Environmental and Social Safeguards Training and Tour

Programme Overview

Safeguards Policies are indispensable instruments while attempting to intercept unmerited harm to the community and the surrounding environment throughout the development process. Safeguards Policies support the assessment of anticipated risks on the initial stage of project identification and designing. These instruments enable us to gauge the positive and negative impacts linked with any given development intervention. On the later stage of project implementation, safeguards ensure more effective management of risks and magnify constructive influence.

An increasing number of countries are ratifying the application of safeguards through a range of investment planning, policies and regulations targeting to attain more sustainable development. This extensive training programme has been designed specifically to address the stated requirement and support its participants with the necessary skills and knowledge in order to meet with the social & environmental safeguards guidelines and principles across the world.

Initial Programme Plan

Programme Format

Target Audience

Environmental and Social Safeguards Training and Tour in Copenhagen, Denmark is the best suit for:

• Members of focal agencies involved in development planning at provincial, national and sub-regional levels
• Employees at energy, transport, planning, finance and provincial government offices
• Middle-Level or Senior Government Officials
• Regional Forest Officers & Conservators
• Environment and Social consultants and Practitioners
• Safety officers
• Project Managers & Project Implementation Team Members
• NGO Members interested in Environmental & Social Safeguards Policies.

Programme Objectives

Upon the successful completion of this intensive training course, the participants will gain a quality understanding of:

• The role and the importance of environmental safeguards for the investment performance
• Environment and Social Assessment requirements and procedures of major international organizations and donors for development projects
• The roles of different stakeholders in the implementation of Environment and Social Mitigation Measures
• Safeguards Best practices, Effectiveness monitoring and Reporting procedures.

Programme Contents

First Day

• Defining Environmental & Social Safeguards
• The Role & the Importance of Safeguards for Development Projects
• Environmental and social screening
• Social and environmental monitoring
• Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Policy
• Fundamentals of environmental and social impact assessment good practice
• DO NO HARM!
• Considering the vulnerable in society
• Ensuring benefits sharing
• Stakeholder Engagement

Second Day

• Social Safeguards, Standards, and Social issues
• Involuntary Resettlement Policy
• Resettlement and compensation
• Participation and Inclusion of indigenous people
• Forest-dependent people
• Consideration of Gender and other cross-cutting issues
• Shifting cultivation, deforestation, and gender

Third Day

• Protection of Natural Habitats
• Biodiversity Standards, Indicators and Conservation
• Sustainable Natural Resource Management
• Pesticide Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• Pollution Prevention and Abatement
• Lessons Learned from Community Forestry and Their Relevance
• Legal Literacy and Advocacy

Fourth Day

• Considering Intended and Unintended consequences
• The importance of ongoing, meaningful consultation
• Integration of environmental and social safeguards into Transport & Energy projects
• Learning from international and regional experience in identifying key and recurrent issues
• Strengthening project safeguard performance
• Aligning projects to national plans and signed country agreements

Fifth Day

Practical Session – Knowledge Reinforcement and Real-life Adoption of Theoretical Base

The last day of the programme will entirely be dedicated to hands-on practice and knowledge reinforcement. Throughout the course of this ultimate session, programme delegates will examine several development projects in details and assess the role of environmental and social safeguards in their performance. Together with the consultant, participants will perform a critical evaluation of given scenarios and determine the best practices along with the challenging aspects of several infrastructural projects. Moreover, the delegates will have a chance to present the development project their respective organization and discuss its obstacles and success points.

In order to diversify the expertise and acquire specific knowledge regarding the host country’s/regions development projects, Risalat will invite a guest speaker from a local governmental organization/institution responsible for project performance. The participants will become actively involved in brainstorming and group discussions as well as deliver individual assignments.

Extra Field Trip to Sweden during the Programme

Programme Methodology

Environmental and Social Safeguards Training Tour in Copenhagen and Sweden is a short-term extensive training course with a highly practical focus. The presenter will apply modern adult-learning techniques in order to augment the effectiveness of the session delivery and achieve successful results. The methods deployed will include open presentation, group discussions, individual assignments, practical exercises, and case studies. At the end of each session, the trainer will request feedback and consider comments received for the coming days. This way programme delegates will be able demonstrate better results and maximize the understanding of the material covered.

Delivery Modality