ENVIRONMENT SAFEGUARDS A GOOD PRACTICE SOURCEBOOK DRAFT WORKING DOCUMENT

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ADB

In July 2009, ADB's Board of Directors approved the Safeguard Policy Statement (SPS)1 governing the environment and social safeguards of ADB’s operations. The SPS builds upon and enhances the relevance and effectiveness of the three previous ADB safeguard policies2 on the environment, involuntary resettlement and indigenous peoples by bringing them together into one consolidated safeguard policy framework. The SPS became effective in January 2010.
The goal of the SPS is to promote the environmental and social sustainability of ADB-supported projects by protecting people and their environment from potential adverse impacts and enhancing the benefits provided. This goal is integral to achieving environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive growth and poverty reduction in Asia and the Pacific, a defining element of ADB’s Long-Term Strategic Framework, Strategy 2020.3 In this context, the SPS is one of ADB’s key policy instruments for achieving its corporate vision and mission under Strategy 2020.