By Barbara Moore, ICMA Outreach Team

It has been exciting to see regular progress toward meeting the objectives of the USAID SURGE Project (Strengthening Urban Resilience for Growth with Equity) in the Philippines, which is sponsored by USAID from the American People, supported by the government of the Philippines, and implemented by ICMA. The objectives of the project are to

• Improve local capacity in inclusive and resilient urban development
• Promote low-emission local economic development strategies
• Expand economic connectivity and access between urban and rural areas
• Strengthen multi-sectoral capacity to ensure inclusive growth.

Here are recent project highlights:

• Eight local government officials from Zamboanga City were among a group of newly licensed environmental planners who took the oath of office on July 1, 2017. The USAID SURGE project helped them prepare for the licensure exam through training and review sessions. Read about it.
• The Iloilo city government and the USAID SURGE project organized a market linkage forum to enhance local market access and productivity of milkfish by linking local milkfish producers with the existing supply chain of a leading aquaculture processor. Read about it.
• With assistance from the USAID SURGE project, residents of Legazpi City were urged to vote for the city’s entry in the Best Climate Practices 2017 online contest. The city’s entry was Balangay, a cloud-based information system that disseminates disaster preparedness and response information. Read about it.
• The USAID SURGE project and the Puerto Princesa City government organized a workshop to strengthen public-private partnerships for tourism development. Read about it.

To learn more about this and other projects, contact global@icma.org.