Mekong Eye - News, analysis and opinion focusing on the environment and sustainability of the Mekong region

6 October 2016 at 3:50  (Updated on 11 January 2024 at 0:50)
Mekong Partnership for the Environment
Asian Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Network (AECEN) in collaboration with Mekong Partnership for the Environment (MPE) organized the Fourth MPE Webinar Series on Win-Win Solutions from Public Participation in Environmental Impact Assessment on 30 August 2016, hosted by Dr. Peter King. Over 28 Government officials from the EIA department, CSOs along with other EIA Practitioners across Asia and representatives from development partners registered for this event.
This fourth session of the MPE webinar series on “win-win solutions” was designed to provide the Regional Technical Working Group on EIA and other attendees with an opportunity to understand how public participation can avoid community conflict and improve project proposals. Mediation was highlighted as the key principle that can lead to win-win solutions through public participation in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).  Webinar leaders teased out available evidence on why many development projects are delayed or cause local concern, even if EIAs are prepared in accordance with the law. Is there any evidence that improved public participation procedures in EIA will lead to improved outcomes, where the developer, government, and local communities all feel that a win-win solution has been achieved?
The session indicated that there is room for further discussion in accessing to mediators and developing tools. Thus, potential tools and techniques for public participation in EIA can further be discussed in the next webinar session.
The presentation from this webinar is available on AECEN’s website, please click here. The Fifth MPE Webinar series on Public Participation in EIA: Tools and Techniques will be on 29 September 2016, and will outline the toolbox of public participation methods/ approaches and how to select the right tool.
This is an outreach announcement from the USAID–funded Mekong Partnership for the Environment (MPE), a key supporter of The Mekong Eye.