The Guidelines provide practical support for solar and wind energy developments by effectively managing risks and improving overall outcomes related to biodiversity and ecosystem services. They are industry-focused and can be applied across the whole project development life cycle, from early planning through to decommissioning and repowering, using the mitigation hierarchy as a clear framework for planning and implementation. The mitigation hierarchy is applied to direct, indirect and cumulative impacts. An in-document Annex contains 33 case studies across the three technologies, and an additional separate annex provides additional resources to mitigate impacts associated with solar and wind energy.

Sector(s): Energy
Lifecycle Phase(s): Strategic PlanningPublic authorities identify the needs and long-term vision for infrastructure development., Project PlanningGeneral strategy for a project’s delivery is developed., Concept DesignTechnical experts broadly outline the project’s basic characteristics., Detailed DesignTechnical experts further elaborate the Concept Design., ConstructionThe asset is constructed in line with design, budget and timeline., Operation and MaintenanceInfrastructure assets are managed and maintained during their use time., Decomissioning/RepurposingObsolete infrastructure assets are repurposed, recycled or removed and the land is reused or restored.
Type(s) of Tool: GuidelinesOperationalize sustainability principles, less specific than Benchmarks or Rating Systems.
Organization: IUCN & The Biodiversity Consultancy

The Resource Manual for Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA) supports the application of the UN Economic Commission for Europe‘s Protocol on SEA. The Manual highlights the main requirements of the Protocol, outlines key issues for applying the Manual in practice and provides materials for training & capacity development programmes that support the Protocol’s application. The Manual is divided in two parts: (A) for users applying the protocol and (B) for trainers that engage in capacity development activities.

Sector(s): Tools applicable to all sectors
Lifecycle Phase(s): Strategic PlanningPublic authorities identify the needs and long-term vision for infrastructure development.
Type(s) of Tool: Impact AssessmentsEvaluate the impacts of assets or policies on the environment and local livelihoods.
Organization: UNECE, Regional Environmental Centre for Central and Eastern Europe

The PPP Reference Guide helps users to navigate the abundant knowledge on Public Private Partnerships. The Guide introduces key topics on PPP, sets forth options and directs users to implementation examples and references. The three modules of the Guide (1) explain the reasons for using PPPs, (2) point to the necessary policy, legal and institutional frameworks to ensure that PPPs achieve their objectives and (3) provide an overview of the development and implementation processes of PPPs.

Sector(s): Tools applicable to all sectors
Lifecycle Phase(s): Enabling EnvironmentConditions that enable the integration of sustainability practices (regulation, laws, frameworks etc.)., Strategic PlanningPublic authorities identify the needs and long-term vision for infrastructure development., PrioritizationAuthorities decide which projects to realize and how to allocate resources., ProcurementThe provision of goods and services to realize a project are tendered and closed., FinanceDevelopers decide how to pay for their project.
Type(s) of Tool: Rating SystemsProvide quantifiable sustainability ratings and / or certification for projects or assets.
Organization: World Bank

The report “A Common Set of Aligned Sustainable Infrastructure Indicators (SII)” identifies the sixteen common elements used by multilateral development banks to define sustainable infrastructure practices across the quadruple bottom line. The SII provides insights into how stakeholders can incorporate the indicators into their infrastructure projects and monitor sustainability performance throughout the infrastructure lifecycle. Moreover, the SII sets forth how reaching the sustainability indicators can help mobilize public and private investments.

Sector(s): Tools applicable to all sectors
Lifecycle Phase(s): Enabling EnvironmentConditions that enable the integration of sustainability practices (regulation, laws, frameworks etc.)., Strategic PlanningPublic authorities identify the needs and long-term vision for infrastructure development., PrioritizationAuthorities decide which projects to realize and how to allocate resources., Project PlanningGeneral strategy for a project’s delivery is developed., Concept DesignTechnical experts broadly outline the project’s basic characteristics., ProcurementThe provision of goods and services to realize a project are tendered and closed., FinanceDevelopers decide how to pay for their project.
Type(s) of Tool: PrinciplesSupport sustainability incorporation at institutional or strategic level, less specific than Guidelines.
Organization: MDB Infrastructure Cooperation Platform

The objective of the toolkit “Driving Change through Public Procurement” is to enable public procurement policy makers, buyers and contract managers to implement requirements to promote respect for human rights by their suppliers. The toolkit highlights how such requirements can be incorporated across different stages of the procurement cycle, outlining a general approach relevant to different legal and market contexts that can be adapted to national specificities. The toolkit offers specific guidance for (1) policy makers and (2) procurement practitioners.

Sector(s): Tools applicable to all sectors
Lifecycle Phase(s): ProcurementThe provision of goods and services to realize a project are tendered and closed.
Type(s) of Tool: GuidelinesOperationalize sustainability principles, less specific than Benchmarks or Rating Systems.
Organization: The Danish Institute for Human Rights

The Attributes and Framework for Sustainable Infrastructure contributes to developing a shared understanding of the key dimensions and attributes that together define sustainable infrastructure, based on the propositions that sustainability of infrastructure must consider the benefits and costs of investment over the entire lifecycle and that sustainability must be assessed across all relevant dimensions (economic / financial, environmental, social and institutional). The paper then sets out the detailed attributes that constitute the elements of each of these four dimensions.

Sector(s): Tools applicable to all sectors
Lifecycle Phase(s): Enabling EnvironmentConditions that enable the integration of sustainability practices (regulation, laws, frameworks etc.)., Strategic PlanningPublic authorities identify the needs and long-term vision for infrastructure development., PrioritizationAuthorities decide which projects to realize and how to allocate resources., Project PlanningGeneral strategy for a project’s delivery is developed., Concept DesignTechnical experts broadly outline the project’s basic characteristics., ProcurementThe provision of goods and services to realize a project are tendered and closed., FinanceDevelopers decide how to pay for their project.
Type(s) of Tool: PrinciplesSupport sustainability incorporation at institutional or strategic level, less specific than Guidelines.
Organization: Inter-American Development Bank IDB

IBNET supports the access to comparative information that will help to promote best practice among water supply and sanitation providers worldwide and eventually will provide consumers with access to high quality, and affordable water supply and sanitation services. The tool sets forth a common set of data definitions, a minimum set of cost and performance indicators, and provides software to allow easy data collection and calculation of the indicators, while it also provides resources to analyze data and present results. Users are encouraged to share their results with IBNET peers to enable information sharing, identification of best practices and benchmarking.

Sector(s): Water and Sanitation
Lifecycle Phase(s): Project PlanningGeneral strategy for a project’s delivery is developed.
Type(s) of Tool: Sustainability BenchmarksCompare the sustainability performance of assets or funds.
Organization: World Bank

The Adaptation Principles offer a guide to effective climate change adaptation, containing hands-on guidance to the design, implementation and monitoring of national adaptation strategies, showing that each country needs to tailor adaptation actions to its specific needs and priorities. To guide this process, the Adaptation Principles offer concrete and practical tools: Screening questions to identify the most urgent and effective actions, toolboxes illustrating common datasets and methodologies to support decisions, indicators to monitor and evaluate progress, and case studies on how the COVID-19 pandemic influences priorities in taking effective adaptation action.

Sector(s): Tools applicable to all sectors
Lifecycle Phase(s): Enabling EnvironmentConditions that enable the integration of sustainability practices (regulation, laws, frameworks etc.)., Strategic PlanningPublic authorities identify the needs and long-term vision for infrastructure development., PrioritizationAuthorities decide which projects to realize and how to allocate resources., Project PlanningGeneral strategy for a project’s delivery is developed., Concept DesignTechnical experts broadly outline the project’s basic characteristics., ProcurementThe provision of goods and services to realize a project are tendered and closed., FinanceDevelopers decide how to pay for their project., Detailed DesignTechnical experts further elaborate the Concept Design., ConstructionThe asset is constructed in line with design, budget and timeline., Operation and MaintenanceInfrastructure assets are managed and maintained during their use time., Decomissioning/RepurposingObsolete infrastructure assets are repurposed, recycled or removed and the land is reused or restored.
Type(s) of Tool: GuidelinesOperationalize sustainability principles, less specific than Benchmarks or Rating Systems., PrinciplesSupport sustainability incorporation at institutional or strategic level, less specific than Guidelines.
Organization: World Bank

ThinkHazard! is a web-based tool to analyze the risks of natural hazards (floods, wildfires, earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, water scarcity, extreme heat, tsunamis and cyclones) at national, regional and local level for all countries around the world. The tool provides a simple overview of different hazard levels for any given area and delivers recommendations and guidance for adaptation and safety, including for project design and planning. ThinkHazard! also highlights how each hazard may change in the future as a result of climate change.

Sector(s): Tools applicable to all sectors
Lifecycle Phase(s): Strategic PlanningPublic authorities identify the needs and long-term vision for infrastructure development., PrioritizationAuthorities decide which projects to realize and how to allocate resources., Project PlanningGeneral strategy for a project’s delivery is developed., Concept DesignTechnical experts broadly outline the project’s basic characteristics., ProcurementThe provision of goods and services to realize a project are tendered and closed., FinanceDevelopers decide how to pay for their project., Detailed DesignTechnical experts further elaborate the Concept Design., ConstructionThe asset is constructed in line with design, budget and timeline., Operation and MaintenanceInfrastructure assets are managed and maintained during their use time.
Type(s) of Tool: Modelling ToolsSimulate economic, social, and physical systems to help planners optimize outcomes from different decisions.
Organization: Global Facility for Disaster Reductions and Recovery

The International Good Practice Principles for Sustainable Infrastructure provide globally applicable guidance on the integration of sustainability throughout the entire infrastructure lifecycle, focussing on the “upstream” project level. They help high-level policy- and decision-makers in governments create the enabling environment for sustainable infrastructure that is needed to achieve the SDGs and the Paris Climate Agreement. The ten principles emphasize the importance of infrastructure approaches that respond to service needs and demands, address sustainability the earliest possible in the planning process, integrate all aspects of sustainability as well as relevant governance frameworks and different infrastructure systems and sectors across time and space.

Sector(s): Tools applicable to all sectors
Lifecycle Phase(s): Enabling EnvironmentConditions that enable the integration of sustainability practices (regulation, laws, frameworks etc.)., Strategic PlanningPublic authorities identify the needs and long-term vision for infrastructure development., PrioritizationAuthorities decide which projects to realize and how to allocate resources., Project PlanningGeneral strategy for a project’s delivery is developed., Concept DesignTechnical experts broadly outline the project’s basic characteristics., ProcurementThe provision of goods and services to realize a project are tendered and closed., FinanceDevelopers decide how to pay for their project., Detailed DesignTechnical experts further elaborate the Concept Design., ConstructionThe asset is constructed in line with design, budget and timeline., Operation and MaintenanceInfrastructure assets are managed and maintained during their use time., Decomissioning/RepurposingObsolete infrastructure assets are repurposed, recycled or removed and the land is reused or restored.
Type(s) of Tool: PrinciplesSupport sustainability incorporation at institutional or strategic level, less specific than Guidelines.
Organization: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
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