The NCEA was established by decree in 1987 as an independent advisory body on environmental assessment for The Netherlands. In 1993 the NCEA also started to operate internationally. The core of the NCEA’s international work is to support environment and sectoral ministries, environmental assessment professionals and non-governmental organisations to improve their environmental and social assessment practice. It advises on the quality of the process and content of these assessments, at both project level (ESIA) and strategic level (SEA). NCEA can offer: for each project we can draw on a pool of international experts supported by well-informed and motivated technical staff.” And in developing countries specifically? I can imagine that Western experts who drop by and give an opinion are viewed with some suspicion. “Our approach is not that of an expert who points out all the things that are wrong. We start out from the perspective of the country in question. In Senegal, for example, at the request of the Senegalese government we are engaged in a possible strategic environmental assessment (SEA) of the question of how to deal with their extensive oil and gas reserves. As a signatory to the Paris Climate Agreement, Senegal is committed to achieving the aim of reducing emissions of greenhouse gases. We’re not going to say, ‘leave the oil and gas reserves in the ground and go for solar and wind power’. But we are advising the government on how environmental assessment can be deployed to arrive at a well-considered decision about which of the available courses of action to opt for. For example, one such option could be to optimise the use of the fossil fuel reserves so as to transition to a more sustainable energy supply. The criterion remains sustainable development, but in this case, as seen through Senegalese eyes”. Can the NCEA’s work be seen as a form of conflict resolution? Authoritative experts defusing a conflict’s political charge? “Environmental assessment itself is already a form of conflict resolution. For example, we’re engaged in discussions with the governments 6 The NCEA’s Views and Experiences 2018
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