Environmental grant to IIED

THE STUDY WILL BE ENTITLED "BILATERAL AID AND THE ENVIRONMENT: A STUDY OF SEVEN BILATERAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE AGENCIES". IIED WILL SELECT AFFILIATED PROJECT TEAMS IN EACH COUNTRY TO CONDUCT THE ACTUAL RESEARCH. IN THE US, FOR INSTANCE, THE NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL WILL RESEARCH THE ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND PRACTICE OF USAID. INVESTIGATORS WILL LOOK FOR POLICY STATEMENTS, PROCEDURAL INNOVATIONS, AND PRACTICAL MEASURES DESIGNED TO FOSTER ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. THEY WILL ALSO EVALUATE HOW WELL THESE NEW CRITERIA ARE BEING IMPLEMENTED, AND WHETHER SPECIFIC PROJECTS REFLECT AN ENHANCED UNDERSTANDING OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS. IIED WILL DEVELOP A UNIFORM METHODOLOGY TO GUIDE THE WORK OF THE COUNTRY AFFLIATES. THE METHODOLOGY WILL INCLUDE BACKGROUND RESEARCH, PRELIMINARY INTERVIEWS WITH RELEVANT PERSONNEL AT ALL LEVELS OF THE AGENCY UNDER STUDY, A SECOND ROUND OF INTERVIEWS FOCUSING ON MORE SPECIFIC PROBLEM AREAS, AND VISITS TO AGENCY FIELD OFFICES TO SUPPLEMENT HEADQUARTERS INTERVIEWS. IIED WILL COORDINATE ALL WORK, PRODUCE THE FINAL REPORT, AND DISTRIBUTE THE REPORT WORLDWIDE. THE FINAL STUDY WILL SUPPLEMENT TWO EARLIER STUDIES BY IIED WHICH FOCUS ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES AND PRACTICES OF NINE MULTILATERAL AID INSTITUTIONS. TAKEN TOGETHER, THE THREE STUDIES WILL ESTABLISH AN OVERVIEW OF THE EXTENT TO WHICH OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS ARE BEING CARRIED OUT IN AN ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND MANNER. CANADA, UK, SWEDEN, GERMANY, THE NETHERLANDS, AND THE UN ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME WILL CONTRIBUTE A PORTION OF PROJECT COSTS.