The News

HICD 2020 Fosters Intellectual Property Protection in Georgia

On March 3, HICD 2020 Project launched a new institutional performance assessment activity at Sakpatenti, the key public institution responsible to protect intellectual property in Georgia. The objective of the assessment is to assist the organization in articulating its organizational goals and objectives, and to compare current performance levels to optimal performance levels, designing performance solutions to close any identified performance gaps.

This assessment is part of a wider HICD model that aims to strengthen partner institution’s capabilities to more effectively and efficiently perform for their constituents and beneficiaries, and to increase the effectiveness of the ongoing technical assistance provided by USAID and other international donors.

Founded in 1992 under the Prime Minister’s Office, Sakpatenti’s primary function is to safeguard intellectual property through devising and enforcing intellectual property-related policies.

The activity will be carried out by consultants from GEC Developments Corporation, with methodological guidance of Klaus Wittkuhn, a Certified Performance Technologist (CPT) expert. The assessment will cover a period of two and a half months, and will recommend performance improvement measures.

ME&A implements the HICD 2020 Project under USAID’s Human and Institutional Development (HICDpro) IDIQ contract, which was awarded to ME&A in November 2013.

ME&A to Evaluate Malawi Mobile Money Program

The USAID Mission in Malawi has chosen ME&A to conduct a performance evaluation of the Mobile Money Accelerator Program (MMAP). Fieldwork will begin on May 9, 2016 and will continue through July of this year.

MMAP is a joint venture between USAID and the Government of Malawi designed to increase the use of mobile money in urban and rural areas of the country. The project seeks to both increase the demand for mobile money as well as to develop and reinforce existing mobile money infrastructure in in this sub-Saharan African nation of nearly 18 million inhabitants. The program’s intent is to make it easier for individuals to conduct business and pay bills online in areas where regular access to the internet is limited to mobile phones.

The ME&A team will focus on six districts in Malawi: Rumphi, Mzimba, Mchinji, Lilongwe, Mangochi and Blantyre as well as 12 additional districts throughout the country. ME&A will evaluate the program’s entire performance since it began in October of 2012, to determine how successful MMAP has been in increasing citizens’ awareness of mobile money institutions, whether the mobile money infrastructure has been increased and strengthened, and whether Malawi’s laws and regulations have been updated sufficiently to accommodate mobile money institutions.

Since 2010, ME&A has conducted more than 60 evaluations and assessments for USAID, the U.S. Department of State, and the Millennium Challenge Corporation in over 25 countries worldwide.

New Basin Management Plan Receives Public Hearings in Armenia

The Armenian Ministry of Nature Protection (MNP) held its first public hearing on the Southern Basin Management Plan in Kapan, Armenia on March 15, 2016. The MNP has prioritized the submission of The Plan to the Government of Armenia, which, when adopted, will require its mandatory execution. The Plan, which is a comprehensive document that consolidates the basin management plans for the Vorotan, Voghji, and Meghriget Rivers, was prepared by the USAID-funded Clean Energy and Water Program, which ME&A implemented from 2011 to 2015.

 “The Plan is unprecedented by its depth of analysis and coverage of issues. It will be a master document to follow during the preparation of management plans for other river basins of Armenia,” said Vahan Davtyan, the Head of the Water Resources Management Agency, giving credit to USAID Armenia for the high quality of the document.

The Southern Basin is of particular importance in Armenia due to the extensive industrial activity in the region and numerous economic, social and environmental challenges. The preparation of the Basin Management Plan marks another step forward towards integrated resource management planning in Armenia that will ensure more sustainable management of the region’s water bodies and minimize negative imprints on the environment.

ME&A continues to work on water related issues in Armenia under USAID’s Advanced Science & Partnerships for Integrated Resource Development (ASPIRED) Project, which was awarded to ME&A in September 2015.

World Water Day 2016

“The power of water and jobs - transforming people’s lives”

Happy #WorldWaterDay 2016!The theme of World Water Day this year is “Better water, better jobs”, ME&A through its water project in Armenia -ASPIRED (Advanced Science & Partnerships for Integrated Resource Development)- is pleased to support USAID’s water resource objectives in Armenia. 

The purpose of the ASPIRED Project is to support sustainable water resource management and sustainable practices of water users in the Ararat Valley through the use of science, technology, innovation and partnership initiatives. The ultimate goal is to reduce the rate of groundwater extraction in the Ararat Valley to the sustainable levels.

USAID’s recent assessment of the status of groundwater resources in the Ararat Valley – the country’s key agricultural hub – has indicated an alarming situation. The decreasing level of the groundwater supply and the uncontrolled use of artesian water by fish farms have left some 30 communities in the Ararat and Armavir marzes without reliable access to drinking or irrigation water.

ME&A would like to dedicate World Water Day 2016 to the almost 1.5 billion people who work in water related sectors. This year’s theme focuses on how enough quantity and quality of water can change workers' lives and livelihoods, transforming societies and economies.

In 1993, the UN General Assembly designated March 22 as the first World Water Day. Twenty-two years later, World Water Day is celebrated around the world. This year’s theme is all about how water links to all areas of development to create a sustainable future. For more information on World Water Day go tounwater.org

Since 2005, ME&A (Mendez England & Associates) has been providing innovative solutions for integrated Water and Natural Resources Management worldwide, providing jobs in the water sector to help individuals, communities and governments to improve water resources, address climate change, develop clean energy, and achieve food security and better hygiene.