Sectoral Environmental and Social Best Practices

This section of the environmental procedures site provides sector-specific environmental and social guidance to support activity design, pre-implementation environmental review (including identification of potential impacts and design of mitigation and monitoring measures), and development of environmental mitigation and monitoring plans (EMMPs).

The following resources are available via the navigation links at left:

Sector Environmental Guidelines

The Sector Environmental Guidelines provide concise regarding:

• the typical, potential adverse environmental and social impacts of activities in the subject sectors;
• how to prevent or otherwise mitigate these impacts, both in the form of general activity design guidance and specific design, construction, and operating measures;
• how to minimize vulnerability of activities to climate change; and
• more detailed resources for further exploration of these issues.

Note: The Guidelines are advisory only. They are not official USAID regulatory guidance or policy.

Visual Field Guides

Visual field guides support field monitoring of select activities by development professionals, including those who are not environmental specialists. They are photo-based, simple yes-no checklists that identify the most common, significant environmental design and management problems in a set of typical sectoral activities.

Social Sectoral Guidance: USAID Social Strategies, Policies and Visions

USAID is committed to development that is inclusive of disadvantaged groups and to human rights. These commitments are expressed in part via a set of social policies, strategies and visions for Agency programming.

These policies, strategies and visions inform the Agency’s understanding of and response to potential to social impacts in its development programming.