Category: USA

Source: USAID

Implemented in the country’s SAGCOT regions (Iringa, Mbeya, and Morogoro) and Zanzibar (Unguja and Pemba), with a strategic focus in Dodoma, the Feed the Future Tanzania Private Sector Strengthening Activity collaborates with private sector associations, youth-led and focused institutions, and national and local government authorities to enhance the overall entrepreneurial ecosystem in Tanzania.

Source: USAID

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced a grant worth nearly MNT 7 billion ($2 million) to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO). USAID funds will support UNFAO to increase and improve Mongolia’s domestic greenhouses and related industries – including food storage and distribution – so that Mongolia can become more self-sufficient in vegetable production. 

Mongolia currently consumes primarily imported vegetables. Recent international events have highlighted the vulnerability that this reliance on imports creates: Russia’s war in Ukraine significantly impacted food prices and availability, and closures of the border with the People’s Republic of China led to widespread shortages of food products during the COVID-19 pandemic. UNFAO reports that although Mongolia’s greenhouse development has increased in recent years, domestic production remains inadequate to meet demand for fresh, healthy produce and most Mongolian greenhouses are not capable of operating year-round.

This MNT 7 billion ($2 million) USAID grant will identify policy changes for local and national governments to create an enabling environment for private sector investment in the greenhouse sector. The grant will also provide training on developing and managing greenhouses using modern techniques and business practices.  

“With the right practices and technologies, coupled with policies to encourage more investment in the sector, year-round production and distribution can become more of a reality,” said U.S. Ambassador to Mongolia Richard Buangan. “This support from USAID will bring more locally grown produce into Mongolian homes, regardless of harsh winters or supply chain disruptions caused by neighboring countries.”

“USAID is very pleased to award this grant to UNFAO and to work with them to improve Mongolia’s food security,” said USAID Mongolia Senior Development Advisor Tom Crehan. “As a proud Third Neighbor of Mongolia, we are glad to partner with the government and other stakeholders to meet the Mongolian people’s demand for a sustainable supply of nutritious produce.”

For more than 30 years, USAID has worked with Mongolia to advance democracy, strengthen community resilience against natural disasters, and increase sustainable, inclusive economic growth. To date, the U.S. government, through USAID, has invested more than $130 million (MNT 400 billion) to help Mongolia achieve its  development goals.

Source: USAID

Overview

The resilience of coastal communities is intertwined with the health of their terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Communities south of Pemba in Cabo Delgado and north of Maganja da Costa in Zambezia face significant problems. The escalating threats to the natural systems upon which they depend include unsustainable natural resource extraction (including, but not limited to fisheries and mining), agricultural expansion, and overall poor management of these natural resources. The drivers to these threats are many, such as reduced economic opportunities, insufficient employment, limited capital, inadequate inputs, limited education, extremist influences, poor mining practices, and climate change. The youth in these coastal communities are particularly at risk, and will help shape the future of these communities and the natural systems. There is both an urgent need and a great opportunity to increase youth’s leadership and participation in sustainable natural resource management, food systems, livelihoods, the local and regional economy, and society in general. 

Program Description

The RCC activity is a five year $24M activity and focuses on a subset of the coastal region south of Pemba and North of Maganja de Costa. The RCC activity will blend USAID Feed the Future and Biodiversity resources to improve the resilience of coastal communities where rich, yet fragile land and marine ecosystems are at risk of climatic shocks and human-inflicted degradation. The intent of the activity is to create high-quality, effective partnerships to pilot new and innovative ways to improve the resilience of coastal communities living in rich land and marine ecosystems that are vulnerable to climatic shocks and environmental degradation. Working with the public and private sector, civil society, and religious stakeholders, this activity will develop and pilot projects that will create a significant number of jobs and sustainable economic opportunities for youth and women, while having positive impacts on the long-term health and productivity of critical ecosystems, particularly the extraordinarily diverse marine ecosystems that are vital to food security.

Expected Results

Under this program a combination of approaches will cover an array of objectives and expectations. One of the objectives is to build on local capacity, working across a mix of public, private, civil society, and religious institution stakeholders, and focused on scalability and sustainability. In addition, at least part of the coastal and marine ecosystems activities should focus on reducing threats to the ecosystem in high biodiversity areas by leveraging the private sector and other sources of investment for employment and income generation through sustainable livelihood approaches. 

Source: USAID

OVERVIEW

SERVIR Southeast Asia (SERVIR SEA) uses publicly available satellite technologies to support regional institutions, governments, and communities adapt to transboundary climate issues and mitigate the impacts of climate change. Aligning with the U.S. vision of a connected, resilient, and sustainable Indo-Pacific, SERVIR SEA and key stakeholders co-develop decision support tools to improve drought, flood and other natural disaster response; food security; air quality monitoring; and sustainable landscape management. 

SERVIR SEA is part of a network of SERVIR hubs currently operating across the developing world through a partnership between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The activity is implemented by the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC), and has a geographic scope that covers the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) region, which includes Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.

SERVIR SEA builds on the successes of SERVIR-Mekong (2014-2022) in helping communities in the Lower Mekong Region respond to the impacts of climate change, including drought and flood management and response. SERVIR SEA leverages this experience and its extensive networks to scale up data-driven solutions for local communities throughout the region. 

PRIORITIES 

Enhancing regional natural disaster response and climate resilience

SERVIR SEA works to reduce loss of life and damage to property and critical infrastructure by developing and supporting the uptake of data-driven tools to improve decision making. The tools help decision makers in regional organizations, national governments, and local communities use geospatial information to mitigate the effects of floods and droughts, and adapt to the impacts of a changing climate. 

Monitoring land cover & air quality for healthy communities & ecosystems

The activity works with regional platforms and networks, including the Center for People and Forests, International Union for Conservation of Nature, and ASEAN’s Technical Working Group on Transboundary Haze Pollution, to increase the use of land cover and air quality data to improve forest protection, forest fire management, and transboundary air pollution control.

Integrating satellite technologies to inform food security programming

SERVIR SEA uses remote sensing technology and climate models to estimate the impact of climate change on crop production in Burma, to inform the work of USAID/Burma and the international development community to improve food security and promote regional and global learning.

Using data to monitor protected areas & promote sustainable agriculture

To reduce deforestation and forest degradation, SERVIR SEA works with USAID/Cambodia to develop user-friendly tools for forest monitoring. In addition, satellite technology is integrated into crop mapping to inform planning and implementation of sustainable agriculture practices that can be shared and used regionally.

ANTICIPATED RESULTS

SERVIR SEA provides technical support to regional organizations and development partners to:

• Advise revisions on the ASEAN Transboundary Haze Roadmap to include the use of satellite data and regional weather models to supplement ground measurements for increased accuracy.
• Support implementation of the ASEAN Framework on Anticipatory Action in Disaster Management and strengthen the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management to improve forecasting and early warning systems.  
• Increase public data collection, through events (like a mapathon for data collection and a women leaders workshop) and online resources to update earth observation and gender equality monitoring platforms.
• Expand regional understanding of the uses of satellite imagery by developing country-level crop maps in Burma and Cambodia. This improves food security in Burma and increases private sector engagement in deforestation monitoring and land use planning in Cambodia.

Source: USAID

BACKGROUND

The Transformation of Rural Water and Sanitation Hygiene Service Delivery in Mozambique program (T-WASH) aims to drive sustainable improvements to WASH service delivery in poor local communities through building capacity of the Government of the Republic of Mozambique’s (GRM) National Rural Water and Sanitation Program (PRONASAR) and incentivizing improved service delivery at the local level by instituting a set of performance indicators linked to financial support. USAID/Mozambique is supporting PRONASAR through a Delegated Cooperation Agreement (DCAR) signed with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The support provided to PRONASAR  has three main components: (i) Support to sub-national government WASH service delivery entities under PRONASAR with funds deposited in an off-budget (Off-CUT) account and disbursements managed by a provisional Fund Manager; (ii) Technical assistance/capacity building delivered through a Capacity Building Agent to support national and sub-national capacity of the GRM; and (iii) An Independent Monitoring Partner for independent verification of results against the agreed performance indicators for PRONASAR. 

EXPECTED RESULTS AND IMPACTS

By increasing access to and use of WASH services in rural and semi-rural communities, USAID’s support ot PRONASAR will to contribute to improved health and time saved to invest in other opportunities especially for women and girls in targeted rural areas, through sustained increase in effective demand, supply and use of WASH services for the rural poor.The goal of PRONASAR is to contribute to the satisfaction of basic human needs, improve well-being and reduce poverty in rural areas, through increasing access to and use of water and sanitation services as set in the mission’s strategy.

Source: USAID

Dushanbe, Tajikistan, March 1, 2022 – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will refurbish Tajikistan’s only COVID-19 specific genomic sequencing machine to test for COVID-19 variants. The genomic sequencing machine will be rendered operable with USAID’s donation of equipment, supplies, and new training at the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population.

Following the delivery, USAID’s Local Health System Sustainability Activity began the training on genomic sequencing of the COVID-19 virus variants for laboratory specialists. World Health Organization certified experts will deliver training for six laboratory specialists from the Tajik State Research Institute of Preventive Medicine, who will learn to analyze, record, and report results. They will also learn how to maintain the sequencer and other equipment. After the training, for the first time in Tajikistan, the national laboratory system will be capable of identifying and reporting COVID-19 variants, such as Delta and Omicron. Accurate and timely identification of COVID-19 variants in circulation is critical to an effective COVID-19 response that includes vaccines and other measures employed by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population.

“I am very proud of our collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population that brings fundamental, innovative change to Tajikistan’s health system and supports better COVID-19 testing, and a more effective COVID-19 response,” noted James Parys, USAID Acting Mission Director for Tajikistan.

Funding for the genomic sequencing machine operability and training for the national laboratory system staff is part of $12 million in COVID-19 assistance USAID has delivered to Tajikistan since the pandemic first emerged in March 2020. U.S. support for Tajikistan’s efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic strengthens the healthcare system; procures urgent supplies for infection-prevention and control, including programs to expand COVID-19 testing; keeps health workers safe with protective equipment; increases oxygen supply; better equips Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) laboratories; improves disease surveillance and clinical management; and fights misinformation. In addition, in support of the national COVID-19 response, the U.S. government has donated more than 2.6 million doses of Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.

USAID is the world’s premier international development agency and a catalytic actor driving development results. For more information, visit: https://www.usaid.gov/tajikistan and Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/usembassy.duahanbe

Source: USAID

BACKGROUND

With a population of around 28 million people, Mozambique ranks 180th out of 189 countries on the United Nations Development Program 2018 Human Development Index. Almost half of the country’s population still lives in poverty, with the highest concentration in Nampula and Zambezia provinces, where almost half of the 11.2 million poor live. In the last decade, the Government of Mozambique focused water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) investments in urban and rural areas. In small towns, around 15 percent of the total Mozambican population, little investment for water and sanitation has been provided, despite the trend of economic growth. The water services coverage rate in small towns is at around 20 percent, 14 percent with hand pumps and 6 percent piped water, often neither functioning. USAID has designated Mozambique as one of its WASH High-Priority Countries, to provide safe and resilient water, sanitation, and hygiene assistance.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Transform WASH is a five-year $18.6 million program that supports the Government of Mozambique’s efforts to strengthen water sector governance, increase water access, and accelerate households’ adoption of key hygiene behaviors. It builds on previous USAID programs, such as Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Financing (WASH-FIN), Supporting the Policy Environment for Economic Development (SPEED+), and Strengthening Communities through Integrated Programming (SCIP), and complements current programming. Transform WASH also liaises with other donor partners, the private sector, and civil society to develop the political will and the technical capacities necessary for creating a sound business environment. The program focuses primarily on small towns, rural growth centers, and peri-urban areas in Zambezia, Nampula, and Cabo Delgado provinces.

EXPECTED RESULTS AND IMPACTS

Transform WASH results will include:

• Strengthened policy implementation and institutional capacity to deliver WASH services;
• Increased technical, financial, and management capacity in WASH-related government programs and private providers;
• Improved water and sanitation financing and business environment for the private sector;
• Accelerated uptake and maintenance of key water and hygiene behaviors among households and institutions; and
• Increased women’s leadership within the sector, and enhanced decision-making power within the household for WASH products and services.

Source: USAID

Context

Every year, corruption diverts millions of dollars away from public spending and into the pockets of private individuals and accelerates environmental degradation and biodiversity loss. The United States and Indonesia are working together to reduce and prevent corruption by enhancing public oversight, expanding civic engagement, and strengthening integrity in the public and private sectors.

Despite a number of successes over the last decade, Indonesia still faces challenges in addressing
corruption. Licensing and procurement irregularities lie at the heart of 23 percent of cases handled by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in the last ten years. In addition to harming the economy, corruption in procurement and licensing can also cause significant and long-term damage to the environment, public health, and peoples’ livelihoods.

USAID Indonesia Integrity Initiative (USAID Integritas)

The USAID Indonesia Integrity Initiative (USAID Integritas) is a five-year, $10 million program managed by KEMITRAAN in partnership with Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW), Transparency International-Indonesia (TI-I), and the Basel Institute on Governance. The project works closely with relevant Government of Indonesia (GOI) agencies and the private sector at the national level and in the priority provinces of North Sumatra, South Sulawesi, East Java, and East Nusa Tenggara, as well as in DKI Jakarta.

USAID Integritas focuses on identifying, preventing, and managing conflicts of interest (COIs) in licensing and procurement related to natural resources. The activity enhances policies and practices that reduce COIs by strengthening prevention mechanisms, enhancing public and private sector engagement, and boosting transparency through more open political and campaign finance information. It also aims to improve public education, awareness, and participation by strengthening avenues and mechanisms for public oversight and enhancing public engagement in anti-corruption efforts

Results

In its first year, USAID Integritas has:

• Completed an assessment that identified gaps between international frameworks on managing COIs and existing policies in Indonesia, as well as gaps between COI policy and implementation at the national and provincial levels;

• Conducted case studies on COIs in procurement and environment-related legislation, public officials’ positions on the boards of state-owned enterprises, and sexual exploitation in corruption cases;

• Prepared nine anti-corruption measures in the areas of fishery management, state-owned enterprises, law enforcement, and political finance transparency, among others, that were adopted in the 2023-2024 National Action Plan on Corruption Prevention;

• Launched a report on Transparency in Corporate Reporting (TRAC), which assessed 47 local government-owned enterprises and identified significant weaknesses in anti-corruption commitment and the inclusion of politically-exposed persons in corporate boards;

• Produced a policy paper on political party finance to inform financial reporting standards; 

• Established a relationship with regional Higher Education Service Institutes—whose members include hundreds of institutions and thousands of instructors—to encourage adoption of the Anti-Corruption Academy curriculum at universities;

•  Trained more than 2,000 students and CSO personnel on anti-corruption through the Anti-Corruption Academy; and

• Promoted OpenTender.net, a public oversight platform on public procurement, via social media to youth, government officials, journalists, and civil society organizations.

Contact

Ahmad Qisa’i, USAID at aqisai@usaid.gov
Justin Snyder, USAID Integritas – KEMITRAAN at justin.snyder@kemitraan.or.id