1. Motivating LOP environmental compliance: USAID's mandatory environmental procedures exist to assure environmentally sound design and management (ESDM) of development activities. The workshop begins by defining ESDM and establishing why ESDM must be a necessary and explicit objective for successful development.

• Articulate the ESDM concept and
  common causes of failure to achieve ESDM.
• Explain why ESDM must be a necessary and explicit objective for successful development.
• Articulate key action principles for achieving ESDM

2. Building Core EIA Concepts & Skills: USAID’s environmental procedures are a specific implementation of the general environmental impact assessment (EIA) process. An understanding of the basic EIA process greatly facilitates understanding USAID’s procedures, and basic proficiency in a set of core EIA skills is required for effective compliance over life-of-project.

• Explain the relationship between ESDM and the EIA process.
• Describe the key elements of the EIA process.
• Demonstrate basic proficiency in the core EIA skills of identifying significant impacts/issue of concern and design of mitigation and monitoring.

3. Mastering LOP Compliance Requirements: The workshop first surveys LOP environmental compliance requirements. These requirements—and the compliance process—can be divided into “upstream” and “downstream” elements.
   
   Upstream compliance consists primarily of the preimplementation environmental review process defined by 22 CFR 216 (Reg. 216), which culminates in approved Reg. 216 documentation (RCEs, IEEs and EAs).
   
   Downstream compliance consists primarily of implementing the environmental management conditions specified in approved 22 CFR 216 documentation, and reporting on this implementation. The environmental mitigation and monitoring plan (EMMP) is the key instrument for systematic implementation of these conditions—and thus for achieving ESDM.
   
   After surveying LOP environmental compliance and building needed core skills, we will split into two “streams” for a portion of the workshop: one focused on upstream compliance, and one on downstream compliance.

• (All) Describe the basic elements of LOP compliance, and attendant roles and responsibilities.
• (Upstream Participants) Demonstrate basic proficiency in the pre-implementation environmental review process established by Reg. 216.
• (Downstream Participants) Develop and critique environmental mitigation and monitoring plans. Demonstrate basic proficiency in developing environmental mitigation and monitoring plans. Articulate the environmental compliance reporting requirements attendant to EMMP implementation.

4. Understanding Key “Special Topics” in Compliance: Focused “special topic” sessions address the environmental compliance and management aspects of selected current, complex and emerging issues in the USAID portfolio and operating environment.

Explain the key compliance issues involved in each special topic, and articulate recommended best practice

5. Improving Compliance Processes: Achieving LOP compliance and ESDM requires both that individual USAID staff understand their roles and responsibilities and master key skills and that mission processes support and “mainstream” environmental compliance.

• Evaluate strengths and weaknesses of environmental compliance processes in our team/mission against those in the region as a whole.
• Undertake or propose improvements to these processes following the workshop.