Mekong - U.S. Partnership
On December 5 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s Ministry of Environment (MOE) and the Vishnu Law Group, with support from the USAID-supported Mekong Partnership for the Environment project implemented by Pact, held a consultation forum with the more than 125 representatives from international and national companies and business associations, who provided input on the country’s draft law for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
Deputy Mission Director for USAID Cambodia, Sean Callahan, opened the event by commending the MOE’s “open and transparent process” and highlighting it as a model for other ministries on public participation. Government and civil society observers from Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, as well as from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, also participated and held discussions with MOE and Vishnu on opportunities for collaboration and advancing meaningful public participation in EIAs across the Mekong region.
In its current form, Cambodia’s draft EIA law includes safeguards to mitigate social and environmental impacts resulting from large-scale development projects such as hydropower dams, mining and economic land concessions.
Source: USAID/RDMA Regional Environment Office Weekly Update
