The Planning System and the Project Cycle

Integration Of Environmental Audit Into The Mid-term Review of NDP 8

The process of reviewing the NDP8 was initiated in the Sector-Ministries in March 1999. MFDP circulated guidelines and a timetable for the review process. EPP conducted workshops with all the line-ministries in July- August 1999. The participants in the workshops were the planning units, representatives of relevant departments, members of the EPP-project team and NCSA. The workshops are reported in Technical Report No 1: Workshops on the Environmental Aspects of the NDP8 Review. It is the hope that these workshops have inspired line-ministries to further integrate environmental issues in the NDP8 Review.

NCSA and the EPP-team have drafted a topic chapter on the environment, which has been included in the Mid-Term Review of NDP8. The chapter follows up on the main themes of the NCSA action plan and the main conclusions from the workshops with the line-ministries.

Integration Of Environmental Issues In Manuals For Planners
The work of the economic planners at the central level is described in detail in the “Planning Officers Manual”, published by MFDP, while that of local planners is described in “District Planning Handbook”, published by MLGLH. Guidelines for physical planners have likewise been published by MLGLH.

Environmental issues are not described in much detail in these handbooks and there is a need for drafting more detailed chapters to support and institutionalise the environmental assessment of policies, programmes and projects.

Three working groups (WG) have been established (a WG for each handbook) to review the handbooks. A short-term consultant from Denmark and a team of local consultants supports the working groups. The  recommendations for the amendment of the handbooks are expected by April 2001.

One of the main issues targeted by the working groups is to ensure that environmental issues are incorporated at the right stages of the planning and project cycles and to provide some simple tools in the form of checklists etc. The working groups have also identified a need for better integration of environmental economics in the handbooks and an international short-term consultant has been appointed to look into this issue.

Training | Improvement of linkages | Environmental Impact Assessment | Management of Environmental Data | General advisory activities