Global Environmental Management Support Project (GEMS) Third Semi-Annual Progress Report

The program provides on-demand environmental compliance, management, and sound design support to USAID's Environmental Officers, individual agency operating units, and their projects and programs. GEMS is USAID's first multi-bureau support program in this area, replacing previous bureau-specific programs such as the Africa Bureau's ENCAP project and the Asia/Middle East Bureau's EMCB project. The GEMS workplan consists of a bureau-by-bureau list of activities provided by the "All Activities Budget Status Report" (AABSR) of GEMS' Online Project Management Tool. The AABSR documents all GEMS activities in-progress and completed. This section highlights and summarizes the overall program of work, including institutional technical lead and staffing for these activities. The process for programming and pricing GEMS activities is explained in the attached GEMS Factsheet and GEMS Ordering and Pricing Guide. Major activities completed during the GEMS option year include the development of the GEMS website, the conduct of BPRs in South Africa, West Africa, and Guinea and Sierra Leone, and the delivery of ESDM workshops in Ethiopia, South Sudan, Tanzania/Zanzibar, Zimbabwe, and Malawi. Additionally, GEMS supported the EPA Public Participation Workshop in West Africa and the Cairo Env. Compliance/ESDM Regional Workshop in Egypt. The program also conducted a Greening Title II DFAP Consortium M&E in two countries, specifically in Kampala, Uganda, and Niamey, Niger. The GEMS team consists of principal partners Cadmus (prime contractor) and Sun Mountain International, who provide primary environmental compliance/environmentally sound design and management expertise. Other core team members include DAI, World Education, Inc., and Eurasia Environmental Associates, LLC. A number of on-call local partners may be engaged depending on the location of programmed activities. The GEMS team has made significant progress in completing activities and providing support to USAID's Environmental Officers and projects and programs. The GEMS award requires that semi-annual progress reports be submitted six months after the award and every six months thereafter. This third semi-annual report describes the work accomplished and its relation to the work plan, gaps in performance, the reasons for these gaps, steps taken to address any problems, and the use of all databases and systems. The report highlights the progress made by the GEMS team in completing activities and providing support to USAID's Environmental Officers and projects and programs. The GEMS program has been extended for its option year, and the core team continues to work on various activities, including the development of the GEMS website, the conduct of BPRs, and the delivery of ESDM workshops. The program also continues to support the EPA Public Participation Workshop in West Africa and the Cairo Env. Compliance/ESDM Regional Workshop in Egypt. The GEMS team remains committed to providing on-demand environmental compliance, management, and sound design support to USAID's Environmental Officers, individual agency operating units, and their projects and programs. The GEMS program has made significant progress in completing activities and providing support to USAID's Environmental Officers and projects and programs. The program continues to work on various activities, including the development of the GEMS website, the conduct of BPRs, and the delivery of ESDM workshops. The GEMS team remains committed to providing on-demand environmental compliance, management, and sound design support to USAID's Environmental Officers, individual agency operating units, and their projects and programs.