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The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to provide technical assistance (TA) to the Government of Kenya (GOK) and PEPFAR implementing partners in strengthening medical laboratory systems for diagnosis, management, and surveillance of HIV, TB and other related opportunistic diseases. Up to five grantees will be selected. Each will work in one of four specific regions (A, B, C and D) covering several counties to support all technical areas described below in each region. Except, the grantee supporting Region A will additionally support laboratory systems at National Public Health Laboratory Services and Ministry of Health (MOH) headquarters. The grantee(s) will: (1) Provide technical assistance to develop laboratory policies and systems for sample handling/processing, laboratory networking, information management, supplies management, human capacity development, biosafety, quality management systems (QMS), and monitoring and evaluation (M&E).

The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to provide technical assistance (TA) to the Government of Kenya (GOK) and PEPFAR implementing partners in strengthening medical laboratory systems for diagnosis, management, and surveillance of HIV, TB and other related opportunistic diseases. Up to five grantees will be selected. Each will work in one of four specific regions (A, B, C and D) covering several counties to support all technical areas described below in each region. Except, the grantee supporting Region A will additionally support laboratory systems at National Public Health Laboratory Services and Ministry of Health (MOH) headquarters. The grantee(s) will: (1) Provide technical assistance to develop laboratory policies and systems for sample handling/processing, laboratory networking, information management, supplies management, human capacity development, biosafety, quality management systems (QMS), and monitoring and evaluation (M&E).

The purpose of the Health Workforce Improvement Program (HWIP) is to address critical human resources challenges in Ethiopia's health sector. The program will build on the work carried out under the Strengthening Human Resources for Health (HRH) Cooperative Agreement (AID-663-A-12-00008) that was awarded to Jhpiego in 2012. The Health Workforce Improvement Program will work with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Ministry of Science and Higher Education (MOSHE) at the national level and their respective structures at the sub-national levels (regional, zonal and woreda levels), Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) levels that provide healthcare education at national and sub-national, and targeted health worker professional associations to improve the quality of Ethiopia's health workforce. The focus areas of this Activity are: 1. Institutional and individual capacity building to improve the quality of pre-service education for priority clinical cadres to improve the competency of clinical health workers, 2. Improve the human resource for health management and regulation capacity of national and sub-national entities. The program will target program managers at MOH, Regional Health Bureau (RHB) and District Health Office; and faculty at HEIs, building their leadership, management and governance capacity for human resource development and management. 3. Improve the generation and utilization of evidence to inform HR planning, development and management

Reliable, efficient laboratory services and networks are fundamental components of effective, well-functioning health systems and are essential for patient management, disease detection and control and surveillance. The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to support the Ministry of Health in Mozambique to strengthen the integrated national laboratory network in order to ensure the provision of quality laboratory services for clinical diagnosis, screening, research, and surveillance to support HIV care and treatment and the achievement of an AIDS free generation. The FOA will address the following cross-cutting elements of laboratory systems: governance and management of the integrated laboratory network, strengthening institutions to build and retain a quality laboratory workforce, and building technical and scientific capacity and implementing quality management systems towards accreditation. The expected project outcomes include:* Increased efficiency of laboratory network operations* Increased implementation of quality management systems through a technically and financially sustainable quality improvement and accreditation program owned and implemented by the Ministry of Health* An increase in the coverage and quality of external quality assessment (EQA) services* Improved adherence to laboratory biosafety standards* Improved quality of laboratory pre-service training * Increase in number of laboratory managers and leaders with Master's level training* Improved capacity of laboratory workforce and decreased reliance on external training support

The Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL, or the Department, or we), announces the availability of approximately $1 million total costs for one or more cooperative agreements to fund a technical assistance project(s) in Lesotho to improve labor law enforcement. The project will achieve its goal by building the capacity of the labor inspectorate through up to three objectives: 1) improved management of the labor inspectorate and systems for management and service delivery, 2) improved technical and management skills of the labor inspectorate's managers and inspectors, and 3) creation of a sustainable training program for new labor inspectors

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA/NMFS) is soliciting competitive applications for the FY2019 Pacific Islands Region Marine Turtle Management and Conservation Program (MTMCP). This program supports conservation, protection, or management actions supporting recovery of Endangered Species Act (ESA) listed sea turtle species occurring within the Pacific Islands Region (PIR) or of aggregations (or species) with linkages to the PIR. Such species may migrate through, nest or forage within the PIR, or are impacted by PIR federally managed activities and relevant to NOAA/NMFS management and recovery obligations. For the FY2019 funding competition, we are soliciting projects located in Hawai'i, and, for internationally-shared sea turtle populations, projects located in Fiji (for, Central South Pacific Green Turtle Distinct Population Segment), Japan (for, North Pacific Loggerhead Turtle Distinct Population Segment), and the Western Pacific (for nesting or foraging habitats of western Pacific leatherback turtles).

This FOA will support national facility based case management activities implemented through associations of persons living with HIV (PLHIV). Activities include peer support for HIV treatment adherence, preventing and minimizing loss-to-follow-up and improving retention in care, and facilitating linkage of all HIV patients and others affected by HIV to comprehensive HIV services. The FOA will support planning, program and financial management; coordination and collaboration with partners and stakeholders; capacity building at different levels; training and deployment of case managers and adherence supporters to high load HIV care and treatment facilities. The awardee will conduct supportive supervision, mentoring, monitoring and evaluation of case management activities, and will maintain an updated inventory of available services in the catchment area of respective health facilities. These activities will minimize patient attrition, optimize adherence and improve patient outcomes.

he U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Mexican Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) are soliciting proposals under the Wildlife Without Borders-Mexico Program for projects that address Mexico's capacity building for biodiversity conservation. Program Goal: Build human and institutional capacity for biodiversity conservation and management in Mexico through training. Of interest are projects that provide direct and significant training to Mexican personnel in terms of the number of individuals trained, the strategic or innovative nature of the training, and the impact of the training on the conservation of biodiversity. Program Objectives: * To address the training needs of Mexican natural resources managers for managing and conserving biodiversity; * To provide local communities access to training that links sound management practices in priority biodiversity areas with the creation of sustainable economic opportunities; * To involve key stakeholder groups to address biodiversity conservation challenges to enable the delivery and implementation of effective conservation actions.

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) in Malawi is to strengthen the laboratory systems by training human resources, improving laboratory infrastructure, building capacity in data management and use, and improving quality management systems. The objectives are to provide pre-service and in-service training for various cadre or laboratory staff, and to equip and perform alterations and refurbishments to at least 10 laboratories to perform essential microbiology, mycobacteriology, parasitology, hematology and chemistry. The FOA will also develop laboratory information management systems (LIMS) and improve the use of generated data in decision making, increase quality by supporting laboratories to develop and adhere to quality management systems (QMS), and strengthen quality control and quality assurance. The activities of the program will include health systems strengthening by increasing human resources, implementing necessary alterations and refurbishment to physical infrastructure, improving the specimen referral system, and improving data generation and handling capabilities through an electronic information system.

The purpose of this project is the accreditation of management practices and delivery of law enforcement services of Mexican law enforcement agencies, emergency communications centers and police academies (here in after referred as Mexican agencies) according to standards that meet international standards. Participating Mexican law enforcement agencies are evaluated with regard to major law enforcement areas such as: 1) Roles, responsibilities and relationships with other agencies; 2) Organization, management and administration; 3) Personnel Administration; 4) Law Enforcement operations, operation support and traffic law enforcement; 5) Detainee and court-related services; and 6) Auxiliary and technical services. The accreditation process provides a structured mechanism for Mexican law enforcement agencies to improve their management practices and the delivery of law enforcement services to their communities. Subject to the availability of funds and pending Department of State management approvals, INL intends to issue an award in an amount not to exceed $7,000,000 in total funding. The U.S. Dollar amount will be funded from INL allocated funds, for an initial project period of five (5) years. INL reserves the right to fund any number of applications or none of the applications submitted and will determine the resulting level of funding for each award(s).

The U.S. Department of State Bureau of East Asia Pacific Affairs (EAP) announces an open competition for organizations interested in submitting applications for a series of small environmental awards to support local and regional small-scale environmental projects in eligible countries in the Pacific Islands region, via the Regional Environmental Office in Suva, at $24,999 or less per award. Since FY 2007, EAP and the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs (OES) have worked together to award and administer small environmental grants in the EAP region. These awards are funded through EAP regional foreign assistance funds, and managed by the OES Regional Environment, Science, Technology, and Health (ESTH) Officer for the Pacific Island states posted to Suva.Projects should address one or more of the following environmental areas of focus:* Food security: agriculture and/or fisheries* Sustainable economic development* Adaptation to changing environmental conditions, e.g., coastal management* Waste management, including marine litter* Air quality* Maintaining biodiversity and healthy ecosystems * Creation and/or management of marine protected areas * Environment or health-related education (particularly for underserved groups)* Capacity building for scientific research on environmental issues* Deployment of new technology for application to environmental issuesProjects may propose activities targeted through this solicitation in the following countries: Fiji; Kiribati; Marshall Islands; the Federated States of Micronesia; Nauru; Palau; Samoa; Solomon Islands; Tonga; Tuvalu; or Vanuatu.Projects

The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad announces an open competition for a cooperative agreement to establish an Academic Partnership in Business Management & Environmental Sciences between a U.S. educational institution and the Karakoram International University (KIU) in Gilgit, Pakistan. Accredited U.S. four-year colleges and universities meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 USC 501(c)(3) may submit proposals to pursue institutional or departmental objectives in partnership with the Karakoram International University. Objectives detailed as priorities for this partnership include: curriculum development, collaborative research, professional development for faculty by U.S. counterparts, and faculty and student exchange. The duration of faculty and student exchanges can be managed according to the time required for the specific task or activity of their exchange. KIU has indicated the primary focus areas should be the environmental sciences programs and the business management programs. In addition, KIU has expressed a desire for assistance with laboratory equipment and training, involving environmental sciences students and faculty in research, and launching a program for encouraging entrepreneurial aptitude among youth and facilitating their transition to become entrepreneurs.

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to strengthen the capacity of the Government of Haiti (GOH) to effectively prevent HIV infections; improve care and treatment of HIV/AIDS and co-infections with emphasis on tuberculosis; build the capacity for the local and regional collection of strategic information and its use for program management and development; and increase the Government of Haiti's capacity to lead and manage a sustainable response to the HIV epidemic. The awardee will work directly with the GOH (and their local implementing partners) to identify the country's needs and priorities in managing a sustainable country-led response to the HIV epidemic. By the end of five years, the awardee will have provided sufficient technical assistance and capacity building in the identified priority areas to achieve an increased ability for the partner country to sustainably lead the activity. The recipient (grantee) of these funds is responsible for activities in multiple program areas designed to target underserved populations in Republic of Haiti. The grantee must show a measurable progressive reinforcement of the capacity of indigenous organizations and local communities to respond to the national HIV epidemic, as well as progress towards the sustainability of activities.

Nigeria has a projected estimated population size of 203,452,505 (July 2018), which makes Nigeria the most populous nation in Africa. The country's National Health Act 2014 (NHA 2014) was signed into law on October 31, 2014 and provides a legal framework for the regulation and management of Nigeria's national health system, however, much work is needed to operationalize the law. Monitoring and mitigating recurring infectious disease outbreaks, as well as detecting and controlling emerging infectious diseases, will be impacted by multiple factors that include inadequate surveillance and response systems, weakened or non-existent infrastructure and health systems and poor coordination among stakeholder agencies. Nigeria is a major gateway to many global destinations. In July 2014, the index case in the Nigeria Ebola Virus disease outbreak arrived at the international airport in Lagos, Nigeria. This index patient potentially exposed 72 persons at the airport and the hospital where he was admitted. The Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH), with guidance from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), declared an Ebola emergency and rapidly implemented a response using all available public health assets and resources. An Ebola Incident Management Center (a precursor to the current Emergency Operations Center) was established to rapidly respond to the 2014 outbreak. Using an Incident Management System (IMS) to coordinate the response and consolidate decision making, largely contributed to helping contain the Nigeria outbreak early.

MENA governments - especially in Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, and Tunisia - have undertaken important reform initiatives to modernize their public administrations and pass access to information laws. Several have applied to join the Open Government Partnership (OGP), an international initiative that aims to leverage capabilities of new technologies to strengthen participatory governance and fight corruption. Further actions are required to sustain this progress and implement open government principles that foster civil society collaboration with government. This project will assist governments in developing action plans to improve management and governance activities such as: budgeting, human resources management, regulatory practices, public integrity, public procurement, digital government, open government and data, risk management, and innovations. By focusing on public governance areas and creating inclusive economies and societies, this project will guide governments to benchmark their countries' progress on public sector reforms at the national and regional levels, and to compare them against international standards. Additionally, it will create the first MENA long-term strategic partnership and governance network for policy dialogue and exchange of good practices. Finally, it will deliver ad hoc policy recommendations to advance public sector reform agendas in specific sectors at the national or regional level with a focus on policies pertaining to women and youth.

Timely and reliable laboratory data are an essential component of a well-functioning national health system. This FOA will support strengthening the quality, accessibility, and sustainability of the NHLS across a six-tiered network, i.e., at the national, zonal, regional, district, health center, and dispensary levels. Technical assistance will focus on improving the quality assurance of HIV rapid testing, TB microscopy and GeneXpert; Early Infant Diagnosis (EID) and Viral Load (VL) testing; establishment and maintenance of efficient sample referral system and transport networks; implementation of laboratory Quality Management Systems; implementation of Laboratory Information Management Systems; scale up of EID and VL monitoring programs; quantification and forecasting of laboratory commodities; HIV Drug Resistance Surveillance; and, effective use of laboratory data for program management.

Subject to funding availability, STAR is a five-year cooperative agreement. The Office of Professional Development and Management Support within the Bureau for Global Health will manage the Award. The Award covers all core-funded activities under this Agreement, and may receive both USAID core and field support funds, from a variety of accounts and earmarks. Applicants are encouraged to propose creative collaborative partnerships with other USG agencies and/or international organizations, NGOs, private voluntary organizations, and firms to implement activities under this program. Proposing at least one new partner in response to this NFO is also highly desirable. "New partners" are defined as organizations that have never received Bureau for Global Health funding as either a direct or sub-recipient. Under this definition, organizations that have been directly funded by a USAID Mission bilateral program or have received USAID Regional Bureau funding will be considered a new partner. Partnerships should be of manageable size with relationships and responsibilities clearly defined.

The Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs' (OES) Office of Environmental Quality and Transboundary Issues at the U.S. Department of State (DOS), announces the Notice of Funding Opportunity ("NOFO") for activities under the "Building Air Quality Management Capacity in Central Asia" project. The agreement awarded will use U.S. Fiscal Year 2019 Economic Support Funds, subject to Congressional approval and availability of funds. The "Building Air Quality Management Capacity in Central Asia" project intends to strengthen regulatory and monitoring capacity of government actors and expand awareness of air quality issues among decision makers and the general public in at least one Central Asian country. More specifically, the project would target key host government entities to develop and enhance air quality monitoring capacity with low cost sensors, educational materials on AQI PM2.5 and PM10, formal expert workshops, and through the services of a professional monitoring and evaluation expert to develop and design a monitoring and evaluation plan to be used by key agencies.

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) addresses the strong need for an electronic repository system in Rwanda. The system will be a web-based monitoring and reporting system to be used by all USG PEPFAR-funded agencies and implementing partners operating in the country, including the Rwandan Ministry of Health, the Rwanda Biomedical Center, and other PEPFAR implementing partners. An initial assessment of the existing electronic system will provide insights on whether or not maintenance, upgrade, or the development of a new platform will address the needs of PEPFAR Rwanda. A flexible and stable platform is needed and will serve as the unique repository of PEPFAR Rwanda program data at the country level. It will be used to generate PEPFAR periodic reports, including the semi-annual and annual progress reports and additional ad hoc requests. The purpose of this FOA is to develop a new system or upgrade and maintain the existing web-based reporting system that has been in place since 2008 and build local capacity within the USG team to manage and maintain the system. The system should include automated checks for data quality. In doing so, the system will add new functionality (e.g., dashboard to easily view achievement of indicators, etc.) as well as add additional data variables to be used for HIV program planning and implementation. The Division of HIV/AIDS at the Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC) will be one of the major users of the data stored and managed on the system, and the successful applicant will be expected to work closely with this division to refine some of the data elements collected to ensure harmonization with the national system.

The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to strengthen capabilities of the Ministry of Health (MOH) and District Health Teams (DHTs) to conduct the following activities: (1) monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of HIV program including service quality assessment, (2) district led HIV programming (DLP); (3) conducting population case-based surveillance, and lastly (4) strengthening the Ministry of Health (MOH)-owned national Health Management Information System (HMIS), to generate timely, valid, consistent and complete data. This FOA is part of the PEPFAR overall sustainability plan and transition of HIV/AIDS monitoring and evaluation into the primary national health care system towards alignment to the national HIV/AIDS M&E framework and achievement of one national M&E system. The FOA also supports the PEPFAR implementation of a sustainability plan and investments in public health systems, quality improvement, and public health workforce development. At the end of the project, the main expected outcomes include increased use of information for evidence-based decision making, effective health programming at the district levels, and a well-functioning Health Management Information System. All the data collection and reporting activities will emphasize maintaining patients' and participants' confidentiality by treating information that they disclose in a relationship of trust. All of the information provided by patients/participants will be kept confidential and secure in locked rooms/drawers with limited access. Any data analyses will be conducted after all personal identifying information have been removed from electronic datasets.

Cameroon is one of the 30 countries with the highest burden of TB/HIV co-infection worldwide. Only 54% of TB cases were notified in 2016 and 5.5% were children. TB treatment coverage was 55% and treatment success 84%.Despite implementation of TB and HIV strategic plans, TB case finding, diagnosis, and management remain suboptimal. TB/HIV co-infection remains high, Isoniazid Preventive Therapy (IPT) implementation is limited, and antiretroviral therapy (ART) services are not fully integrated in TB clinics. Human resource capacity is limited, and there are continued challenges with stock management.Cameroon adheres to the Sustainable Development Goals and the WHO Strategy to END TB. This NOFO will support development of models to improve screening, case identification, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of TB among people living with HIV (PLHIV). It will also strengthen HIV testing, ART initiation, clinical monitoring, and care for TB clients, and strengthen health systems by building monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and infection control (IC) capacity. These interventions will strengthen TB/HIV services and improve capacity for an effective TB/HIV response in Cameroon.