Environmental impact assessment key to sustainable development..

Thursday, December 05, 2013 - slamabad!The "outh #sian Environmental #ssessment $on%erence &"#E#$13' kicked o%% (ednesday brin)in) to)ether a *ide ran)e o% national and international e+perts in the %ield o% environmental impact assessment &E #' %rom "outh #sia, "outheast #sia, Europe and ,orth #merica to discuss and share best practices in E #, and push %or*ard the concept o% "trate)ic Environmental #ssessment &"E#'.

-r)ani.ed /ointly by the 0overnment o% 1akistan and 2$,, the $on%erence that has the theme 34aisin) the 5ar on 4e)ional $ooperation6 is also bein) attended by representatives o% )overnment, civil society and the private sector. E+perts are no* callin) %or a shi%t %rom solely lookin) at Environmental mpact #ssessments on individual pro/ects to the idea o% "trate)ic Environmental #ssessment *hich builds environmental assessment into a nation6s policy and pro)rammes, and considers individual pro/ects in the conte+t o% the country6s %ull development a)enda, rather than on a case-by-case basis.

E # usually relates to environment assessments o% the pro/ects that aim to inte)rate environmental considerations into the earliest sta)es o% policy, plan and pro)ramme development. E # is one o% several tools available %or improvin) the *ay in *hich decisions are made in order to promote sustainable development outcomes. "E# helps ensure that environmental considerations play a more e%%ective role in policy development. 5ecause the linka)es bet*een environmental, social and economic %actors are better understood and addressed, policies, plans and pro)rammes have a )reater likelihood to contribute to sustainable development.

"E# calls %or the inte)ration o% the principles o% sustainable development into a country6s policies and pro)rammes and other strate)ic actions. "peakin) at the inau)ural ceremony, the chie% )uest, 7r. "arta/ #.i., #dviser to the 1rime 7inister on ,ational "ecurity and 8orei)n #%%airs, said, 9the most important challen)e is to strike a balance bet*een rapid development and maintenance o% environmental inte)rity - use o% environmental impact assessment is one such important step. 1akistan took this step some 30 years a)o by makin) it into a la*. n addition, *e are party to many international treaties and conventions related to the environment. #nd %or implementin) these treaties and conventions, *e have enacted appropriate le)islations, and established and stren)thened many institutions ra)in) %rom basic research to applied technolo)ies.

"peakin) on the occasion, 2$, 4e)ional Director #sia, #ban 7arker :abra/i, said that 9"E# is evolvin) rapidly as the *orld responds to escalatin) challen)es relatin) to natural resource use and development plannin). The $on%erence represents an important initiative in helpin) the re)ion to stay ahead o% the curve in this area, usin) the best techni;ues and science available to mana)e its particular development challen)es.<

9#lthou)h *e may be )eo)raphically divided, our issues, especially environmental, are shared ! be they climate chan)e, trans-boundary air, or *ater pollution. Despite our di%%erences, it is clear that our %uture survival depends upon a common approach,< noted 7s. :abra/i. 7s. :abra/i added that 2$, *as interested in scalin) up the e+periences o% the ,ational mpact #ssessment 1ro)ram to the re)ional level, and in *orkin) *ith other partners and )overnments on similar pro)rams.

The $on%erence included technical sessions and a poster competition at *hich students %rom di%%erent art schools depicted the concept o% environmental de)radation and environmental assessment processes. There is in particular a technical session on media *here key media personnel and /ournalists *ill share their ideas and debate the role media could play in E # and "E# a*areness and hi)hli)htin) ho* environmental de)radation *as linked to poverty and other social issues.

7r. 7arcel-De =ink, #mbassador o% the ,etherlands, said 91akistan and the ,etherlands share a lon) history o% cooperation in a)riculture, education and human ri)hts and environment. The environmental cooperation *ith 1akistan covers many aspects o% nature that have been *ell accomplished. >e said that a%ter the 1?th #mendment the ,ational mpact #ssessment 1ro)ramme has assisted the provinces in dra%tin) o% the Environmental @e)islation 5ill, *hich the 5alochistan 0overnment has approved and other provinces are in the process o% %inali.in).

7r. 4a/a >asan #bbas, "ecretary $limate $han)e Division, observed that 1akistan *as *itnessin) an unima)inable rise in climate-induced catastrophes. 9"##4$ calculates that in the past A0 years, there have been 1,300 disasters, killin) close to a million people and a%%ectin) another 2.A billion lives. n 2011 alone, appro+imately B0C o% the massive 2"D 2D0 billion )lobal economic loss *as in "outh #sia,< he disclosed.

>e added that like most other "outh #sian countries, "E# *as currently not a le)al

re;uirement in 1akistan and steps *ere under*ay to understand and e+plore "E#, as it is increasin)ly becomin) a necessity in the *ake o% the adverse e%%ects o% climatic chan)es.