Integrating EbA into the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) process for the revision of the National Land-use Plan for 2016 – 2020
This process had been led by General Department of Land Administration (GDLA), and Department of Appraisal and Environmental Impact Assessment (DAEIA) under Vietnam Environment Administration (VEA) with technical support from GIZ and in collaboration with Institute of Strategy and Policy for Natural Resources and Environment (ISPONRE). This was the first-ever effort had been made in this regard in Vietnam without any precedence. SEA constitutes a frontline tool for mainstreaming a range of sustainability related concerns in so-called ‘strategic’ decisions over the world. This is reflected, for example, in the increasing range of issues that both EIA and SEA have been expected to encompass: from human health and well-being to climate change adaptation. Vietnam has a fairly well institutionalized system of SEA, with the first legislation having been introduced in 2005 and a second generation legal framework being implemented in 2011. Thus SEA is considered as a good opportunity/vehicle to add on EbA topic into the strategic planning process. Expected impacts include an improvement of the regulatory framework for integrating EbA into the SEA process and the planning process in Viet Nam.
•The approval and verification of the COP 21 Paris Agreement at the global and national level have created a good enabling environment for CCA and EbA to find ways into the agenda of GoV
•Awareness of policy makers and practitioners on CCA and EbA as a good complementary alternative to hardware solutions has been increasing, partially due to efforts of the GIZ/EbA project,
•Political willingness on adaptation is very important to realize political commitments into practice because most of fin
•Integration of EbA into the SEA process is a big challenge due to lack of a sound legal basis and a clear, practical guidance
•Recommendations from the SEA process have been taken into consideration into the revision of the National Land-use Plan for 2016 – 2020 so that the revised National Land-use Plan for 2016 – 2020 has become more climate change proven.
•In-house training/capacity building on integrating EbA into the SEA process and conducting SEA with Climate Change considerations had been delivered to government officers from GDLA, VEA/MONRE, ISPONRE.
•exisiting gap in the SEA regulatory framework, in which there was no clear guidance on how to consider CC and EbA into the SEA process. As a result, MONRE’s leaders agreed to start a legal formulation process for a Circular on Climate Proofing to facilitate adequate considerations of CC, CCA, and EbA into the SEA process.