GEMS develops and delivers regional training workshops for USAID staff. The overall goal of these workshops is to strengthen environmentally sound design and management of USAID-funded activities by assuring that participants have the motivation, knowledge and skills necessary to (1) achieve environmental compliance over life-of-project, and (2) otherwise integrate environmental considerations in activity design and management to improve overall project acceptance and sustainability.
Typically, these workshops:
| Target Audience | USAID staff |
| Length | 4 to 4.5 days in length |
| Emphasis | Compliance and ESDM over the full project lifecycle, with extended practical exercises focused on (1) pre-implementation environmental review/Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) development (per Reg. 216) and (2) on development of environmental mitigation and monitoring plans (EMMPs) to implement IEE conditions |
| Field Visits | Include at least one field visit, and sometimes two, which are the basis for the practical exercises. |
| Information specific to target audience | Include significant time for advanced, technically complex and/or emergent “special topics” in compliance and ESDM such as management of health care waste, pesticide risks and compliance, undertaking full environmental assessments, etc. |
In some cases, hybrid regional workshops are delivered that also include implementing partners.
Consult the training calendar page for upcoming workshops.
Archive pages for recent regional workshops, including agendas and all materials, are also available via the training calendar page. These include:
- Nov 2012 Cairo (Middle East regional)
- March 2012 Ghana (Africa Regional) (under construction)
Waste picking/sorting operations at the new Secondi-Takoradi sanitary landfill and the controlled dump it replaces.
A USAID-funded school water and sanitation project; rainwater collection tank visible.