Special Notice_USAID_RDMA Private Sector Landscape Assessment.pdf

SPECIAL NOTICE

Date: October 27, 2021

Subject: USAID/RDMA Private Sector Landscape Assessment

The United States Agency for International Development, Regional Development Mission for Asia (USAID/RDMA) is pleased to share the Special Notice to publicize the Executive Summary of the Private Sector Landscape Assessment. This assessment outlines USAID/RDMA's key information relevant to engaging the private sector. The document is only being shared for informational purposes, and USAID/RDMA is not seeking feedback or questions at this time. More details of the assessment can be found in the following pages.

THIS SPECIAL NOTICE IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS AND USAID/RDMA

IS NOT SEEKING PROPOSALS AT THIS TIME . No solicitations related to this Private Sector Landscape Assessment are anticipated for at the moment; however, organizations are encouraged to take into account this information if and when responding to future opportunities.

Additionally, it is advisable to monitor https://sam.gov/ for future activities and opportunities related to this strategy.

Best Regards, /S/

Ayana Angulo Regional Contracting Officer USAID/RDMA, Bangkok, Thailand http://beta.sam.gov/

USAID/REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

MISSION FOR ASIA

PRIVATE-SECTOR LANDSCAPE ASSESSMENT

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

March 2021 - This study is made possible by the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Its contents are the sole responsibility of SSG Advisors, LLC d/b/a Resonance and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government. It was produced in collaboration with the Private Sector Engagement Hub | Bureau for Development, Democracy and Innovation and the USAID/RDMA Mission.

CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND

The Asia-Pacific region is a key driver of global politics and economics and is an important part of U.S.

policy goals related to national security and trade. Robust economic growth, rapid technological change, and increasing interconnectivity make the Asia-Pacific region a progressively important market for U.S.

exports and a key U.S. foreign policy priority. Additionally, nations in the region face unprecedented challenges to their sovereignty, peace, and prosperity. Therefore, USAID’s Regional Development Mission for Asia (RDMA) has prioritized advancing a more resilient, inclusive, and secure Southeast Asia, in line with the U.S.’s vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Within this context, RDMA seeks to deepen and improve its engagement with the private sector to achieve its development objectives, thereby supporting the Mission’s implementation of USAID’s Private-Sector Engagement (PSE) Policy. This comes at a critical time for RDMA, which is developing a new Regional Development Cooperation Strategy (RDCS) for Asia for 2020-2025. RDMA is taking concerted steps to incorporate private-sector perspectives into the design and implementation of its RDCS, existing programming, and future activity design.

RDMA requested support from the USAID Promoting Excellence in Private Sector Engagement (PEPSE) mechanism to conduct a Private-Sector Landscape Assessment (PSLA). The PSLA explores private-sector perspectives and regional strategies for more effectively engaging the private sector in three areas: digital economy, energy, and natural resources management (NRM). Within the NRM sector, the PSLA identifies strategies for engagement in the subsectors of counter wildlife trafficking (CWT), geographic information systems (GIS) mapping, and marine and fisheries.

The PSLA report presents key findings on private-sector perspectives based on 116 interviews with stakeholders, including private-sector actors across the priority sectors. The report illuminates private-sector priorities and challenges, including perspectives on addressing gender and inclusive development (G&ID) issues and COVID-19. Building on findings, the report highlights 17 strategies that RDMA can use to engage the private sector. These strategies build on points of alignment between private-sector interests, RDMA’s priorities, and the value RDMA offers as a regional mission. The report details high-potential partners, specific opportunities, and next steps for each strategy.

HIGH-LEVEL FINDINGS

The PSLA team interviewed stakeholders to identify challenges and priorities that RDMA can leverage for future engagement. The PSLA report details the most common challenges and priorities for each sector, as detailed in sector-specific chapters of the report. The PSLA team also identified themes and categories of challenges that cut across multiple sectors. The five most common challenges described by organizations interviewed for all sectors are presented below in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Five Common Challenges Described by Organizations Interviewed

48% cited data issues. Organizations in the NRM and digital economy sectors noted their challenges with data compliance, accuracy, access, and ownership.

36% cited enabling environment challenges. Interviewees discussed a lack of or poorly-aligned regulations, taxation, and policies as hindering their business priorities.

Most frequently, those in the digital economy and NRM sectors voiced this concern.

24% cited human capital issues. These issues include a lack of capacity within companies and their consumers, including gaps in the digital and financial literacy of their customers.

18% cited a lack of prioritization inhibiting their priorities. Organizations struggle to implement changes because their business or development interests are not prioritized internally, by customers, or by governments. This issue was particularly relevant for organizations interviewed for the NRM and energy sectors.

16% cited challenges with costs. Organizations adopting GIS, implementing clean energy technology, and monitoring wildlife trafficking all discuss the high cost of such activities being a barrier to meeting their goals.

In addition to the challenges described above, respondents also described their business priorities. The below figure (Figure 2) presents the most common priorities across all sectors.

Figure 2: Five Common Priorities Described by Organizations Interviewed

26% aim to invest in sustainability. Financial institutions, energy consumers, and other corporates discussed increasing their investments in renewable energy, sustainability verification, and meeting internal sustainability commitments.

22% cited a desire to reduce risk and crime. Across all sectors, organizations discussed risks their companies and industries face from security threats and environmental crimes, as well as their business interests in reducing such crimes, e.g., cybersecurity attacks; illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing; and wildlife trafficking.

21% aim to build capacity. Businesses are interested in building the capacity of their staff and customers to strengthen the production of and demand for their goods and services.

21% want to convene like-minded actors. Organizations want to advocate for policy and regulation change, share best practices, and coordinate investments because they believe they can achieve mutual goals through convening and dialogue.

19% want to catalyze industry change. Organizations are interested in facilitating shifts in operating practices across their industries in ways that would support their own business goals. For example, some companies want to accelerate transitions to digital tools due to the impacts of COVID-19, while others want to change the way GIS data is disseminated and shared.

Organizations also described opportunities and interests in engaging on G&ID issues, see Figure 3 below.

While these opportunities cut across the sectors interviewed, not every sector expressed the same degree of interest in these opportunities. For example, over three quarters of organizations interviewed in the digital economy sector and over half of those interviewed regarding marine/fisheries discussed G&ID opportunities. However, one-third or fewer of organizations interviewed regarding GIS, CWT, and energy expressed interests in G&ID opportunities. As might be expected, not all firms and not all sectors have these issues as top of mind, but enough of the private sector is thinking about these issues, particularly in the digital economy and NRM sectors, to warrant engaging the private sector on G&ID.

Figure 3: Commonly Cited G&ID Related Interests and Opportunities

INTERESTS AND OPPORTUNITIES STAKEHOLDERS REPORTING*

Empower women in underrepresented sectors 24%

Leverage technology to reduce inequalities 20%

Not interested or not a priority 16%

Increase gender-disaggregated data and research 16%

Fund women-run businesses 16%

Leverage gendered roles and work 12%

Engage youth in activities 10%

* Percentages are out of the 50 total organizations that discussed G&ID issues

During PSLA interviews, the PEPSE team also discussed the challenges and opportunities that the COVID-19 pandemic has and will continue to present to private-sector actors. While the PSLA report details these by sector, a few themes emerged cutting across sectors. Challenges posed to private sector actors by COVID-19 are presented in Figure 4 and COVID-19 related opportunities are presented in Figure 5.

Figure 4: Commonly Cited COVID-19 Related Challenges

CHALLENGES STAKEHOLDERS REPORTING*

Inability to meet and work in person 25%

Reduced profits 19%

Depressed short-term investments 16%

Unstable supply and demand 15%

Postponed business expansion 12%

* Percentages are out of the 75 total organizations that discussed COVID-19 issues

Figure 5: Commonly Cited COVID-19 Related Opportunities

OPPORTUNITIES STAKEHOLDERS REPORTING*

Increased importance of technology in their operations 35%

Expanding or including work in and with the health sector 15%

Expanding or including work related to wildlife products 12%

Increased digital sales 12%

Increased emphasis on domestic business and demand 4%

* Percentages are out of the 75 total organizations that discussed COVID-19 issues

SECTOR-LEVEL FINDINGS

Perspectives of private-sector actors in Southeast Asia vary based on their industries, business goals, and potential strategies for engagement with USAID. Therefore, to develop actionable PSE strategies for RDMA and RDMA’s relevant technical teams, PEPSE interviewed stakeholders involved with the three focus sectors, and three NRM subsectors, to understand the private sector’s priorities, challenges, and opportunities for engaging with RDMA. Key insights are presented below, with further detail provided in the PSLA report, which contains in-depth sector-specific chapters.

Energy

The enabling environment for clean energy procurement is not optimized across the region to support the requirements of large international brands. Corporate procurers of clean energy struggle with a lack of harmonized standards, incentives, targets, and roadmaps across the region for facilitating procurement.

International and regional corporates are interested in adopting diverse approaches and incorporating new technologies to meet their clean energy commitments. New technologies of interest to these corporates include batteries and electric vehicles and new approaches of interest include onsite rooftop solar, off-site clean procurement, and building incentives for suppliers.

Local suppliers in transnational value chains need concrete cost-saving business models for renewable energy to be incentivized to adopt emissions-reducing approaches. Local suppliers and factory partners of regional brands are risk averse to increasing renewable energy uptake and need examples of where clean energy can increase profitability.

Digital Economy

Producers of digital technologies aim to capitalize on the digital transformation accelerated by COVID-19. Both large and small businesses have seen a permanent and massive adoption of digital tools, including in online transactions, across industries.

Micro, small, and medium enterprises that could benefit from the digital economy lack the digital capacity and literacy to effectively employ digital products in their businesses.

Strengthening digital capacity and literacy across the region would increase demand for digital tools and facilitate greater inclusion in the digital economy.

Private-sector actors want to learn best practices and experiences on strengthening the digital economy from multinationals, associations, and other countries. Companies are particularly interested in strengthening knowledge and best practices related to cloud adoption, internet governance, cybersecurity, digital literacy, and gender equity in the technology industry.

Natural Resource Management: Counter Wildlife Trafficking (CWT)

Industries that may unknowingly facilitate transactions in illegal wildlife products, like finance and transportation, need data, analytical tools, and typologies to systematically identify and combat illegal wildlife trade. Banks, shipping companies, and transportation providers do not engage in CWT due to large transaction volumes, a lack of data and data tools, and a lack of understanding on how to identify and analyze wildlife trafficking-related data.

Online sales of illegal wildlife products have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic due to closures of traditional markets and shifts to online purchasing. Such an increase in digital platforms for sales can be countered by effective social and behavior change communications and partnerships with digital and social media companies.

Companies across industries need to demonstrate the business case for engaging and investing in CWT. Some companies discussed a need for case studies while others noted that the interests and priorities of customers, clients, and shareholders can drive business focus and engagement.

Natural Resource Management: GIS Mapping

Companies that use GIS in Southeast Asia, frequently multinationals, want to strengthen collaboration and data sharing with other like-minded companies in the region. Large companies typically rely on commercial GIS providers and proprietary conventions for data acquisition.

This limits their ability to work together on development or sustainability-related issues as they lack a common definition of the problems or contexts in which they work.

Transnational service providers, such as agriculture and financial technology firms, want to expand their work to new industries and scale existing tools. Such firms noted that to expand to new industries and scale tools, they need to integrate GIS into their operations.

Farmers, suppliers, and buyers in commodity supply chains do not invest in GIS partly because the value add is unclear or the initial investment is too risky. These firms noted that companies that have never used GIS do not understand the value and that they could be willing to integrate such technologies if their initial investment involved less risk.

Natural Resource Management: Marine/Fisheries

Lack of public capacity and enforcement of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing limits the private sector’s incentive and ability to adopt sustainable and fair labor practices. This challenge includes the poor implementation of the Port State Measures Agreement in Southeast Asian countries. Improving enforcement and regulations would enable the private sector to better achieve transparency in their supply chains.

Investor expectations and current sustainable fisheries and marine protected areas projects do not align. Investors frequently seek lower risk, larger deals, shorter time horizons, and greater capacity for project implementation than many current fisheries and conservation projects offer. This mismatch results in a lack of funding and investment in the region available for fisheries improvements.

Existing regional and local fisheries and supply chain technologies offer promise for scaling sustainable fisheries and transforming domestic production regionally. Such technologies include e-commerce solutions, digital logistics, and digitally-connected supply chains in domestic seafood markets. Private-sector actors want to see these technologies accelerated and expanded regionally.

PSE APPROACHES AND STRATEGIES

RDMA can be successful in engaging the private sector and building impactful partnerships when the private sector’s interests align with RDMA’s development objectives and regional approaches. Through conversations with Mission staff and an assessment of previous, current, and potential future engagement models, the PSLA team developed seven broad approaches to regional private-sector engagement.

RDMA can incorporate these approaches into its programming across offices and sectors and use them to frame and orient sector-level strategies.

POTENTIAL REGIONAL PSE APPROACHES

1 Work with companies and industries with supply chains across the region to advocate for and support improvements within their supply chains.

Value: This approach facilitates business changes throughout various points in a company’s supply chain and enables impact at scale. Bilateral missions may lack the reach or purview to facilitate such changes at a regional level.

Example: RDMA could work with a multinational fisheries buyer to implement traceability mechanisms across their supply chains, which in turn could be expanded to multiple countries and buyers.

2 Coordinate with individual companies across the region to promote industry-level responsible and inclusive business practices and achieve regional priorities.

Value: Coordinating activities of multiple companies through regional initiatives or programs would scale impact and encourage focused demand for regional priorities.

Example: Through Green Invest Asia, numerous private-sector actors have convened to sign and support a Sustainable Coconut Charter that includes more sustainable and inclusive business practices throughout regional coconut supply chains.

Collaborate with apex organizations and associations to advocate for transnational and international policy, trade, and better business practices.

Value: RDMA can leverage its unique convening power in the region and work with associations and alliances beyond the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to fill what would otherwise be a gap in USAID programming.

Example: RDMA can work with regional networks of small-scale fishers to strengthen necessary policies and agreements for accelerating investment in sustainable practices.

4 Coordinate activities with intergovernmental and civil-society organizations to achieve regional priorities and promote enabling environment policies.

Value: Since bilateral missions focus on national government engagement, RDMA is well-placed to fill the gaps in non-ASEAN intergovernmental engagement on enabling environment policies.

Example: RDMA can collaborate with intergovernmental bodies to promote regional policy frameworks that enable successful energy trade among Southeast Asian nations.

5 Work with USAID bilateral missions to help fill programming gaps, provide technical services, and support missions in engaging the private sector.

Value: RDMA can deliver targeted program support that helps amplify bilaterals’ priorities and augment bilaterals’ work by filling programming gaps.

Example: RDMA can work with bilaterals to identify partners’ needs for GIS mapping services in pursuit of development priorities and provide services that bilaterals lack the capacity to offer.

6 Work with global companies to facilitate their entrance or expansion in the region.

May facilitate partnerships with bilateral missions.

Value: This approach leverages USAID’s relationships with transnational and multinational companies and builds on RDMA’s network of contacts at United States Government (USG) agencies, Asian governments, and bilateral missions to facilitate entrance or expansion in the region. RDMA can help with the transaction process and handover to bilaterals in specific countries.

Example: A global technology firm with whom RDMA has a relationship may want to reduce barriers to access in specific countries. RDMA could facilitate their entrance to a country and hand over the relationship to the corresponding bilateral mission.

7 Work with local or regional companies based in countries without bilateral missions to facilitate their regional expansion. May facilitate partnerships with bilateral missions if they exist in the countries targeted for expansion.

Value: RDMA brings its understanding of the regional operating environment in multiple countries to develop new partnerships for bilateral missions, scale impact across the region, and bring new partners into USAID’s sphere.

Example: RDMA could work with digital healthcare providers in an individual country to facilitate their transnational expansion within the region.

SECTOR-LEVEL PSE STRATEGIES

The PSLA team identified, developed, and validated strategies for RDMA to use in engaging the private sector across three sectors and three subsectors: Energy, Digital Economy, and Natural Resource Management (CWT, GIS Mapping, and Marine/Fisheries subsectors). These strategies sit at the confluence of private-sector interests, RDMA priorities, and RDMA’s regional approaches and value addition as a regional mission. RDMA can use these strategies to inform, guide, and drive future development programming and private-sector engagement.

The charts below summarize the strategies for each sector and subsector. Additionally, they draw from the USAID PSE Policy’s categories of “Ways We Engage” to outline the range of approaches USAID can use to maximize their potential impact. The PSLA team also notes the roles that RDMA and the private sector can play in the following strategies. Definitions of both the “Ways We Engage” categories and the roles are provided in ANNEX 1: Strategy Assessment Methodology.

The charts use visual rankings (“cell phone bars”) to represent the degree to which each strategy meets assessment criteria, which are detailed in ANNEX 1: Strategy Assessment Methodology. The PSLA team developed these criteria by analyzing the strategies, and RDMA should revisit and update the criteria as conversations with the private sector evolve.

Energy

1. Convene industry and government stakeholders to advance a corporate clean energy policy agenda.

Strategy Description

RDMA would convene and rally industry actors under a policy agenda to advocate for key issues and pathways that can accelerate corporate clean energy procurement.

Roles

RDMA

Convener, advocate, broker/facilitator, risk-mitigator

Private sector Thought leader, advocate, funder/investor

Potential Partners

International apparel brands, food and beverage companies, automotive manufacturers, renewable energy providers, and regional investors

Ways We Engage

Strengthening the enabling environment Unlocking private investment

RDMA’s Value Add

RDMA has regional convening power and can use it to engage industry stakeholders and brands with a transnational presence in Southeast Asia. Through this strategy, RDMA would work with transnational companies to create a policy agenda that companies can advocate for in a pre-competitive manner at the regional and domestic level. Bilateral missions look at country-specific policy bottlenecks without benchmarking against or leveraging the work that regional counterparts are undertaking. RDMA would fill this gap by facilitating coordinated and region-wide advocacy in close consultation with bilateral missions.

Impact Scalability Self-Reliance Alignment Staff Effort Timing for Results

Timing for Exit

1-3 years 3-5 years

2. Share information and network with peers and partners on regional and country-level best practices.

Strategy Description

RDMA would facilitate sharing country- and industry-specific best practices among demand- and supply-side peers through a formal alliance to spur corporates to adopt approaches for meeting corporate energy commitments.

Roles

RDMA

Thought leader, co-creator, broker, convener

Private sector Thought leader, co-creator

Potential Partners

International and regional apparel, food and beverage, automotive, and chemical manufacturers, and other consumers and producers of clean energy

Ways We Engage

Information sharing and strategic alignment Advanced learning and market research Harnessing private-sector expertise and innovation

RDMA’s Value Add

RDMA, through its regional mandate, can amplify the work of bilaterals by facilitating sharing across brands and countries within the region. RDMA as a regional counterpart to bilaterals, has regional visibility on how practices, approaches, business models, and technologies are being advanced across different countries and who is championing them. While bilaterals may work on these issues nationally, they are not armed with the mandate to advance corporate clean energy procurement across the region. RDMA can fill this gap and support bilaterals by sharing information and best practices.

Impact Scalability Self-Reliance Alignment Staff Effort Timing for Results

Timing for Exit

1-3 years 3-5 years

3. Promote new business models through technical leadership and case-study development.

Strategy Description

RDMA would collect, promote, and demonstrate country- and industry-specific demonstrations and case studies that validate the viability of CE and EE technologies.

Roles

RDMA

Thought leader, investment catalyst, risk mitigator, broker, convener

Private sector Thought leader, co-creator, funder/investor

Potential Partners

Clean energy providers, regional and international consumers of clean energy such as real estate, chemical, and automotive industries

Ways We Engage

Information sharing and strategic alignment Advanced learning and market research Harnessing private-sector expertise and innovation Unlocking private investment

RDMA’s Value Add

RDMA can promote new business models among regional brands and corporates.

Such an approach would help activate policy and best practices at scale for replication transnationally. Bilaterals do not necessarily have the visibility or mandate to scale and replicate business models across the region; RDMA would fill this gap by assembling, sharing, and promoting best practices that can amplify bilateral priorities nationally.

Impact Scalability Self-Reliance Alignment Staff Effort Timing for Results

Timing for Exit

3-5 years 3-5 years

Digital Economy

1. Facilitate shared learnings and best practices for strengthening the digital economy among regional actors.

Strategy Description

RDMA would facilitate knowledge sharing between multinationals active in the region, industry associations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and government agencies to accelerate the uptake of best practices on digital security, cloud adoption, internet governance, and other topics.

Roles

RDMA

Convener, advocate, broker/facilitator

Private sector Thought leader, advocate, funder/investor

Potential Partners

Multinational technology companies, industry and business associations, and NGOs

Ways We Engage

Information sharing and strategic alignment Advancing learning and market research Catalyzing private-sector resources

RDMA’s Value Add

RDMA can partner with regional bodies and associations and convene regional companies to assemble and share best practices in the region. This strategy includes disseminating knowledge on transnational issues and topics among companies and countries across the region. As such, RDMA can collaborate with bilaterals to identify topics of interest, network with multinationals and agencies, and ultimately support and amplify the work of bilaterals.

Impact Scalability Self-Reliance Alignment Staff Effort Timing for Results

Timing for Exit

3-5 years 6+ years

2. Foster transnational business-enabling environments that promote a secure digital economy.

Strategy Description

RDMA would work with regional multilateral institutions and associations to influence regulatory reform, especially to harmonize regulations and frameworks for cross-border digital trade, internet governance, data privacy, and entrepreneurship.

Roles

RDMA

Convener, advocate, broker/facilitator

Private sector Thought leader, advocate, funder

Regional multilateral and intergovernmental institutions, US technology companies, industry and business associations, and regional financial technology companies

Ways We Engage

Strengthening the enabling environment Information sharing and strategic alignment

RDMA’s Value Add

RDMA can partner with transnational bodies and convene multinationals and business associations to develop and harmonize policies from a regional perspective. Through this strategy, RDMA can engage like-minded companies and associations to promote and foster a business-enabling environment that champions American values in cross-border digital trade, internet governance, data privacy, entrepreneurship, and other topics. Additionally, RDMA can coordinate with bilaterals to include national industry associations in regional policy advocacy, thereby supporting bilateral work on policy reform at the regional level.

Impact Scalability Self-Reliance Alignment Staff Effort Timing for Results

Timing for Exit

3-5 years 6+ years

3. Link regional technology corporates with potential digital users to increase demand for digital technologies.

Strategy Description

RDMA would link technology-producing corporates and technology users, such as transnational companies and MSME associations, to scale and coordinate corporates’ MSME support programs and increase demand for digital technologies.

Roles

RDMA

Convener, broker/facilitator, investment catalyst

Private sector Funder/investor, co-creator, thought leader/expert

Potential Partners

Multinational technology companies, Non-technology multinationals, industry and business associations, regional SMEs, NGOs, foundations, education institutions

Ways We Engage

Information sharing and strategic alignment Catalyzing private-sector resources Harnessing private-sector expertise & innovation

RDMA’s Value Add

RDMA can employ this strategy to address a transnational challenge in the digital economy—low demand for digital technologies. RDMA can muster and mobilize resources from regional companies and their MSME support programs to amplify the work of bilaterals on digital adoption and literacy nationally. This strategy can involve supporting the work of bilaterals by coordinating and connecting regional opportunities with national MSME associations.

Impact Scalability Self-Reliance Alignment Staff Effort Timing for Results

Timing for Exit

3-5 years 3-5 years

4. Support technology-producing SMEs to scale by fostering connections with corporations, associations, and investors.

Strategy Description

RDMA would support SMEs in scaling and expanding to new countries in Southeast Asia by facilitating cross-border partnerships with established companies and associations in target countries and by connecting SMEs with investors and investor networks.

Roles

RDMA

Convener, advocate, broker/facilitator, risk mitigator, investment catalyst

Private sector Thought leader, advocate, funder/investor

Potential Partners

Multinational technology companies, industry and business associations, regional technology SMEs, multilateral organizations, and investor networks

Ways We Engage

Unlocking private investment Catalyzing private-sector resources

RDMA’s Value Add

RDMA can support the scaling of SMEs that can deliver transnational development impact and promote a secure, inclusive, and resilient regional digital economy. This strategy involves RDMA convening and brokering partnerships between like-minded stakeholders in the region and amplifying the work of bilaterals. RDMA can collaborate with bilaterals to identify technology-producing SMEs that they are working with to scale, thus amplifying bilateral efforts and facilitating transnational partnerships.

Bilaterals work with SMEs nationally but do not have the remit to facilitate transnational partnerships.

Impact Scalability Self-Reliance Alignment Staff Effort Timing for Results

Timing for Exit

1-3 years 6+ years

Natural Resource Management: Wildlife Trafficking Subsector

1. Foster an online community of advocates to shift social perceptions of illegal wildlife trade and reduce demand for wildlife products.

Strategy Description

RDMA would engage social media and digital marketing companies, influencers, and other companies to implement demand reduction, behavior change, and digital deterrence campaigns to reduce demand for illegal wildlife consumption and trade.

Roles

RDMA

Co-creator, broker/facilitator, funder and thought leader/expert

Private sector Advocate, co-creator, broker/facilitator, thought leader/expert, funder

Potential Partners

Social media companies, advertising and marketing companies, social media influencers, business associations, tourism companies, and NGOs

Ways We Engage

Advancing learning and market research Catalyzing private-sector resources Harnessing private-sector expertise & innovation

RDMA’s Value Add

Through this strategy, RDMA can marshal attention and action to change behavior and reduce demand for wildlife products across the region. By partnering with transnational social media and digital marketing companies and online influencers across the region to scale and coordinate digital campaigns, RDMA can support and align with USAID bilateral priorities. RDMA can collaborate with bilaterals to ensure regional demand reduction activities support and not supplant bilateral work.

Impact Scalability Self-Reliance Alignment Staff Effort Timing for Results

Timing for Exit

1-3 years 3-5 years

2. Convene industry task forces to increase AML and financial investigation approaches to CWT.

Strategy Description

RDMA would convene regional task forces to develop and build corporate capacity of banks to use typologies, case studies, and tools in collaboration with law enforcement.

Roles

RDMA

Advocate, convener, co-creator, funder, thought leader

Private sector Advocate, co-creator, and funder

Private-sector alliances, associations, banks, shipping, logistics and freight forwarding companies, governments, NGOs, and risk management companies

Ways We Engage

Information sharing and strategic alignment Strengthening the enabling environment Catalyzing private-sector resources Harnessing private-sector expertise & innovation

RDMA’s Value Add

RDMA can address the transnational challenges of cross-border financial and product flows of illegal wildlife by convening like-minded actors across the region and elevating Thailand’s role in CWT. RDMA can convene transnational institutions to develop and implement coordinated AML and investigation approaches, which can serve to support the work of bilaterals nationally. To implement the strategy, RDMA can engage the Thai banking industry to develop a task force and then leverage the task force, in coordination with bilaterals, to support bilateral work through regional task forces.

Impact Scalability Self-Reliance Alignment Staff Effort Timing for Results

Timing for Exit

3-5 years 6+ years

3. Work with risk management and technology companies to harness tools for data analytics and supply chain risk on CWT.

Strategy Description

RDMA would partner with risk management and technology firms to develop and leverage tools that facilitate data sharing, identify transactions, and generate leads on illegal wildlife trade.

Roles

RDMA

Co-creator, broker, and funder

Private Sector Co-creator and thought leader/expert

Potential Partners

Risk management companies, associations, governments, and NGOs

Ways We Engage

Catalyzing private-sector resources Harnessing private-sector expertise & innovation

RDMA’s Value Add

RDMA can address the transnational challenges of cross-border financial and product flows of illegal wildlife by mobilizing resources across the region to develop and leverage tools that address the transnational issues of illegal wildlife trade. RDMA can share and introduce the tools developed in this strategy to stakeholders through the regional task forces described in the previous strategy, thereby sharing solutions across the region. Working with transnational risk management and technology companies can add value to and support bilateral programs that could leverage the resulting products and processes.

Impact Scalability Self-Reliance Alignment Staff Effort Timing for

Results Timing for

Exit

1-3 years 3-5 years

4. Catalyze multinationals and investors to promote responsible business practices and sustainable investment on CWT and related issues.

Strategy Description

RDMA would partner with private-sector actors, including financial institutions and investors, to use ESG frameworks to increase resources, awareness, and pressure on suppliers to act on environmental crimes.

Roles

RDMA

Co-creator, funder, thought leader

Private Sector Advocate, co-creator, and broker/facilitator

Potential Partners

Investors and financial institutions, large corporations, ESG and financial intelligence firms, associations/chambers of commerce, and NGOs

Ways We Engage

Information sharing and strategic alignment Strengthening the enabling environment Catalyzing private-sector resources

RDMA’s Value Add

RDMA can engage with global and regional ESG initiatives to increase private-sector investment and involvement in CWT, driving impact beyond individual countries.

Through this strategy, RDMA can build investor and financial pressure on CWT issues transnationally. Because investors and multinationals source products from individual countries, this strategy would support bilateral interests in CWT. While bilaterals may work with multinationals in their countries, this strategy would involve working with corporates and investors to promote responsible practices across the region.

Impact Scalability Self-Reliance Alignment Staff Effort Timing for Results

Timing for Exit

3-5 years 6+ years

Natural Resource Management: GIS Mapping Subsector

1. Engage multi-stakeholder initiatives to facilitate geospatial data use, sharing, and capacity building.

Strategy Description

RDMA would engage groups of like-minded companies and organizations to develop standards, GIS sharing mechanisms, and data products for the benefit of all parties.

Roles

RDMA

Convener, broker/facilitator, advocate, thought leader

Private Sector Co-creator, thought leader

Potential Partners

Private-sector alliances, NGOs, and multilateral institutions

Ways We Engage

Information sharing and strategic alignment Advancing learning and market research

RDMA’s Value Add

RDMA can partner with transnational and regional initiatives to scale the impact geospatial programming can have at a regional level. Through this strategy, RDMA can engage like-minded companies, which are members or partners of regional initiatives, to champion American values as they relate to data transparency, use, and impact. This work can support bilateral priorities while leveraging RDMA’s unique connections with SERVIR-Global and NASA to facilitate and deliver geospatial impact. Through these initiatives, RDMA would drive impact beyond individual countries and fill programmatic gaps that are not covered by other bilateral missions.

Impact Scalability Self-Reliance Alignment Staff Effort Timing for Results

Timing for Exit

3-5 years 6+ years

2. Create GIS and mapping products for direct implementation by transnational private-sector actors.

Strategy Description

RDMA would work directly with transnational companies to develop tailor-made GIS datasets, tools, and services to meet the needs of specific actors.

Roles RDMA Private Sector

Thought leader, co-creator, investment catalyst, risk mitigator

Co-creator, thought leader

Potential Partners

Large corporations, SMEs, USAID projects, and other donors

Ways We Engage

Information sharing and strategic alignment Advancing learning and market research Harnessing private-sector expertise & innovation

RDMA’s Value Add

RDMA can work with transnational companies to develop datasets, tools, and services that promote the adoption of sustainable, profitable, and inclusive business practices and increase private-sector investment into geospatial-based decision-making. Working with transnational companies to increase the use of geospatial data can support and augment the work of bilaterals. RDMA can deliver unique geospatial services to facilitate more sustainable and resilient investments through its partnerships with SERVIR-Global and NASA. Such services can build on and add value to bilaterals’ work.

Impact Scalability Self-Reliance Alignment Staff Effort Timing for Results

Timing for Exit

1-3 years 1-3 years

3. Develop public GIS datasets that transnational service providers can access and expand upon.

Strategy Description

RDMA would produce open datasets for service providers who can scale data provision regionally to end users such as farmers, fishers, or other beneficiaries.

Roles

RDMA

Thought leader, co-creator, convener, risk mitigator, broker/facilitator, investment catalyst

Private Sector Co-creator, thought leader, investment catalyst

Potential Partners

Service providers and NGOs

Ways We Engage

Information sharing and strategic alignment Catalyzing private-sector resources Harnessing private-sector expertise & innovation

RDMA’s Value Add

RDMA can work with transnational service providers to develop open datasets that they can access, expand upon, and use to promote the adoption of sustainable, profitable, and inclusive business practices. By working with these actors across the region, RDMA can marshal transborder regional action around environmental, social, and economic issues. RDMA can deliver unique geospatial services, which are beyond the purview of bilateral priorities, to facilitate more sustainable and resilient investments through its partnerships with SERVIR-Global and NASA. This strategy would enable datasets and tools to deliver impact beyond individual countries.

Impact Scalability Self-Reliance Alignment Staff Effort Timing for Results

Timing for Exit

1-3 years 3-5 years

Natural Resource Management: Marine/Fisheries Subsector

1. Collaborate with pre-competitive industry and multi-stakeholder initiatives on sustainable fisheries goals.

Strategy Description

RDMA would engage private-sector alliances and multi-stakeholder initiatives to increase stakeholder involvement and build capacity on traceability, intelligence, IUU fishing, and verification systems.

Roles

RDMA

Co-creator, broker/facilitator

Private Sector Co-creator, thought leader, advocate, funder

Potential Partners

Private-sector alliances, member companies, NGOs, and industry associations

Ways We Engage

Advanced learning and market research Information sharing and strategic alignment Harnessing private-sector expertise and innovation Strengthening the enabling environment

RDMA’s Value Add

RDMA can work with regional and global industry platforms and initiatives to deliver impact on transnational and regional fisheries management, enforcement, and supply chain issues. RDMA can engage directly with like-minded companies through these platforms and engage with regional fisheries institutions to implement and replicate public-private and multi-stakeholder approaches to traceability, sustainable fisheries, and IUU enforcement. Through this strategy, RDMA can facilitate collaboration between these platforms and relevant bilateral missions and programs.

Impact Scalability Self-Reliance Alignment Staff Effort Timing for Results

Timing for Exit

3-5 years 3-5 years

2. Engage sustainable ocean and seafood funds to unlock investment for marine conservation and fisheries.

Strategy Description

RDMA would support blended finance funds to develop a pipeline of investable fisheries and marine conservation projects across Southeast Asia that advance fisheries goals.

Roles

RDMA

Co-creator, investment catalyst, risk mitigator

Private Sector Broker/facilitator, thought leader, funder/investor

Potential Partners

Investors, NGOs and service providers, and seafood buyers and processors

Ways We Engage

Advanced learning and market research Harnessing private-sector expertise and innovation Unlocking private investment Strengthening the enabling environment

RDMA’s Value Add

RDMA can use its regional mandate to connect regional and global investors and funds to investable transnational fisheries projects and supporting fisheries entities. RDMA can amplify the work of bilaterals by collaborating with USAID missions to connect regional and global funds to investable sustainable fisheries and marine conservation projects in their countries.

Impact Scalability Self-Reliance Alignment Staff Effort Timing for Results

Timing for Exit

3-5 years 6+ years

3. Accelerate innovative technologies and business models to strengthen small-scale fisheries.

Strategy Description

RDMA would accelerate innovations that improve small-scale fisheries, giving innovators the capabilities and networks to transform small-scale fisheries and supply chains.

Roles

RDMA

Co-creator, broker/facilitator, funder, risk mitigator

Private Sector Advocate, thought leader, co-creator, funder/investor

Potential Partners

Accelerators, Asia-based family offices, and NGOs

Ways We Engage

Advanced learning and market research Harnessing private-sector expertise and innovation Unlocking private investment

RDMA’s Value Add

RDMA can employ a hub model to connect, foster collaboration, and accelerate innovative models across the region with the potential to scale impact transnationally.

RDMA can facilitate greater coordination between enterprises and regional institutions and broker partnerships between transnational actors. Through this strategy, RDMA can collaborate with bilaterals to identify innovative enterprises and solutions for small-scale fisheries, and then connect them to regional innovation and acceleration programs. As such, this programming would support, not supplant, bilateral work.

Impact Scalability Self-Reliance Alignment Staff Effort Timing for Results

Timing for Exit

3-5 years 6+ years

ANNEX 1: STRATEGY ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY

This annex details the categories and criteria that were used to inform and assess the PSE strategies, as presented in the summary charts in this executive summary. The sub-headings below relate to the corresponding criteria in the strategy summary charts. For a full description of the methodology used in the PSLA, including desk research, interviews, and data analysis, refer to the PSLA report.

USAID’S “WAYS WE ENGAGE” CATEGORIES

The USAID PSE Policy outlines the range of approaches below that staff can use to engage the private sector. RDMA should consider these approaches to ensure strategies maximize their potential impact.

CATEGORIES OF ROLES FOR RDMA AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR

PEPSE used the below typology of roles to illustrate the variety of functions RDMA and the private sector can deliver through each strategy. The respective roles for each actor are given in the PSE strategy summary charts above and are categorized and described below.

STRATEGY EVALUATION

PEPSE utilized a set of criteria to evaluate each strategy. Strategy evaluation is an inherently subjective process and should evolve as USAID engages the private sector to further develop partnership and investment opportunities. The strategies presented are only the starting point of a co-creation process between USAID/RDMA and the private sector to address a development objective. As conversations evolve, evaluations may change. USAID/RDMA should regularly revisit evaluations as discussions with the private sector lead to a more defined opportunity.

The research team applied criteria used to evaluate each opportunity. For reference, when presented graphically, the PSLA team used ideograms (known as cell phone bars), which represent relative progression. One bar indicates a low ranking, followed by two, three, four, and five bars as a high ranking. The team used the following criteria to conduct an initial strategy evaluation:

● Impact: What is the impact the strategy could have? Scored 1 (low likelihood of increased impact) to 5 ( high likelihood of increased impact).

● Scalability: How likely is the intervention to scale (e.g., reaching more people or covering new geographic areas)? Scored 1 ( low likelihood to scale) to 5 ( high likelihood to scale).

● Self-Reliance: Would the engagement increase the likelihood of fostering stable, resilient, and prosperous countries that are moving toward self-reliance? Scored 1 (little to no influence on self-reliance) to 5 (potentially significant influence on self-reliance).

● Alignment: Would the engagement help RDMA achieve its development objectives? Scored 1 (little to no alignment) to 5 (high alignment).

● Staff Effort: How much RDMA staff effort would be needed for the engagement to succeed?

Scored 1 (low staff effort) to 5 (high staff effort).

The team also laid out estimated timing for each strategy based on the timing to achieve results and the timing for exit.

● Timing for Results: How much time would the engagement need to start to deliver meaningful results? Rated as 1–3 years, 3–5 years, or 6+ years.

● Timing for Exit: How much time would the engagement need for RDMA to end its role in the activity? Rated as 1–3 years, 3–5 years, or 6+ years. Note that strategies that are rated as 6+ years can be implemented on a long-term basis, separate from an attachment to a specific project.