Following a period of development over the last 18 months by the Regional Technical Working Group on Environmental Impact Assessment, the first edition of the Guidelines on Public Participation in EIA in the Mekong Region have now been completed.
With support from the USAID-funded Mekong Partnership for the Environment, the Guidelines were created to help address the shared concern for increasing meaningful public participation in development planning, in the context of increasing investment projects across the Mekong region. The Guidelines are intended to help stimulate more effective practices in public participation in EIA and are also playing an important role in informing the development of related national level guidelines. This first edition is intended as a living resource and it is hoped that it will inspire the continued strengthening of EIA policies and practices in each country and across the region, as well as to contribute to advancing greater regional collaboration and harmonization among Mekong and ASEAN nations.
Developed by 25 government and civil society representatives from across the five lower Mekong countries of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, with technical support from national advisors and international experts including from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the European Union, the Guidelines were drafted through a series of regional working group meetings facilitated by Pact and the Asian Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Network. National public consultations in each country, local outreach sessions, and an online comment portal resulted in over 2,200 comments received from nearly 500 participants on an early draft and informed this final version.
With increasing investments in large-scale infrastructure projects across the Mekong region, concerns are growing around the significant impacts on local livelihoods and the environment, including increasing awareness of potential transboundary impacts. Without adequate social and environment safeguards in place, such projects may undermine long-term development outcomes and regional stability. Enhancing meaningful public participation from all stakeholders is an important mechanism to help address these concerns and ensure equitable development outcomes, especially for vulnerable groups and communities. These Guidelines thus aim to provide practical advice for implementing meaningful public participation in the EIA process, in order to enhance its efficiency and effectiveness, while reducing potential social and environmental impacts of development projects such as dams, mines, power plants and economic zones.
As awareness of the benefits of public participation in EIA grows towards greater consultation and inclusion among government, civil society, and private sector actors, this will help to ensure more socially and environmentally responsible investments. Members of the RTWG on EIA hope that application of the Guidelines will continue to help advance constructive dialogue around development project planning and investments by giving attention to those directly affected by such interventions, while benefitting communities, project proponents, and the environment.
The Guidelines on Public Participation in EIA in the Mekong Region are available for download in PDF format at:
http://www.pactworld.org/library/guidelines-public-participation-eia-mekong-region
This is an outreach announcement from the USAID–funded Mekong Partnership for the Environment (MPE), a key supporter of The Mekong Eye.
