Environmental and Social Management Systems (ESMSs) are frameworks developed by institutions to identify and manage exposure to the environmental and social risks of investment projects. Increasingly, ESMSs are being required by development agency donors and commercial investors when they contemplate providing finance for either direct investments or financial intermediaries. A well-designed ESMS provides the originating financier with confidence that its investments will be well managed.

An ESMS states an institution’s commitment to environmental and social management, explains its procedures for identifying, assessing and managing the environmental and social risk of financial transactions, defines the decision-making process, describes the roles, responsibilities and capacity needs of staff for doing so, and states the documentation and record-keeping requirements. 

ESMSs provide guidance on how to screen transactions, categorize transactions based on their environmental and social risks, conduct environmental and social due diligence, and monitor environmental and social performance.

This course is designed for participants who have an interest in how financial intermediaries such as commercial banks, investment funds, cooperatives and community-based organisations should manage the environmental and social risks of funds provided to them by development agencies (such as the global and regional development banks and UN agencies). Participants will develop an understanding of:

• the structure of ESMSs;
• how ESMSs have been put into practice;
• the resources required to develop an ESMS for a given institution;
• phased approaches to the development of ESMSs;
• guidance on how to design an ESMS for a participant’s given institution.

Level: Intermediate

Prerequisites: Participants should have a basic understanding of environmental and social safeguard requirements and procedures for identifying, assessing, and managing environmental and social risks associated with project financing.

Language: English

Duration: 1 day (7 May)

Min/Max: 10-60

Price: US$280

Instructors: David Annandale, Senior Partner, DDA International Consulting Ltd. (UK); Darko Annandale, Junior Partner, DDA International Consulting Ltd. (UK)

David Annandale

Dr. David Annandale is an international environmental policy specialist, with over 35 years of experience in the public, private and NGO sectors. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science, a Master’s degree in Public Administration, and a PhD in organizational behaviour. For 13 years he was an academic at Murdoch University in Australia, finishing up as Dean of the School of Environmental Science. Since 2005 he has been an independent international environmental safeguards and policy consultant, working for clients such as the World Bank, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Green Climate Fund (GCF), Asian Development Bank, African Development Bank, Inter-American Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Caribbean Development Bank, Conservation International, FAO, IFAD, UNDP, UNIDO, UN Environment, UNICEF and DANIDA. His substantive expertise includes: designing safeguards frameworks for development finance agencies; environmental impact assessment for a range of project types; design and review of environmental management plans; strategic environmental assessment; project due diligence; and, climate finance. He also has long experience in institutional and skill-based capacity development, having undertaken numerous training programs for environment and development ministries.

He has delivered two previous training courses associated with IAIA conferences.

Darko Annandale

Mr. Darko Annandale is a consultant on sustainable development, with a focus on environmental, social and governance issues. He has international experience in environmental and social development policy, assisting and coordinating complex multidisciplinary projects in the fields of Environmental and Social Safeguards. He has proven experience in environmental and social due diligence, project implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and project management.

He is experienced in:

• advising public and private clients on balancing economic, environmental and social considerations,
• leading the development and application of appropriate institutional safeguard policies,
• environmental and social due diligence/ auditing of project/programme environmental and social performance and compliance,
• managing the operational environmental and social risks of private and public investments,
• ensuring that clients deliver on international principles of social and environmental sustainability,
• capacity building/enhancement of public and private sector practitioners on environmental and social safeguards/methodologies.