Brief

Strengthening the Legal Framework for Environmental and Social Impact Assessment in the Mining Sector in Madagascar: Selected issues

Summary note on the Evaluation Report of the Legal Framework Governing ESIA in the Mining Sector

This summary note presents the main strengths and weaknesses of the legal framework on ESIA in the mining sector in Madagascar, along with recommendations for its improvement. It is based on an assessment report of the legal framework on ESIA in the mining sector in Madagascar, in line with international best practices in ESIA governance in the mining sector, as presented in the 2020 guide of the IGF for government officials.

  • ESIAs make it possible to identify and evaluate projects' potential environmental and social impacts (positive or negative).

  • A robust legal framework for ESIAs is essential

  • The ESIA is a decision-making tool for approving or rejecting a mining project.

This note recalls the usefulness of an ESIA and the importance of a robust legal, policy, and institutional framework governing ESIAs in the mining sector. It then presents the main shortcomings of the Malagasy framework in respect of ESIA, among those identified in the report. It concludes by offering specific recommendations related to these shortcomings to strengthen the Malagasy legal framework on ESIA in the mining sector.

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