Policy Sea : Conceptual Model and Operational Guidance for Applying Strategic Environmental Assessment in Sector Reform
Around the world, it is increasingly being recognized that for sustainability goals to be reached, efforts need to go beyond compliance with standards and mitigation of adverse impacts, to identifying environmental sustainability as an objective of...
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| Format: | Other Environmental Study |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank
2012
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| Online Access: | http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000333038_20100629002611 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/2866 |
| Summary: | Around the world, it is increasingly
being recognized that for sustainability goals to be
reached, efforts need to go beyond compliance with standards
and mitigation of adverse impacts, to identifying
environmental sustainability as an objective of the
development process. This requires a focus on policies that
promote integration of environmental, sustainability, and
climate change considerations into development strategies
and sector reform. Because sector reform brings about
significant policy change involving adjustments in laws,
policies, regulations and institutions, it is a sensitive
political process often driven by strong economic interests.
Policy makers are subject to a number of political pressures
that originate in vested interests. In situations such as
these, the recommendations of environmental assessment are
often of little relevance unless there are constituencies
that support them, and with sufficient political power to
make their voices heard in the policy process. While strong
constituencies are important during the design of sector
reform, they are even more important during implementation.
It follows that effective environmental assessment in sector
reform requires strong constituencies backing up
recommendations, a system to hold policy makers accountable
for their decisions, and institutions that can balance
competing and, sometimes, conflicting interests. |
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