Environmental and Integrated Assessment

UNEP's Economics and Trade Branch has been involved with Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and assisting governments and other stakeholders to integrate environmental considerations into project planning since the 1970s. The evolution of EIA has indicated the need for a more integrated as well as broader approach to impact assessment, looking also at plans, programmes and policies. To respond to this need, UNEP ETB has worked on Integrated Assessment of Trade-related Policies since the late 1990s.

The Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in 2002 has given added emphasis to the need for integration. In addition, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the actions needed to achieve them require greater integration in the use of assessment tools. In this context, UNEP ETB is currently promoting the design and application of forward looking ex-ante Integrated Assessment and Planning as a tool for achieving sustainable trade and the reduction of poverty through a more equitable distribution of the benefits brought about by trade.

Related Links
:: Environmental Impact Assessment

:: Integrated Assessment of Trade-Related Policies

:: Integrated Assessment and Planning