Practitioners in Gaziantep, Turkey reviewing the MERS Handbook.

The Minimum of Economic Recovery Standards were developed a decade ago as a recognized consensus on best practices for building economic resilience for crisis-affected communities. Ten years and two revisions later, the MERS remain uniquely relevant and applicable in economic development programming, especially as the development and humanitarian communities face unprecedented challenges. SEEP, with funding from USAID’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, is reinforcing its dedication to promoting the uptake of these standards through the MERS Focal Point Program.

What is the purpose of the Focal Point program?

The Focal Point Program trains and equips individuals and organizations working in crisis and disaster-affected environments with the tools, guidance and training materials needed to facilitate more effective and wide-scale application of the Standards. Demonstrating their commitment to quality and accountability in economic recovery programming, CARE, the Danish Refugee Council, Humanity & Inclusion and the Norwegian Refugee Council represent the first Focal Point Cohort. A pair of representatives from each of these organizations are coached by three seasoned MERS champions, who share their expertise, technical know-how and practical examples.

The Focal Point approach was born out of an understanding that while practitioners and organizations recognized the value of the MERS, they required additional support to effectively encourage uptake within their institution. As the requests for sustained technical support, training and access to custom tools mounted, SEEP opted to invest in creating a network of MERS trainers who could better reach practitioners at the local level. At the close of the program, the Focal Points will graduate to MERS trainers within their organization, promoting greater and clearer use of the Standards to their colleagues. The Focal Points will be go-to MERS experts within their organization, serving as a resource for their field-based colleagues putting the MERS into practice.

How is it helping?

The Focal Points representing CARE have swiftly implemented an organization-wide uptake of the MERS, inviting colleagues to join a training course hosted by one of the Focal Point facilitators, Sarah Ward. The first training included participants from Canada, Ethiopia, India, Malawi, Sri Lanka, South Sudan and Thailand.

The Focal Points from CARE, DRC, HI and NRC have created action plans tailored toward their organization to optimize the relevance of the Standards within their programming. They are now receiving customized training from the facilitators to explore the best ways to carry out these action plans.

Sign up for updates from SEEP to stay tuned with our future activities with the MERS Focal Points and the Resilient Markets thematic area.