Cooperation WWF - Suriname

Due to the entry into force of the State Decree on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in 2025, the National Environmental Authority (NMA) is now the statutory authority granting approval for EIAs: previously, EIA was voluntary. This new responsibility makes it crucial that the capacity for reviewing and assessing EIAs is maintained at a high qualitative level. Consequently, the NMA has indicated its need to strengthen the assessment capacity of the EIA team, particularly because it faces the challenge of drafting and updating various procedures and must safeguard the quality of EIAs, certainly in view of ongoing major projects and the arrival of new team members.

They therefore requested the NCEA to provide a 4-day training on the subject of: how to assess an EIA and how review findings can subsequently be translated into conditions for the so-called Certificate of Approval. This training took place from March 16 to 19, 2026.

Since 2017, the NCEA has worked with NIMOS, Suriname (now called NMA, the National Environmental Authority) to jointly develop ESIA sector guidelines for offshore oil and gas development (exploitation phase). This was a follow up of an earlier cooperation where NIMOS and NCEA developed similar guidelines for the exploration phase. The initiative is (financially) supported by WWF Netherlands and WWF Guianas. Both guidelines can be accessed here at the NIMOS EIA repository site.