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

Deadline: 21-Jul-23

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 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 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).

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:
  • ASEAN recognizes the contribution of women in the economic recovery of the region and strives to promote DEIA principles across its economic community pillar.
  • 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.

Funding Information

• Length of performance period: October 1, 2023 – October 1, 2024
• Number of awards anticipated: One
• Award amounts: award may range from a minimum of $100,000 to a maximum of $300,000
• Total available funding: $300,000
• Anticipated program start date: May 2024.

Participants and Audiences

• The recipient will coordinate with the U.S. Mission to ASEAN and U.S. embassies in ASEAN and Timor-Leste to recruit and select up to 66 participants (six per country from each ASEAN member state and Timor-Leste). Participants will be between the ages of 20 to 35 and work in biotech, agribusiness, trade and public health practitioners, nutritionists and other sectors that work to improve food security.
• Shortlisted participants should include participants who are living in cities outside of the capital cities.  For example, Indonesian participants who are shortlisted should not only be participants from and living in Jakarta but includes resident of Lampung, Papua, Bali etc.
• All participants must be proficient in written and spoken English.  Participants must include citizens from all 10 ASEAN member countries and Timor-Leste and they all must be residing in an ASEAN member country or Timor-Leste during the workshop dates.
• The workshop will be conducted in English.
• The recipient will be responsible for arranging and using cooperative agreement funds to cover all elements related to participant and staff travel including international and domestic flights, visas, travel to and from airports, visas, accommodations, per diem, meals during the program, insurance, etc.

Geographical Focus

• Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Laos, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Timor-Leste.

Eligibility Criteria

• Eligible Applicants
  • The following organizations are eligible to apply:
    • U.S. public and private educational institutions;
    • U.S. not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks;
    • Foreign public and private educational institutions;
    • Foreign not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks.

For more information, visit U.S. Mission to ASEAN.