2024 U.S.-ASEAN Women’s Leadership Academy for YSEALI

Description

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Mission to ASEAN of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for a cooperative agreement to develop and implement the 2024 U.S.-ASEAN Women’s Leadership Academy for YSEALI (YSEALI WLA) titled “The Next Meal: Ensuring Food Security for a Combined One Billion People,” to be located in one of the ASEAN member states, pending the availability of funding. Carefully follow all instructions below. Priority Region: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Laos, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Timor-Leste. YSEALI Background: YSEALI (yseali.state.gov) is the U.S. government’s signature initiative to engage emerging leaders in Southeast Asia. The program aims to create a network of young Southeast Asian leaders who work across national borders to solve common problems. Through a variety of programs and engagements, YSEALI seeks to build the leadership capabilities of youth in the region, strengthen ties between the United States and Southeast Asia, and nurture a community of leaders who work across borders to solve shared issues. YSEALI is open to young leaders ages 18 to 35 who are both citizens and residents of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries (Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) or Timor-Leste. Responding to priorities from youth in the ASEAN region, YSEALI programs focus on four themes (Civic Engagement, Economic Empowerment and Social Entrepreneurship, Education and Environmental Issues). One component of YSEALI is annual regional workshops held across Southeast Asia on strategic topics. Program Objectives: The U.S. Mission to ASEAN has hosted nine leadership academies for women and will host another academy in 2024. The 2024 YSEALI WLA will advance the YSEALI theme of Economic Empowerment and Social Entrepreneurship and Environmental Issues and the U.S. Mission to ASEAN’s strategic goals: Sub-objective 3.2.1. ASEAN recognizes the contribution of women in the economic recovery of the region and strives to promote DEIA principles across its economic community pillar. Sub-objective 3.2.2. The United States creates a program to promote the role of women across ASEAN in contributing to peace and security across the region. The 2024 Women’s Leadership Academy will include an in person four-day workshop exclusively with females who have professional or research experience related to food security (e.g., biotech, agribusiness, trade/economics, water management, relevant public health topics such as malnutrition). Participants, age 20 to 35, must represent all 10 of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states and Timor-Leste. The Academy must also include additional virtual meetings and gatherings (before the workshop). Recent global grain shortages have shown how vulnerable sectors suffer when a food crisis arises. Professionals from many different industries are working to prevent food insecurity and manage the impact of short-term and long-term food shortages. The 2024 WLA will be designed to gather female leaders who are approaching this challenge from a variety of angles and will broadly consider applicants’ experience and contributions. A few examples of the many possible relevant fields include biotech, agribusiness, trade/economics, resource management (e.g., water, soil), and public health specialties associated with nutrition and food safety. Populations that have access to adequate, nutritious food will contribute positively to the development of the economies of ASEAN member states and ensure long-term security in the region. The Biden-Harris administration has increasingly focused on how countries and international bodies address and combat food insecurity. As such, ASEAN also sees the agriculture sector as one of the most important agenda items for ASEAN cooperation. Agriculture, food, and related industries contribute five percent of the United States gross domestic product, representing more than one trillion dollars per year and more than 19 million jobs. Inherently vital to U.S. life, wellness, health, and economy, the critical food and agriculture sector has, in recent years, faced a range of deliberate and naturally occurring threats to its security and resilience. For member economies of ASEAN, the agricultural sector serves as a main source of livelihood for millions of Southeast Asians as well a key engine of growth. A 2017 article from the Habibie Center stated that 25 percent out of the region's 432 million land area is used for agricultural purposes. In addition, the sector contributes 25 percent of total employment in the region and makes up almost 15 percent of the total ASEAN GDP. Moreover, in some ASEAN member states the agricultural sector accounts for 40 percent of total employment in the country. The Academy’s workshop and pre-/post-workshop meetings and gatherings will include sessions with expert panels, panel discussions with U.S. and Southeast Asian experts on agriculture, public health, and trade; policy makers working on addressing food security, networking and mentoring opportunities, professional development sessions and activities, a site visit to an agricultural site or organization, and a cultural activity. The Academy’s workshop and pre-/post-workshop meetings and gatherings will also include strength assessments, elevator pitch practices or public speaking sessions and networking opportunities with leaders from the region and the United States. Sessions will focus on ASEAN fundamentals, understanding the role and benefit of working to address food security regionally through biotech and an overview of the U.S.-ASEAN Strategic Partnership to address food security together. The Academy’s workshop and pre-/post-workshop meetings and gatherings will also facilitate teamwork to identify key food security issues in and around the region. Alumnae Matter! The Department of States will celebrate YSEALI’s 10th birthday on December 3, 2023 and WLA 2024 will be the 10th WLA. Thus, the grant recipient should design special and creative components to recognize the duration of YSEALI initiatives and the growing number of YSEALI program alumni. · The Academy’s workshop and pre-/post-workshop meetings and gatherings will creatively include contributions from an existing alumnae network within the larger YSEALI Alumni Network. With more than 250 alumnae in the Women’s Leadership Academy Network, the U.S. Mission to ASEAN has designed a strong board of alumnae with a solid structure that will support and sustain post-Academy efforts moving forward. · After the Academy, and since 2024 is the 10th year of the YSEALI WLA, recipient will plan an alumnae activity for all YSEALI WLA alumnae. Recipient will work with the YSEALI WLA Alumnae Network team to plan for this post-gathering session. The follow-on activity should be included in the monitoring and evaluation plan. · The virtual pre-workshop sessions should start at least three months before the in-person workshop takes place, followed by post-workshop activities. The proposal should include details regarding an in-person workshop and virtual activities before and after the workshop such as virtual collaborative work, projects funded through small seed grants, or ongoing mentorship. · The proposal should include a pre- and post-workshop survey to measure the overall effectiveness of the workshop as well as any changes to the participants’ knowledge of the workshop topic. · The concepts of leadership, giving back, and strengthening a Southeast Asian/ASEAN identity based on shared values and shared challenges should be integrated into the program. · Workshop speakers/facilitators/mentors should be citizens of the United States, an ASEAN member country or Timor-Leste. · The recipient is expected to develop syllabus materials and an event program with participant and speaker biographies, as well as design banners, backdrops, and other printed materials. The recipient is expected to design a digital engagement strategy for workshop participants and social media audiences, including live video or live online engagement during the program. · The in-person workshop should have an ASEAN Secretariat representative come in to join. Funds should be set aside for an ASEAN Secretariat representative to join the workshop if ASEC representative is available. · No new website specific to the event should be created or launched. Domain, hosting and build costs will not be covered.

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