GUATEMALA LOCAL GOVERNANCE/ NEXOS LOCALES PROJECT ANNUAL REPORT FY2015 CONTRACT No. AID-520-C-14-00002 October 2015 This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared by Development Alternatives, Inc. LOCAL GOVERNANCE/ NEXOS LOCALES PROJECT ANNUAL REPORT FY2015 October 2014 – September 2015 Project Title: Local Governance/Nexos Locales Project Sponsoring USAID office: USAID/Guatemala Contract Number: AID-520-C-14-00002 COR: Claudia Agreda Contractor: DAI Date of Publication: October 2015 The authors’ views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government. Page 2 of 90 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY……………………………………………………………………………………...7 INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………………………………9 I. SUMMARY OF KEY ACHIEVEMENTS…………………………………………………………… 12 II. ACHIEVEMENTS BY RESULT AND ACTIVITY………………………………………………... 15 III. CROSS CUTTING THEMES…………………………......................................................................... ...40 IV. OBSTACLES FACED AND LESSONS LEARNED…………………………………………….…..42 V. TRAINING EVENTS……………………………………………………………………………….47 VI. MONITORING & EVALUATION……………………………………………………………… 49 VII. GRANTS AND RAPID RESPONSE FUNDS……………………………………………………... 50 VIII. PROJECT MANAGEMENT……………………………………………………………………….. 53 IX. FINANCIAL INFORMATION……………………………………………………………………..58 X. ANNUAL INVENTORY REPORT………………………………………………………………...60 XI. ANNEX I: PMP REPORT…………………………………………………………………….…….61 XII. ANNEX II: WORKPLAN ACTIVITY CHART……………………………………………….…....88 Page 3 of 90 SUMMARY OF TABLES AND FIGURES Table 1: Regional Cluster Integration…………………………………………...…..9 Table 2: Summary Ranking of Result #01 PFM Diagnostics…………………….....17 Table 3: Results of Rapid Assessment of COMUDE Performance…………….…18 Table 4: Summarized TA Plans for each COMUDE……………………………....19 Table 5: Summary findings of diagnostic for Results #03 & #05………………….27 Table 6: Average LED/SAN Indices from 29 Nexos Locales Municipalities……....33 Table 7: Training Events participants and dates…………………………………...48 Table 8: Key project operational milestones……………………………………...57 Table 9: Submission of Key Contract Deliverables……………………………….57 Table 10: Financial Report………………………………………………………….58 Map1: Nexos Locales Geographic Coverage…………………………………...10 Map 2: Data points from Water Diagnostics in Cuilco, Huehuetenango………28 Map 3: Soil usage of major value chain crops in the Western Highlands………34 Photo 1: Huehuetenango MOU Signing Event……………………………………16 Photo 2: PFM SOP Training……………………………………………………… 17 Photo 3: MOU signing with Mancomunidad Metropoli de los Altos……………..21 Photo 4: Advocacy Training in Chiantla, Huehuetenango………………………...22 Photo 5: CEIPA Round Table event in Chichicastenango, Quiché……………….23 Photo 6: CEIPA Youth presentation during workshop…………………………...24 Photo 7: Compendium of Laws presentation, Momostenango, Totonicapán……24 Photo 8: Water diagnostic survey………………………………………………...26 Photo 9: Food Security Situation Room Training, El Quiché……………………..32 Photo 10: LED Diagnostic meeting, Todos Santos Cuchumatan…………………..32 Photo 11: MOU signing with AGAAI………………………………………………37 Photo 12: ANAM Director speaks to the press…………………………………...38 Photo 13: Project Launch Event……………………………………………………53 Photo 14: Journalists Interview at Launch Event……………………………....…...54 Photo 15: Nexos Locales staff at Year 2 Work Plan Session .…………………….56 Page 4 of 90 ACRONYMS AAC Area Advisory Committee ADIMAM Municipios Asociación de Desarrollo Integral de Municipalidades del Altiplano Marquense ADS Automated Directive System AGAAI Guatemalan Association of Indigenous Mayors and Authorities ANAM National Association of Municipalities AR Annual Report ASDECOHUE Agencia de Servicios y Desarrollo Económico y Social de Huehuetenango ASOCUCH Asociación de Organizaciones de los Cuchumatanes CCN Cooperating County Nationals CDCS Country Development Cooperation Strategy CEIPA Centro Ecuménico de Integración Pastoral CNCG Climate, Nature, and Communities in Guatemala COCODE Community Development Council COMUDE Municipal Development Council COMUSAN Comisión Municipal de Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutricional COP Chief of Party CRS/SEGEMIL Seguridad Alimentaria Enfocada en los Primeros 1,000 Días CSO Civil Society Organizations DAFIM Comprehensive Municipal Administrative Financial Directorate DCOP Deputy Chief of Party DPM/OMP Municipal Planning Office DRR Disaster Risk Reduction ECO Estudios de Cooperación de Occidente ELSA Economía Local y Seguridad Alimentaria FAS Field Accounting System FLACSO University of Latin American of Social Sciences FMM Myrna Mack Foundation FtF Feed the Future FUNDAECO Fundación para el Eco-desarrollo y la Conservación Organización GIS Geographic Information Systems GUC Grants Under Contract HC3 Health Communication Capacity Collaborative INAP Instituto Nacional de Administración Pública INFOM Instituto de Fomento Municipal IT Information Technology LED Local Economic Development LGBTI Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual, Intersex LOP Life of Project LTTA Long-Term Technical Assistance MAGA Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería y Alimentación MAMOSHUE Mancomunidad de Municipios del Sur Occidente del Departamento de Huehuetenango MARN Ministerio de Ambiente y Recursos Naturales MINFIN Ministerio de Finanzas Públicas MOU Memorandum/Memoranda of Understanding NGO Non-Governmental Organization OMA Oficina Municipal de Agua (Municipal Water Office) OMM Municipal Women’s Office PAISANO Programa de Acciones Integradas de Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutricional del Occidente Page 5 of 90 PFM Public Financial Management PMP Performance Management Plan SBCC Social and Behavior Change Communication SEGEPLAN Planning and Programming Presidential Secretariat SESAN Secretaría de Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutricional SMS Short Message Service (text message) SOW Scope of Work RFA Request for Applications RFP Request for Proposals RFQ Request for Quotations RNGG Red Nacional de Grupos Gestores RRF Rapid Response Fund RRFP Rapid Response Fund Plan SEPREM Secretaría Presidencial de la Mujer SOP Standard Operating Procedures STTA Short-Term Technical Assistance TA Technical Assistance TAMIS Total Ammunition Management Information System TNC The Nature Conservancy USAID United States Agency for International Development USG United States Government USN United States National Y1WP Year 1 Work Plan Y2WP Year 2 Work Plan Page 6 of 90 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The first year of Nexos Locales has been both challenging and successful. On the operational level, the project has dealt successfully with the broad range of issues that are inherent to the start-up phase of any program – recruitment and hiring; meeting legal requirements for in-country operation; establishing administrative, financial, and operational platforms; opening offices; and drafting, submitting and receiving USAID approval of all core and contractually required program documents. On the implementation side, the project has focused on defining and rolling-out municipal outreach activities, establishing productive working relationships with all relevant stakeholders, collaborating with USAID WHIP partners, and assessing the capacity and functioning of project municipalities in a variety of technical areas in order to define project activities and technical assistance. Importantly, on the project management side, during Year 1 the project faced management challenges related to the prior leadership of the program that caused delays in technical implementation. As discussed in further detail below, these challenges were formidable, increasingly apparent, and rapidly addressed by DAI in close collaboration with USAID. The second-half of Year 1 (March – September 2015) was largely spent consolidating the technical leadership of the program - including onboarding a new Chief of Party and hiring a core technical team – and re- orienting project resources. DAI also worked closely with USAID to assess and revamp the Year 1 Work Plan, including presenting a revised- and approved - Year 1 Work Plan that moved eleven (11) Year 1 sub-activities to Year 2. These corrective actions have been extremely effective - despite initial delays in technical implementation, as of the date of this submission the project has delivered 100% of its approved Year 1 work plan. Overall, and as noted by USAID, the project is well positioned for success moving forward. Lessons learned and solutions to issues encountered during the year have been incorporated into the project’s Year Two work plan. The COP, DCOP and COR continue to work in concert to push implementation, and keep performance and quality levels high. Activity levels across the board continue to pick up speed, and Nexos Locales is becoming increasingly visible as a key aspect of USG and USAID commitment to the GOG. While a comprehensive presentation of key Year One accomplishments is provided in Section 1. Summary of Key Achievements, the following is a snapshot of the project’s most significant achievements. MOUs Signed with 28 of 30 municipalities and 3 mancomunidades, as well as ANAM, AGAAI, WHIP Partners, INAP, SEGEPLAN, SESAN, INFOM: Through the signing of Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with twenty-eight (28) municipalities, Nexos Locales garnered critical support from and established formal relationships with Mayors, mancomunidades, GOG stakeholders, WHIP partners, and key regional actors. Completed comprehensive municipal baseline assessments to define and prioritize