Clean Cities, Blue Ocean | FY21 Quarter Two Progress Report

The program aims to address the global crisis of ocean plastics pollution. The program is led by Tetra Tech, in partnership with The Manoff Group and International City/County Management Association, and is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The program's primary focus is on improving solid waste management and promoting the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle) in 15 countries, with a strong emphasis on Asia and Latin America. The program's objectives are to build capacity of engagement sites in improved solid waste management, improve the enabling environment for the 3Rs, build social and behavior change for the 3Rs and improved solid waste management, and support gender equality and women's economic empowerment. In the second quarter of Fiscal Year 2021, the program made significant progress in advancing its technical objectives. In Focus Area 1, the program built capacity of CCBO engagement sites in improved solid waste management, with a total of 15 sites engaged in the program. In Focus Area 2, the program improved the enabling environment for the 3Rs, with a focus on CCBO engagement sites, and achieved a 25% increase in recycling rates in these sites. The program also made progress in Focus Area 3, building social and behavior change for the 3Rs and improved solid waste management, and in Focus Area 4, supporting gender equality and women's economic empowerment. In Latin America and the Caribbean, the program supported the development of a national solid waste management plan in the Dominican Republic, while in Southeast Asia, the program worked with the Government of Indonesia to develop a national plastics action plan. The program's global activity progress was also notable, with a focus on strengthening public-private partnerships and multi-stakeholder alliances, and strengthening USAID leadership in combating marine plastics. The program's management and operations were also reviewed, with a focus on contract management, procurement, organization and staffing, communications and reporting, monitoring and evaluation, and grants management. Implementation challenges and lessons learned were also identified, including the need for more effective communication and coordination among stakeholders, and the importance of building local capacity and ownership of the program. Planned tasks for the next reporting period include continuing to build capacity of engagement sites, improving the enabling environment for the 3Rs, and supporting gender equality and women's economic empowerment. The program's progress against its year two work plan is summarized in Annex I, while a financial overview is provided in Annex II. Deliverables and a summary of grants awarded and in pre-award are also included in the annexes.