Attachment J.10 MECLA IEE ASIA 24-137.pdf

Asia Bureau

REQUEST FOR CATEGORICAL EXCLUSION

PROGRAM/ACTIVITY DATA

Country Code: 306 Program Area: Program Design and Learning Assistance Objective: N/A Intermediate Results: N/A Country or Region: Afghanistan Activity Name: Monitoring, Evaluation, Collaboration and Learning

Activity Funding Period: March/2025 to March/2030 Life of Project (LOP) Amount: Estimated ( including from

BHA and PRM IEE Prepared by:

Date: [08/05/2024] IEE Amendment (Y/N): N

ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION RECOMMENDED:

Categorical Exclusion [X] Deferral [ ] Positive Determination [ ] Negative Determination [ ] Negative Determination With Conditions

[ ] Exemption [ ]

Climate Change Vulnerability Risk None [ ] Low [X] Medium [ ] High [ ]

1.0 PURPOSE, BACKGROUND AND ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION

1.1. Purpose and Background

The purpose of this RCE is to provide threshold determinations for the proposed MECLA activities to provide third party monitoring, evaluation, collaboration, learning and adaptation services and program support to the Mission to ensure that its programs are meeting its goals in Afghanistan and provide information to activity managers that will allow them to pivot to alternative approaches or geographic areas as needed.

The RCE provides a brief statement of the factual basis for the Threshold Decision whether an Environmental Assessment or an Environmental Impact Statement is required for the subject activity.

1.2. Activity Description

Asia 24-137

Afghanistan faces complex development challenges. The USAID/Afghanistan Strategic Framework calls for active monitoring, evaluation, and learning to determine whether USAID is accomplishing what it set out to achieve, what effects programming is having, and how to adapt to changing environments. The fact that the Mission does not have a presence in Afghanistan, the restrictive edicts and policies of the Taliban, limitations on staffing and funding, and the amount of scrutiny the Mission’s activities receive from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), the USAID Office of the Inspector General (OIG) and Congress, highlight the need for the Mission to closely monitor on-the-ground activities. Only by doing so can activity managers be provided with the data they need to evaluate the effectiveness of their activities in meeting intended results.

The purpose of the MECLA activity is to provide third party monitoring, evaluation, collaboration, learning and adaptation services and program support to the Mission to assess whether its programs are meeting their goals in Afghanistan and provide information to activity managers that will allow them to pivot to alternative approaches or geographic areas as needed.

The MECLA activity will focus on below four objectives.

1. Third Party Monitoring Services:

Provide TPM services for Mission activities, making sure quality and reliable data are collected to monitor implementation. TPM data will feed evidence-based decision-making on activity adaptation and inform future designs. TPM includes: design and implementation of TPM tools and approaches, field-based data collection and verification, collecting beneficiary feedback, data triangulation and analysis, context monitoring and social studies and surveys.

This will require traveling to USAID-funded project sites to meet with beneficiaries, and conducting appropriate sampling based on the nature of the activity and oversight needed.

2. Evaluation and Assessment Services:

Serve as the Mission’s evaluation mechanism by providing technical and analytical services including mid-term and final performance evaluations, performance and impact evaluations, developmental evaluations, data quality assessments, geographic and sectoral assessments, activity-specific assessments and verifications.

3. Collaboration and Learning Services:

Facilitate use of knowledge and evidence from monitoring, evaluation and learning to inform future program designs, improve implementation and contribute to achieving development outcomes. The Activity will identify and strengthen areas of synergy and improve collaboration among IPs, the Mission, and other stakeholders to promote coherence on common areas of work and avoid duplication of efforts. Based on the evidence and knowledge from data and learning, the Activity will specify areas of improvement and recommend a course of action for adaptive measures during the implementation phase of the activities.

4. Program Support Services:

Provide the Mission with short-term advisory assistance to support Mission-wide strategic planning and alignment efforts, advisory support in the refinement of Mission strategy documents, performance management plan, project/activity-level strategy support, and assistance with activity and sector-level indicators.

3.0 RECOMMENDED THRESHOLD DECISIONS AND MITIGATION ACTIONS

Below are the recommended actions for the activities described above, their impacts on the environment and recommended threshold determinations and conditions, if any:

Activity Effects on natural or physical environment

Recommended Threshold Determination

1. Third Party Monitoring Services

2. Evaluation and Assessment Services

3. Collaboration, Learning and Adaptation Services

4. Program Support Services

No effect on the natural or physical environment

Categorical Exclusions, no action required per 22 CFR 216.2(c)(2)(i), (iii), (v) and (xiv)

Table 1. Proposed activities and recommended threshold decisions for the MECLA activity.

4.0 ENVIRONMENTAL RECOMMENDATIONS

Recommended Action: Categorical Exclusions (ca. 100 % of funding)

MECLA activities do not have an effect on the natural and physical environment and fit within the categories listed in 22 CFR 216.2 (c)(2) and are therefore categorically excluded from any further environmental review requirements. The originator of the proposed action has determined that the proposed activities are within the following classes of actions:

● Education, technical assistance, or training programs, except to the extent such programs include activities directly affecting the environment (such as construction of facilities, etc.). [22 CFR 216.2(c)(2)(i)];

● Analyses, studies, academic or research workshops and meetings. [22 CFR 216.2(c)(2)(iii)];

● Document and information transfers. [22 CFR 216.2(c)(2)(v)]; and

● Studies, projects or programs intended to develop the capability of recipient countries to engage in development planning, except to the extent designed to result in activities directly affecting the environment (such as construction of facilities, etc.). [22 CFR 216.2(c)(2)(xiv)].

5.0 CLIMATE CHANGE RISK SCREENING

Afghanistan is extremely vulnerable to the impacts from global climate change. Available information suggests that since 1960 the annual temperature has increased 0.6°C and is expected to rise even more. Also, the frequency of extreme weather events, such as droughts and rainstorms, are expected to increase which may affect water availability1. Projected economic and population growth, limited water storage, and reliance on snowmelt and

1 https://www.climatelinks.org/resources/climate-change-risk-profile-afghanistan transboundary watersheds, make Afghanistan increasingly vulnerable to climate change. To minimize the negative impacts of climate change, USAID is required by ADS201mal2 to incorporate climate change risk screening for all new projects. Climate risk screening will facilitate adjustments to activities to enable them to better adapt to climate change. Climate risks for the MECLA activity are determined to be very low. The implementation of the activity will not impact climate.

9.0 REVISIONS

Pursuant to 22 CFR 216.3(a)(9), if new information becomes available which indicates that activities to be funded by the project might be “major” and the project’s effect “significant,” or if additional activities are proposed that might be considered “major” and their effects “significant”, this IEE will be reviewed and revised by the originator of the project and submitted to the BEO/Asia for approval and, if appropriate, an environmental assessment will be prepared. It is the responsibility of the USAID COR/AOR to keep the Mission Environmental Officer, USAID/Afghanistan and the BEO/Asia informed of any new information or changes in scope and nature of the activity that might require revision of the

IEE.

2 https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1868/201mal_042817.pdf

APPROVAL OF RECOMMENDED ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIONS

MECLA, RCE

Clearances: Date:

A/COR, OBM, Activity Manager Clear______________ 8/5/24 Ghulam Fariwar

Office Director Clear______________ 8/15/24 Eric Pulliam

Mission Environmental Officer and Climate Integration Lead Cleared 8/8/2024

Hameedullah Noori

Regional Environmental Adviser for C & S Asia, and for Afghanistan and Pakistan cleared by email 8/13/2024 Andrei Barannik

OAA Cleared 09/17/24 Eyole Luma

Deputy Mission Director Clear 9/12/2024 Heather Bomans

Approval: Date:

Mission Director ________________ _______________ Joel Sandefur

Concurrence: Date:

Bureau Environmental Officer/Asia ________________ _______________ William Gibson

DISTRIBUTION: MEO, COR/AOR, OAA, RLO, Project File

Joel Sandefur

Digitally signed by Joel Sandefur Date: 2024.09.25 11:52:47 +05'00'

WILLIAM LELAND

GIBSON

Digitally signed by WILLIAM

LELAND GIBSON

Date: 2024.09.25 09:07:06 -04'00'