Quarterly Report: Monitoring and Evaluation Support for Adaptation (MESA) FY2023 Quarter 1

The Activity is designed to strengthen the monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) and collaborating, learning, and adapting (CLA) systems and capacity of the USAID/Mexico Mission and its implementing partners (IPs). MESA is driven by Mission needs and organizes its efforts around three component areas: Monitoring, Evaluations, Assessments, and Other Studies, and Collaboration and Capacity Building. During the first quarter of implementation, MESA has collaborated intensively with USAID/Mexico, focusing on three primary goals of startup. The Activity has established systems, tools, and team to allow it to succeed throughout its life, created strong connections and set clear expectations with key stakeholders, and delivered and performed above expectations on initial technical assignments requested of the Activity. MESA has had the opportunity to meet and develop initial relationships with every USAID/Mexico technical team, the Program Office, and other offices at the Mission. MESA has also supported the update of the USAID/Mexico Performance Management Plan (PMP), a crucial strategic document, which has provided an opportunity to learn about needs and interests across the Mission. The Activity helped to organize the logistics and facilitation of the first Partner's Meeting in Mexico since 2018, allowing MESA to interact with technical offices and IPs and to continue building an understanding of the needs, challenges, and opportunities for MESA to support the Mission. MESA began an assessment of the two Femicides Prevention and Response (F-PAR) Activities, focusing on the holistic, coordinated approach used within and across the activities and the effectiveness of the results achieved. The Activity has recruited and onboarded highly capable staff, brought in targeted short-term technical assistance (STTA) to fill gaps, and begun outreach to Mexican and international experts in USAID/Mexico technical areas or with experience in MEL and CLA tools and approaches to join its roster of support resources. MESA has also signed a lease on an office that will provide a creative learning and meeting space, just a five-minute walk from USAID/Mexico. The Activity has worked closely with USAID/Mexico to develop key activity management documents, including the Activity MEL Plan (AMELP) and the Year 1 Workplan. The USAID/Mexico Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS 2020-2025) was updated in March 2022, including changes to the Results Framework that better reflect the strategy and overall goal, and align with the new administration priorities related to climate change and anti-corruption. A new Special Objective was added to address the root causes of migration in northern Central America in collaboration with the Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation (AMEXCID). The timing of USAID/Mexico's stocktaking and updates to the CDCS was particularly beneficial for MESA's start, as it has provided an opportunity for MESA to engage with USAID/Mexico and its IPs on their progress towards the expected results by 2025, their identified challenges to achieve results, and their shifting priorities and knowledge gaps. MESA has been engaged by the Office of Sustainable Development (OSD) to support a review of its indicators, and also asked MESA to host a meeting with key stakeholders, and to facilitate a discussion with IPs. The Human Rights team has engaged MESA on the F-PAR assessment and followed by asking MESA to support a MEL lessons learned discussion with its IPs. That meeting prompted one of the IPs in attendance, the Rendición de Cuentas por los Derechos Humanos (RED-DH), to request a follow-up to discuss some specific MEL challenges and interests for their activity.