SEA Guidance Annex 8

Developing SEA environmental and socio-economic quality objectives, indicators, and targets

Annex 8 shows how environmental and socioeconomic quality objectives (ESQOs), indicators, and targets can be used to structure a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). ESQOs clarify what “good performance” looks like for key themes such as climate change, biodiversity, air and water quality, livelihoods, and human rights. Indicators then translate these objectives into measurable signals that can be tracked over time, while targets specify the desired level of change.

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What’s Inside This Annex

Understanding ESQOs in SEA

Environmental and social quality objectives (ESQOs) are widely used to ensure that the right level of consideration is achieved. An objective is a statement of what is intended, specifying a desired direction of change.

ESQOs can often be derived from environmental protection and social objectives identified in other PPPs or from a review of baseline information and environmental and social problems. Stakeholders may also suggest ESQOs for the SEA.

Three Types of Objectives

The objectives of the PPP in question: Government policies and guidance increasingly require these to be based on sustainability considerations; developing ESQOs for a SEA may help make them more environmentally friendly and sustainable.

External objectives: Independent from the SEA process; may include environmental protection objectives, but can also be economic or social; may also include objectives of international conventions, treaties, regional accords, and the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs).

SEA ESQOs: Devised to test the environmental and social effects of the PPP or to compare the effects of alternatives.

Matrix of SEA ESQOs and indicators

Download the full PDF annex for a matrix of SEA-related ESQOs for key issues and the potential indicators, plus related SDGs and Just Transition principles.

Download Annex 8

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SEA Guidance Annex 8