Support to the implementation of the UNECE Protocol on Strategic

Environmental Assessment to the Espoo Convention in Azerbaijan

Elena Santer

Secretariat to the Espoo Convention and its Protocol on SEA United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

28 August, 2014 Baku, Azerbaijan

Content

• Introduction to the Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment

• General information

• Objectives

• Benefits

• Procedure

• Technical assistance to support implementation of the protocol

Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment to the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context

Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment

adopted by an Extraordinary meeting of the Parties to the Espoo Convention, held on 21 May 2003 during the Ministerial “Environment for Europe” Conference (Kyiv).

• Entered on force on 11 July, 2010

• Has 26 Parties, 38 Signatories

• Open to any Member State of the United Nations

• Azerbaijan not joined the Protocol yet

• requires that its Parties assess likely environmental effects of its state plans and programmes

• is a key instrument for sustainable development and transition to green economy

• envisions a broad public participation in decision making process on developing various economic sectors

Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment

Objectives

To provide for a high level of protection of the environment by:

• Establishing clear, transparent and effective

procedures for strategic environmental assessment

• Providing for public participation in SEA • Integrating by these means environmental, including

health, concerns into measures and instruments designed to further sustainable development.

• Ensuring that environmental, including health, considerations are thoroughly taken into account in the development of plans and programmes

• Contributing to the consideration of environmental, including health, concerns in the preparation of policies and legislation

Espoo Convention vs. Protocol

Espoo Convention (EIA) – all about transboundary impacts of projects

SEA Protocol – mainly about SEA of plans & programmes within a state, with consideration of transboundary effects being secondary

Main requirements of the Protocol on SEA

Ensure the necessary legislative, regulatory and other appropriate measures to implement the provisions of this Protocol within a clear, transparent framework (Art.3.1)

Determination of whether SEA is required under the Protocol (Art. 4, 5)

Determination of the scope of the Environmental report (and thus of the assessment)(Art. 6)

Preparation of Environmental report (SEO Report) (Art. 7) (Analyze the context & baseline; Contribute to the development & comparison of alternatives; Complete the environmental report)

Consultation with relevant authorities and the public (Art.8, Art.9)

Transboundary consultations (Art.10)

Inputs into decision-making (Art. 11)

Environmental monitoring of implementation (Art.12)

Benefits

• High level of environmental protection

• Better planning and programming

• More efficient decision-making

• Identification of new opportunities for development

• Preventing costly mistakes

• Strengthened governance

• Transboundary cooperation

• Climate change adaptation

For more information

Visit our website:

www.unece.org/env/eia

Or email:

eia.conv@unece.org

Technical advice and capacity-building activities carried out by the secretariat to support the implementation of the Protocol within EU Programme ‘Greening Economies in Eastern Neighbourhood’ (EaP GREEN)

• A large regional programme carried out in 2013 - 2016

• Implemented by UNECE, OECD, UNEP, and UNIDO

• Aims to assist Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, in their transition to green economy.

• Financed by the European Commission, the four implementing organisations and other donors.

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Overall objective To assist the EaP countries to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation and resource depletion.

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ols1.1: Strategic policy setting

1.2: Green growth indicators

1.3: Identifying environmentally-harmful subsidies and launching subsidy reform

1.4: Creating market incentives for greener products

1.5: Improving investment policies and access to finance

1.6: Greening of SMEs

1.7: Promoting green procurement practices

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EIA 2.1: Revision of the existing

national regulatory and legislative frameworks

2.2: Capacity building on SEA/EIA procedures, following good practices including those in use in the EU C

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s 3.1: Development of capacity for RECP (Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production)

3.2: RECP implementation, dissemination and replication

3.3: RECP technology support

3.4: Sustainable public procurement

3.5: Promoting organic agriculture

UNECE component aims to promote the use of strategic environmental assessment (SEA) and environmental impact assessment (EIA) as essential planning tools for an environmentally sustainable economic development

Revision of the existing national regulatory and

legislative framework

•Legislative review of SEA and, as appropriate, of EIA

•Legal drafting for SEA legislation

•Sub-regional overview

Capacity building on SEA/EIA procedures

•National and sub-national level training on SEA

•Development of national guidance documents

•Coordination and experience-sharing events

•Pilot SEAs and EIAs

Strengthening of administrative

capacities

•Legislative reviews and development of recommendations

•Policy dialogue

•Institutional reviews and recommendations

EaP GREEN progress and plans in Azerbaijan

• Opinion paper on the draft law on Environmental Impact Assessment (May –

June 2014)

• Review of the existing national legislative and institutional framework on SEA

(June- September 2014; possible to follow up with drafting SEA legislation 2015)

• SEA pilot project and training on SEA for national stakeholders (September of

2014 – end of 2015)

• Preparation of national Guidelines on SEA (end 2015-2016)

• Sub-regional events (Minsk, April 2014; Prague November 2014; Georgia,

Autumn 2015)

For more information on EaP GREEN

Visit UNECE website:

http://www.unece.org/env/sea/eapgreen.html

OECD website:

http://www.oecd.org/env/outreach/eapgreen.htm

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