SEA profile

Updated to: 19 August 2020

Overview SEA procedure

An SEA is required for all government policies, plans and programs:
a) that are prepared for various sectors such as agriculture, forestry, fishing, energy, industry, transport , waste management, water management, tourism, spatial planning or land use;
(b) for which an assessment is required in view of the potential effects on the environment.

The procedures still need to be elaborated.

Establishing context

Implementing SEA

Informing decision making

Follow-up

SEA practice

NCEA's capacity development activities

Suriname aimed to improve its ESIA and SEA systems. IUCN-NL, WWF and their local partners wanted to contribute to this, in the framework of the ‘Shared Resources, Joint Solutions’ programme. The NCEA was asked to organise a workshop, titled “Making SEA and ESIA work for oil and gas development”. The 3-day workshop in December 2017 was well attended by representatives of government, private sector and NGOs.

Background information

History of SEA

There is hardly any SEA experience in Suriname. In the past a so-called regional environmental assessment was carried out for the Greenstone Belt (mining) and an SEA scoping exercise was done for the tourism sector

Legal framework

Enabling law

Environmental Framework Law 2020, article 24

National detailed regulation

Not yet available: procedures and criteria will be established by State Decree.

Guidelines

Draft SEA guidelines have been developed in 2019, but NIMOS/NMA will consider these SEA guidelines mainly as an internal working document and will develop it further on SEA practice they expect to get in the next 4-5 years. There is a printed SEA brochure available of a couple of pages.

Scope of application

Any governmental policy or programme with potential environmental impacts.

Institutional setting

Central SEA authority

National Environmental Authority

Initiator of the SEA

The National Environmental Authority is authorized to do (or have it done) an SEA pertaining to a proposed government policy, plan or program.

Contact

Mr. C.E. Nelom (Acting Director Environmental and Social Assessment)
Mr. Q. Tjon-Akon. Mrs. M. Sewnath and Mrs. M. Danoe-Alimoenadi (Field officers Environmental and Social Assessment)

NIMOS: Nationaal Instituut voor Milieu en Ontwikkeling in Suriname
(National Institute for Environment and Development in Suriname), in 2020 renamed to NMA (National Environmental Authority)

Mr. Jagernath Lachmonstraat 100/Hoek Bersabalaan

Tel.: (597)490044/490046/490047

Fax.: (597)490042

www.nimos.org