The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is seeking applications for a cooperative agreement from qualified entities to implement the “Strengthening Natural Resources Safeguards for Large-Scale Linear Infrastructure in Asia (SNRS)” program.
As part of the Indo-Pacific Framework and Agency commitments to mitigate and adapt to climate change, USAID/Asia is actively assisting partner countries to formulate and implement environmental safeguards that will protect valuable natural resources, support economic growth, and improve governance. Improvements in transparent government policies and increased adherence to internationally accepted standards should make it difficult for irresponsible infrastructure projects and resource extraction arrangements to succeed. These improvements are also crucial to long-term sustainability and resilience. One such USAID intervention is the Mekong Safeguards Project that supports policy-makers, government regulators, financiers, developers, and partners with information and tools to foster consistent application of environmental governance standards, particularly for power generation and transportation infrastructure in the Lower Mekong region.
USAID/Asia is currently implementing a Linear Infrastructure Safeguards in Asia (LISA) activity to conduct assessments of the region’s linear infrastructure (LI) engineering capacities (local engineering and construction firms). It also is assessing current practices to avoid and prevent impacts on biodiversity and ecosystems, minimize unavoidable impacts, restore damaged biodiversity and ecosystems, and offset residual impacts. Information from LISA’s analysis will allow USAID and its Partners to identify which ecosystems and species are most threatened by LI expansion in Asia, and the capability of focal countries to safeguard their natural capital and implement wildlife-friendly LI. We know from LISA’s experience that for some countries in Asia there is an urgent need to conserve biodiversity, because it is relatively intact and unique, and there is good capacity among government and private-sector professionals to protect it. The Partner should consider building on these existing USAID efforts in Asia. Recommendations from LISA for improving the capacity of Asian countries to address the impacts of LI should lay the groundwork for environmental safeguards capacity-building for ministries, agencies, engineering/consulting firms and non-governmental organizations. LISA identified several key interventions for increasing country-level capacity and mainstreaming environmental measures to prevent, mitigate, monitor, and build resilience in the face of projected rapid development of LI in Asia.
The overall goal of SNRS is to enhance development and implementation of safeguards that will ameliorate adverse natural resource impacts from rapidly expanding linear infrastructure development in Asia. The focus will be on transportation- and energy-related infrastructure. Effective, widespread adoption of high-quality LI safeguards is needed to conserve nature, enhance human well-being, reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the overcutting of trees, and provide for healthy ecosystems for adaptation and resilience to climate change and to safeguard the future.
Deadline: Aug. 6, 2021
Eligibility for this RFA is not restricted. USAID welcomes applications from organizations that have not previously received financial assistance from USAID.