Document Type: Progress Reports

Quarterly Activity Progress Report No. 8, Quarter 2, Fiscal Year 2021 (Jan. 1 – Mar. 31, 2021)

March 31, 2021
Progress Reports

Introduction

A group of men and women holding certificates in their hands are gathered for a group photo.United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/Ethiopia contracted Tetra Tech as the prime contractor to implement the five-year Feed the Future Ethiopia Land Governance Activity (LGA) Task Order under the Strengthening Tenure and Resource Rights II (STARR II) Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Contract. Tetra Tech will implement the LGA over a five-year period from May 2019 to May 2024. This Quarterly Report No. 15 summarizes implementation progress made during the period of January 1 – March 31, 2021 (Quarter 2, FY 2021).

LGA’s purpose is to support the Government of Ethiopia (GOE), its regions, and citizens to strengthen land governance, increase incomes, reduce conflict, and support well-planned urbanization, thereby contributing to the country’s Ten-Year Development Plan. To help achieve these goals, LGA is implementing interventions under two components:

Component 1: Strengthening the land governance system

1. Facilitate policy reforms and strengthen land administration and land use institutions by promoting structural reforms of rural and urban institutions and the land information system.
2. Improve technical capacity for suitable land administration and land use planning activities to address emerging issues, such as urbanization, industrialization, and youth.
3. Conduct policy-oriented research on land governance and provide scalable solutions to improve land governance.

Component 2: Expanding communal land tenure security in pastoral areas

1. Expand communal land tenure security in pastoral areas through improved policy and legal reform.
2. For pastoral community lands, develop a scalable approach for land demarcation, registration, and certification in collaboration with community institutions.

Artisanal Mining and Property Rights Quarterly Progress Report October 1 – December 31, 2020

March 30, 2021
Progress Reports

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This quarterly performance report describes achievements realized under USAID’s AMPR project in CAR between October 1 and December 31, 2020. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the implementation of project activities during this quarter was successfully adjusted to consider the measures of the AMPR COVID-19 Contingency and Response Plan in Bangui and three regional offices. This plan is updated regularly to ensure compliance with new directives from GoCAR and USAID. Discussions with USAID continue on how to respond to the COVID-19 situation given GoCAR’s stance that the pandemic is no longer a threat and life should get back to normal. The project engaged International SOS to prepare a due diligence report and COVID-19 protocols, which have been reviewed by USAID. The project also produced a fieldwork checklist, which aims to ensure that staff understand and comply with AMPR COVID-19 protocols while on field missions. AMPR is currently in the process of responding to USAID feedback, as well as integrating feedback from a local Central African public health expert.

The AMPR Chief of Party (COP) held regular consultative meetings with senior leadership of the Ministry of Mines and Geology (MMG), including meetings with the Minister, the Kimberley Process Permanent Secretariat (KPPS), and the Chargé de Mission to discuss AMPR activities in light of evolving COVID-19 guidelines. He also engaged with WHO and Red Cross CAR to discuss COVID-19 measures at the workplace. WHO provided several documents to sensitize the AMPR team, including information on the risks of COVID-19, the importance of wearing face masks, how to reduce COVID-19 stigmatization of health workers and families, and communicating with COVID-19 patients. AMPR has established direct contacts with WHO to obtain COVID-19 updates and documents pertinent to CAR. WHO also put AMPR in touch with the District Health Officers/doctors in AMPR operations zones to share developments from our regional offices.

The achievements of the AMPR team for the period are summarized below

Objective 1: Assist the Government of the CAR to Improve Compliance with KP Requirements to Promote Licit Economic Activities:

  • Provided technical support to the MMG to implement proposed interventions to strengthen diamond supply chain governance, including regulatory and institutional changes.
  • Cameroon’s Ministry of Mines, Industry, and Technological Development (MINMIDT) approved the CAR MMG request for a cross-border mission to present the results of the smuggling diagnostic on diamonds in CAR and identification of opportunities for cross-border coordination and experience sharing. The mission will take place in 2021, subject to the prevailing COVID-19 conditions.
  • The project provided technical and logistical support to the MMG in the training, induction, and installation of the KPPS, directors, and chefs de services for the new KP structure in CAR.
  • The project analyzed a technical review of the CAR Mining Code conducted by the African Development Bank and provided technical analysis and feedback to the World Bank consultant.
  • AMPR coordinated with the Support for the Professionalization of Mining Cooperatives (APCM) project to deploy its community mobilizers to Société Centrafricaine d’Exploitation Diamantifère (SCED)-Ndéléngué pilot Zone d’Exploitation Artisanale (ZEA) in Nola to start preparatory work with cooperatives. MMG and AMPR held consultations in the Carnot subprefecture on setting up similar pilot ZEAs.
  • AMPR video subcontractor, Elie Numerique Centrafrique, filmed and produced seven short videos and two documentaries. The documentaries focused on the Kimberley Process and peacebuilding committees (CLPR).
  • Printed and distributed 200 copies of a French-Sango lexicon of mining terms used by artisanal miners and stakeholders in the supply chain.
  • Produced and distributed 400 posters on the KP supply chain in CAR. The posters were used to sensitize over 1,200 artisanal miners in the KP compliant zones.
  • The project provided technical and logistical support to reconstitute the KP. Local Monitoring Committees (CLS) in Gadzi and Boganagone. The CLS have been reconstituted in all the eight KP compliant zones.
  • AMPR participated and co-chaired 16 bi-weekly virtual discussions on considerations and implications of COVID-19 on ASM in CAR.

Objective 2: Strengthen Community Resilience, Social Cohesion, and Responses to Violent Conflict in the Central African Republic:

  • The project held coordination meetings with the Ministry of Humanitarian Action and National Reconciliation (MHANR) to finalize strategies for the CLPR local coordination frameworks and Y3 work plan activities on social cohesion.
  • AMPR, in coordination with the technical team of the MHANR, developed a template for reporting CLPR activities and training the CLPRs on how to record conflict and activities in local registers.
  • The project developed a short educational video on the role of CLPRs and lessons learned in dealing with social tensions around land, property, housing, and pastoralism for institutional communication and training purposes.
  • AMPR regional offices conducted biweekly visits to each CLPR to monitor and collect data from the conflict and activity registers.
  • AMPR provided technical and logistical support for joint missions with MMG and the National Union of Mining Cooperatives of Central Africa (UNCMCA) Gender Focal Points to identify opportunities to strengthen women’s role in the mining sector.
  • AMPR subcontractor Association of Women for the Promotion of Entrepreneurship (AFPE) continued training 21 livelihoods groups on agricultural production, working effectively as associations, village savings and loans, basic literacy, and continued technical assistance in setting up demonstration sites.

Objective 3: Increase Awareness and Understanding of the Opportunities and Challenges of Establishing Responsible Gold Supply Chains in the CAR:

  • AMPR held several consultative meetings with the Bureau of Evaluation and Regulation of Diamonds and Gold (BECDOR) to discuss support for gold evaluation and exportation.

Objective 4: Improve USAID Programming through Increased Understanding of Linkages Between Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining and Key Development Issues:

  • AMPR presented on the diamond supply chain disruptions in CAR as part of the World Bank virtual forum “Rethinking ASM Formalization: How COVID-19’s disruption can be catalyzed for development”.
  • Completed CAR ASM country profile for the ASM DELVE database covering the country’s policies, regulations, production, and other information drawing from available resources.
  • The journal Resources Policy published a paper on the Société pour le Développement Minier de la Côte d’Ivoire (SODEMI) model of diamond co-management between the government and customary landowners in Côte d’Ivoire, co-authored by the Component 4 Coordinator based on research conducted under PRADD II. USAID AMPR covered the fees to make the article open access. It is available HERE.

 

 

Artisanal Mining and Property Rights Quarterly and Year 2 Annual Progress Report October 1, 2019 – September 30, 2020

March 29, 2021
Progress Reports

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The AMPR team successfully implemented the second year of the project. AMPR supports the USAID Land and Urban Office and the USAID DRC Mission Central Africa Program in improving land and resource governance and strengthening property rights for all members of society, especially women. It serves as USAID’s vehicle for addressing complex land and resource issues around ASM in a multidisciplinary fashion with a focus on diamonds and, to a lesser extent, gold production in the CAR. The project also provides targeted technical assistance to other USAID missions and OUs in addressing land and resource governance issues within the ASM sector. The project builds upon activities and lessons from the PRADD I and II projects. The AMPR contract was signed on September 28, 2018 and will run for five years (the two option years were approved in 2020).

Some highlights from Year 2 include:

  • Year I Work Plan Advancements: The AMPR team carried out a vast majority of work plan activities successfully by the end of the year despite the widespread impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The project implementation process is now well-established thanks to strong teamwork between the project field and home offices and impressive support from government partners. Details of project implementation successes are described below. All component activities are being implemented on schedule, and “scope creep” has been minimal—a recurrent issue for project implementation during the initial phases of work plan implementation where new needs emerge, but at a time when contractual obligations need to be scrupulously respected.
  • New Hires: Despite the death of the Component I Coordinator, the departure of the Component II Livelihood Coordinator, and the resignation of some Community Mobilizers, the project recruited and trained new staff successfully. To ensure knowledge and information continuity, the new staff were granted access to the online backup of the project documents and resources of their predecessors.
  • Strengthened Relations with Host-Country Partners: Thanks to the concerted push by the project to involve all AMPR stakeholders in the preparation and monitoring of the annual work plan, collaboration throughout the year was excellent. Teamwork between government partners and the project led to innovative responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the dissemination of posters and radio programs describing precautions to be taken at the local level and promotion of local soap-making by women’s groups and handwashing.
  • MMG-AMPR COVID-19 Innovations: AMPR actively participated in the CAR Ministry of Mines and Geology’s (MMG) COVID-19 Task Force meetings, enabling partners to prioritize activities reinforcing the Government of CAR’s (GoCAR) COVID-19 prevention measures in mining communities. AMPR set up a bi-weekly call with other donor-funded projects in the ASM domain to share information about how COVID-19 was impacting international and national market dynamics, internal production, security, and coordination among projects. This led to the support by the WB for the Delve platform to carry out field research on COVID-19 impacts. To mitigate the transmission of COVID-19, the project developed and printed 1,200 copies of MMG COVID-19 brochures and posters on coronavirus risks in the mining sector, which were distributed to key actors, notably, private sector, trading houses, civil society in Bangui and the KP compliant zones; supported the airing of community radio debates on the COVID-19 risks in mining communities, reaching more than 20,000 listeners; trained mining communities on techniques for making water filters using local materials; and soapmaking Training of Trainers course for 21 women’s groups in southwest CAR.

 

 

Integrated Land and Resource Governance (ILRG) Quarterly Report January – March 2021

March 1, 2021
Progress Reports

Key Accomplishments and Challenges

During this quarter, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continued to require adaptive management. Southern Africa experienced its highest level of COVID-19 impact to date in January and February, while India began to return to normal. Vaccinations became available in some ILRG countries and widely in the United States, requiring a new set of considerations around how ILRG team members interact with one another and in the field.

Mozambique: ILRG’s six implementing partners all moved from planning and initial engagements with local government authorities into active fieldwork during the quarter, ranging from land delimitation, planning for community delimitation, and support to agricultural production on previously delimited land. National coordination with the USAID Supporting the Policy Environment for Economic Development (SPEED+) program continued on policy and law. ILRG provided various types of support to the National Land Commission and the Ministry of Land and Environment, including significant levels of technical support to the national consultations process under the land policy reform process. This culminated in the design and deployment by ILRG of a digital portal to share the results of this exercise, which will be formally launched by the Minister of Land and Environment on Earth Day 2021. Planning for the Sofala intervention in resettlement areas has continued to be a challenge. After much discussion and the reaching of an agreement with the national partner, the National Institute of Disaster Management (INGD), on the concept and on detailed design for the Sofala activity, ILRG was in the advanced stages of planning a joint planning trip when the INGD indicated that they would be withdrawing, since they had no mandate in “formalizing land rights of people.” ILRG has made arrangements to identify an alternative implementing partner, but this late and unexpected decision has led to an additional delay. However, a site visit to Sofala is still planned for early April.

Zambia: Five of lLRG’s six main field implementation subcontracts or grants ended this quarter with partners summarizing lessons learned on land documentation/administration, community forest management, and game ranching. The Chipata and Petauke District Land Alliances and Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) completed the production of almost 15,000 certificates, expected to be signed and distributed over the coming quarters. ILRG engaged with the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources (MLNR) on both women’s rights in the National Land Titling Programme and supporting the ministry’s communication strategy. Within the wildlife and natural resource management sectors, ILRG supported the first gender-equitable community scout recruitment and training, as well as materials for communities to improve their negotiating positions with the private sector. Furthermore, material development for upcoming community resources board (CRB) and gender leadership trainings were launched. While ILRG agreed on future priorities with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) in previous quarters, there was limited advancement this quarter. World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) adopted ILRG’s CRB gendered election materials and with DNPW is integrating them into this quarter’s elections. With respect to district planning, ILRG partners delivered the two most complete local area plans to Chipangali and Chipata Districts from Mnukwa and Maguya Chiefdoms respectively.

Ghana: The Ghana team resumed field work in January after a ten-month suspension due to COVID-19. The 14-day field work consisted of community training on climate change mitigation and adaptation, community education and engagement on climate-smart land use decision making via the ECO Game, and initial engagement on tree nurseries and the concept of payments for ecosystem services (PES) tied to maintaining shade trees on farms. ECOM will distribute shade tree seedling at no cost to the communities or ILRG.

India: During this quarter ILRG continued to provide agronomy training to over 700 PepsiCo women farmers in 12 communities, as well as a refresher training for 230 women reached in Year 1. Six modules of training are providing women with information and skills on land preparation, seed treatment and plantation; safe use and storage of agro-chemicals; soil health and nutrient management; common pest and diseases; harvesting, sorting, and grading; and record keeping and record analysis. A seventh module on land literacy will be delivered to men and women farmers over the next months, alongside training on sustainable farming practices. Harvesting for the 2020 – 2021 season has been completed in most communities and production data is being collected. The two women’s land leasing groups had a successful season and data on profitability is being finalized. ILRG also started to implement gender norms change interventions, piloting two methodologies – Gender Action Learning System (GALS) and Nurturing Connections – in six communities each. GALS sessions started in February and have reached almost 200 farmers so far, out of which 70 percent are women and 30 percent men. Feedback is positive, and ILRG is monitoring shifts in harmful norms that hinder women’s participation in the potato supply chain and economic empowerment.

WEE: ILRG continued to build the capacity of in-country staff and partners on gender equality, women’s land rights, women’s economic empowerment, and gender-based violence (GBV), including a virtual capacity building training for partners in Liberia. On International Women’s Day, ILRG disseminated learning and impact from WEE funded activities, publishing blog posts, factsheets, reports, and briefs on LandLinks, AgriLinks, and social media. The USAID-funded Passages Project is providing technical assistance on social norms change to ILRG and partner staff in five countries through a series of capacity-building workshops. In Ghana, ILRG finalized data collection and drafted the initial gender assessment report, also advancing coordination with ECOM and Hershey to begin implementation over the next quarter. The activity will strengthen ECOM’s capacity on gender equality and women’s empowerment, which has a high sustainability and scalability potential, and increase women’s access to productive resources in the cocoa sector. ILRG recruited and onboarded field staff in Malawi, who started coordination with the Government of Malawi and USAID/Malawi, as well as selection of a target traditional land management area for documentation.

Liberia: With USAID approval of ILRG’s Liberia COVID-19 mitigation protocols in January, the two grantees were able to resume fieldwork, including completing community self-identification validation with the Liberia Land Authority and starting to draft community land and resource governance bylaws. In this quarter, one grantee realized that six of the seven communities that it was collaborating with had been part of another organization’s customary land formalization program. While the other organization, funded by the Tenure Facility, had worked with the communities to self-identify at the clan level, ILRG’s grantee communities chose to self-identify at a more decentralized town level. Both organizations are currently working with the Liberia Land Authority on how to resolve the overlap.

Madagascar: The coalition of actors supporting the Climate Resilient Cocoa Landscapes (CRCL) initiative continued to meet on a regular basis to set up the new multi-stakeholder consultative platform; CRCL lead implementer Helvetas has not yet succeeded in obtaining a regional decree needed to formalize the new consultative structure. The ILRG team participated actively in two preliminary consultative meetings in Ambanja and used these occasions to carry out other applied research activities focusing primarily on the role of cooperative enterprises in the cocoa economy and their perceptions of land tenure problematics. Following discussions with USAID about the future course of the activity, it was decided to focus analysis on complex ownership issues around the ex-indigenous reserves, prepare a training program on land tenure, but otherwise move slowly for the next few months until funding priorities become clear. The team prepared a synthesis paper on what is currently known on landtenure in the Sambirano Valley that has been shared for comment.

Other Activities: ILRG submitted a scope of work (SOW) and budget for a new field support activity with USAID/DRC on investigating conflict financing, due diligence, and socio-economic dynamics in the artisanal mining sector. Progress continued within work plans for support to USAID’s Indigenous Peoples portfolio and PPA. With respect to work on Prindex collaboration, ILRG finalized its subcontract for data collection in Colombia. ILRG remains open to engagement with USAID Washington on analytical support and began working with USAID to align activities and messaging with the new administration

Quarterly Activity Progress Report No. 7, Quarter 1, Fiscal Year 2021 (Oct. 1 – Dec. 31, 2020)

December 31, 2020
Progress Reports

Introduction

A large group of people sit in an auditorium-like room.United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/Ethiopia contracted Tetra Tech as the prime contractor to implement the five-year Feed the Future Ethiopia Land Governance Activity (LGA) Task Order under the Strengthening Tenure and Resource Rights II (STARR II) Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Contract. Tetra Tech will implement the LGA over a five-year period from May 2019 to May 2024. This Quarterly Report No. 15 summarizes implementation progress made during the period of October 1 – December 31, 2020 (Quarter 1, FY 2021).

LGA’s purpose is to support the Government of Ethiopia (GOE), its regions, and citizens to strengthen land governance, increase incomes, reduce conflict, and support well-planned urbanization, thereby contributing to the country’s Ten-Year Development Plan. To help achieve these goals, LGA is implementing interventions under two components:

Component 1: Strengthening the land governance system

1. Facilitate policy reforms and strengthen land administration and land use institutions by promoting structural reforms of rural and urban institutions and the land information system.
2. Improve technical capacity for suitable land administration and land use planning activities to address emerging issues, such as urbanization, industrialization, and youth.
3. Conduct policy-oriented research on land governance and provide scalable solutions to improve land governance.

Component 2: Expanding communal land tenure security in pastoral areas

1. Expand communal land tenure security in pastoral areas through improved policy and legal reform.
2. For pastoral community lands, develop a scalable approach for land demarcation, registration, and certification in collaboration with community institutions.

Quarterly Activity Progress Report No. 6 Quarter 4, Fiscal Year 2020 (July 1 – Sept. 30, 2020)

December 8, 2020
Progress Reports

Introduction

United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/Ethiopia contracted Tetra Tech as the prime contractor to implement the five-year, $10.9 million Feed the Future Ethiopia Land Governance Activity (Activity) Task Order (TO) under the Strengthening Tenure and Resource Rights (STARR) II Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Contract. Tetra Tech will implement the Activity over a five-year period from May 2019 to May 2024. This Quarterly Report No. 6 summarizes implementation progress made during the period of July 1- September 30, 2020 (Quarter 4, FY 2020).

The Activity’s purpose is to provide support to the GoE, its regions, and citizens to strengthen land governance, increase incomes, reduce conflict, and support well- planned urbanization, thereby contributing to the country’s economic development plans. To help achieve these goals, the Activity will work in close partnership with relevant institutions in the GoE, Ethiopian universities and research institutions, and other development partners operating in the land sector to implement activities under two components:

Component 1: Strengthening the land governance system

  1. Facilitate policy reforms and strengthen land administration and land use institutions by promoting structural reforms of rural and urban institutions and the land information system.
  2. Improve technical capacity for suitable land administration and land use planning activities to address emerging issues, such as urbanization, industrialization, and youth.
  3. Conduct policy-oriented research on land governance and provide scalable solutions to improve land governance.

Component 2: Expanding communal land tenure security in pastoral areas

  1. Expand communal land tenure security in pastoral areas through improved policy and legal reform.
  2. For pastoral community lands, develop a scalable approach for land demarcation and certification in collaboration with community institutions.

 

 

Quarterly Activity Progress Report No. 5 Quarter 3, Fiscal Year 2020 (April 1 – June 30, 2020)

December 8, 2020
Progress Reports

Introduction

A large herd of cattle stands near a river bend.United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/Ethiopia contracted Tetra Tech as the prime contractor to implement the five-year, $10.9 million Feed the Future Ethiopia Land Governance Activity (Activity) Task Order (TO) under the Strengthening Tenure and Resource Rights (STARR) II Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Contract. Tetra Tech will implement the Activity over a five-year period from May 2019 to May 2024. This Quarterly Program Report No. 5 summarizes implementation progress made during the period of April 1- June 30, 2020 (Quarter 3, FY2020).

The Activity’s goal is to assist the Government of Ethiopia (GoE), its regions, and its citizens in strengthening land governance, increasing incomes, reducing conflict, and supporting well-planned urbanization, thereby contributing to the country’s Second Growth and Transformation Plan. To help achieve these goals, the Activity will work in close partnership with relevant institutions in the GoE, Ethiopian universities and research institutions, and other development partners operating in the land sector to implement activities under two components:

Component 1: Strengthening the land governance system

  1. Facilitate policy reforms and strengthen land administration and land use institutions by promoting structural reforms of rural and urban institutions and the land information system.
  2. Improve technical capacity for suitable land administration and land use planning activities to address emerging issues, such as urbanization, industrialization, and youth.
  3. Conduct policy-oriented research on land governance and provide scalable solutions to improve land governance.

Component 2: Expanding communal land tenure security in pastoral areas

  1. Expand communal land tenure security in pastoral areas through improved policy and legal reform.
  2. For pastoral community lands, develop a scalable approach for land demarcation and certification in collaboration with community institutions.

 

 

Integrated Land and Resource Governance (ILRG) Quarterly Report October – December 2020

December 1, 2020
Progress Reports

Key Accomplishments and Challenges

During this first quarter of fiscal year (FY) 2021, ILRG increased the pace of activities following six months of general slowdown due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. While COVID-19 impacts in the United States and Europe meant that all staff based there were working from home, teams in project countries were able in some cases to start working out of the office and engaging with beneficiaries, albeit with increased vigilance, particularly related to limiting travel and ensuring the use of facemasks, distancing measures, limiting participant numbers and handwashing for all meetings. USAID mission staff were also increasingly able to interact both with the project and government staff under differing conditions in each country.

Mozambique: ILRG launched subcontracts and training of implementation partners for field activities with Novo Madal, Portucel, and Green Resources in this quarter. These partners subsequently carried out gender assessments and initial registration of individuals in participating communities, particularly around women who will be engaged in economic empowerment activities. National coordination with the USAID Supporting the Policy Environment for Economic Development (SPEED+) program continued on policy and law. ILRG distributed 100 tablets to the Ministry of Land and Environment to carry out a national level survey on land tenure security to inform the policy process. Advancement of activities in Sofala continued with the hiring of a coordinator and agreements with local government partners.

Zambia: lLRG’s land rights documentation engagements with three partners neared completion with the validation of records across four chiefdoms. Partners’ focus will begin to move towards administration and long-term capacity building. Within the wildlife and natural resource management sectors, ILRG community partners increased the quality of their monthly reporting and finalized a governance baseline assessment. ILRG agreed on future priorities with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW), and one community game ranch was launched. The House of Chiefs adopted a set of national customary gender guidelines, a pilot for increasing women’s participation in community wildlife governance elections was finalized, gender issues were included in the training of newly recruited wildlife community scouts, and gender integration in the National Land Titling Programme operations manual was advanced. Thirty-five chiefs began a two-year distance learning diploma course on governance and leadership.

Ghana: ILRG activities in Ghana this quarter were largely suspended awaiting COVID-19 due diligence reports. The team still moved forward planning with Ecom Agroindustrial Corp. (ECOM) on payment for ecosystem services activities; finalization of signing for FarmSeal land documentation; finalization of collaboration with ECOM on farm rehabilitation; and revisions to a comprehensive report on tree tenure and forest law in Ghana.

India: With the beginning of the potato season in West Bengal, ILRG made progress towards supporting women farmers to cultivate potatoes and to lease land. During this quarter over 500 PepsiCo women farmers were trained in potato agronomy and sustainable farming. Two land leasing groups were established and are now producing PepsiCo potatoes. One of these groups is leading a demonstration farm, showcasing different farming technologies and practices, as well as women’s empowerment approaches. ILRG developed alternative strategies to reach and empower PepsiCo women farmers throughout the potato season, including video clips and text messages (though these have not been approved by PepsiCo as of the end of the quarter). The main challenges remain the COVID-19 pandemic, which continues to delay certain activities.

W-GDP: ILRG continued to disseminate learning and impact from W-GDP funded activities, publishing and disseminating outcomes and lessons learned briefs and blog posts about impact in India and Zambia. In coordination with the Communications, Evidence and Learning (CEL) program’s Land Evidence for Economic Rights, Gender and Empowerment (LEVERAGE) activity, ILRG developed a two-page and a four-page brief about women’s land rights, women’s economic empowerment, and W-GDP. ILRG initiated collaboration with the USAID-funded Passages Project for technical assistance on gender norms change in its five countries and to develop a strategic framework on gender norms and women’s land rights. In Ghana, the government halted cocoa-related sustainability programs in the country, negatively impacting the potential partnership with chocolate brands Hershey and Mars. Following consultation with USAID, ILRG will continue to work with ECOM to strengthen its capacity on gender equality and women’s empowerment, which has a high sustainability and scalability potential. ILRG advanced recruitment for field staff in Malawi, expecting the program to be launched in country next quarter.

Madagascar: The COVID-19 pandemic and the arrival of the rainy season affected the timing of field assessments planned for this quarter. Despite these hurdles, the coalition of actors supporting the Climate Resilient Cocoa Landscapes (CRCL) initiative have greatly appreciated the role of the ILRG team in bringing complex land governance issues to the forefront – the original intent of Lindt & Sprüngli AG. The future of the ILRG work in the Ambanja District and the Sambirano Valley hinges on whether CRCL lead implementer Helvetas can establish an effective multi-stakeholder platform in a timely fashion to guide future policy making and field level activities.

Other Activities: ILRG awaits USAID/Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) feedback on advancing a new partnership with IPIS. Progress continues within work plans for support to USAID’s Indigenous Peoples portfolio, Liberia, and PPA. With respect to work on Prindex collaboration, ILRG shifted countries of interest from Zambia to Colombia. ILRG remains open to engagement with USAID Washington on analytical support.

Artisanal Mining and Property Rights Quarterly Progress Report January 1 – March 31, 2020

August 10, 2020
Progress Reports

Executive Summary

This quarterly performance report describes achievements realized under USAID’s AMPR project in the CAR between January 1 and March 31, 2020. The AMPR team made significant advancements as summarized below.

Objective 1: Assist the Government of the CAR to Improve Compliance with KP Requirements to Promote Licit Economic Activities:

  • Technical support provided for preparing the Terms of Reference (TOR) for a field visit and technical workshop in Cameroon to present the results of the smuggling diagnostic (Rapport Diagnostic Sur La Contrebande Des Diamants En Republique Centrafricaine [Diagnostic Report on Smuggling of Diamonds in CAR]) and identify opportunities for cross-border coordination and experience sharing.
  • Produced an action plan for strengthening diamond supply chain governance, including regulatory and institutional changes completed and shared with the Ministry of Mines and Geology (MMG).
  • Provided technical and logistical support to designing legal texts for the CAR Kimberley Process Permanent Secretariat (KPPS).
  • Supported joint missions with the CAR KP National Monitoring Committee (CNS PK) to reconstitute the Kimberley Process Local Monitoring Committees (Comités Locaux de Suivi, CLS).
  • Trained six CLS on the use of the AMPR-developed meeting agenda and reporting tools.
  • Carried out the second field mission in Carnot and Nola sub-prefectures with an enlarged team of experts from the MMG, Ministry of Habitat and Urbanism, and spatial planners from the University of Bangui to gather additional information and get buy-in from communities in the ZEAs.
  • Participated in the CAR International Mines, Quarries, and Petroleum Exhibition (SEMICA).
  • Started filming training videos on the Kimberly Process, CLS, CLPR, and pastoralism.
  • Participated in technical inter-donor coordination meetings among USAID, World Bank Appui à La Professionnalisation des Coopératives Minières de la République Centrafricaine (APCM), and EU Renforcement de la Gouvernance dans les Secteurs de l’Extraction Artisanale du Diamant et de l’Or en République Centrafricaine (GODICA) projects providing support to the MMG.

Objective 2: Strengthen Community Resilience, Social Cohesion, and Responses to Violent Conflict in the Central African Republic:

  • Completed a rigorous and participatory evaluation of the model of peacebuilding committees (CLPRs), including its impact, activities, successes, failures, legitimacy, lessons learned, and recommendations.
  • Completed the official installation ceremonies of the 11 CLPRs in Carnot and Nola sub-prefectures.
  • Conducted a literature review on pastoralism and transhumance, focusing on CAR and its neighbors.
  • Organized master classes in Berberati, Nola, and Bangui to identify key issues, knowledge gaps, and lessons learned on addressing violent conflicts related to pastoralism in the southwest of CAR.
  • Trained 21 livelihoods groups on agricultural production, working effectively as associations, village savings and loans, and basic literacy.
  • Assisted 21 women’s and mixed-gender groups in setting up nursery beds and demonstration sites for the agricultural activities.

Objective 3: Increase Awareness and Understanding of the Opportunities and Challenges of Establishing Responsible Gold Supply Chains in the Central African Republic:

  • Organized two national workshops for government, civil society, and private sector on: a) restitution of IPIS’ gold mining diagnostic and b) training in RESOLVE’s Code of Risk Mitigation for Artisanal and Small-Scale Miners Engaging in Formal Trade (CRAFT).
  • Produced a gold sector Market Readiness Report, drawing on the gold diagnostic study’s findings.
  • IPIS finalized the interactive digital map based on data gathered from 322 mine site visits and presented the map to relevant CAR authorities during a restitution workshop in Bangui in January 2020.

Objective 4: Improve USAID Programming through Increased Understanding of Linkages Between Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining and Key Development Issues:

  • Prepared an ASM Issue Brief on best practices from USAID-supported projects worldwide.
  • Responded to a request for technical assistance from the USAID Colombia Mission related to their artisanal gold sector.

This quarterly report presents descriptions and results of each activity in AMPR’s approved Annual Work Plan for the period of January–March 2020. It should be noted that on March 14, 2020 AMPR field activities began to be restricted due to the arrival of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in CAR.

 

 

Artisanal Mining and Property Rights Quarterly Progress Report April 1 – June 30, 2020

August 10, 2020
Progress Reports

Executive Summary

This quarterly performance report describes achievements realized under USAID’s AMPR project in the Central African Republic (CAR) between April 1 and June 30, 2020. The implementation of project activities during this quarter was challenging due to the Government of the Central African Republic (GoCAR) COVID-19 guidelines restricting movements between the capital Bangui and the provinces as well as restricting large gatherings due to the increase in cases of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in CAR. GoCAR had confirmed 3,745 COVID-19 cases at the end of the reporting period, of which, 3,205 were local transmissions. AMPR management in Bangui, nonetheless, successfully coordinated the implementation of activities through its regional offices. The AMPR Chief of Party (COP) held regular consultative meetings with senior leadership of the Ministry of Mines and Geology (MMG), including meetings with the Minister, the Kimberley Process Permanent Secretariat, (KPPS), and the Chargé de Mission to discuss AMPR activities in light of evolving COVID-19 guidelines. MMG senior officials supported AMPR’s integration of COVID-19 awareness-raising in its communications and outreach engagements. Achievements are summarized below.

Objective 1: Assist the Government of the CAR to Improve Compliance with KP Requirements to Promote Licit Economic Activities:

  • The MMG validated the Action Plan for Strengthening Diamond Supply Chain Governance (Plan d’action pour le renforcement de la chaîne légale du diamant centrafricain). This action plan was drafted by AMPR and reviewed and endorsed by the MMG during a working retreat in Boali. MMG’s participants, including the Minister of Mines and members of the National Committee for Official Texts reviewed the plan line-by-line, and reworked the French and the format before validating. By validating the proposed regulatory and institutional changes, the MMG demonstrated commitment to leading this reform.
  • The project provided technical and logistical support to the MMG in the drafting of a decree for the formal nomination of the KPPS and Chef de Service for KPPS.
  • The project analyzed technical reviews of the CAR Mining Code conducted by the African Development Bank (ADB) and provided technical analysis and feedback to the MMG.
  • AMPR drafted the strategic implementation plan for the Société Centrafricaine d’Exploitation Diamantifère (SCED)-Ndéléngué pilot decentralized artisanal mining zone (ZEA) in Nola subprefecture. The plan encompasses revenue generation, management, technical assistance, and land tenure clarification.
  • AMPR video subcontractor, Elie Numerique Centrafrique (ENC), completed scripts for training videos on the Kimberly Process for monitoring committees, peace and reconciliation committees, and pastoralism. ENC also translated and dubbed into Sango training videos on valuation and Sustainable Mining by Artisanal Miners (SMARTER) mining techniques.
  • The project completed and printed a lexicon of artisanal mining terms in French and Sango.
  • AMPR communications subcontractor Réseau des Journalistes pour les Droits de l’Homme (RJDH) completed scripts to produce 20 radio programs (30-minute duration) on the KP and ASM for local and national diffusion.
  • AMPR trained the Comité Local de Suivi (CLS) of Boganda and M’Baïki on the use of the AMPR-developed meeting agendas and reporting tools. Six of the eight CLS in the KP compliant zones are trained to date.
  • The project supported the organization of quarterly information, sharing and coordinating meetings under the auspices of the sub-prefecture in the compliant zones of Berberati, Boda, Boganda, Carnot, Nola, and M’Baïki.
  • The project provided technical input to the reporting template for evaluating KP priority zones and participated in the evaluation mission for the KP priority zones of Abba, Bouar, Baoro, and Sosso-Nakombo.
  • AMPR drafted a scope of work (SOW) for training relevant government technicians on techniques for analyzing and compiling statistics to aid in fraud detection.
  • The project provided technical support to the MMG in drafting a Ministerial decree for the Technical Reflection and Exchange Committee for the CAR Extractive and Mining Sector (CTRE-RCA).
  • Finally, AMPR represented USAID AMPR in MMG-convened COVID-19 donor coordination meetings with the World Bank’s Projet de Gouvernance des Ressources Naturelles (PGRN) and the EU-funded Renforcement de la Gouvernance dans les Secteurs de l’Extraction Artisanale du Diamant et de l’Or en République Centrafricaine (GODICA).

Objective 2: Strengthen Community Resilience, Social Cohesion, and Responses to Violent Conflict in the Central African Republic:

  • The Ministry of Humanitarian Action and National Reconciliation (MHANR) validated the “Evaluation des activités de promotion de la cohésion sociale: Résumé exécutif des conclusions et recommandations,” a summary of research findings of AMPR consultant Olivier Karana on the evolution of conflict dynamics, and the role of CLPR’s and AMPR’s social cohesion strategy.
  • The project developed scripts for a short educational video on the roles and lessons learned by the CLPRs in dealing with social tensions around land, property, housing, and pastoralism for institutional communication and training purposes.
  • AMPR regional offices conducted biweekly visits to each CLPR to monitor and collect data from the conflict and activity registers.
  • AMPR provided technical support to MHANR to develop a protocol for the collection, analysis, transmission, and digitization of CLPR activity reports.
  • AMPR partner Concordis drafted a study report on pastoralism and transhumance, which identifies key issues, knowledge gaps, and lessons learned on addressing violent conflicts related to pastoralism in the southwest of CAR.
  • AMPR subcontractor Action for the Promotion of Entrepreneurship (AFPE) continued training for 21 livelihoods groups on agricultural production, working effectively as associations, village savings and loans, basic literacy, and continued technical assistance in setting up demonstration sites.

Objective 3: Increase Awareness and Understanding of the Opportunities and Challenges of Establishing Responsible Gold Supply Chains in the CAR:

  • AMPR is working with subcontractor RESOLVE to develop guidelines for the CAR government and other technical partners to support the development of a national artisanal gold mining action plan.

Objective 4: Improve USAID Programming through Increased Understanding of Linkages Between Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining and Key Development Issues:

  • AMPR participated in periodic international teleconferences organized by the World Bank and the ASM Delve Database on the impact of COVID-19 on the ASM sector.
  • The project finalized USAID’s Gender Issues in the Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Sector Issue Brief.
  • Finally, AMPR drafted an SOW for possible technical assistance to the USAID Colombia Mission related to their artisanal gold sector.
  • COVID-19: AMPR Interventions and the Impact in CAR:
  • AMPR organized a press conference for the CAR Minister of Mines to address mining sector actors on COVID-19.
  • The project designed, printed, and distributed 1,000 MMG brochures on COVID-19 risks in the mining sector and mining communities.
  • The project supported the airing of community radio debates on COVID-19 in the mining communities in southwest CAR, reaching more than 20,000 listeners.
  • AMPR trained mining communities in Carnot and Nola on techniques for making water filters using local materials.
  • AMPR organized a soap-making Training of Trainers (TOT) course for 21 AMPR-supported women’s groups in Boda, Carnot, and Nola.
  • AMPR assisted in designing an MMG COVID-19 poster on COVID-19 risky behaviors in the mining sector and communities.
  • The project co-convened six biweekly teleconference discussions on COVID-19 considerations and implications on ASM in CAR with USAID AMPR implementing partners Concordis, Levin Sources, and representatives from GODICA and the World Bank.
  • Finally, AMPR published a blog on USAID’s LandLinks on AMPR COVID-19 interventions entitled, “Mobilizing to address COVID-19 in vulnerable diamond and gold mining communities.”