Environment

Important Information on ADB Safeguards

Safeguarding the Environment

Sound environmental management is critical to sustainable development and poverty reduction in Asia and the Pacific. Without committed efforts to safeguard the environment, pressure will continue to build on the region's land, forests, water systems, wetlands, marine ecosystems, and other natural resources—assets many of the poor depend upon for their livelihoods.

ADB's Safeguards Policy requires environmental considerations to be integrated into ADB-supported projects. The Policy requires borrowers to identify project impacts and assess their significance; examine alternatives; and prepare, implement, and monitor environment management plans. It also requires borrowers to consult people likely to be affected by the project and disclose relevant information in a timely manner and in a form and in languages(s) understandable to those being consulted.

Safeguard Policy Statement (2009)

On 20 July 2009, the ADB Board of Directors approved a Safeguard Policy Statement that strengthens protections already in place on the environment, involuntary resettlement and Indigenous Peoples. The SPS builds upon the three existing safeguards policies on the environment, involuntary resettlement and Indigenous Peoples, and brings them into one single policy that enhances consistency and coherence, and more comprehensively addresses environment and social impacts and risks.

The SPS Safeguard Requirements 1: Environment outlines the requirements that borrowers/clients are required to meet in delivering environment safeguards to projects supported by the ADB. Operations Manual F1 describes the procedures to incorporate safeguards in ADB projects.

Operations Manual F1 [PDF] describes the procedures to incorporate safeguards in ADB projects.

All ADB projects are categorized according to their potential for environmental impact. See ADB's Environmental Categorization guidelines.

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Other Safeguard and Relevant Sector Policies:

Safeguard

• Safeguard
• Indigenous Peoples
• Involuntary Resettlement

Sector Policies

• Energy
• Fisheries
• Forestry
• Water

Other Policies

• Public Communications Policy
• ADB Accountability Mechanism