Mexico Crime and Violence Prevention Program (CVPP) Quarterly Report (April – June 2012)

AID-523-TO-12-00001. The program aims to strengthen the capacity of federal, state, and local governments to prevent and reduce crime and violence in Mexico. The CVPP is being implemented in three cities: Monterrey, Tijuana, and Ciudad Juarez. The program's implementation began on February 6, 2012, and the second quarterly report documents the progress made from April to June 2012. During this period, the CVPP completed the startup phase of the program, establishing four offices, including the main office in Mexico City and three local offices. The program also contracted the program team, completed initial training for the team on management and operational topics, and consolidated administrative procedures related to program management. The CVPP obtained approval from USAID for three key deliverables necessary for program operation: the Work Plan, the Monitoring and Evaluation Plan, and the Donations Manual. Tetra Tech ARD made significant progress in positioning the CVPP with respect to its main counterparts, a necessary condition for operating and generating institutional changes that support the program's mandate. At the federal level, the CVPP established a permanent working relationship with its main counterpart, the Government of Mexico (GOM), through the Centro Nacional para la Prevención del Delito y la Participación Ciudadana. After three months of consistent work, the CVPP also established working relationships with relevant sub-national entities in each of the program's target cities. During this period, the CVPP established foundations for generating community participation structures around program activities and promoted initial interactions with the private sector and organized civil society in the three target cities. The CVPP made progress in nine of the program's ten activities (components). Key achievements include: * The initiation of a methodology to develop best practices in coordination with the GOM, identifying the CNDPDPC as the center of gravity for establishing a knowledge management platform within the GOM. * Advancements in the diagnosis of actors and messages for the development of a community communication strategy on crime and violence prevention. * The establishment of coordination and dialogue mechanisms between sub-national actors within the framework of developing Community Master Plans for Violence and Crime Prevention (Master Plans). * The establishment of a Working Group in each municipality promoting community participation and inter-institutional coordination. The CVPP also made progress in other areas, including the development of a social communication strategy, the establishment of a platform for knowledge management, and the promotion of community participation and inter-institutional coordination.