Mekong - U.S. Partnership
From October 13 to 14, Cambodia’s Ministry of Environment and the Vishnu Law Group, with support from the USAID-supported Mekong Partnership for the Environment project implemented by Pact, held a public consultation workshop in Battambang province on Cambodia’s new Draft Law on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
More than 124 representatives from government ministries, civil society groups and the private sector participated in the event and provided comments to be incorporated into an updated version of the draft Law. At a Private Sector Forum in November 2014 and a National Public Consultation workshop in early 2015, stakeholders will provide additional consultations to ensure robust public participation before the draft law is formally submitted to the Council of Ministers to review and refer to the National Assembly for approval.
As written, Cambodia’s draft EIA law includes safeguards against social and environmental impacts resulting from large-scale development projects and could serve as a model for other countries in the region.
Source: USAID/RDMA Regional Environment Office Weekly Update
