Safeguards Assessments

The Environmental and Social Safeguards Screen (ESS Screen) at CEO Endorsement Request Document Stage  is a more detailed screening tool than the PIF stage screen. The template provided to Project Development Teams includes sections on the project’s socio-cultural context, socio-economic context, political and legal context, human rights impacts, gender equality, etc.

Objectives of the Environmental and Social Safeguards Screening Tool:

• to identify potential as well as immediate environmental and social negative impacts associated with the proposed GEF Project
• to determine the application of WWF’s environmental and social standards
• to inform subsequent environmental and social assessments and management plans in the landscape or seascape A template is used to capture information

Depending on the project’s categorization, the WWF GEF Safeguards Coordinator will advise the Executing Agency if a full or partial assessment is required. Depending on the project, additional assessments and management plans may be necessary to comply with WWF’s Environment and Social Safeguards Integrated Policies and Procedures (SIPP). The Executing Agency will decide if assessments and mitigation plans will be prepared by an external expert or by internal staff. The WWF GEF Safeguards Coordinator will oversee the preparation of the TOR if external experts are involved and the quality of the assessments and mitigation plan. Once these assessments and mitigation plans are approved by the WWF GEF Safeguards Coordinator, the recommendations from these assessments and mitigation measures must be integrated into the project design and budgeted adequately to ensure that the project is environmentally and socially sustainable. The assessments and mitigation plans then need to be disclosed according to WWF’s Standard on Public Consultation and Disclosure.  

All final safeguards documents, including WWF-specific safeguards documents such as the Safeguards Categorization Memo and the Safeguards Compliance Memo, will be publicly disclosed by the Executing Entity and made accessible in a form and language understandable to project affect people. Depending on the project, disclosure can take up to 45 days. Full disclosure must be completed before Agency Approval and execution start. 

At this stage, further project and context specific details gathered in the full ESS Screening since PIF stage will be added to the preliminary categorization memorandum and the memorandum will be validated by the WWF ESS Team.

The categorization will also assess the capacity of the Executing Agency to implement WWF's environmental and social safeguards.

Please note, once the project is categorized, the WWF GEF Agency Safeguards Coordinator will discuss next steps with the Project Team.

Please read the full description in the Safeguards Manual.