INFRASTRUCTURE AND IMPACTS: STRENGTHENING ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL SAFEGUARDS

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the implementation of environmental and social (E&S) safeguards for infrastructure projects in sub-Saharan Africa. It focuses on the tension between the prescriptive standards of multilateral development banks (MDBs) and the desire for greater country ownership, specifically analyzing the World Bank's 2016 Environmental and Social Framework (ESF). The author argues for a shift toward country-specific safeguard plans, enhanced capacity building for national entities and state-owned enterprises, and the strengthening of accountability mechanisms to protect affected communities.

• The World Bank's 2016 Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) represents a shift toward greater flexibility, allowing borrowing countries more authority to use their own domestic safeguard frameworks. This is intended to respect national sovereignty and reduce the "double burden" of complying with both national legislation and MDB requirements.
• There is a significant ideological divide between MDBs and African government stakeholders regarding E&S safeguards. Governments often view these safeguards as "Western formulations" that ignore the realities of developing countries, while MDBs tend to view the issues as technocratic and process-oriented.
• To improve cooperation, the author proposes the creation of country-specific 'E&S safeguard plans' for infrastructure sectors like energy or transport. These plans would define the limits of MDB flexibility based on the borrower's unique context while maintaining a baseline standard that MDBs cannot drop below.
• The shift toward country-led management of safeguards risks marginalizing affected communities and diluting the role of civil society. The author suggests that when communities lack organic representation, project authorities should employ neutral champions or public participation consultants to ensure independent decision-making.
• The World Bank Inspection Panel's role may become more complex and subject to interpretation due to the less prescriptive nature of the new ESF. The author argues that non-project-specific E&S safeguard plans would provide a more specific guide for accountability mechanisms to follow.
• Capacity building must move beyond individual projects to focus on sector strategies, legislative technical assistance, and the support of provincial authorities and state-owned enterprises (SOEs). The author emphasizes that MDBs should shift from comparing standards to providing implementation support and outcome measurement.
• National development finance institutions (DFIs) are well-positioned to drive buy-in for E&S standards due to their local embedding and contextual knowledge. However, many African DFIs are currently under-resourced, necessitating partnerships with international and regional DFIs to build their internal capacity.

APA

Markowitz, C. (2018). INFRASTRUCTURE AND IMPACTS: STRENGTHENING ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL SAFEGUARDS. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Policy-Insights-54.pdf

Chicago

Markowitz, Chelsea. INFRASTRUCTURE AND IMPACTS: STRENGTHENING ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL SAFEGUARDS. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2018. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Policy-Insights-54.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Markowitz |first1=Chelsea |title=INFRASTRUCTURE AND IMPACTS: STRENGTHENING ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL SAFEGUARDS |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=April 2018 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Policy-Insights-54.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{markowitz2018infrastructure, author = {Markowitz, Chelsea}, title = {{INFRASTRUCTURE AND IMPACTS: STRENGTHENING ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL SAFEGUARDS}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2018}, month = apr, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Policy-Insights-54.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }