Regional guidelines on public participation in environmental impact asessment

Mekong Partnership for the Environment (MPE)’s Regional Technical Working Group (RTWG) on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) have invited public comment on their draft regional guidelines for public participation in EIA. See an introduction to the guidelines below and access the full set of guidelines at their website to leave comments.

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These draft Regional Guidelines on Public Participation in Environmental Impact Assessment have been collaboratively developed by the Regional Technical Working Group on EIA comprised of 25 government and non-government members from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, and are now being made publicly available for feedback and comment from interested stakeholders.

These regional EIA guidelines have been developed in response to the shared concern for increasing meaningful public participation in development planning, in the context of increasing investment projects across the Mekong region. Their purpose is to provide practical guidance for implementing meaningful public participation in the EIA process in the Mekong region, in order to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the EIA process, while reducing risks for projects as well as all stakeholders involved.
 
The use of the guideline is envisioned to result in improved, sustainable, and more equitable development outcomes. The guidelines provide a regional “good practice” approach to public participation in EIA and are intended to complement national laws and policies where they already exist with additional “how to” detail. The intended users of these guidelines includes project proponents and EIA consultants, as well as government agencies, project affected people, non-governmental and civil society organizations, and others.
 
Formed in August 2015, the RTWG on EIA provides a model multi-stakeholder platform for regional collaboration to strengthen the policy and practice of EIA and to enhance cooperation for inclusive and sustainable development of the region. The RTWG on EIA is comprised of a diverse group of non-government/civil society and government representatives from 10 Ministries across the five lower Mekong countries. The group is supported by national technical advisors and other international technical experts.