Formación y visita sobre salvaguardas ambientales y sociales en Copenhague

Descripción del programa

Environmental and social safeguards are the rules and practical tools that help development projects avoid harm to people and the environment, and manage the risks that cannot be avoided. They come into play at identification and design, when risks are screened and assessed, and they continue through construction and operation, when mitigation measures, monitoring and grievance arrangements have to work on the ground.

The standards that project teams must meet have changed considerably. The World Bank’s Environmental and Social Framework (ESF), with its ten Environmental and Social Standards, has applied to new investment projects since October 2018. The Asian Development Bank approved its own Environmental and Social Framework in November 2024, replacing the Safeguard Policy Statement, and it became effective on 1 January 2026. AIIB revised its framework again in June 2024, while IFC’s Performance Standards continue to guide private and PPP investment.

For ministries, agencies and project implementation units (PIUs), this means more instruments to prepare, more consultation to document and closer supervision from financiers. Large projects show the scale of the task: the World Bank’s public information on the Rogun Hydropower Project in Tajikistan describes resettlement of more than 50,000 people over several phases, independent monitoring and two standing panels of experts.

This six-day Environmental and Social Safeguards Training and Tour in Copenhagen takes participants through the full safeguards cycle, from screening to completion audit, using real financed projects as case material. It combines classroom work with technical visits in Denmark, a country whose environmental assessment and public participation practice offers a useful point of comparison.

Risalat Consultants International delivers it in partnership with participating institutions, so the tools fit each organisation’s portfolio.

El programa fortalece la capacidad institucional en

• Applying the World Bank ESF and its ten standards
• Working with IFC Performance Standards in private and PPP projects
• Preparing for ADB’s new Environmental and Social Framework
• Environmental and social screening and risk classification
• Commissioning and reviewing ESIAs, ESMFs and ESMPs
• Preparing and implementing Environmental and Social Commitment Plans
• Resettlement planning and livelihood restoration
• Labour management procedures and contractor oversight
• SEA/SH risk assessment and response
• Gender and social inclusion in project design
• Biodiversity protection and the mitigation hierarchy
• Stakeholder engagement and information disclosure
• Mecanismos de atención de reclamaciones
• Safeguards monitoring, reporting and supervision

Each topic is linked to a concrete output, such as a review checklist, a template or a plan, so participants can apply it as soon as they return.

La importancia creciente de las salvaguardas ambientales y sociales

Financiers now treat environmental and social performance as a condition of financing rather than a separate compliance exercise. Under the World Bank ESF, the commitments in the Environmental and Social Commitment Plan form part of the legal agreement, and supervision missions follow them closely.

The new ADB framework adds standards on labour, community health and safety, climate change and stakeholder engagement, and strengthens biodiversity requirements. ADB has said it aligns more closely with other multilateral banks, which should ease co-financing. For agencies that borrow from several financiers, the practical challenge is to run one coherent system that satisfies all of them.

Las organizaciones necesitan cada vez más profesionales capaces de:

• Identifying which framework and which standards apply to each project
• Screening projects and proposing a defensible risk classification
• Reviewing ESIA, ESMF, ESMP and RAP drafts critically
• Negotiating realistic commitments in the ESCP
• Embedding safeguards requirements in bidding documents and contracts
• Supervising contractors on labour, health and safety
• Planning resettlement and restoring livelihoods
• Assessing and responding to SEA/SH risks
• Designing consultation that reaches women, vulnerable groups and Indigenous Peoples
• Applying the mitigation hierarchy to biodiversity impacts

Strong environmental and social safeguards systems help organisations:

• Avoid delays in appraisal, effectiveness and disbursement
• Reduce the risk of complaints reaching accountability mechanisms
• Proteger a los trabajadores y a las comunidades de daños evitables
• Keep resettlement on schedule and within budget
• Maintain good relations with affected communities
• Meet several financiers’ requirements with one system
• Improve supervision mission ratings
• Strengthen the case for future financing

Safeguards work is most effective when it is planned early, staffed properly and treated as part of project management. That is the approach this programme follows.

Who Should Attend This ES Safeguards Training?

Este programa está dirigido a:

• Environmental and social safeguards specialists in PIUs
• Project directors and project managers
• Officials from ministries of environment, energy, transport, water and agriculture
• Staff of environmental protection agencies and permitting authorities
• Provincial and municipal government officers
• Resettlement and land acquisition officers
• Regional forest officers and conservators
• Gender and social inclusion specialists
• Community liaison and grievance officers
• Contractor and supervision engineer safeguards staff
• Environmental and social consultants
• Staff of development banks and financial intermediaries
• NGO staff working with project-affected communities

Mixed teams from the same institution, for example a project manager with a safeguards specialist, gain the most because they can agree responsibilities during the workshops.

ES Safeguards Training Objectives

Upon successful completion of this ES Safeguards Training, participants will be able to:

• Explain the purpose and structure of the World Bank ESF and its ten standards
• Compare the ESF with IFC Performance Standards and the ADB and AIIB frameworks
• Screen a project and justify a risk classification
• Prepare the main content of an Environmental and Social Commitment Plan
• Planificar la adquisición de tierras y el reasentamiento conforme a la NAS 5
• Design livelihood restoration measures for displaced households
• Assess SEA/SH risks and plan proportionate responses
• Apply the mitigation hierarchy to biodiversity and pollution risks
• Design a stakeholder engagement plan and a grievance redress mechanism
• Build a safeguards monitoring and reporting system

Objectives are assessed through the daily exercises and the capstone plan, rather than through a written test.

Contenido y estructura del programa

ES Safeguards Training Methodology

The programme is built around practical work on real and illustrative projects. Short inputs from the facilitator are followed by exercises in which participants produce the documents and decisions they deal with at work.

El programa combina:

• Short technical presentations on each standard
• Requirements mapping using participants’ own projects
• Document review exercises on ESIA, ESMP and RAP extracts
• Case studies from publicly documented financed projects
• Role plays of consultations and supervision missions
• Incident simulations for labour, safety and SEA/SH cases
• Template drafting with feedback from the facilitator
• Technical visits in Denmark with structured debriefs
• A guest session with Danish practitioners where available
• A capstone implementation plan presented to a panel

The approach is adapted to the mix of participants each time.

Visitas técnicas y programa en terreno

As a training and tour, the programme includes structured technical visits in and around Copenhagen. Visits are confirmed with host organisations before the programme and usually take place on two afternoons during the week.

Typical visits include an infrastructure or urban development site where participants can discuss how environmental assessment, public participation and construction monitoring are handled in Denmark; a public authority or utility responsible for environmental permitting, waste or water; and a nature restoration or coastal protection initiative that applies the mitigation hierarchy in practice. Where host availability allows, an excursion across the Øresund to southern Sweden may be added, as on earlier editions of this programme.

Each visit has a briefing note and a debrief that feeds into the Fifth Day and the capstone.

Resultados esperados

Upon completion of this ES Safeguards Training, participants will be able to:

• Tell quickly which safeguards requirements apply to a new project
• Give consultants clear terms of reference and useful review comments
• Prepare for supervision missions with complete, consistent documentation
• Keep resettlement and livelihood restoration on track
• Supervise contractors on labour, health and safety and SEA/SH
• Run consultations and grievance mechanisms that stand up to scrutiny
• Report safeguards performance clearly to management and financiers
• Lead a practical safeguards implementation plan for their project

Participants also gain a network of peers from other agencies and countries facing the same requirements.

Institutional Application of ES Safeguards Training

Este programa ayuda a las organizaciones a fortalecer:

• Safeguards units and staffing within PIUs
• Procedures for screening and classifying projects
• Quality control of ESIA and resettlement documents
• ESCP tracking and reporting
• Contractor safeguards clauses and supervision
• Resettlement implementation and payment systems
• SEA/SH prevention and response arrangements
• Stakeholder engagement planning and disclosure
• Sistemas y datos de atención de reclamaciones
• Coordination between environmental agencies and project teams

Los participantes regresan con herramientas prácticas para mejorar:

• Requirements mapping across financiers
• ESIA and ESMP review checklists
• RAP and livelihood restoration planning templates
• Labour management procedure outlines
• SEA/SH risk screening forms
• Stakeholder engagement plan templates
• Grievance log and reporting formats
• Safeguards monitoring and reporting dashboards

Institutions that want to understand their starting point can use Risalat’s free institutional capacity assessment or project health check before or after the programme. For resettlement work, our article on livelihood restoration under World Bank ESS5 gives further practical guidance.

Pertinencia y aplicación regionales

Europa

Within the EU, projects follow the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive as transposed into national law, and the Aarhus Convention, adopted in the Danish city of Aarhus in 1998, sets rights to information, participation and access to justice. Transboundary cases such as the Fehmarnbelt fixed link between Denmark and Germany show how assessment and consultation work across borders.

Central Asia and Eastern Europe

Large hydropower, energy and transport projects in the region are often co-financed by several banks. Rogun in Tajikistan, supported by the World Bank and other partners, illustrates the importance of phased resettlement, independent monitoring and expert panels.

Asia

Agencies borrowing from ADB are moving to the new Environmental and Social Framework, which applies to projects with concept notes approved from 2026, while AIIB projects follow its 2024 framework. Teams working with both banks and the World Bank need one consistent internal system.

África

Energy access, roads and urban programmes financed by the World Bank and other partners rely on ESMFs and Resettlement Policy Frameworks because sub-projects are identified during implementation, which places heavy demands on PIU safeguards teams.

Oriente Medio

Water, energy and urban infrastructure investments, including those co-financed by Arab development funds alongside multilateral banks, increasingly require ESF-consistent documents, labour standards for large contractor workforces and structured stakeholder engagement.

Throughout the week, examples are selected to match the regions participants come from.

Perfil del país anfitrión: Dinamarca

Copenhagen is a compact capital where public authorities, utilities and engineering firms work closely together, and its public transport makes sites in the city and region easy to reach.

Denmark is a useful benchmark for safeguards because environmental assessment of projects is an established legal requirement, implemented under EU rules and supported by detailed guidance from the Ministry of Environment. Public participation has strong roots: the Aarhus Convention takes its name from the Danish city where it was adopted. Large infrastructure projects, such as the Fehmarnbelt fixed link, have gone through transboundary assessment, extensive consultation and monitoring agreed with authorities.

Denmark is part of the Schengen Area. Participants who need a visa apply for a short-stay Schengen visa through the Danish mission or its appointed visa centre in their country, and should allow several weeks for processing. Copenhagen Airport has direct connections to most European hubs and many cities in the Middle East and Asia.

ES Safeguards Training Deliverables

Participants receive practical support before, during and after the programme so they can focus on learning and apply the results at work.

Antes del programa

• Evaluación previa del participante
• Safeguards Readiness Assessment
• Environmental and Social Safeguards Resource Pack
• Materiales de lectura preparatoria
• Apoyo y asesoramiento gratuitos para el visado
• Recogida en el aeropuerto y asistencia de bienvenida
• Alojamiento con desayuno
• Cena de bienvenida y networking

Durante el programa

• Kit de formación de Risalat (bolsa, botella, taza, camiseta, gorra, funda de pasaporte, bolígrafos, cuaderno, imán y llavero)
• Comprehensive Environmental and Social Safeguards Training Manual
• Financier Requirements Mapping Tool
• ESIA and ESMP Review Checklist
• Resettlement Action Plan Template
• Labour Management Procedures Outline
• SEA/SH Risk Screening Form
• Stakeholder Engagement Plan and Grievance Log Templates
• Talleres prácticos y simulaciones
• Debates en grupo y aprendizaje entre pares
• Almuerzo y refrigerios diarios
• Acceso completo a las instalaciones de la sede de formación
• Mini Pad / tableta con materiales didácticos digitales
• Visita de campo (cuando proceda)
• Recorrido turístico por la ciudad

Después del programa

• Certificado de finalización
• Reconocimiento a la participación en programas de Risalat
• Materiales de consulta posteriores a la formación
• Safeguards Implementation Plan for Your Project
• Safeguards Monitoring Indicator Set
• Apoyo posterior a la formación y orientación de seguimiento
• Informe del programa

Ministries, agencies and PIUs can also host this programme in-house, built around their own projects and financiers. To discuss dates and content, please request a tailored proposal.

Common Challenges in Environmental and Social Safeguards, And How This Training Helps

How do we know which standards apply when several financiers co-finance a project?

The First Day requirements mapping workshop shows how to identify each framework, compare it with national law and agree one set of instruments that satisfies all financiers.

How can we get better ESIA reports from consultants?

The Second Day covers terms of reference and quality review, and the ESIA review case study gives participants a checklist for every draft they receive.

How do we avoid resettlement delays holding up construction?

The Third Day explains cut-off dates, valuation, eligibility and phasing, using the Rogun case, so teams can plan land acquisition in step with the works programme.

How can we make contractors comply with safeguards requirements?

The Fourth Day workshop builds a contractor safeguards package and tests it against realistic incidents, showing what to put in bidding documents and how to supervise it.

How do we handle biodiversity impacts without stopping the project?

The Fifth Day applies the mitigation hierarchy to an illustrative corridor and shows when offsets are acceptable and how to plan them.

How can our grievance mechanism earn the trust of affected people?

The Sixth Day examines grievance design, accessibility and reporting, and links local mechanisms to financier accountability channels.

How do we prepare for supervision missions with confidence?

The capstone exercise produces a safeguards implementation plan with indicators and a timeline, which becomes the basis for consistent reporting to management and financiers.

Preguntas frecuentes

Which safeguards frameworks does the programme cover?

The World Bank Environmental and Social Framework and its ten standards, IFC Performance Standards (2012), ADB's Environmental and Social Framework effective from January 2026, and AIIB's framework as revised in June 2024, compared with national environmental assessment law.

Why does this programme last six days?

It covers the full safeguards cycle and includes technical visits in Denmark, so a sixth day is used for grievance, monitoring and a capstone implementation plan.

Is resettlement covered in depth?

Yes. The Third Day is dedicated to ESS5: land acquisition, eligibility, valuation, livelihood restoration and monitoring, with the Rogun Hydropower Project as a case study.

Can we bring our own project documents?

Yes. Participants are encouraged to bring their ESMF, ESIA, RAP or ESCP so that exercises can use them, with appropriate confidentiality.

¿Puede impartirse el programa de forma interna?

Yes. Risalat can deliver a tailored version for a ministry, agency or PIU, built around its portfolio and financiers, in Copenhagen or another location.

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