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INTRODUCTION
Although responding to increasing needs and aiming for durable solutions for the crisis and conflict-affected communities, humanitarian projects can result in adverse environmental externalities. These must be identified and addressed in the earliest stages, protecting the environment and communities from any project-associated potential negative impacts. Humanitarian organizations are increasingly working towards addressing environmental considerations in the program cycle; however, this practice is yet to be mainstreamed into project design and implementation. Environmental screening, a methodology that evaluates projects' solutions against the context's environmental sensitivities, is crucial for mainstreaming. Several environmental screening tools are available, designed specifically for the humanitarian sector and adapted to multiple scales, scopes, and contexts of operation. Besides supporting increasing projects' sustainability, environmental screening is a common requirement by local environmental authorities and donors and gradually becomes an internal requirement at organizations. The multi-year project Strengthening Environmental Screening Capacity of Humanitarian Organizations, led by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and funded by the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), provides on-site training sessions – including Training of Trainers (ToT) – and technical support for local and international humanitarian organizations and UN Agencies operating in prioritized countries. Based on the Nexus Environmental Assessment Tool (NEAT+), the capacity-building activities equip organizations to autonomously perform environmental screening of their activities, resulting in improved and greener project design, increased funding opportunities, and forming a global Community of Practice (CoP). This report refers to the technical training sessions facilitated in the South (02-03 May), Beqaa Valley (04-05 May), and North (08-09 May) Lebanon in 2023 and includes the application of NEAT+ to a local case study.
THE NEAT+
Launched in 2019, the NEAT+ is an open-source, rapid, easy-to-use environmental screening tool developed by a consortium of humanitarian organizations. The tool generates summary reports as a snapshot of environmental conditions and potential impacts categorized as LOW, MEDIUM, and HIGH, providing recommended mitigation measures and additional resources by crossing sectorial and project-related data. Context-specific, it's available in two versions: the Excel-based Rural-NEAT+ and the web-based Urban-NEAT+. The tool consists of an Environment Sensitivity Module and Activity Modules covering core humanitarian sectors: Shelter and Settlement, Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), Food Security, Livelihood, and Health.
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