Attachment 1 - Draft Statement of Work.docx

Attachment 1 - Draft Statement of Work

C.1 Purpose

The objective of this Contract is to provide USAID Regional and Bilateral Missions within Central and Latin America with a flexible, streamlined, and total integrated service solution for addressing a variety of issues affecting the root causes of irregular migration from Central America to the United States, particularly those related to economic opportunity, governance and transparency, climate change, crime and insecurity. It is often a combination of multiple factors in these sectors that push people to migrate. Although most Central American irregular migrants originate from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, the flow of populations and drivers of migration concern all Central American countries as well as Mexico.

These service requirements may call for solutions that cross over multiple disciplines and sectors, include ancillary support, and may require commercial and/or non-commercial items, using a variety of contract types including fixed price (all types), cost reimbursement (all types), time and materials/labor hour, and/or a hybrid mix of contract types.

This Contract is primarily available for use by USAID Missions throughout Central America and Mexico, with the potential to be scaled to include additional USAID Missions throughout the Latin American and Caribbean Regions.

C.2 Background

C.2.1 About USAID

USAID is the world's premier international development agency and a catalytic actor driving development results. USAID's work advances U.S. national security and economic prosperity, demonstrates American generosity, and promotes a path to recipient self-reliance and resilience. USAID implements development programs worldwide, including throughout Central America and Mexico.

C.2.2 Development Context

According to latest estimates, over 400,000 residents of Central America leave their communities each year in search of better lives.[footnoteRef:1] Most of these rely on irregular channels for migration and are destined for the United States, often by migrating north through Mexico.[footnoteRef:2] The journey is costly and dangerous, and many end up as returnees from Mexico or the United States, creating a continuous cycle of irregular migration and returnees. Since January 2016, the United States has returned to their homes over 400,000 Central Americans attempting to migrate irregularly (i.e., migration through non-legal pathways), a monthly average totaling more than 6,000 individuals.[footnoteRef:3] Although most Central American irregular migrants originate from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, the flow of populations and drivers of migration concern all Central American countries as well as Mexico. [1: “The Complex Motivations and Costs of Central American Migration.” Migration Policy Institute November 2021. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/sites/default/files/publications/mpi-wfp-mit_migration-motivations-costs_final.pdf. The study estimates 406,000 per year as an average from 2016-2020 with the U.S.and other countries as their ultimate destination. This is an estimate and includes migration through regular and irregular channels.] [2: The Complex Motivations and Costs of Central American Migration.” Migration Policy Institute November 2021. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/sites/default/files/publications/mpi-wfp-mit_migration-motivations-costs_final.pdf.] [3: Calculated from International Organization for Migration data. https://mic.iom.int/webntmi/ ]

In addition, the United States and Mexico partnered in 2017 to improve economic opportunity in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras for likely migrants and in 2021, Vice President Harris oversaw a Memorandum of Understanding between USAID and the Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation to address the root causes of migration. While migration trends vary significantly from one year to the next in response to both push and pull factors, the principal push factors from Central America concern lack of economic opportunities, violence, poor governance and provision of public services, and vulnerability to climate shocks.

Economies in the region remain largely informal and highly unequal. The number of jobs in the formal economy with sufficient wages to allow people to stay rooted in their communities fall far short of the number of people looking for work. Furthermore, in some countries the minimum wage does not even cover the basic costs of living, due to rapid inflation. This challenge is particularly acute for youth, women, and members of marginalized groups. Economic growth is hindered by structural impediments to investment and poor democratic governance. In addition, economic challenges are amplified by health and environmental threats that test the resilience of populations in the region, a phenomenon best exemplified by the COVID-19 pandemic (which resulted in negative growth in the region) and two tropical storms in November 2020 that devastated communities and created crisis-level food insecurity.

The tropical storms also exemplify that the effects of climate change have a direct impact on migration. Worsening droughts can devastate rural and agricultural communities economically to the point that residents choose to migrate to the United States for better opportunities. Beyond droughts, extreme weather events are increasingly common in the region. Sea levels are rising, which can destroy livelihoods and act as powerful push factors for irregular migration.

In the governance space, democratic backsliding, pervasive disinformation, and widespread corruption undercut progress on economic opportunity, protection of human rights, and civilian security. Private companies cite corruption as an impediment to investment. Corruption hinders the government’s ability to provide basic services, undermining its effectiveness in addressing social and economic development challenges. Improving democratic governance and increasing security within communities is key to generating hope for citizens in the region, where they can envision viable life options with equitable access to quality public services and the ability to move safely throughout their communities. Improvements in these areas are also critical to attracting private sector investment.

Youth are also affected by development challenges. For example, roughly one fourth of the youth population (ages 15-24) in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras is not employed or enrolled in school or training programs, a trend that disproportionately affects young women.[footnoteRef:4] Half the population in the region does not complete high school, a key indicator of an inability to gain sufficient employment and likelihood to irregularly migrate.[footnoteRef:5] Youth are often recruited to join gangs and evidence suggests that most gang members join when they are younger than 18.[footnoteRef:6] Young men are the most common victims of crimes against life and property, and young women are the most common victims of sexual and physical violence.[footnoteRef:7] Youth are also most likely to migrate, with an estimated 68 percent of recent migrants from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras being under the age of 34.[footnoteRef:8] [4: International Labor Organization statistics. When only considering young women, data estimates range from 38 percent-45 percent of that population who are unemployed or enrolled in school or vocational training.] [5: Figure calculated using most-recent upper secondary completion rate data from UNESCO weighted by country population figures from the World Bank. ] [6: “Una Mirada A Las Juventudes Expuestas A La Violencia En El Norte De CentroAmerica.” Infosegura, 2020. https://infosegura.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Resiliencia-1oct20.pdf. See footnote 2, half of surveyed gang members in El Salvador joined at age 15 or younger. Seventy-six percent joined younger than 18. On average men joined at 15.6 years and women joined at 18.3 years of age. ] [7: “Una Mirada A Las Juventudes Expuestas A La Violencia En El Norte De CentroAmerica.” Infosegura, 2020. https://infosegura.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Resiliencia-1oct20.pdf] [8: “The Complex Motivations and Costs of Central American Migration.” Migration Policy Institute, November 2021. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/sites/default/files/publications/mpi-wfp-mit_migration-motivations-costs_final.pdf]

Trade and investment are key for regional economic growth and opportunity. Historically, the United States and countries within Central America have been the top export destinations for Central America and Mexico, a relationship bolstered following the signing of the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) in 2005 (note that Mexico, Belize, and Panama are not part of CAFTA-DR). Despite positive export growth over the last decade, Central America and Mexico lag behind comparable markets elsewhere in the world.

Better water management is of increasing importance in the region to respond to climate change and to ensure access to clean water. Moreover, water and climate change also intersect concerning the region’s energy. Future changes to regional precipitation patterns which are linked to climate change, could dramatically impact the availability of rainwater for use in electricity generation.

Like climate change, health pandemics also have the ability to devastate lives and livelihoods to drive irregular migration from Central America. The most immediate concern is COVID-19, which continues to spread throughout the region. HIV/AIDS is another health threat to the region. Country-level prevalence rates mask the disproportionate impact that HIV and AIDS have on key populations. Key populations in Central America include men who have sex with other men (MSM), transgender persons, and sex workers. Other priority populations include specific ethnic groups such as the Garifuna, sex worker clients, migrants, and prisoners.

Additional commonalities across the Central America and Mexico region include discrimination and violence toward women, people living with disabilities, and LGBTQI+ people. Populations moving throughout the region (migrants, displaced persons, returnees, and caravans) are particularly vulnerable to human rights violations and human trafficking, and are at heightened risk of migration or re-migration to the U.S. The majority of Central American migrants to the U.S. originate from Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, traveling north through Mexico, however this dynamic is shifting as the number of migrants from other countries surpasses those of Northern Central America. Furthermore, the region is also a transit point for migrants (mainly Cuban and Haitian) traveling to the U.S. from South America.[footnoteRef:9] [9: Brief on migration data in Central America, using apprehension data from the Government of Mexico. https://www.migrationdataportal.org/regional-data-overview/migration-data-central-america ]

Additionally, victims of violence at the hand of the state or criminal organizations suffer from systemic violations of their rights under the law (including redress, protection, and recognition), and moving populations (migrants, displaced persons, caravans, and returnees) are particularly at risk.

Central Americans face these challenges--insufficient income, lack of employment, education, and training opportunities, threats of climate change and health pandemics, and violence and insecurity--everyday. Democratic backsliding and rampant corruption waste resources that could be used to better protect citizens and provide them with the needed public services to improve their lives to a point where they are not forced to seek a better one in the United States. To reduce irregular migration by addressing its root causes, interventions are needed to foster opportunity, improve security, strengthen democratic governance, and provide needed public services for those seeking to migrate. These challenges should not be treated as isolated issues or sectors. The combination of challenges in these sectors combine to drive thousands of irregular migrants out of Central America to the United States each month. The solution requires the same integrated response, one that addresses challenges in all of these sectors and throughout Central America and Mexico.

C.3 General Requirements

The Government expects the services provided under the IDIQ to be in support of both USAID Regional and Bilateral programs in Central America and Mexico. As such, the services and service providers must readily adapt to local conditions.

The contractor shall provide all resources including personnel, management, supplies, services, materials, equipment, facilities, and transportation necessary to provide a wide range of services as specified in each task order. Changes in emphasis and program direction are highly likely, and may be frequent, in approved projects. The contractor shall be responsive to such changes.

This IDIQ contract will support multiple USAID program teams supporting Central America and Mexico to:

1. Address economic insecurity and lack of economic opportunity;

2. Strengthen democratic governance, reducing gender-based violence, and promoting respect for human rights and a free press;

3. Improve resilience to climate change and health threats; and

4. Strengthen the capacity of local partners and provide technical and management expertise to USAID missions

This IDIQ will support the Country Development Cooperation Strategies (CDCS) of countries in Central America and Mexico. The links can be found on usaid.gov. This activity will also support the Regional Development Cooperation Strategy of USAID/Central America and Mexico, the U.S. Strategy for Addressing the Root Causes of Migration in Central America (RCS), and the U.S. Government’s Collaborative Migration Management Strategy.

C.4 Main Performance Areas (Scope of Services)

The following are the main performance areas covered under this IDIQ. These main performance areas are not meant to be definitive, and rather represent in summary form the general areas to be supported. Specific performance requirements will be established at the task order level.

C.4.1 Strategic Objective 1: Addressing economic insecurity and lack of economic opportunity

C.4.1.1 Building an enabling environment for business.

Services include activities such as:

· Strengthening transparency, promoting business ethics, and fostering predictable legal and regulatory business environments including the existence of antitrust laws and regulations;

· Promoting reforms to address structural impediments to investment and facilitating greater private sector participation in Central America and Mexico economies and economic policy making;

· Unlocking capital, with a focus on underserved groups, including small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), youth, women- and indigenous-owned businesses, businesses serving rural areas, and internally displaced persons (IDPs);

· Supporting the private sector to advocate for necessary reforms, regulations, and modernization to promote transparency and improve the business enabling environment; and

· Developing a long-term business plan that will chart a path toward sustainability, including identifying other funding sources or sources of revenue.

C.4.1.2 Promoting, increasing and diversifying trade.

Services include activities such as:

· Reducing corruption in customs regimes and promoting policy reforms to address impediments to trade;

· Improving digital and physical infrastructure that facilitates trade, both at land border crossings and at shipping ports;

· Aligning and integrating regional customs systems and harmonizing regulatory certification requirements;

· Improving governance at land border crossings and seaports to better facilitate trade;

· Assisting government authorities with implementing international trade agreements;

· Supporting business compliance with internationally recognized labor rights, environmental protections, and international trade rules; and

· Supporting private sector participation in trade policy development and implementation.

C.4.1.3 Create jobs through business expansion: supporting enterprises to become more productive and competitive in domestic and international markets to hire more people.

Services include activities such as:

· Generating jobs by assisting enterprises with improving their productivity, diversifying their products, increasing access to financing, and expanding their markets; and

· Finding and/or facilitating new investments in Central America and Mexico.

C.4.1.4 Enhance workforce development, job placement, and micro and small business development.

Services include activities such as:

· Providing youth with appropriate, safe, and accessible educational and/or vocational, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy training opportunities that reflect labor market needs so youth are able to access decent work or start their own businesses upon completion of their studies; and

· Working with the private sector to more directly link youth with internships, apprenticeships, and employment opportunities with the labor demands in a timely manner.

C.4.2 Strategic Objective 2: Strengthening democratic governance, reducing violence, and promoting respect for human rights and a free press

C.4.2.1 Institutional strengthening to improve Governance and Rule of Law.

Services include activities such as:

· Promoting a merit-based, independent process for the nomination and selection of justice and oversight officials, and establishing anti-corruption norms limiting immunity of officials from prosecution and banning candidates for office with disqualifying criminal records;

· Promoting transparency in electoral systems through reform and enforcement of electoral campaign finance rules and open list systems to allow for direct representation;

· Supporting independent audit and oversight institutions and organizations to monitor the use of public funds, and promoting transparency in government processes;

· Improving the transparent and efficient functioning of legislative, executive, and judicial bodies; and

· Bolstering civil society and independent media so they have the tools, knowledge, and networks needed to safely identify government neglect and abuse, raise awareness, and demand accountability.

C.4.2.2 Combating corruption.

Services include activities such as:

· Bolstering civil society and independent media so they have the tools, knowledge, and networks needed to safely identify government corruption and fraud, raise awareness, and demand accountability;

· Supporting NGOs and other entities in the region focused on governance improvement to encourage local and community leadership and foster sustainability of such efforts;

· Developing and implementing a variety of anti-corruption tools and creative outreach and campaigns aimed at preventing, detecting, investigating, and ultimately cracking down on corruption at all levels and in all branches of the government, and throughout society;

· Supporting prosecutorial teams that demonstrate a commitment to holding corrupt actors to account, promoting anonymity of judges so that they are not attacked for their verdicts; and

· Reviewing fiscal policy to identify gaps and incongruences in taxation, and advancing opportunities to progressively expand the tax base, incentivizing individuals and businesses to move into the formal economy and to transition public procurement to a competitive, transparent, and merit-based system to curb political influence and diminish the opportunities for corruption.

C.4.2.3 Government capacity service delivery improvement.

Services include activities such as:

· Strengthening public financial management (budgeting, management, revenue, and use of public resources) at the local and national levels to enhance service delivery for all citizens, including in underserved areas and vulnerable populations;

· Developing and implementing strategies to provide services in marginalized communities, including IDPs, high-threat crime areas, and regions with highest outbound migration; and

· Strengthening management systems in the areas of monitoring and evaluation plans and standards in service delivery.

C.4.2.4 Human rights abuse awareness and reduction.

Services include activities such as:

· Supporting NGOs and other entities in the region focused on protecting marginalized individuals and groups, including human rights and environmental defenders, women and girls, youth activists, LGBTQI+ people, indigenous people, persons with disabilities, labor rights activists, and other individuals who are at risk of persecution or abuse;

· Supporting NGOs and other entities in the region focused on responding promptly and decisively to robustly document incidences, ensure accountability of human rights violations, extend access to justice for all citizens, and reduce impunity of perpetrators;

· Supporting NGOs and other entities in the region focused on efforts to curb abuses by security personnel, including the police, and holding perpetrators accountable;

· Strengthening civil society organizations and human rights defenders so they are able to hold governments accountable for human rights violations without legal restriction and free from intimidation;

· Supporting NGOs and other entities in the region focused on developing and improving laws that protect the rights of workers to organize and bargain collectively, and such laws are effectively enforced, with appropriate dispute resolution mechanisms;

· Supporting NGOs and other entities in the region focused on empowering workers to claim their rights, protecting labor rights activists, and building the capacity of democratic, worker-led organizations;

· Supporting NGOs and other entities in the region focused on proactive outreach to communities, unions, civil society, and employers concerning labor rights, and labor rights laws;

· Supporting NGOs and other entities in the region focused on promoting labor rights compliance among employers, including accountability in the supply chains of priority sectors;

· Supporting NGOs and other entities in the region focused on promoting constructive dialogue on labor issues among governments, employers, and worker organizations to improve legal frameworks, inform enforcement strategies, and strengthen worker voices related to labor and employment issues;

· Supporting NGOs and other entities in the region focused on implementing existing legislation related to sexual, gender-based violence, and hate crimes, and ensure law enforcement and the justice sector is equipped to investigate and prosecute these crimes, reducing impunity for these crimes;

· Supporting community-based organizations to change the culture around gender-based violence and women’s empowerment; and

· Supporting NGOs and other entities in the region focused on supporting and protecting survivors of gender-based violence, increasing accountability and restorative justice measures for perpetrators to break the cycle of violence, and breaking down stereotypes and cultural norms that permit these crimes to continue.

· Strengthen the security and safety support structures and other risk mitigation measures for civil society and human rights organizations, who are under constant surveillance and threat.

C.4.2.5 Promotion of a free press.

Services include activities such as:

· Supporting a regulatory environment that ensures independent media can operate without fear of reprisal or intimidation, and will support development of media that can serve as an effective oversight tool to those in power;

· Strengthening civil society and media organizations so they are able to hold governments accountable for human rights violations, corruption, fraud, waste, and abuse, among other subjects, without legal restriction and free from intimidation;

· Strengthen the security and safety protocols and other mitigation measures for the civil media and media organizations for the journalists and promoters of free press who are often under frequent, lethal threats.

C.4.2.6 Professionalizing security forces.

In accordance with USAID policy, each Mission must carry out its own due diligence when working with police/security forces. Civilian police assistance excludes assistance in carrying out internal intelligence or surveillance operations.

Services include activities such as:

· Working with security actors to target resources at the most pressing security challenges, while ensuring community policing concepts are introduced and implemented, that are designed to increase dialogue and trust with populations, and establish community-based solutions to crime that respect human rights; and

· Supporting NGOs and other entities in the region focused on building accountability into security forces through initiatives to support audit and oversight functions to root out and address misconduct and poor performance.

C.4.2.7 Countering organized crime.

Services include activities such as:

· Working with vetted and specialized units to build their capacity to address complex crimes, including drug trafficking, human trafficking, gang violence, extortion, smuggling, corruption, and money laundering; and

· Building the capacity of security actors in the region to promote coordination and information sharing among countries to address transnational crime.

C.4.2.8 Building Safe Communities through violence prevention and intervention.

Services include activities such as:

· Supporting municipalities and community organizations to increase the availability of safe spaces, such as parks and youth centers, and improve the safety of public transportation, so that citizens can engage in economic and social life without fear;

· Supporting a diverse range of stakeholders from government, civil society, and the private sector to prevent youth from joining gangs, including through opportunities to play, learn, work, and feel connected with their families and communities; and

· Supporting NGOs and other entities in the region focused on offenders’ efforts to disengage from gangs and reintegrate into communities by addressing trauma, community resiliency, education and economic opportunity, and case management services.

C.4.3 Strategic Objective 3: Improving resilience to climate, food security, and health threats

C.4.3.2 Improving health.

Services include activities such as:

· Supporting health care providers to ensure health systems are able to effectively manage the COVID-19 response, provide more efficient and effective health services, and prepare for the potential of future pandemics; and

· Supporting water authorities and suppliers to improve the monitoring and management of water quality and supply, and increase access to clean drinking water.

C.4.3.3 Resilience to address climate change and food insecurity.

Services include activities such as:

· Developing and implementing strategies to mitigate the impact of severe weather events, including improving the resilience of residential, commercial, and public buildings and core public infrastructure, and supporting rapid recoveries from hurricanes and other severe weather events;

· Improving agriculture and aquaculture systems so they are more climate resilient and lead to affordable and available food that can be utilized for a healthy diet;

· Improving environmentally and economically sustainable agricultural practices to increase agriculture production, jobs, and income generation;

· Supporting regional environmental authorities and governing bodies to improve and harmonize environmental regulations, policies, and procedures; and

· Conserving biodiversity and decreasing illegal and unsustainable trade in natural resources by promoting safe, legal, and environmentally-friendly livelihoods that reduce poverty, especially in coordination with the indigenous communities.

· Increasing financing to support natural climate solutions and adaptation.

C.4.3.4 Renewable energy.

Services include activities such as:

· Supporting companies to sustainably produce and distribute renewable energy;

· Improving power grids and energy storage systems to increase energy efficiency;

· Supporting NGOs and other entities in the region focused on increasing the use of renewable energy; and

· Supporting regional energy authorities and governing bodies to improve and harmonize renewable energy regulations, policies, and procedures.

· Supporting national and subnational entities to strengthen efficiency in buildings and transport, as well as reduce short-lived climate pollutants.

· Increasing financing to support the clean energy transition and adoption of energy efficient technologies.

C.4.4 Strategic Objective 4: Strengthening the capacity of local partners and providing Technical and management expertise to USAID missions

C.4.4.1 Local capacity building.

Services include activities such as:

· Conducting institutional assessments of local organizations (including NGOs, the private sector, and/or government entities) concerning their financial; management; administrative; operational, including digital and physical security, risk mitigation, and contingency planning; capacity to execute programs in a rapidly changing context, and manage donor funding and programs directly;

· Conducting performance assessments of local organizations (including NGOs, the private sector, and/or government entities) addressing the full range of technical areas relevant to a potential partnership with USAID to address performance improvement needs including organizational performance and workgroup performance;

· Developing detailed action plans for implementing performance solutions based on recommendations from assessments in collaboration with USAID and the target organization. Including connecting organizations to relevant local or international capacity strengthening expertise and defining results, milestones, and timelines;

· Delivering performance solution packages and monitoring progress according to plans to strengthen local organizations’ (including NGOs, the private sector, and/or government entities) financial, management, administrative, and operational capabilities to deliver programs at scale, maximize effectiveness, and manage donor funding and programs directly;

· Identifying local organizations (including NGOs, the private sector, and/or government entities) that have the financial, management, administrative and operational capabilities to manage donor funding and programs directly;

· Assisting local civil society organizations to effectively respond to increasingly closing civic space in their countries, through strengthened security protocols, legal assistance, and strategic communications; and

· Providing cybersecurity services, as may be necessary.

C.4.4.2 Management and Professional support services.

Services include activities such as:

· Providing technical advisory services to USAID missions in Central America and Mexico, which may include contract and grant management services, in the following areas:

· Economic insecurity and lack of economic opportunity.

· Democratic governance, reducing violence, and promoting respect for human rights and a free press.

· Resilience to climate change and health threats.

· Capacity development of local organizations (organizations based in Central America and Mexico).

· Providing management and operational support services to USAID missions in Central America and Mexico in the following areas:

· Acquisition and Assistance.

· Strategic, project and activity design.

· Management and Budget.

· Intra-mission and regional coordination support.

· Monitoring, evaluation, and learning.

· Responses to information requests from USAID/Washington and other external (to USAID) stakeholders.

C.5 Grants Management Subject to the approval by the relevant Head of the Contracting Activity (HCA) for the Task Order, funds may be made available in individual Task Orders for the award and administration of grants that are within the scope of this IDIQ contract. Such grants will be defined and managed under the Task Order. In this circumstance, the contractor shall solicit, negotiate, award and administer grants under Task Orders in accordance with USAID policy and procedures (including restrictions on construction under assistance). These grants will be secondary or minor to the overall work performed under the Task Order.

C.6 Adaptive Management USAID Missions may request the contractor for an adaptive management approach during the implementation of activities. Therefore, the contractor must propose a flexible approach as part of the programmatic and operational aspects of the activity in order to respond effectively at the appropriate scale contributing to sustainable development.

The Contractor shall provide services including, but not limited to, the following:

· USAID Missions may include a Supplemental Technical Assistance IDIQ CLIN within Task Orders, in accordance with and subject to the requirements of Procurement Executive Bulletin (PEB) 2014-01, meant to address changing circumstances and unanticipated events that impact the achievement of the objectives or support new activities that could enhance its results. This may include disaster preparedness, response and recovery, assistance to government and other key stakeholders, taking advantage of new or changing market opportunities or opportunities for large scale cross-sectoral activities that can enhance results, and other activities necessary to achieving the objectives and protecting the development gains in a changing environment.

· As deemed appropriate for each Task Order, USAID Missions may request that the contractor include USAID COLLABORATING, LEARNING, AND ADAPTING (CLA) within the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) plan for a specific Task Order. The Strategy may include: checkpoints to see if the interventions undertaken are on track and how the approach will be adjusted to incorporate lessons learned; case studies that will gather and analyze information and monitor trends on a critical set of relevant data; and an evaluation plan.

C.7 GENDER AND INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT

The integration of gender equality and women’s empowerment, as well as inclusive development topics in USAID’s programming, are very important to achieving greater and more sustainable development outcomes.

The contractor is expected to demonstrate compliance with USG and USAID gender-related policies and strategies such as ADS Chapter 205 Integrating Gender Equality and Female Empowerment in USAID’s Program Cycle, the 2020 Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Policy, the Women’s Entrepreneurship and Economic Empowerment Act, the LGBT Vision for Action, Youth in Development Policy 2022-2030, and the U.S. Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence Globally (GBV Strategy), among others. In addition, the contractor should state how its proposal supports these gender-related policies and strategies.

USAID expects that all Task Orders under this IDIQ will address Gender and Inclusive Development considerations as a cross-cutting issue. In accordance with ADS 205, each USAID Mission will determine if a supplemental gender analysis must be conducted at the task order-level if the gender analysis completed at the CDCS/RDCS level is too broad.

OVERVIEW OF GENDER AND INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES

While significant progress has been made in closing the gender gap across countries in Central America and Mexico, equality of men and women has yet to be achieved. Gender gaps exist across every sector from economic to governance to environment and health. While difficult to capture the full scope of the problem, existing data suggest gender-based violence (GBV) occurs at high rates across the region and has been exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, high inequality exists in Central America and Mexico, not only for women but also marginalized communities such as people with disabilities (PWD), LGBTQI+, indigenous peoples, and ethnic and religious minorities. Power and wealth is concentrated in a relatively small number of hands and most minority groups do not have political or economic power.

CROSS-CUTTING THEMES

· Patriarchy and Gender Norms: One of the biggest barriers to promoting gender equality in Latin America is the culture of patriarchy and hyper-masculinization (i.e machismo/machista) that is prevalent across all countries in the region and dominates attitudes toward gender in most technical sectors. Any program seeking to empower women and reduce gender inequality should include some component to address these root causes.

· Migration: While migration from Northern Central America is a predominantly male phenomenon, there has been a steady increase in the number of female migrants over the past decade. The three primary drivers of migration for women include: 1) Economic reasons - the large gender wage gap and lack of economic opportunities for women; 2) Reunification with families (especially the male head of household) already in the US or Mexico; 3) Violence - women report violence as a reason for migrating at nearly twice the rate (disaggregation on the types of violence women experience is not available). Violence is also self-reported as a reason for marginalized groups such as LGBTQI+ people to migrate.

· GBV: Many women and girls have experienced or will experience GBV in their lifetimes. However, estimates of prevalence of GBV are almost certainly underestimated and a better understanding of the scope and cause of this pervasive and intransigent problem is needed. Intersectionality of gender with other identities can also increase the risk of violence for women. For example, women with disabilities are more likely to experience domestic violence than the general population.

C.8 INITIAL ENVIRONMENTAL EXAMINATION AND CLIMATE RISK ANALYSIS

Initial Environmental Examination

The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, Section 117 requires that the impact of USAID’s activities on the environment be considered and that USAID include environmental sustainability as a central consideration in designing and carrying out its development programs. This mandate is codified in Federal Regulations (22 CFR 216) and in USAID’s Automated Directives System (ADS) Parts 201 and 204 (http://www.usaid.gov/who-we-are/agency-policy/series-200), which, in part, require that the potential environmental impacts of USAID-financed activities are identified prior to a final decision to proceed and that appropriate environmental safeguards are adopted for all activities.

The contractor must also comply with host country environmental regulations unless otherwise directed in writing by USAID. In case of conflict between the host country and USAID regulations, the latter shall govern.

USAID is in the process of developing a Programmatic Initial Environmental Examination (PIEE) that will cover the main performance areas to be supported. However, each USAID Mission will develop a supplemental IEE based on the specific performance requirements that will be established at the task order level.

If the contractor plans any new activities outside the scope of the supplemental IEE, it shall assist the TOCOR in preparing an IEE amendment for USAID review and approval. No such new activities shall be undertaken prior to receiving written USAID approval of the amendment. Any ongoing activities found to be outside the scope of the approved regulation 216 environmental documentation shall be halted until an amendment to the documentation is submitted and written approval is received from USAID. In addition, if required, the contractor will prepare, in collaboration with the TOCOR and MEO, an Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Plan (EMMP) describing how they will monitor the implementation of the conditions of the new actions falling outside the scope of the original IEE approved.

Climate Risk Analysis

USAID regulation ADS 201 mandates to assess and manage climate risks of all USAID-funded activities. A specific CRM assessment will be developed based on the specific performance requirements that will be established at the task order level as deemed appropriate by each USAID mission. The contractor should be cognizant of any climate-related risks that may challenge achieving the expected results of the designs they are putting forward and include plans to manage them.

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