Greater Mekong Capacity Development

From September 2006 until December 2008 the NCEA has been a member of the Technical Advisory Panel (TAP) for the Core Environmental Programme of the Greater Mekong Sub-region. This programme aimed at poverty reduction and biodiversity protection in denominated economic corridors in the region. The NCEA provided guidance on three SEAs, all since finalised. The TAP was dissolved on 31 December 2008.

Significant details

Started: 2006

Completed: 2008

Process and activities

In 2006, the NCEA contributed to a regional workshop in Thailand on SEA and biodiversity. This workshop was organized by the Mekong Wetlands Programme and IUCN and attended by governmental and NGO representatives from Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Lao PDR. Following this workshop, the NCEA was asked to become a member of the Technical Advisory Panel (TAP) for the Core Environmental Programme of the Greater Mekong Sub-region. Under this programme, the NCEA conducted the following activities:

• Participation in meetings of the TAP and the Working Group on Environment;
• Contributions to the first ASEAN conference for EIA and SEA in China, including presentation of a SWOT analysis of EIA-systems;
• Presentation at the Working Group on Environment of a key note on SEA for climate proofing of policies;
• Support to the Ministry of Environment of Lao PDR on application of SEA to (national) planning;
• Guidance for three pilot SEAs, including advice on their selection, process and expertise needed, as well as high-level awareness-raising. The SEAs concerned 1) the national tourism development plan of Cambodia; 2) the north-south corridor crossing China, Myanmar, Lao PDR and Thailand; and 3) hydropower development in Vietnam.

In December 2008 the TAP was dissolved and the NCEA's contributions to the programme came to an end.

Results

With the NCEA’s technical input, the pilot SEAs were successfully completed and served as examples for future SEAs. SEA capacity and practice in general has improved in different ways in each of the countries where the programme was implemented. In Vietnam, for example, the government decided to apply SEA for the next hydropower development plan. The government of Lao PDR has started pilot SEAs for provincial land use plans. The Working Group on Environment has started to prioritize climate proofing in SEA.