Rapid
Environmental Impact Assessment Workshop and Training
of Trainers in Islamabad, Pakistan, May 2006
The three-day REA workshop and following two-day REA Training
of Trainers (TOT) was organized cooperatively by the International
Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Church
World Service (CWS) Pakistan/Afghanistan. The training
was facilitated by an InterWorks trainer and a Resource
person from Benfield Hazard Research Centre.
Workshop participants representing the Pakistan Earthquake
Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA), the
Pakistan Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and
government officials from Balochistan and Gilgit (AJK).
NGOs were represented by members from Islamic Relief Pakistan,
CONCERN, CWS, ActionAid, RedR, WWF Pakistan, IUCN, Qatar
Charity, Plan Pakistan, World Vision, SUNGI, SPO and FOCUS
Pakistan.
The highly interactive workshop is based on a two and
half day simulation of a disaster scenario. Participants
actually conduct a Rapid Environmental Impact Assessment
in the specific disaster context provided by the location
and the simulation scenario. In Pakistan workshop the
third day of the simulation was conducted in the field,
gathering information from communities which had been
affected by the South Asian Earthquake in October 2005.
Rapid Environmental Impact Assessment in Disasters (REA)
is a simple consensus-based qualitative assessment process.
It is based on the Guidelines for Rapid Environmental
Impact Assessment in Disasters by C. Kelly. The REA process
is a tool designed to identify and prioritize environmental
issues and potential hazards during the first 90-120 days
following a disaster. The REA is designed for natural,
technological or political disasters, and as a best practice
tool for effective disaster assessment and management.
REA improves humanitarian response in emergencies by incorporating,
otherwise overlooked critical environmental concerns into
disaster impact assessment, planning and operations. With
awareness of such issues, humanitarian workers can take
actions to mitigate or avoid likely adverse impacts on
human lives and welfare, and implement disaster responses
which simultaneously incorporate opportunities to protect
the environment.
Development of the REA tool is a collaborative effort
of Benfield Hazard Research Centre and CARE International,
with financial assistance from joint UNEP/OCHA office
in Geneva, Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, USAID and CARE
International.
Click here to view the Workshop report.
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