International Development and Programs (Development Work) - International Development and Programs (Development Work)

Code of Federal Regulations Title 22 Section 216, “Environmental Procedures,” requires USAID to ensure that the environmental consequences of USAID-financed activities are identified and considered prior to a final decision to proceed with an agreement, and that appropriate environmental safeguards are adopted.

It cites several agriculture-related activities (e.g., agricultural land leveling, use of pesticides, and irrigation and water management projects) as activities that automatically require an environmental assessment. This regulation requires that the mission prepare an initial environmental examination and subsequently monitor ongoing activities for compliance with approved initial environmental examination as well as related documents and assessments. The following are two key elements of an environmental examination:

• A threshold decision, which is a formal Agency decision that determines, based on an Initial Environmental Examination, whether a proposed USAID action is a major action significantly affecting the environment.
• Mitigation measures, which are steps to mitigate any adverse environmental impact that might arise as a result of USAID activities.

Conducting environmental reviews is an important step because agricultural activities such as using pesticides, grading land, installing permanent structures, and constructing facilities to care for animals can carry significant risk to the environment. Without proper environmental reviews, [one] cannot ensure that the program includes proper environmental safeguards. This heightens the risk of environmental damage as well as injuries to program workers and/or beneficiaries.

General Recommendations

• Provide annual training to technical officers and document and monitor compliance with the environmental regulations outlined in USAID’s Automated Directives System 204.

• Perform and document an environmental examination of the program and activities and (b) document the completion of any actions identified in the environmental examination as necessary to safeguard the environment.

Source: AUDIT REPORT NO. 4-663-10-003-P  MARCH 30, 2010

The recommendations are derived from audit reports of the Office of the Inspector General. The source refers to the audit report, which is available on this site as part of the Audit Database Project: an educational tool for compliance with USAID regulations.  Please see the disclaimer of this site before using recommendations.