Ineke Steinhauer
Technical secretary
The NCEA has a long standing relationship with the Mozambican Ministry of Land, Environment and Rural Development (MITADER, formerly MICOA), formalised by subsequent MoUs. In June 2016 the latest MoU was signed, covering a three year period. The current MoU focuses on assistance regarding (the implementation of) EIA/SEA legislation, assistance in EIAs/SEAs for specific projects and plans, and training and capacity building.
Significant details
During two visits in July and August 2016, the NCEA started colaboration with the relevant Directorates of MITADER, namely DINAB (environment) and DINOTER (spatial planning). Also ANAC (conservation) has been part of the activities. The most urgent themes the NCEA was asked to work on are:
Activity 2 and 3 have resulted in NCEA advisory reports issued in 2016
Activity 1 and 4 have been further discussed during an NCEA visit in March 2017 and have resulted in draft advisory reports. In addition, possible NCEA support on SEA to DINAB, DINOTER and DPC (planning and coordination) has been further specified, particularly on SEA introductory training to relevant MITADER staff and advice on draft SEA guidance/regulations. This led to NCEA input later in 2017 as part of the MOU, in particular:
- In a week-long workshop late August 2017, staff of MITADER learnt about the basics of SEA. They were trained in preparing for SEA, managing the process, and using SEA results in decision making. The workshop was organised by MITADER and WWF-Mozambique, and the NCEA contributed to it. The first days of the workshop also targeted top-level staff of various ministries, and included representatives from NGOs and academics.
- In December 2017, with support from the NCEA, MITADER drafted Terms of Reference for an SEA core team and for a consultant who will develop tailor-made SEA guidance. Moreover, meetings took place with various sector ministries, such as the ministries of water and energy, to identify their interest in application of SEA. Early 2018, a second SEA workshop will be organised by MITADER with assistance from the NCEA, WWF and SIDA/NIRAS.
- In April 2018, a second national SEA workshop adopted a similar format as the one in August 2017, with a strong component of capacity building in the practice of SEA, and at the same time offering opportunities for discussions about the development of a national SEA guideline in Mozambique, the role of different stakeholders, and networking. This second workshop targeted around 40 SEA stakeholders from the provincial level and received financial support from SIDA/NIRAS in addition to WWFs contribution. Also two representatives from IBAMA Brazil participated.