LAC-IEE-17-20
LAC-IEE-17-20
CATEGORICAL EXCLUSION (RCE) AMENDMENT
ENVIRONMENTAL THRESHOLD DECISION
Activity Location:LAC Regional (Latin America and the Caribbean)
Activity Title:LAC/RSD Democracy, Human Rights and Governance (DRG) Portfolio
Activity Number:As assigned by Agreement Officer
Life-of-Activity Funding:$26,000,000
Life-of-Activity:23 September 2013 - 1 May 2022
RCE prepared by:Virginia Leavitt, Democracy Officer LAC/RSD/DRG
Reference Threshold Decision: LAC-IEE-13-52
Recommended Threshold Decision:Categorical Exclusion
Bureau Threshold Decision:Categorical Exclusion
Purpose and Scope:
This is an amendment to the original Request for Categorical Exclusion (LAC-IEE-13-52) to extend the life of activity from 2020 to 2022, to decrease the funding from $28,470,000 to $26,000,000 based on current activities and estimated new activities and to document the required Climate Risk Management process. This amendment replaces the original Request for Categorical Exclusion in its entirety.
Justification for Categorical Exclusion:
The Categorical Exclusion is issued for four current activities and potential new activities in the LAC/RSD Democracy, Human Rights and Governance (DRG) Portfolio, remain the same, pursuant to 22 CFR 216.2 (c) (2):
(i) Education, technical assistance, or training programs except to the extent such programs include activities directly affecting the environment (such as construction of facilities, etc.);
(iii)Analyses, studies, academic or research workshops and meetings; and,
(xiv)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.)
Signature Page
Approval/Concurrence:______Date:______
John Hansen
Director
Regional Sustainable Development
Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean
______Date:______
Diana Shannon
Bureau Environmental Officer
Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean
Clearances:______Date:______
Jessica Rosen
Deputy Director
Regional Sustainable Development
Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean
_______Date:______
Kathleen Omar
Program Officer
Regional Sustainable Development
Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean
_______Date:______
Todd Sloan
Democracy, Human Rights and Governance Team Leader
Regional Sustainable Development
Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean
Attachment A
Request for Categorical Exclusion Amendment
Activity Location:LAC Regional
Activity Title:Democracy, Human Rights and Governance Project
Activity Number:As assigned by Agreement Officer
Life-of-Activity Funding:$26,000,000
Life-of-Activity:25 September 2013 - 1 June 2022
Reference Threshold Decision:LAC-IEE-13-52
RCE prepared by: Virginia Leavitt, Democracy Officer
LAC/RSD/DRG
Date prepared:24 March 2017
Recommended Threshold Decision:Categorical Exclusion
I. Purpose and Scope
This is an amendment to the original Request for Categorical Exclusion (LAC-IEE-13-52) to extend the life of activity from 2020 to 2022, to decrease the funding from $28,470,000 to $26,000,000 based on current activities and estimated new activities and to document the required Climate Risk Management process. This amendment replaces the original Request for Categorical Exclusion in its entirety.
The four activities and potential new activities under this amendment have a total life-of-activity funding of approximately $26,000,000. These activities fall under LAC/RSD’s Strategic Framework.
II. Activity Description
The following paragraphs describe current and anticipated future activities.
Current Activities
1. Democracy Indicators Monitoring Survey II (DIMS 2) award includes public opinion survey research of democracy and governance, evaluation research, dissemination of survey and evaluation data, and training of local sub-awardees and other target audiences in host countries. The activities will occur in approximately 15 countries in the Latin America and the Caribbean region (including, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haití, Honduras, Jamaica, México, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, and other countries to be determined). The award is implemented by Vanderbilt University through a cooperative agreement.
2. Promoting Security and Freedom of Expression for the Media (PROSAFE) works to develop tools and capacity for safe investigative journalism in countries where the media are under threat from government pressure/censorship or intimidation and violence from transnational criminal organizations. Countries of focus include Ecuador, México, Nicaragua, Paraguay, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. Activities will consist of developing a safe, online space for cross-border journalistic collaboration, an online data mining and data journalism tool that connects investigative journalists with information sources from around the world, and capacity building on safe journalism practices and advanced investigative journalism techniques. This activity is expected to be extended. The mechanism and/or implementing partner may change; however, the activities are not expected to change. The award is implemented by International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) through a cooperative agreement.
3. Municipal Partnerships for Violence Prevention in Central America and the Dominican Republic’s (AMUPREV) primary objectives advance the overall USG goal of improving citizen security across Central America. These objectives are: (1) To promote comprehensive municipal-based violence prevention strategies and programs with key Central American stakeholders and foster development of regional peer knowledge networks; and (2) to provide training and technical assistance to local governments and community groups in coordination with national police efforts and other municipal-based programs. The project works with key institutions in the region to promote Objective 1 through: outreach and research; developing tools for crime and violence prevention programs; participation of experts in regional and international conferences; and workshops for municipal associations and municipal stakeholders, among other activities. To accomplish Objective 2, the project has been conducting a series of municipal partnerships with cities in the U.S. to share the model of community-oriented policing and governance with key municipalities throughout the region. Implementation countries for AMUPREV during the extension period are El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. The award is implemented by International City-County Management Association (ICMA) through a cooperative agreement.
4. The Latin America and Caribbean - Youth Violence Prevention Project (LAC-YVP) works to improve the capacity of USAID and its partners to successfully implement youth crime and violence prevention programming in the LAC region. Its three objectives are to: (1) Increase information on crime and violence, including its drivers and risk factors; (2) Increase the evidence base on crime and violence prevention activities with a particular focus on secondary and tertiary interventions; and (3) Disseminate what works (and what doesn’t) in crime and violence prevention to practitioners, policy makers, researchers, donors, and multilateral organizations. The award is implemented by the American Institutes for Research (AIR) through a task order.
Anticipated New Activities
1. Rule of Law Analytical Services Project. The administration of justice is a core development issue and a reflection of society’s values and priorities. It occurs through dynamic interactions between popular expectations, political leadership, and professional and technical competence. This activity will focus on achieving a deeper understanding of how actors and institutions interact within criminal courts, specialized gender and juvenile courts, and The Mission to Support the Fight Against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (MACCIH). The activity targets Northern Triangle countries. The mechanism is to be determined.
2. Addressing Gender issues in Central America Citizen Security Programming. This activity will foster a community of practice and build an evidence base to help USAID better integrate gender issues into its Central America Regional Security Initiative (CARSI) citizen security programs and facilitate the implementation of evidence-based best practices for addressing gender issues, including gender-based violence in high crime locations. The mechanism is to be determined.
3. Expanding Expertise and Training in Core Citizen Security of USAID Staff. The purpose of this activity is to conduct a series of short trainings for core staff at the Mission level to discuss the importance of evidence-based approaches and data driven systems in the field of citizen security, and to promote a cadre of citizen security experts within the LAC region and other countries where citizen security is a concern. This activity is based on an International Development Bank successful model. The mechanism is to be determined.
III. Climate Risk Management
Following the guidance of Climate Risk Management for USAID Projects and Activities: A mandatory Reference for ADS Chapter 201, dated 10/12/2016, LAC/RSD/DRG undertook a literature review of current climate change assessments on the following countries: Colombia, Haiti, Peru, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua. The primary resources are which produces Country Climate Vulnerability Profiles for USAID, African and Latin American Resilience to Climate Change Project, and Mission Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS). In addition, research through provided additional resources.
The overall climate findings indicate a rise in temperatures and a decrease in precipitation. Given the geography of the countries, sea levels are likely to rise. The impact of these findings suggest the possibility of flooding causing problems with agriculture, other livelihoods, and displaced persons. General weather related events and natural disasters will occur and increase. Hurricanes, droughts, intense flooding, and eroding of land and hillsides may all occur with more frequency negatively affecting infrastructure and human health and life.
Given the focus for the Project is education, research and training, the climate risk are low for the Project. See Table 1 document below which summarizes the climate risk assessment. See Annex A for more detailed information.
Table 1. Project-Level Climate Risk Management Summary Table for the RSD/DRG PAD.
Define or Anticipated Project Elements. / Climate Risks / Risk Ratings / How Risks are Addressed at Project Level / Further Analysis and Actions for Activity Design/ Implementation / Opportunities to Strengthen Climate ResilienceImproving civil society to engage in public policy issues / None because it is mostly training and networking / Low; climate risks may be easily mitigated through flexibility in programming (changing dates, etc.) / N/A / N/A / Develop Civil Societies to include advocacy for mitigation of climate change (?)
Creating networks for sharing best practices in crime and violence prevention / None because it focuses on meetings and it is unlikely that there will be any climate impacts to developing electronic networks. / Low; climate risks may be easily mitigated through flexibility in programming (changing dates, etc.) / N/A / N/A
Conducting surveys of democratic governance and citizen security to be used in public policy discussions. / None because mainly this is research driven. Changes in frequency or intensity of extreme weather events (flooding, heavy rains, etc.) could make it more difficult to conduct local surveys. / Low; climate risks may be easily mitigated through flexibility in surveying(changing dates, etc.) / N/A / N/A
Promoting safe online collaboration and tools for journalist / None because it is primarily an electronic system. It is unlikely that there will be any climate impact to developing electronic networks. / Low; climate risks may be easily mitigated if travel is required by adjusting the dates due to severe weather. / N/A / N/A
Improving the quality of violence prevention programs / None because it is accomplished through training and networking / Low; climate risks may be easily mitigated through flexibility in surveying(changing dates, etc.) / N/A / N/A
IV. Justification for Categorical Exclusion:
The Categorical Exclusion previously issued for the four activities and for the potential new activities in the LAC/RSD Democracy, Human Rights and Governance (DRG) Portfolio, remain the same, pursuant to 22 CFR 216.2 (c) (2):
(i) Education, technical assistance, or training programs except to the extent such programs include activities directly affecting the environment (such as construction of facilities, etc.);
(iii)Analyses, studies, academic or research workshops and meetings; and,
(xiv)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.)
Attachment - Annex A: Climate Change Assessment Summary
Annex A
Climate Change Assessment Summary
LAC Bureau/Democracy, Human Rights and Governance Team
Prepared January 10, 2017
Following the guidance in Climate Risk Management for USAID Projects and Activities: A Mandatory Reference for ADS Chapter 201, 10/12/2016, LAC/RSD/DRG undertook a literature review of current climate change assessments on the following countries: Colombia, Haiti, Peru, Western Honduras, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua. The primary resources were resources which producesCountry Climate Vulnerability Profiles for USAID, African and Latin American Resilience to Climate Change Project, and several Mission CDCS. In addition, research through contributed to the understanding of the climate change situation in Central and South America.
The overall climate findings indicate a rise in temperatures and a decrease in precipitation. Given the geography of these countries, sea levels are likely to rise. The impact of these findings suggest the possibility of flooding causing problems with agriculture, other livelihoods, and displaced persons. General weather related events and natural disasters will occur and increase. Hurricanes, droughts, intense flooding, eroding of land and hillsides, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions may all occur with more frequency negatively affecting infrastructure and human health and life.
All of the RSD/DRG Project’s Activities at this time reflect “low” climate impact due to the nature of the activities. These include research activities, publications and conferences.
Missions are encouraged to examine closely how they may be able to mitigate climate change through their activities within the DRG sector.
Review of selected LAC Countries and Climate Change
Country / AssessmentSummaries / Rating
Colombia
/ Temperature increases and decreases in precipitation mostly like to occur. Sea level possibly will rise. USAID programs focus on minimizing drug trafficking and building an economic base for the population. Care should be given for the types of economic programming that may impact the environment. Programs should be designed to be resilient. / LOW
Haiti
/ Indications of fewer cold days and nights; more hot days and nights. Rainfall is decreasing. Possible rise in sea levels. Hurricane activity is increasing. Flooding, drought, intensive rainfall, landslides, severe soil erosion, saltwater intrusion, and hurricanes are the most notable climate problems. Impact: Coastal communities negatively impacted, ability to respond to climate change is poor. / LOW
Peru
/ Indications are increase in temperatures and reduction in precipitation. Landslides, flooding, drought, frost are all results of the changing climate. Glaciers, freshwater resources, marine ecosystems, agriculture, health, and infrastructure may all be negatively impacted. / LOW
Western Honduras
(Strategic plan)
/ Increase in temperatures and decrease in precipitation will impact the water resources, surface water which may lead to conflicts for water consumption. Agriculture will negatively impacted. / LOW
Southern Honduras
/ Models predict increased temperatures of around +2 °C by 2050 due to greenhouse gas forcing. Multi-model consensus predictions in the current IPCC Assessment Report show a 10–20 percent decrease in precipitation in Southern Honduras by 2050. Because rainfall trends currently show strong and sustained multi-decadal increases in the wet season, the potential for a relatively sudden reversal of the current wet trend to a drier one may catch people by surprise. The potential for a shift to drier conditions makes it more urgent to take advantage of the current wetter-than-average climate to carry out adaptive actions such as reforestation of watersheds. When taken with the model consensus of close to two degrees of warming for the same time period, climate models suggest that by mid-century, Southern Honduras may be a “hotspot” of magnified climate change stress as compared to other areas of Central America and Mexico. There is the potential for a relatively sudden sea-level rise. / LOW
Dominican Republic
/ Climate change is already negatively impacting the stability of water supply and critical coastal resources important for disaster risk reduction and economic growth, with disproportionate effects on vulnerable populations and the tourism industry. Reduced water supply, unpredictable weather patterns, population migration induced by sea level rise, and increased disease burden from cumulative climate impacts “threaten to increase poverty and overwhelm the capacity of governments to meet the basic needs of their people. Fundamentally this could mean more fragile and failed states.” In the largest Dominican cities, Santo Domingo and Santiago, climate change will bring more intense storms and increase flooding risk, endangering the lives and livelihoods of the hundreds of thousands of urban poor living illegally along the city's’ riverbanks and negatively impacting already tenuous access to potable water. / LOW
Guatemala
/ Guatemala is highly vulnerable to natural disasters and USAID Guatemala assumes that at least one natural disaster may interrupt the country‘s development trajectory during the CDCS period. Guatemala is the second most-vulnerable country in the world to climate change and natural disasters. Destructive weather events, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes pose nearly annual threats to Guatemala‘s agricultural production, infrastructure and human life. / LOW
El Salvador
/ With global climate change, each recent decade has brought increasingly devastating storm events that have eroded hillsides and led to the loss of crops and topsoil, as well as downstream economic infrastructure. As unemployment and poverty rates have risen sharply in the past seven years, rural Salvadorans are increasingly depending on agricultural production for subsistence and livelihoods, and are increasingly deforesting the small amounts of remaining indigenous wooded lands to cultivate steeper slopes with marginal soils. The frequency and intensity of climate related weather events will continue to increase: El Salvador’s susceptibility to climate change related natural disasters is identified in the PFG Joint Country Action Plan as having a strong negative impact on productivity, particularly agro-tradables. / LOW
Nicaragua
/ Due to its geographical position, Nicaragua is highly vulnerable to climate change and its effects such as hurricanes, intense flooding, and droughts. UNICEF reports that in recent years, Nicaragua and the other Central American countries have seen an intensification of extreme climatological phenomena with important economic costs. Among the countries most affected by meteorological phenomena (storms, flooding, heat waves, etc.), Nicaragua ranks fourth in the Climate Risk Index (CRI) 1998-2011. In recent years, growing economic losses have been caused by intense rains followed by droughts. Coupled with the country’s limited adaptation capabilities and its poorly educated population, Nicaragua’s vulnerability to climate change continues to grow. / LOW
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