Environmental Impact Assessment for Civil Society in Ethiopia

Transcription

1 Bank Netherlands Partnership Program EA Window Workshop on Lessons Learned December 11-12, 2003 Environmental Impact Assessment for Civil Society in Ethiopia 1

2 EIA for Civil Society Workshop held in Addis Ababa, December 1-4, 2003 In collaboration between the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and the Bank Part of EPA s EIA capacity-building program 2

3 Background Livelihoods: majority subsistence farming; Declining natural resource base; Need for improved environmental; management; New progressive EIA/SEA legislation; Federal system and deepening decentralization; Government ambivalence towards NGOs; Ongoing Bank-EPA environmental management cap bldg needs analysis. 3

4 Planning the Workshop EPA initially requested cap bldg support for EIA for civil society and private sector; Decision to focus on civil society; Planning committee established (EPA-civil society Bank); Participants invited: NGOs + Gov (EIA) officials. 4

5 Participants NGO representatives (all Ethiopians) including: Other civil society reps, including trade union, church and mosque; Federal EPA staff (incl. Resource people); Heads of Regional EPAs. 5

6 Key Objectives Provide basic knowledge on EIA to civil society; Inform participants of new EIA legislation; Initiate dialogue between federal/regional EPAs and civil society; Develop recommendations on how EIA could be conducted at the local level in Ethiopia. 6

7 Workshop Resources Federal EPA provided local resource people and organisational arrangements; BNPP covered local expenses and provided international resource people; WB provided organizational support through local consultants, and resource person. 7

8 Workshop Resource People Provided by BNPP Lead facilitator Ethiopian environmentalist; International specialist on EIA in Ethiopia; Rep. of Community-based Impact Assessment Network for Eastern Africa, from Kenya; Rep. Eastern African Association for Impact Assessment, from Tanzania; Rep. of Southern African Institute for Impact Assessment, from Namibia. 8

9 Content Practical, on-the-job awarenesscreation and training; Field work in the Rift Valley; Joint civil society government staff working sessions; Focus on developing suitable approaches to EIA at the local level. 9

10 What happened? Very dynamic workshop; Dedicated participants; Creative and positive interaction between civil society, federal and regional government representatives Deep concern expressed over environmental situation at Lake Zwai. 10

11 Outcomes Workshop launched dialogue between government and civil society on EIA; Participants made aware and trained; Recommendations made on conducting EIA at the local level; Specific initiatives taken. 11

12 Specific Initiatives Ethiopian Association for Environmental Impact Assessment (EAEIA) established; Call for follow-up workshops at Regional level to pilot development of local-level EIA guidelines on regional basis; Determined need for a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)/Management Plan of Lake Zwai; Request for federal EPA to launch dialogue 12 on EIA with private sector.

13 Follow-up 5 th -8 th December 2003 The follow-up has been immediate and enthusiastic. All four initiatives received a positive response. 13

14 Establishment of Ethiopian Association for Environmental Impact Assessment Follow-up The Director-General of the federal federal EPA endorses the establishment of EAEIA; The President of Ethiopia accepts invitation to be the Patron. 14

15 Regional EIA Follow-up Federal EPA agrees to finance and facilitate regional EIA workshops in pilot regions including addressing environmental impacts of ongoing government resettlement program. 15

16 Rift Valley Lakes Follow up Federal EPA agrees to the proposal for SEA/management plan for Lake Zwai; EPA extends the scope to an Integrated Environmental Management Plan for three major Rift Valley lakes; EPA proposes that development of plan should be jointly coordinated by Regional EPA and the EAEIA; Government submits request for GEF 16 funding to determine TOR.

17 EIA for the Private Sector Follow up Government writes to the Bank thanking Bank/BNPP for support for launching the dialogue on EIA for Civil Society; Requests support to launch a parallel dialogue on EIA for the Private Sector, including assistance with the introduction in Ethiopia of corporate environmental responsibility. 17