Environment

Public Consultation Strategy
Preparation of the Environment Policy Paper

Background

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) addresses environmental protection and conservation needs of its developing member countries (DMCs) by integrating environmental considerations into its regional, country, and project-level operations. ADB also supports the capacity building and policy reform efforts of its developing member country (DMC) governments. It also promotes projects and programs designed to protect, rehabilitate, and enhance the environment and quality of life in DMCs. It trains staff and DMC counterparts and disseminates information for guidance in environmental aspects of economic development.

ADB is currently sharpening the focus of it's environment program to support its own poverty reduction strategy approved in 1999 and the recently launched Long-Term Strategic Framework (LTSF) which sets out ADB's strategic agenda for the next 15 years. The LTSF identifies three core areas of intervention, consonant with the Poverty Reduction Strategy:

• sustainable economic growth
• inclusive social development
• governance for effective policies and institutions

To broaden, deepen, and reinforce the three core areas of intervention, the LTSF has three cross-cutting themes:

• promoting the role of the private sector in development
• supporting regional cooperation and integration for regional development
• addressing environmental sustainability

ADB is currently formulating its environment policy to complement its poverty reduction strategy and agenda based on the LTSF. In this context, the proposed principal policy problems to be addressed by the ADB environment policy are to assist DMCs:

• ensure that environmental resources on which the poor depend for their livelihoods are conserved
• integrate environmental objectives into the economic development process
• bring about institutional change, to ensure accelerated flow of resources for environmental improvement

ADB cannot meet this challenge alone. In the formulation and implementation of its environment policy, ADB needs to share the perspectives of its stakeholders - institutions, governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society, the academe, and the private sector. ADB's development performance in this regard will greatly depend on the strength of alliance it can forge with its stakeholders.

Need for Consultation

ADB has adopted a strategy for gaining wide participation from a diverse group of stakeholders to ensure that they will have the opportunity to comment and provide suggestions on the proposed environment policy. This is essential to ensure that the conceptual framework of the policy has been thoroughly reviewed and that a mutual understanding has been developed during the consultation process of the developmental and environmental challenges underpinning the policy. The consultation process is also needed to identify ways by which partnerships with various stakeholders could be strengthened.

While participation is open to stakeholders in all member countries, ADB identified 19 countries as crucial for ensuring wide participation. To date, workshop consultations have been held in Bangladesh, the Central Asian Republics (regional representation in Almaty), India, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, Pakistan, PR China, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, the United States (one in Washington, DC and an open forum during ADB's annual meeting in Honolulu), and Vietnam. ADB personally invited stakeholders in the following South Pacific nations to provide written comments on the draft policy: Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, Samoa and Vanuatu. ADB plans to conduct additional workshops in Australia, Europe, India (with NGOs), Nepal and the Philippines. See the Public Consultation Workshop Schedule.

Means of Consultation

ADB adopted the following means to solicit a wide-ranging consultation from various stakeholders within and outside the Asian and Pacific Region.

• Extensive dissemination of information within and outside the ADB through meetings and electronic media - email, fax, and an interactive web site with the overview paper, environment policy working paper, questionnaires, consultation schedule and contacts, and synthesis of comments. A discussion forum is also included in the web site. Within ADB, several interdepartmental discussions and an informal seminar for members of the Board of Directors were held to get their views on the scope and salient points of the policy.
• Country consultation meetings with government agencies, NGOs, the academe, private sector, civil society and other development agencies, soliciting feedback on the draft environment policy working paper. Where necessary, ADB arranges for the translation of the working paper into local languages.
• Meetings with key NGOs to share information about the draft environment policy paper, get their views on proposed major policy changes, and discuss ways to strengthen partnerships with them.

Process of Consultation

ADB adopted a two-step process to solicit feedback and gather information from its stakeholders.

With the help of resident missions or local consultants, ADB identified key stakeholders in each targeted country who will be personally invited to provide feedback.

ADB then disseminated an overview document entitled "A Note on the Draft Environment Policy Working Paper" to generate ownership and partnership in the development of an environment policy. This five-page document provides background into the need for an ADB environment policy, and an overview of the ADB's philosophy and proposed policy reforms. Accompanying the overview was a short questionnaire for soliciting feedback on the proposed direction. The local consultants followed up with each stakeholder, answered questions and encouraged participation.

After receipt of comments, ADB synthesized the comments and uploaded the synthesis to the web. ADB is currently considering these comments while revising the environment policy working paper.

After receipt of initial comments and completion of the environment policy working draft, ADB disseminated the draft and held at least one consultation meeting in each of the 12 countries identified earlier with participants from Step 1. Environment Specialists from ADB participated in those meetings according to their fluency in the national language. Trained consultants facilitated the sessions.

Results of Consultation

ADB has received 453 comments to date, both on the overview document and the draft working paper. A compilation of the comments [ 37kb | PDF ] is updated regularly.