspection processes.
The specific objectives of this project are to:
Tetra Tech International Development is seeking a Strategic Communications and Public Diplomacy Adviser to develop and lead the Program’s Communications and Public Diplomacy Strategy, and to oversee all communications, advocacy, and public diplomacy efforts in Indonesia.
Contribute to a world where people, communities, and the planet thrive.
Tetra Tech International Development is a leading development consulting firm working with government, businesses, and NGOs to solve complex development challenges in the Indo-Pacific region. For more information, please visit our website.
The opportunity:
Position Overview
Aus4ASEAN Futures builds on the ASEAN-Australia Development Cooperation Program phase 2 (AADCPII), a highly regarded program which has provided support to the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) for 12 years. Aus4ASEAN Futures is a $204 million, ten-year investment embedded in the ASEAN Secretariat (ASEC). It mobilizes resources through an ASEAN trust fund and uses ASEAN procurement systems, showcasing Australia's commitment to ASEAN priorities and partnership. The program supports the ASEAN Political Security Community (APSC), ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC), and ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), enabling Australia to engage with ASEAN on various strategic and emerging issues, such as climate change, vocational education, disaster preparedness, social inclusion, and the care economy. The goal is to foster a "peaceful, prosperous, and inclusive" ASEAN by promoting economic recovery, resilient communities, and peaceful, rules-based systems. Additionally, it aims to integrate cross-cutting issues like social inclusion, gender equality, and disability into ASEAN programs, and to enhance Australia's positive contribution to ASEAN.
The Strategic Communications and Public Diplomacy Adviser will ensure adherence to branding guidelines, document Program activities and achievements with high-quality strategic communications tailored to target audiences, support the ASEAN Secretariat in building strategic communications capacity, and manage public information and social media campaigns across traditional, social, and digital media platforms.
Request for Proposal – Regional Trade for Development Program
Technical Consultant on AISP Project “Developing National Policies and Laws Related to GRTKTCE; and Empowering Ethnic Communities through strengthening capacity for GRTKTCE protection for Interested ASEAN Member States (AMSs)”
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 AISP Implementation Support Program (AISP), implemented RT4D Facility, aims to support AMS to realise the full benefits of AISP through the provision of capacity-building support and access to technical expertise.
The following project is approved under AISP.
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.
Tetra Tech International Development Pty Ltd (Tetra Tech International Development) as the managing contractor of the Aus4Skills Program on behalf of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, is seeking tenders from Australian service providers to design and deliver a Knowledge Exchange on Quality Assurance in Vocational Education and Training (VET) (the “Activity”) for up to 20 participants from Government of Vietnam bodies responsible for quality assurance in VET, including Aus4Skills partner VET colleges, the Logistics Industry Reference Council (LIRC) and Vietnam accreditors, as further described in the Part B, Scope of Services.
Tetra Tech International Development is looking for a motivated Alumni Coordinator to play an active role in the coordinating the alumni network, professional development and outreach activities align to Aus4Skills program objectives.
Contribute to a world where people, communities, and the planet thrive.
Tetra Tech International Development is a leading development consulting firm working with government, businesses, and NGOs to solve complex development challenges in the Indo-Pacific region. For more information, please visit our website.
The opportunity:
· Location: Ha Noi, Viet Nam
· Reserved for Vietnam nationals
· Full-time contract until 31 December 2025
Aus4Skills: The goal of Aus4Skills is to support Vietnam in accessing and using high-level professional and technical knowledge, skills, and competencies to contribute to the country’s sustainable economic and inclusive development. The program also aims to deepen Vietnamese and Australian people-to-people and institutional links, thereby strengthening the partnership between the two countries. Aus4Skills is managed by Tetra Tech International Development on behalf of Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
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.
The AANZFTA Implementation Support Program (AISP), implemented through RT4D Facility, aims to support ASEAN Member States to realize the full benefits of AANFTA through the provision of capacity-building support and access to technical expertise.
The following project is approved under AISP.
Aligning with the Strategic Directions and Priorities of the Committee on Trade in Services, this project aims to support interested AMS, specifically The Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam, and others with a smooth transition to a Negative List approach within the committed timeframe, enabling trade in services liberalization.
