Strategic Planning

IIED's work on Strategies, Planning and Assessment (SPA) is concerned with integrated policy-making, planning and decision-taking for sustainable development at national to local levels, the links and relations between them, and the assessment and tools which support and enable these processes

The theme was created in 1998 to carry forward much of the core work of the former Environmental Planning Group. SPA collaborates interactively with other IIED groups and programmes.

Work is undertaken through various mechanisms:

  • Policy-relevant research, particularly with regional and in-country collaborating partners;
  • Capacity-building with developing country centres of excellence and governments;
  • Advice and technical assistance to donors, governments, agencies and NGOs; and
  • Information provision through hard and web-based publications, networks and workshops/conferences.

Environmental Assessment

SPA's work on environmental assessment is concerned with promoting the improved use of, and effective integration of key assessment tools in decision-making and planning processes, and in promoting sustainability-orientated approaches in the application of such tools. In its past work, SPA focused on environmental impact assessment (EIA), particularly on promoting improved performance of EIA practice. Studies of EIA effectiveness were undertaken (eg in Tanzania), training manuals produced and widely consulted Directories of the World's EIA guidelines prepared.

Currently the focus is at a more strategic level, on environmental assessment of policies, strategies, plans and programmes, reviewing effective methods and approaches, promoting good practice, and providing support to governments, agencies and organisations. In particular, SPA work is exploring the use and application of two key strategic-level tools:

  • Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) - a rapidly evolving tool that is being increasingly used as a key mechanism to achieve Millennium Goal 8 to integrate environmental concerns in decision-making
  • Sustainability appraisal (SA) - an tool that aims to integrated environmental, social and economic concerns in an analytical/assessment framework.