Energy
Waste
Water and Sewage
Transport
Green Blue
Buildings & land use
englishdeutsch

Framework summary

Str The Strategic Environmental Framework Logo The Strategic Environmental Framework Logo The Strategic Environmental Framework Logo

Name of the Framework
The Strategic Environmental Framework (SEF)

Brief description of the framework and tools within it
The SEF´s ultimate goal is to ensure that investments are environmentally and socially sustainable, and that environmental and social aspects, as well as cumulative impacts, are considered at an earlier stage in the planning process than at present.

The SEF combines analytical, participatory and policy oriented processes into an approach for guiding investment decisions in the transport, water resources development and environmental sectors in the General Mekong Subregion (GMS) which includes countries of Cambodia, Lao Peoples' Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Peoples' Republic of China (Yunnan Province), Thailand and Vietnam.

There are three key outputs of the SEF:
• Decision-making tools: to help decision making about infrastructure investments for early warning of potential impacts.
• Analytical methodologies: identification and analysis of hotspots, review of case study projects at various stages of implementation and framing of different development scenarios.
• Strategic interventions: framework for guiding key actions and interventions, long-term vision and explicit recommendations.

Specific topic focussed on by framework
Guiding investment decisions in the transport, water resources development and environmental sectors in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS).

Web link
http://www.sei.se/policy/sef/index.html
http://www.rrcap.unep.org/sef-gms/

How are the tools organised within the framework?
SEF combines analytical, participatory and policy oriented processes into a strategic platform for guiding investment decisions.

The current phase of the SEF project has produced a prototype version of the software, SEF 1.0. This version of the software, although still in development, can be used as a decision-making aide, especially in the early stages of the project cycle. The software covers a number of issues including providing guidance on analytical tools and best-practice methodologies, including hotspot analysis, assessment methodologies (EIA, CEA, SEA, and others), scenario analyses, regional planning, and participatory methods and approaches.

Sector/s covered by framework

Waste

Energy

Water

Transport

Green/Blue

Building & land use

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What language/s is the framework available in?
English

What organisation developed the framework and in what country?
The Strategic Environmental Framework (SEF) Project was created to help the Asian Development Bank (ADB) make funding decisions about infrastructure projects in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) which includes countries of Cambodia, Lao Peoples' Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Peoples´ Republic of China (Yunnan Province), Thailand and Vietnam.

The Project was implemented with consulting inputs from the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), in collaboration with the UNEP Regional Resource Centre for Asia and the Pacific (UNEP RRC.AP) and the Mekong River Commission (MRC).

Where is the framework available from?
Information on the framework can be obtained from: http://www.sei.se/policy/sef/index.htm
http://www.rrcap.unep.org/sef-gms/

What are the strengths of the framework?
• The SEF software and databases are designed to help with decision making more generally for the national level policy makers, private sector, citizen groups, NGOs and local communities.
• SEF considers environmental and social challenges.

What are the weaknesses of the framework?
The SEF platform is designed for the General Mekong Subregion, although from general overview it appears that lessons can be learnt for environmental and social sustainability for transport, water and other environmental projects in other areas.

What other interesting information is available about the framework?
The SEF platform provides a set of goals for sustainable human development in the region. These are converted into region-specific planning assumptions, Asian Development Bank specific decision guidelines and explicit recommendations to ADB and its development partners.
These interventions are urgently needed in order to harmonise infrastructure projects with the aspirations reflected in the SEF goals.