1) SCOPE OF THE SIA REPORT
The Social Impact Assessment (SIA) covers the characteristics and conditions of the people living in the areas that will be directly or indirectly affected by the NNHP 1 Project, as determined in the EIA. The communities that will be affected are described, including details of population, socioeconomic conditions, assessment of livelihoods, and cultural practices. The possible impacts of the project on these social, economic, and cultural conditions and practices are then evaluated, with mitigation measures suggested for each type of impact. The suggested mitigation measures are based on the relevant laws, regulations, and guidelines of the Lao PDR, and on the safeguard policies of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank (WB).
The social, economic, and cultural programs to implement the mitigation measures are presented in the RAP, for all those measures that require compensation whether in kind or in cash, and in the SDP for all other measures. Project affected persons who are from ethnic minorities are all among those being resettled or otherwise receiving compensation. For this reason, the Ethnic Minority Development Plan, which covers issues specific to the needs or cultural practices of the ethnic minorities, is included in the RAP.