Request for Proposal – Regional Trade for Development Program

Technical Consultant on Project Design, “Development of Project Design for Increasing women-led and owned businesses' participation in international trade and utilization of trade agreements through collection and analysis of sex-disaggregated data”

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: Development of Project Design for Increasing women-led and owned businesses' participation in international trade and utilization of trade agreements through collection and analysis of sex-disaggregated data.
• Project Objective: In order to identify women-owned businesses (WOBs) and women-led businesses (WLBs) that could take advantage of the opportunities provided by RCEP, the project intends to gather and analyse sex-disaggregated data in the Philippines. Specifically, the project aims to:

1. Collect and analyse sex-disaggregated data on WLBs and WOBs to better analyse and assess the impact of government interventions and available trade agreements.
2. Capacitate and enable identified WLBs and WOBs to better understand the benefits of FTAs and how they can be leveraged to increase their international competitiveness.
3. Identify key performance indicators (KPls) to monitor and evaluate WLBs and WOBs' level of participation in international trade.
4. Generate trade leads for potential business partnership or market expansion of WLBs and WOBs.

Tetra Tech International Development is looking for an experienced HR Manager to support the Mekong-Australia Partnership Support Unit (MAP SU) with the planning, implementing, and overseeing efficient and effective support and enabling services, and delivery of selected MAP activities as directed by the Mekong Hub at the Australian Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand to ensure that Australia is a trusted and visible partner in supporting a resilient, inclusive and sustainable Mekong subregion.

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:

• Join a dynamic international organization committed to global impact
• Be part of a collaborative team driving positive global change
• Bangkok, Thailand (This role is reserved for Thai nationals only)

The HR Manager will lead the implementation of HR and organizational policies with MAP SU, manage recruitment, ensure compliance with Thai employment law, and support the performance management and development of our team. You will partner with the executive management team in navigating complex scenarios to drive positive results, being an effective strategic partner for the Mekong Hub at Bangkok Post. Play a critical role in recruiting, hiring, and retaining top talent, managing employee relations, and ensuring compliance with labor laws for the MAP SU.

Background of the Program

The DFAT-funded Knowledge Partnership Platform (KONEKSI) is Australia’s flagship program in the Indonesia knowledge and innovation sector. KONEKSI’s goal is to achieve an enduring relationship between Indonesia and Australia that advances mutual interest and supports Indonesia’s inclusive and sustainable development. The purpose of the program is to increase the use of knowledge-based solutions for inclusive and sustainable policies and technologies. This purpose positions KONEKSI as a vehicle to produce knowledge on complex socio-economic problems, where effective solutions are often beyond a unique sector or category of stakeholders. It will support both the knowledge to policy cycle (K2P) and the knowledge to innovation cycle (K2I), in a complementary and synergistic way. KONEKSI will focus on two End of Investment Outcomes (EOIOs): 

1.    Australian and Indonesian organisations have increased collaboration and mutual understanding through knowledge partnerships; and 
2.    Innovative solutions for inclusive and sustainable policies and technologies are generated by knowledge partnerships.
 

Abt Global is seeking a suitably qualified individual to fill the role of GEDSI and Women’s Economic Empowerment Adviser to be based in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

Cowater International is recruiting a Demonstrate Lead in Southeast Asia for the GBV Prevention Platform

Cowater International is recruiting a Regional Director in Southeast Asia for the GBV Prevention Platform

Abt Global is seeking a suitably qualified individual to fill the role of MERLA Officer for the Western Province Partnership to be based in Daru, Western Province.

The Gender Equality, Disability and Social inclusion (GEDSI) Specialist within the Resilience Advisory Team will support the delivery of services of the Support Unit for DFAT.

Palladium is a global company working to design, develop and deliver positive impact on the lives and livelihoods of people around the globe.  We operate in over 90 countries and have a workforce of more than 4,000 talented, motivated, and diverse staff of all religions, races, languages, and gender identities. We are seeking a GEDSI and Community Engagement Manager who is required to lead activities with strong community and stakeholder partner linkages across the Program, engaging strategically with senior government stakeholders, community groups and community service organisations to jointly develop and implement tailored activities and initiatives addressing access to justice for women, children, youth and other vulnerable people.

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

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. 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

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:

• To provide capacity building on implementing the SPS measures and provisions, focusing on Chapter 5 of RCEP commitments
• To strengthen economic cooperation and dialogue that supports the implementation and utilisation of key provisions within the SPS agreement 
• To increase public and stakeholders’ awareness of the benefits and impact of the RCEP and SPS Chapter to enhance access to information for businesses, especially Micro-Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (MSMEs), on the SPS requirements as well as MRA on import-export 
• To strengthen cooperation and exchange experience with RCEP Parties in the SPS Chapter, particularly on the collective participation approach at the ASEAN SPS committee meeting.