A6n SEA in Latin America
Iara Verocai, Consultant in the field of environmental policy and planning, Brazil
Izabella Mônica Teixeira, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Key issues to be addressed
Position Paper:
In Latin America, international development agencies have been the main promoters of SEA. Since 1990, the World Bank has encouraged a number of regional and sectoral SEA in countries such as Colombia, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile and Argentina. Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) SEA initiatives have focused on the assessment of strategic consequences of large infrastructure projects and programs in Bolivia, Argentina and Brazil.
At the same time, research and a number of projects have been carried out in government agencies and universities aiming at the development of appropriate models and procedures for the formal adoption of SEA in countries such as Brazil and Chile.
The panel will address the recent developments on strategic environmental assessment in Latin American countries, focusing on the evolution of environmental assessment policy instruments in the region. Emphasis will be given on the recent experiences of SEA, as it has been practiced in several Latin American countries, and the agenda for future advances on the assessment of policies and plans. Other participants will be encouraged to present their institutional and personal experiences in SEA.