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27-28 September, 2005, Bratislava

27-28 September, 2005, Bratislava. ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE MEETING Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) – Tool for Sustainable Planning and Decision-Making UNDP Regional Centre for Europe and CIS Bratislava, Slovakia Henrieta Martonakova. Overview.

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27-28 September, 2005, Bratislava

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  1. 27-28 September, 2005, Bratislava ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE MEETING Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) – Tool for Sustainable Planning and Decision-Making UNDP Regional Centre for Europe and CIS Bratislava, Slovakia Henrieta Martonakova

  2. Overview • Introduction to SEA • SEA status in our region, with emphasis on EECCA countries; • Capacity building needs in EECCA • Key entry points for SEA Application; • Potential role for UNDP???

  3. What is SEA? Systematic and transparent process to ensure that significant environmental (SD) effects arising from plans, programmes, policies (legislation) are: • Identified and analysed; • Assessed; • Mitigated • Communicated to decision-makers • Monitored ….when all options in the planning and decision-making process are open; ….on par with economic, social and health issues ….providing opportunities for consultations and public involvement

  4. Stages of SEA

  5. Difference between SEA and EIA

  6. Why is SEA important? Enables mainstreaming of environment and sustainable development principles into planning and decision-making; • Facilitates integrated planning and decision-making process; • Encourage cross sector coordination; • Facilitates regional and transboundary co-operation • Builds public trust and confidence in decision-making • Promotes good governance • Help donors to meet their commitments with respect to sustainable development;

  7. SEA Legal Framework in our Region EC SEA Directive • In force from 21 July 2004 UNECE SEA Protocol to the Espoo Convention • 37 Signatories: all EU and SEE countries, 4 EECCA countries: Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine • 2 Parties: Finland, Czech Republic

  8. SEA in Countries in Transition- current status • EU countries + Bulgaria and Croatia: rapid pace of adaptation in terms of legislation and demonstration projects (EU driven process); • SEE countries: basic approaches needs to be established; • EECCA countries: use of the SEA elements in the OVOS/SER system – low level of application in practice Level of implementation varies from country to country

  9. Strategic Environmental Assessment – Promotion and Capacity Building Target countries: Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, and Belarus  In cooperation with the Regional Environmental Centre for Central and Eastern Europe (REC) Armenia: SEA of the Yerevan Master Plan Belarus: SEA of the National Tourism Development Plan Georgia. Moldova, Ukraine: national Capacity Building Manual for the SEA Protocol Implementation

  10. SEA capacity building project in EECCA Countries Main Stages / Outcomes 1 Analysis of current status in EA and identification of capacity building needs 2 Demonstration of SEA in practice and SEA guidance development 3 Evaluation of effectiveness, quality and lessons learned from SEA demonstration process, 4 Development of national and regional capacity building strategies for the SEA Protocol implementation

  11. Initiative (strategic or project level) State Environmental Review (SER) Assessment of Environmental impact (OVOS) Decision taking Current SEA related EA systems- main features EA system: sub-systems and links to decision-making

  12. Current EA systems –main features SEA elements included in legislation on: - Environmental protection; - Environmental Impact Assessment; - Environmental Permitting; - Regulations on spatial and land-use planning; Low level of implementation – limited experience; Processes not aligned with internationally accepted practice

  13. Current EA systems- main features +SEA elements, incl. public involvement in national env. laws + Well developed OVOS/EIA system - Legislation does not separate provisions for projects, and PPs – EA of P/P rarely applied in practice; - No clear screening procedures – too many, artificial reviews; - Scoping limited to the EIA report content (not applicable to strategic documents) - Absence of clear provisions for consultations and public participation – rarely applied in practice; - No practical experience with transboundary consultations

  14. CB needs for SEA Protocol Implementation • Legal framework for SEA (incl. Terminology) • National SEA guidelines, manuals and training materials • Training and education • Pilot projects • Procedural schemes for different types of strategic documents • EIA/SEA associations/centers • Accreditation systems for SEA experts

  15. CB priorities of the countries

  16. Phase II SEA Pilot Project Implementation

  17. Objectives To test and demonstrate opportunities for practical application of the SEA Protocol To provide recommendations for environmental optimization of the strategic initiative

  18. SEA pilot project process • Consultations and agreement with proponent and the environmental ministries on initiative subject to the pilot SEA • National SEA team establishment • Work plan preparation (including consultations and public participation) • SEA elaboration • SEA process evaluation + recommendations for improvement

  19. Initial Lessons LearnedSEA Pilot in Belarus • Too politically sensitive document selected initially • According to developer the role of SEA is to criticize – reluctance to provide documents (in time) • Short timeframe for programmes development, thus for SEA application • Good co-operation among SEA and planning team • EIA experts struggling with impacts assessment • Planning team see SEA as additional work/burden

  20. Recommendations • Selection of less politically sensitive initiative for the pilot SEA; • Promotion of SEA benefits among planners • Agreement on the roles and responsibilities of the SEA team, proponent, MoE • SEA application at the early stage of planning process • Training of experts on SEA approach and methodologies • SEA recommendations easily processed by planners (form agreed between SEA team and planners) • Need for a strong, committed, and respected national SEA team leader

  21. Key Entry Points for SEA • National cross-sector macro policies: e.g. direct budgetary support; • National cross-sector strategies, plans of programmes; e.g. PRS, programming documents for EU Structural Funds • Sector specific policies and P/P; e.g. transport, energy, waste management and water plans; • Integrated spatial or development plans; e.g. land-use and regional plans;

  22. Key Entry Points for SEA • Transnational planning; e.g. watershed or river basin management across international boundaries; e.g. EIA of the Caspian sea • Mega projects; e.g. major infrastructure investments; • Agency specific instruments; e.g. country assistance plans or strategies • Sets of individual projects likely to have cumulative effects not well captured in project level assessment

  23. Possibilities for UNDP intervention Capacity-building Knowledge management Stand-alone demonstration projects SEA component in the projects / areas we are already involved in

  24. Networks OECD/DAC SEA Task Team UNDP SEA web site

  25. Useful links OECD/DAC REC Dutch EIA database Espoo convention Biodiversity Bary’s publication

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