Safeguards

Spotlight Safeguard Policy Statement English Lao

Safeguards
Updated: 11 November 2009

A cornerstone of ADB's support to poverty reduction is social and environmental sustainability of projects. ADB expects to achieve this by applying safeguard principles and requirements, which aim to avoid, minimize or mitigate adverse environmental impacts, social costs to third parties or marginalization of vulnerable groups that may result from development projects.

New Safeguard Policy Statement

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 new policy comes at a critical time when ADB is scaling up its assistance to developing member countries in promoting environmentally sustainable and inclusive economic growth. It will enhance the development impact of ADB projects, as well as strengthen Developing Member Countries' own safeguard systems and capacity to manage environmental and social risks of development projects.

The Safeguard Policy Statement results from an extensive and highly consultative process. This included more than 15 multi stakeholder workshops in the Asia-Pacific region, North America, Europe and Japan between November 2007 and November 2008, and involved independent evaluations by ADB's Independent Evaluation Department of the existing safeguard policies.

The Safeguard Policy Statement will become effective on 20 January 2010.

Existing Safeguard Policies

• Environment Policy (2002)
• Indigenous Peoples (IP) Policy (1998)
• Involuntary Resettlement (IR) Policy (1995)

Operations Manual Sections are available to guide implementation of these policies:

• OM section F1 on environment (2006) [ PDF: 64kb | 15 pages ]
• OM section F2 on involuntary resettlement (2006) [ PDF: 94kb | 21 pages ]
• OM section F3 on indigenous peoples (2006) [ PDF: 49kb | 12 pages ]

Further guidance on application of safeguards in ADB projects is provided in the:

• Environmental Assessment Guidelines (2003)
• Handbook on Involuntary Resettlement (1998)
• Indigenous Peoples Handbook (forthcoming)

View the types of safeguard documents in ADB:

• Indigenous Peoples Plans
• Resettlement Plans
• Summary Environmental Assessment Reports

ADB has initiated a regional technical assistance (TA) on Strengthening Country Safeguard Systems. The TA will define ADB's corporate approach on country safeguard systems and will require detailed assessments of safeguard systems in selected developing member countries (DMCs). These assessments will identify commonalities and gaps that will require capacity building, policy adaptation, and procedural clarity and definition. For more information, read the TA paper.