Mekong - U.S. Partnership
In Bangkok, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-supported Mekong Partnership for the Environment (USAID MPE) project and the Asian Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Network organized an event that brought together more than 50 government and civil society representatives from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam to exchange ideas on environmental impact assessment (EIA) policy and practice.
Participants discussed ways in which EIAs can better protect communities and the environment from harm due to poorly planned projects, and agreed that public participation in the EIA process is important for large-scale development projects such as hydropower dams, mines, ports and industrial zones.
Source: USAID/RDMA Regional Environment Office Weekly Update
