January 2021

SEA for offshore oil and gas in Senegal takes off

Dakar - On 8 and 9 December 2020, a new inter-ministerial taskforce approved the workplan for the SEA for the sustainable development of offshore oil and gas. This means that the SEA can now officially take off. This taskforce is led by the ministry for Petrol & Energy and the ministry for Environment & Sustainable Development. The meeting report (in French) can be downloaded from the projectpage.

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How to strengthen the independence of IA reviewers and practitioners?

Rob Verheem - director of the NCEA – published a letter in the IAPA-Journal on the importance of independence in impact assessment. Is the criticism justified that in practice truly independent assessment practitioners and reviewers are often lacking? And if so, what can we do to remedy this situation? Is there a role for IAIA? To kick off a wider discussion he suggests a number of ‘building blocks for independence in IA’.

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Animation on Assessment online

It is with great pleasure that we present a new video in our ESIA process video series. The subject of this recent video is step 3: Assessment. It provides a short overview of the objectives and important issues to take into account. The ESIA video animations are available in English and French and can be viewed and downloaded from our YouTube channel.

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Webinar series Jordan ESIA & hazardous substances

The Jordan Ministry for Environment and the NCEA jointly organised a series of webinars on how to deal in ESIA with the risks of hazardous substances. About 30 ESIA practitioners shared and discussed what is needed to better address this topic in practice. The webinars are part of an ongoing cooperation between the Netherlands and Jordan on the subject of ESIA and SEA.

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December 2020

The SEA for joint landuse planning emphasises cooperation - The Philippines

Local governments and stakeholders of District 1 of Zamboanga del Norte came together to mark the publication of the SEA report for their landuse planning. The SEA shows that for sustainable development, joint planning and cooperation is crucial for issues such as agricultural development, climate change, waste management, transport and water management.

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SEA for sustainable development plan Moyen Bafing - Guinée

In the Moyen Bafing region - known for its large population of chimpanzees - a large dam, mines, access routes and railways are being planned. To make sure that these projects contribute the most to sustainable development, an inter-ministerial commission decided to jointly start a regional sustainable development accompanied by an SEA. 

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New MoU Egypt - Dutch water sector

Following successful cooperation since the 1970s, Egypt and the Netherlands recently signed a new MoU for a 4-year cooperation programme on applied research in the water sector. ESIA improvement is one of the topics identified. The NCEA, as one of the partners in this cooperation programme, is looking forward to work together with Egyptian organisations on further implementation of ESIA.

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Publication: Ten cases of the SRJS Programme

In a new publication, the NCEA collaborated with SRJS to present an overview of ten cases on the subject of ESIA and SEA in landscape management. After four years of practice and experience in different forms and settings, the cases in this booklet demonstrate that environmental assessment complements the landscape approach in important ways. The countries include: Benin, Burkina Faso, Indonesia, Madagascar, Mali, The Philippines, Suriname, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. 

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SEA Training course for the Senegal River Basin Development Authority

The River Senegal crosses four countries and is an important source for irrigation, food supply, electricity etc. Understandably, its sustainable management is of utmost importance. The Senegal River Basin Development Authority (OMVS) is the managing authority of the river. Currently the OMVS is involved in the SEA for the Koukoutamba Dam in Guinea. To understand the ins and outs of SEA, the NCEA organised an introductory course.

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Plan adopted to improve environmental assessment in West-Africa

At the end of November, the eight member states of the West-African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) adopted a three-year programme to improve the environmental and social assessment systems in their countries. The focus will be on professional exchange, training, and guidance development. 

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