NOTE: This is a brief update on the "JICA Environmental and Social Guidelines Revision Committee," a committee established in December 2002 to draft recommendations for a new set of guidelines for JICA operations. Please see Catfish Tales Issue #9 for background information if necessary.
UPDATE ON JICA's NEW ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL GUIDELINES
Official recommendations for new environmental and social guidelines for the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will soon be complete, after a grueling series of 18 sessions. At the next meeting of the "JICA Environmental and Social Guidelines Revision Committee" on September 22nd, its Recommendations for the new guidelines will be finalized and submitted to JICA. The Revision Committee is a group comprised of JICA and ministry officials, academics, NGOs, and the corporate sector. The Recommendations have been written primarily by a group composed of several members of the Revision Committee, which has been taken section-by-section to the entire Committee for feedback and revision.
JICA will then write a first draft of the Environmental and Social Guidelines based on the Recommendations of the Revision Committee. JICA's draft is expected to be complete in October, and this draft will then be submitted back to the Revision Committee. The Revision Committee will then review JICA's draft, and may demand explanations for any differences or contradictions with its Recommendations. Revisions to JICA's draft may also be recommended.
After JICA revises the draft guidelines based on the Revision Committee's review, a second draft will be released for public comment. An English version of this second draft will also be available so that a wider range of comments can be collected.
We expect that public consultations will be held so that the public can give their comments regarding JICA's draft, and that additional revisions may be made based on the input from these consultations. After these revisions, a final draft will again be released for public comment and another set of public consultations held, where JICA will explain any changes made (or not made) and the reasons for them.
On 1 April 2004, the JICA's new Environmental and Social Guidelines will be enacted. We expect a discussion process to establish a complaints mechanism to be complete by the time of implementation.
At this time, it is no longer possible to influence the content of the Recommendations, but we hope that interested people from the Mekong Region and elsewhere will share their ideas once JICA's draft is available for public comment in October.
IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS OF THE REVISION COMMITTEE'S DRAFT
1) Early Project Categorization: Proposals for aid from developing countries will be screened at this early stage and categorized for each project's expected social and environmental impacts. This screening will be done before any decisions are made on whether or not to provide assistance for the project.
2) Information Disclosure: Brief descriptions of projects categorized as "Category A" (having significant environmental/social impacts) will be disclosed before decisions are made on whether or not to approve the project for assistance. Third parties can provide information about concerns and negative impacts to JICA. After projects are approved, more details of the project will be disclosed (regardless of categorization).
3) Broad inclusion of Social Impacts: A broad range of social impacts has been defined as within the scope of consideration when making decisions on a project. They include social capital, distribution of land, poverty, and land-related interests.
4) Political and Social considerations: Freedom of expression (or lack of) and regional conflicts have also been included as factors for consideration in deciding whether or not to approve a project, and how it should be implemented.
MEKONG WATCH'S INVOLVEMENT
The director of Mekong Watch has been an active member of the Revision Committee as well as the Drafting Committee for the new guidelines. Mekong Watch has participated in this process primarily with the hope that the resulting guidelines can be a useful tool for project-affected communities in the Mekong Region to either prevent or address negative impacts from JICA operations.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
If you would like more information about the Guidelines, please write to
JICA.