Forcasted NOFO_RFI_Resilience of Ethnic Tibetans (ResET) Activity.pdf

FORECASTED NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY AND REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

Reference Number: 72048624RFI00001 Resilience of Ethnic Tibetans (ResET) Activity

Release Date: October 16, 2023 Response Due Date: October 31, 2023 at 4:00 PM (Bangkok local time)

The United States Agency for International Development, Regional Development Mission for Asia (RDMA) is gathering information for the anticipated Resilience of Ethnic Tibetans (ResET) Activity. The purpose of this forecasted Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) and Request for Information is to:

1. Share the eligibility information for prospective Applicant(s).

2. Request for feedback on the draft Activity Description.

3. Request for feedback on cost share.

4. Confirm interest from organizations in submitting the application.

PRE-APPLICATION NOTICE

1. Share the eligibility information for prospective Applicant(s) interested in submitting an application in response to the ResET activity Notice of Funding Opportunity. Eligibility will be restricted to Applicants who meet the requirements found in the Consolidated Appropriation Act 2023, which are:

“This funding opportunity is restricted to nongovernmental organizations with experience working with Tibetan communities to support activities which preserve cultural traditions and promote sustainable development, education, and environmental conservation in Tibetan communities in the Tibet Autonomous Region and in other Tibetan communities in China.”

Organizations eligible to apply under this NOFO include, but are not necessarily limited to, U.S. and non-U.S. non-profit or for-profit non-governmental organizations (NGOs), private voluntary organizations, foundations, colleges and universities, civic groups, faith-based and community institutions, private businesses and associations, regional organizations, philanthropic organizations, and advocacy groups. For-profit applicants should note that USAID policy prohibits the payment of fee/profit to the prime Recipient under grants and cooperative agreements.

The Applicant will be required to submit evidence of such prior experience (as prime Contractor/Recipient or subcontractor/subawardee) as part of the application. For https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/2617/text https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/2617/text example, the contract or agreement number with a short description of the activity and donor’s information, the relevant project information, the organization’s legal status in China, etc.

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

2. Offer the opportunity for the interested organization(s) to provide feedback on the draft Activity Description as detailed in Attachment A of this document.

3. Request feedback on the appropriate cost share contribution from the Recipient of the ResET activity in accordance with ADS 303.3.10.1 Cost Share Determination and 2 CFR

200.306. Please provide answers on the following questions:

○ Is cost share contribution appropriate for this type of activity? Why and why not?

○ If so, what is the realistic amount of the cost share?

4. Request for response whether your organization is interested in submitting an application in response to the Notice of Funding Opportunity expected to be posted in Grants.gov in approximately December 2023 – January 2024.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMITTING RESPONSES/COMMENTS:

Please send all responses to this forecasted NOFO/RFI via email to Suthicha Chussananalin, Acquisition and Assistance Specialist, at schussananalin@usaid.gov with a copy to Deborah Rakowski, Regional Agreement Officer, at drakowski@usaid.gov by the date and time indicated above with the title “RFI no. 72048624RFI00001, Resilience of Ethnic Tibetans (ResET) Activity”.

Responses to this forecasted NOFO/RFI are voluntary and respondents are welcome to address any or all of the items listed above as well as provide any additional relevant information. You will only receive an electronic confirmation acknowledging receipt of your response but will not receive individualized feedback on any suggestions. No basis for claims against the U.S.

Government shall arise as a result of a response to this request for information or from the Government’s use of such information. Specific questions about this RFI should be directed only to the email addresses identified above.

The submitted response should include the following information:

Reference Number: RFI no. 72048624RFI00001, Resilience of Ethnic Tibetans (ResET) Activity Date:

Name/Position:

Affiliation/Organization:

Email Address:

https://www.usaid.gov/about-us/agency-policy/series-300/303 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/section-200.306 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/section-200.306

Please note that issuance of this forecasted NOFO/RFI does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the US Government, nor does it commit the Government to pay for any costs incurred in the preparation of the response.

Thank you for your assistance and interest in the USAID program.

Sincerely, /s/

Deborah Rakowski Regional Agreement Officer

Attachment A: Draft Activity Description

ATTACHMENT A: DRAFT ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION

Background

The findings of a USAID Regional Development Mission for Asia (RDMA) assessment completed in early 2019 have revealed a concerning situation in Tibetans’ ability to practice their culture.

The People’s Republic of China’s (PRC’s) policy toward ethnic minorities, including Tibetans, is framed as protecting their autonomy, which includes formal legal equality, the ability to establish autonomous units where they constitute a majority, and the protection of languages, customs, and religious beliefs. Even though Tibet has legal autonomy, in practice, Beijing’s veto power and Beijing’s hand in selecting top officials renders it meaningless. Ethnic and cultural expression is acceptable only when it aligns with the PRC’s view of Tibet as a region that has experienced unprecedented economic progress and retained unspoiled natural beauty.

The PRC’s policy stance toward religious expression shifts constantly, and constitutional protections for religion are not sufficiently supported with laws. Following issuance of the “Measures on the Management of the Reincarnation of Living Buddhas in Tibetan Buddhism” in 2007, the PRC has widely interfered in religious activities across Tibetan areas, including restricting Tibetan travel for religious and non-religious activities.

Scholars generally agree that Tibetan languages are in decline, especially among younger generations. This is in part due to few skilled jobs requiring the Tibetan language and the increasing importance of Chinese for modern life in Tibet. Furthermore, a TAR provincial policy that ensures employment for all tertiary graduates, including Tibetans, was discontinued in 2017, and the massive urbanization and influx of Han Chinese has increased the need for Chinese language skills in order to access medical services, higher education, and other benefits of urban life.

The degradation of natural resources and the environment on the Tibetan Plateau is also alarming. The Tibetan plateau is believed to have the largest rangeland area in China, approximately 1.5 million km2, upon which the livelihoods, food security, and way of life of Tibetan pastoralists depend. For the last few decades, the region has seen a steady temperature increase, twice as fast as the rest of the world, accelerated glacial melting, rangeland degradation, and altered water resources and climatic conditions. Such changes put pastoralism at risk and, hence, necessitate adaptation strategies for local Tibetans to survive the effects of climate change.

PRC policy and land development initiatives also accelerate environmental degradation on the plateau. Starting in the 1990s, the PRC implemented policies to, ostensibly, improve environmental conservation which established nature and ecological reserves and pastoral resettlement programs that continue to restrict access to natural reserves and rangeland by nomadic Tibetans and their livestock. However, at present, there are several studies that link the exacerbated degradation of grasslands and negative social and cultural implications to the PRC’s conservation policies as they promote more concentrated grazing, limit herd mobility, induce overstocking, and neglect traditional conservation wisdom.

Massive PRC-led development through urbanization and the construction of dams, railways, and mineral extraction sites have had a permanent impact on the landscape of Tibet and subjected the region to significant environmental risks. Furthermore, some of these investments are at odds with Tibetan Buddhism, for example cases where mining sites and tourism infrastructure are built on sacred and expropriated land.

Waste management is an increasing challenge for Tibetan communities. State-supported economic development, rapid urbanization, and the accelerated influx of tourists and migrants have greatly increased solid waste generation on the Tibetan plateau, whereas the local waste disposal and management facilities and services remain relatively stagnant. A lack of knowledge and awareness about the impacts of untreated waste results in harmful waste disposal practices, which are in turn linked to serious health issues for Tibetans, while posing threats to the environment and the economy.

Finally, rapid urbanization, infrastructure development, and increased mobility may exacerbate gender inequalities and social inequities. This may manifest as increased gender-based violence, the commodification of ethnic Tibetan women’s bodies. Conversely, the negative impacts may harden gender inequalities within local ethnic Tibetan communities to ‘preserve chastity’ and ‘protect’ local women from non-Tibetan outsiders. In addition, women, children and members of marginalized communities have weaker social networks and are more likely to be disadvantaged with regards to resources and representation on decision-making bodies; thus, they are more likely to suffer the negative effects of environmental degradation and poor environmental planning.

Problem Statement

USAID RDMA determined that promoting ethnic Tibetans’ resilience to the effects of urbanization and development policies from the central government holds the potential to help Tibetans live better lives in the modern PRC. The term resilience has been used in disaster risk response and mitigation, and humanitarian assistance. For this Activity, USAID defines resilience as “the ability of people, households, communities, countries, and systems to mitigate, adapt to, and recover from shocks and stresses in a manner that reduces chronic vulnerability and facilitates inclusive growth” in the context of the stressors and shocks resulting from the fast-paced urbanization and transformation of the Tibetan Plateau.

The problem statement of the Activity is: The resilience of ethnic Tibetans in the People's Republic of China to cope with the rapid development of the Tibetan Plateau is threatened because of the deterioration of the Tibetan cultural practice and identity and the lack of support to sustainably manage local natural resources.

Theory of Change

IF ethnic Tibetans have the knowledge and capacity to sustainably preserve the Tibetan culture and identity, and

IF ethnic Tibetans can benefit from the cultural and ecosystem services of the natural environment on the Tibetan Plateau, THEN the resilience of ethnic Tibetans to the effects of rapid development on the Tibetan Plateau in the PRC will improve.

Purpose Statement

The purpose of this Activity is to address the sustainability of the ethnic Tibetan identity and culture. The Activity will place an emphasis on two components, namely:

1. The cultural service of the physical environment and natural resources of the Tibetan Plateau. Cultural services encompass non-material benefits such as aesthetic inspiration, cultural identity, sense of home, and spiritual experience derived from recreation, tourism, and the building of knowledge and the spreading of ideas resulting from interactions with nature.

In the past, USAID supported natural resources management and environmental conservation work that intersects with economic growth and sustainable livelihoods. The natural resource management approach in this Activity will emphasize the interconnectedness between Tibetan culture and the physical environment and natural resources of Tibetan highlands. The Activity will prioritize the cultural services of the natural environment and the ecosystem as the motivation for natural resource management.

2. Preservation of Tibetan culture itself, which encompasses Tibetan cultural practices, customs, and language.

USAID prioritizes deliberate efforts to document, preserve, and sustain cultural heritage, and promote Tibetan language education. USAID also welcomes interventions that use new cultural preservation strategies that align with this approach.

Geographic Scope

The Tibet Project supports ethnic Tibetans residing on the Tibetan Plateau now administratively divided into the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) and Tibetan prefectures in surrounding southwestern provinces of Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan, and Yunnan.

- End of ResET Activity Description -