VI. Stakeholder participation

You are here : Home > Orientation Hall > Exchange of Experience Modules

Exchange of experience module

(This module was developed based on recommendations of the Regional Expert Group Meeting held in Bangkok in 1998.)

Outline of exchange of experience module

I. Modalities for increasing sustainable development awareness

A. Sustainable development as it appears in different government development statements (constitutions, development plans, strategies, etc.)

concepts, the links between economic development and sustainable development-how sustainable development issues fit into planning
interelationships between the environment and the economy
concept of environment as integral theme of all ministries, not a seperate sector
current motivation for paying attention to the environment, internal forces (increased awareness) as well as external forces such as trade concerns and donor preferencesenvironment>

B. The process of forming a national vision which encompasses the environment

forming a national vision
strategically integrating environmental, economic and social concern
utilizing assessment information to formulate mission statements, environmental visions, statements of objectives, strategies(assessing the driving forces affecting environment and assessing opportunities, threats in local, national, and global environments
determining the scope of the vision(s): national, subnational, sectoral, local, project and their priorities
involving all stakeholders efficiently
setting criteria, guidelines for policy assessment, and for monitoring achievement of strategic thrusts
determining the relationship with subregional, regional, international visions

Top

II. National level structures for integration of environmental considerations into economic decision making processes

A. Role of national council/commission for sustainable development or a national environment council (political/advisory body)

structure, functions and members
operational/coordinating experience

B. National level inter-ministerial (departmental)coordination committees: environment and economic committees and their links

horizontal coordination (among ministries at the national level)
vertical coordination (among layers of government)
demarcation of responsibilities and areas for cooperation including
- for policy formulation and consistency
- for implementation, monitoring and enforcement
- for preventive actions and well as penalties
- for transparency and accountability
members, frequency of meeting, etc
constraints: absence of mechanisms, absence of legal sanctions for not functioning and absence of continuity in functioning

C. Role of the planning bodies in promoting sustainable development

its functions in integrating environment into economic plans, strategies, investment programmes, development budget, operational budget
utilization of environment assessment information in undertaking these functions
its capacity to undertake the tasks assigned

D. Role of the environment ministry (department or unit) and its agencies

contributing to vision
contributing to vision
policy formulation
setting standards, guidelines, controls and designing laws
involvement of ministry staff at subnational levels
monitoring and enforcement programmes
environment assessment processes
financial and human resource capacity
inter-ministerial coordination

E. Roles of other (sectoral) ministries

policy formulation
integrating sectoral policies, strategic plans with national vision
utilization of environment assessment information in undertaking these functions
undertaking and/or evaluating assessments
setting standards, formulating guidelines
monitoring and enforcement programmes
environment cells/units: roles, functions, capacity

F. Role of legal structures

framework laws and regulations
harmonization of sectoral laws with framework laws
judicial review
modalities for avoidance and settlement of disputes/conflicts
appeals structure

G. Role of supporting structures

policy research institutes
R & D institutes
training institutes
autonomous bodies, committees
private sector organizations/chambers of commerce and industry

H. The process of policy formulation, programme formulation and programme implementation where cooperation among ministries required

examples of how economic policies/programmes with environmental consequences were adopted/implemented
examples of how environmental policies/programmes with economic consequences were adopted/implemented
examples of informal networking
examples of how laws are designed and approved

Top

III. Modalities for adhering to international commitments

Development of national positions for negotiations
Framework to integrate international conventions: legal and institutional measures to implement accords
Experience with the functioning of national committees for monitoring and enforcement and in benefitting from international commitments

Top

IV. Institutional frame works and coordination mechanisms at subnational levels

A. By urban, provincial, and local administrative units as well as by sector (product) and environment region (watershed, flood plain, growth zone, etc.)

institutional set-up and mechanisms for coordination within unit or sector or environment region
policy roles
functions and capacity to undertake tasks assigned (human and financial)
use of assessment data in undertaking functions

B. Coordination between various subnational levels and the national level

Top

V. Role and assessment of policy measures

A. Role of various environment-related measures including

market-based instruments including fiscal measures (tax, subsidies etc.)
eco-labeling, ISO standards and any other trade induced measures
other standards
command and control instruments
IEE/EIA and their integration into project planning
strategic (area) environment assessments and their integration into planning
sector (product) environment assessments

B. The use of measures in combination

C. Methods of assessing the effectiveness of policies/measures

estimating the behavioural responses of firms and households, including income/price elasticity
determining the cost-effectiveness of measures (cost-benefit analysis)
determining the impacts of economic policy measures such as fiscal, tax, subsidy policies and trade policies on the preservation, degradation of the environment (qualitative, quantitative and checklist approaches)
measuring impacts of policies through techniques such as CG models, multi-criteria analysis and action impact matrices
monitoring/assessing privatization initiatives
monitoring/assessing environmental initiatives for SMEs, in low income communities, etc.

Top

VI. Modalities for integrating the participation of stakeholders

A. Experience with programmes for enhancing awareness of the civil society

types of public information campaigns/use of media
types of activist campaigns by the civil society
development of consumer and interest groups

B. Modalities for consultation

experience with public hearings
experience with public interest litigations

C. Modalities for involving civil society, the private sector and NGOs in policy formulation

making them part of the vision
consultative committees
role in assessment and monitoring

D. Modalities for involving the civil society, the private sector and NGOs in policy implementation and monitoring

making them part of the solution

E. How to decentralize to the community level but keep national priorities in mind

Top

VII. Meeting the information requirements for integration of environmental considerations into economic decision making at the national and subnational levels

developing appropriate and sustainable national and subnational data bases as needed by the end users link to module II): baseline; dynamic (updating), new types of data
undertaking analysis and assessments including resource assessments (stocks/flows), land inventories (land use/structural spatial data, land holdings, land user information, farming systems, vegetative cover (forested land, etc.)), marine assessments, etc.
developing data bases on air, noise, and water quality, waste generation and treatment, etc.
ensuring the quality of data
choosing an appropriate quantity of data
developing monitoring systems and their relationship to data bases: real time, intermittent
understanding the eco-system dynamics
assessing cumulative impacts (e.g. industrial, agriculture, energy, transportation, water)
relating EIAs and other forms of project scale assessment to information systems/carrying capacity
developing composite indices, e.g. carrying capacity, sustainability, water balance
considering the compatibility (input from) regional (international) data bases
developing sustainable development indicators at the national and regional levels
translating the environmental data into values through resource accounting, extended cost-benefit analysis, valuation of environmental attribute techniques, etc.
accessing new ways of collecting and translating data (spatial information systems: GIS/remote sensing; privatized collection and monitoring systems)

VIII. Meeting the information requirements for integration of environmental considerations into economic decision making at the project/firm level

collecting and evaluating the assessment information ( optimally instituting EIA/CVA processes)
deciding on the roles of various parties (government, investor/firm, donor), for undertaking and evaluating assessment, including on who finances it
assessment and improvement of assessment process and assessment modalities
follow-up monitoring/auditing (based on project approval processes)

Top