Strategic Planning

To assess current status of application of digital technologies in four areas:

1.Sustainable agriculture

2.Food traceability

3.Climate action (mitigation and adaptation)

4.Environmental sustainability

To solicit views from the ...

Cambodia’s National Environment Strategy and Action Plan, 2016–2023 (NESAP) aims to ensure that environmental protection and sustainable natural resource management are pillars of the country’s socioeconomic development.

This publication shows how strategic environmental assessments can help the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) countries create sustainable national power development plans.

Drawing on a decade of CEP experience, this brief provides an overview of land use planning challenges and opportunities in the subregion.

This brief summarizes the diverse pollutants and their sources that are harming the natural environment and people’s well-being in the Greater Mekong Subregion. It looks at how the Industrial Pollution Projection System (IPPS) has been used in the subregion to help identify current and future pollution risks, and makes recommendations for its future application.

Land use is constantly changing in the Greater Mekong Subregion. At the same time, land use planning processes are often poorly informed, risking decisions that may lead to social and environmental costs that outweigh intended benefits.

Led by the Institute of Strategy and Policy on Natural Resources and Environment, Viet Nam’s Natural Capital Platform aims to integrate natural capital considerations into development planning.

This workshop brought together members of the GMS land-use change modeling network to share project results and develop proposals for future work.

Information on how future development may unfold is essential for land use change modeling.

The People’s Republic of China practices “eco-compensation” to promote environmental protection and restoration. This study examines the theory, practice, and legislation governing this in selected ecological areas.

More than 100 government planners and development partners shared experiences on how multicriterial spatial analysis (MCA) using GIS can help decision makers with environmental management.

Vietnamese government officials and development partners met to discuss arrangements to formalize a Natural Capital Platform (NCP).

Viet Nam is in the process of developing an Environmental Protection Planning (EPP) Circular to improve environmental management within the country. This workshop aimed to build stakeholder awareness of environmental protection and planning and draws on international and national best practice and experience.

Viet Nam has dramatically reduced poverty over the past two decades through rapid economic development. However, this process has included some poorly planned industrialization, urbanization, and agricultural intensification, which has led to pollution, resource depletion, and environmental degradation.

The aim of this national workshop is to present and gather feedback on the first draft of Cambodia's National Environmental Strategy and Action Plan (NESAP).

Viet Nam’s 10-year Land Use Plans undergo revisions every 5 years, a process led by the Ministry of Natural Resource and Environment (MONRE).

Provincial authorities will have a key role in implementing policies and programs that stem from Cambodia's National Environmental Strategy and Action Plan (NESAP). This 2nd consultation workshop bought together government officials from the country's n...

The GMS Core Environment Program hosted a session on strategic environmental assessment (SEA) at the 36^th Annual Conference of International Association of Impact Assessment.

Provincial authorities will have a key role in implementing policies and programs that stem from Cambodia's National Environmental Strategy and Action Plan (NESAP).

At this meeting, the Inter-Ministerial Task Force will review and comment on key draft chapters of Cambodia's National Environmental Strategy and Action Plan (NESAP).

The objective of the second meeting of the National Environmental Strategy and Action Plan Inter-ministerial Task Force  was to present, discuss and obtain comments on draft Chapter One of the NESAP (Brief Introduction) and Chapter Two (State of Environment).

This workshop brought together more than fifty international experts and government staff to review current PES initiatives in Cambodia and identify implementation lessons and experience as well as enabling policy conditions.

As Lao PDR continues its impressive development trajectory, the need to strategically and systematically prevent and mitigate pollution becomes increasingly urgent. Trends such as population growth and urbanization, increased consumerism, agricultural intensification, and industrial expansion are among many drivers of pollution in the country. 

More than 200 government and non-government participants attended this Myanmar event which saw the launch of a new Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Procedure and National Environmental Quality (Emissions...

The aims of the National Environment Strategy and Action Plan (NESAP) Inception Workshop are to inform, and generate collaboration, participation and consensus among stakeholders in the formulation process of the NESAP. 

In late 2017, with lead support from the GMS Core Environment Program, Cambodia launched its new roadmap for sustainable development, the National Environment Strategy and Action Plan (NESAP).

Under CEP’s ‘Building Capacity for Land Use Change Modeling activity,’ a training of trainers program on land use change modeling will be delivered in each of the six GMS countries during August–October.

Addressing the many development and environmental challenges in the GMS will require finding ways for sectors to plan and work together more closely. Multisector planning approaches contribute greatly to strategic planning processes by bringing sectors together to discuss and understand core development challenges and to identify pathways to overcome these challenges. In doing so, they promote economic, environmental, and social sustainability. Multistakeholder dialogues and scenario-based modelling tools are essential to develop a shared understanding of core challenges, drivers of change, and alternative development pathways.

Biodiversity conservation in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is conducted under the framework of the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), 2011–2030. The PRC has initiated ambitious conservation targets under its NBSAP and requires all provinces to prepare provincial-level BSAPs.

This brief promotes the value of strategic environmental assessment (SEA) to assist GMS decision makers to more effectively balance economic, social, and environmental considerations early in developme...

This ADB report features the Greater Mekong Subregion Regional Investment Framework Implementation Plan, 2014-2018 (RIF-IP). It identifies a robust pipeline of 92 high priority projects from among the ...

In recent years, there has been increased global recognition about the important socioeconomic contribution of ecosystem services for rural livelihoods and broader society. This has helped drive countries to make greater efforts to more sustainably manage their natural capital – forest, land, and water resources and related ecosystem services. 

Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is increasingly used by GMS countries to assess the environmental and social consequences of policies, plans and programs to achieve more sustainable development outcomes.

This workshop launched a new CEP activity aiming to strengthen land-use modeling capacity in the GMS, targeting government planners and academic institutions.

Growing demand for energy goes hand-in-hand with rapid economic development. Since 2005, GDP per capita in the GMS has increased 260% while electricity consumption has nearly doubled. As their economies continue to rapidly grow, all six countries need to utilize additional energy resources to meet increasing domestic demand.  In addition, Lao PDR and Myanmar view energy exports as a major economic opportunity. 

Under Viet Nam’s 2011 Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) decree, development plans of five years duration or more, including socioeconomic development plans (SEDP), are required to undergo an SEA. However, implementation of the decree is still relatively weak, with technical SEA capacity one of the major constraints.

EOC representatives were among eighty participants from nine countries that gathered in Jakarta to exchange best practices in land cover and land use assessments, and discuss strategies for building national land cover datasets.

Development planning in the GMS is often fragmented, with ministries and sectors lacking the capacity, tools, or incentives to work together to meet sustainable development goals. When competing for the same natural resources, implementing one sector plan is often to the detriment of another. As a result, resource allocation can become inefficient, costly, and ultimately unsustainable.

While strategic environmental assessment (SEA) is a statutory requirement for most major strategic planning exercises in Viet Nam, there has been little guidance on how to apply SEA to river basin planning.

Lao PDR is developing a decree and guidelines for strategic environmental assessment (SEA) in an effort to mainstream SEA in the country's development planning processes.

With support from the Core Environment Program, the Government of Viet Nam hosted a consultation workshop to introduce and gather feedback on a proposed strategic environmental assessment (SEA) of the country’s revised national power development plan (PDP VII).

This sector assessment, strategy, and road map highlights the Government of Myanmar’s plans and strategies for addressing priority needs for the agriculture, natural resources, and environment se...

ADB  SPEECH- 4 December 2013

Welcome remarks by ADB President Takehiko Nakao at the Second Asian Judges Symposium on Environment:
Natural Capital and the Rule of Law held in Manila, Philippines on 2 December 2013

From early 2012, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) begun preparing a Regional Investment Framework (RIF) to operationalize the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Strategic Framework 2012–2022.

This CEP brief summarizes the methodology and lessons learned from a Spatial Multicriteria Assessment (SMCA) recently applied to the GMS Regional Investment Framework. It concludes that SMCA is a valua...

A delegation of 12 Officers of the National Environment Commission Secretariat from the Royal Government of Bhutan paid a study visit to the Environment Operations Center (EOC) to learn about Strategic Enviroment Assessment (SEA) application in the Greater Mekong Subregion.

As part of a round of planning missions to GMS countries, CEP held a scoping mission to Viet Nam to consult with stakeholders on the program’s Phase II strategic planning, safeguards, and monitoring activities. 

As part of a round of planning missions to GMS countries, CEP held a scoping mission to Lao PDR to consult with stakeholders on the program’s Phase II strategic planning, safeguards, and monitoring activities. 

This paper shares findings from land demand allocation modeling used to assess pressures on hydropower catachments based on development scenarios in Viet Nam. The modeling was applied as part of a stra...

This paper presents findings from a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) of Viet Nam's Power Development Plan VII. The SEA analyzed social and environmental costs and benefits of potential power ge...

The North-South Economic Corridor (NSEC) – linking Kunming to Bangkok, Kunming to Hanoi, and Hanoi to Nanning – is one of the flagship investments under the GMS Economic Cooperation Program.

In recent years, the border region around the Golden Quadrangle, involving PR China, Lao PDR, and Thailand, has received attention for potential tourism development. There is increased tourism development in the Xishuangbanna area and in Northern Lao PDR (both ecotourism and cultural tourism) and this area has been designated as a key development priority under the GMS Tourism Sector Strategy.

Viet Nam has a rapidly growing demand for electricity, with current growth rates of around 15% per annum expected to continue, or increase, for the foreseeable future. This reflects Viet Nam’s rapid progress in economic development and the country’s growing income, urbanization and changing consumption patterns.

From the mid-1990s to 2006, following years of conflict, tourist numbers in Cambodia grew at around 20% per year and in 2006, generated $1.5 billion in revenues.

From 26 May to 2 June 2012, EOC presented CEP achievements in the field of regional environmental cooperation in general and Strategic Environmental Assessments in the GMS in particular.

Geographic Information System (GIS) tools can help to identify potential environmental risks, impacts and opportunities associated with economic development plans. CEP has been mainstreaming the use GIS tools in the subregion, including through targeted training programs.

29 November 2011

A training seminar was jointly organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and Ministry of Energy and Mines, supported by EOC. The training showcased strategic environmental assessment (SEA) best practice from the GMS and demonstrated SEA as a planning tool in support of energy planning in the Lao PDR.

This CEP publication discusses the application of the geographic information systems (GIS) in land allocation planning and distribution processes, to increase awareness of the implications of economic ...

This publication describes how strategic environmental assessments (SEAs) have been utilized by the Government of Viet Nam as an integrated part of their strategic power development plan, including fut...

A policy summary outlining key messages from the strategic environmental assessment (SEA) of hydropower in Viet Nam. Recommendations include: increased capacity building; addressing knowledge and data ...

A Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) that examines the status and trends in Cambodia’s tourism sector, including: key tourism policies; plans and programs; monitoring tools; stakeholder par...

A status report of the strategic environmental assessment (SEA) conducted in the GMS during under CEP from 2006–2009. The report covers three SEAs: Hydropower Master Plan, Viet Nam; Tourism Secto...

This CEP report  outlines the ADB’s 10 year plan for the Biodiversity Conservation Corridors Initiative (2005-2014). The report provides an overview of the BCCI program in the Greater Mekong...