| Abstract |
Released in 2002, WB’s report was prepared to contribute to China’s 2003 government deliberations on state-level administrative reform. This report prioritized upgrading SEPA to ministry-level. This frequently-cited report recommends administrative reforms to strengthen political will and authority for national environmental protection. We have already seen several recommendations adopted, including (1) stronger political commitment; (2) establishment of SEPA regional supervision office; (3) increased staffing levels; and (4) public participation requirement in the EIA process. Other recommendations not yet adopted include the top recommendation to make SEPA a ministry, enhance cross-sector coordination, ameliorate conflicts of interest between resource utilization and protection agencies, establishing linear authority for SEPA over the EPB system, and intensifying public participation. This report did include next steps, but this agenda is most relevant to the context of 2002. |
