Project Introduction

The objective of the Enabling Zero Carbon Energy in Rural Towns and Villages in China (EZCERTV) Project is the acceleration of low/zero-carbon transformation in China's rural areas to contribute to global climate change mitigation and the achievement of the United Nations sustainable development goals (SDG). The project’s overall strategy is the removal of barriers to the widespread application of low/zero carbon energy technologies in China’s rural towns and villages. 

• Component 1 of the project is comprised of technical assistance activities addressing the policy/regulatory and institutional barriers, and the expected outcome is the effective enforcement of policies and institutional frameworks towards the development of zero carbon towns and villages in rural China.
• The technical barriers are addressed in Component 2 of the project, which is comprised of investment type activities that will demonstrate the application of feasible and cost-effective low/zero carbon energy technologies in selected rural towns/villages. The expected outcome from this is the widespread implementation of low/zero carbon energy technology applications in rural towns and villages.
• Component 3 addresses the barriers related to capacity development in the area of low/zero carbon energy technologies/techniques, as well as information gathering, management and dissemination in the design, engineering, installation, operation, repair, and maintenance of low/zero carbon energy technology applications. The enhanced and strengthened public awareness and knowledge about low carbon technology energy applications in support of zero carbon town and village development in rural China is the expected outcome from this.

UNDP SES Introduction

In alignment with UNDP's Strategic Plan, the UNDP’s Social and Environmental Standards (SES) reinforce the organization's commitment to integrating social and environmental sustainability in our programmes and projects to support sustainable development. The SES are UNDP policy and an integral component of UNDP's quality assurance and risk management approach. UNDP’s SES seek to 

(i) strengthen quality of programming by ensuring a principled approach

(ii) maximize social and environmental opportunities and benefits

(iii) avoid adverse impacts to people and the environment

(iv) minimize, mitigate, and manage adverse impacts where avoidance is not possible

(v) strengthen UNDP partner capacities for managing social and environmental risks

(vi) ensure full and effective stakeholder engagement, including through mechanisms to respond to complaints from project-affected people.

Strategic Environmental and Social Assessment (SESA)

The Strategic Environmental and Social Assessment (SESA) has been conducted for the EZCERTV project to adequately assess the potential impacts that may arise due to upstream/policy-level project activities, such as those involving planning support, policy advice and reform, or capacity building.

The SESA will evaluate the effect of policy changes on a broad, cross-sectoral basis with the aim of making policy decisions and other upstream actions more sustainable. The assessment of upstream impacts will integrate environmental and social considerations into policies, plans and programmes, and evaluate their interlinkages with economic and sustainability considerations.

SES Reports of EZCERTV Project

The following SES reports have been developed for EZCERTV Project, in accordance with UNDP’s Social and Environmental Standards, to understand the potential types and magnitude of social and environmental risks and impacts and to provide measures to address them.

Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA)

The Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for the EZCERTV Project has been prepared to identify and assess social and environmental impacts of the demo sites and their area of influence; evaluate alternative; and design appropriate avoidance, mitigation, management, and monitoring measures.

• Per the SES, the ESIA will assess project activities at the scale deemed appropriate for compliance with the SES.
• The ESIA will identify environmental and social sensitive receptors within the activity’s area of influence.
• It will address all relevant issues related to the SES Overarching Principles and Project-level Standards, as identified in the project’s SESP and any other issues identified during the ESIA.

Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP)

The Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) has been prepared for EZCERTV Project to address the impacts associated with the demo sites. The ESMP will define desired social and environmental management outcomes and specify social and environmental indicators, targets, or acceptance (threshold) criteria to track ESMP implementation and effectiveness.

In addition, ESMPs are dynamic, and will require amending as new project activities are identified, screened, assessed, and implemented. Additional required mitigation and impact management measures will also be integrated into management plans, and in some cases may require, or benefit from, input from the Project Gender Specialist.

Labor Assessment and Management Plan (LAMP)

For the EZCERTV Project, a targeted assessment of potential impacts relating to labor/OHS will be undertaken. The assessment and management of labor and OHS risks will not solely be focused on labor inputs during the implementation of these activities, but will also ensure that the labor and working conditions in the production of all hardware inputs (e.g., solar PV systems for demos) are also adequately scrutinized for compliance.

The Labor Assessment and Management Plan (LAMP) will include key information on the various aspects of labor that must be managed and monitored. An up-to-date LAMP will enable different project-related parties to have a clear understanding of what is required on a specific labour issue.