ICMA, as a subcontractor to The Palladium Group, provided technical assistance to municipalities in El Salvador as part of a five-year project with the primary objective of increasing the competitiveness of key economic sectors. Funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the project built on lessons learned from earlier development initiatives. It complemented other USAID/El Salvador activities to enable Salvadoran businesses to become more competitive in global markets while ensuring participation of men and women, including those with disabilities and those from the LGBTI community.

The project supported efforts to strengthen the capacity of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to compete in domestic and export markets, and improve the national and subnational business environment to encourage private-sector investment, innovation, and business expansion to foster economic growth and job creation. Specific ICMA interventions included:

• Provided technical assistance to improve the business enabling environment at the subnational level, helping municipal competitive committees and other relevant municipal-level entities implement and/or update their plans. One factor affecting economic opportunities, employment, and growth is a secure and safe municipal environment. For that reason, ICMA worked with municipalities on violence prevention and other public safety initiatives that were linked to new investment or enable businesses to operate and grow more efficiently.
• Provided training and technical assistance on key topics such as attracting investment and creating public-private partnerships, business improvement districts, and regulations for economic development.
• Facilitated CityLinks™ exchange between U.S. and Salvadoran cities to support the creation of new one-stop-windows and simplified business procedures; strengthen or create municipal units for enterprise development (known as EMPREs) to link medium and small enterprises with business development service providers and establish business improvement districts (BIDs).