Data Privacy & Information
Protection Statement

The Eswatini Environment Authority (EEA) is the national environmental regulator established under the Environment Management Act, 2002 with mandates including environmental protection, pollution control, climate change management, biodiversity conservation, compliance monitoring, environmental impact assessment (EIA) administration, and coordination of multilateral environmental agreements.

In fulfilling these mandates, EEA collects and processes information from regulated entities, communities, consultants, stakeholders, and the general public. The EEA is committed to ensuring that personal and environmental data is handled responsibly, transparently, and securely, in accordance with the Data Protection Act, 2022.

This policy outlines how the EEA manages all personal and environmental information required to fulfil its regulatory, monitoring, enforcement, advisory, and coordination functions as defined in national law. Protecting the privacy, confidentiality and security of your personal information is very important to us — it is critical for us to maintain your trust and act in the right way to meet your needs.

This policy applies to:

• All EEA functions, directorates and units.
• All information collected during EIAs, compliance audits, inspections, stakeholder engagements, climate and pollution monitoring, biodiversity programmes, licensing processes, and environmental fund administration.
• All staff, contractors, consultants, and service providers working with the EEA.

EEA collects personal information only where necessary for regulatory, operational or administrative purposes. This may include:

• Identification information (names, PINs, IDs).
• Contact details.
• Professional credentials (EIA practitioners, consultants).
• Stakeholder submissions during public participation processes.
• Financial information.
• Compliance records of individuals involved in regulated operations.

Collected as part of EEA's statutory functions under the EMA and other environmental legislation:

• Environmental Impact Assessment data and reports.
• Pollution monitoring data (water, air, land).
• Climate change data, emissions reports and resilience information.
• Biodiversity and biosafety assessments, including GMO handling data.
• Hazardous waste and chemicals management records.
• Spatial, GIS and environmental mapping information.
• Information from inspections and law enforcement actions.
• Laboratory test results (air, water, soil, pollution, chemicals).
• Data generated from digital monitoring tools, WMIS, EDMS, e-licensing systems and project management systems.

• Public comments during EIAs.
• Feedback from Tinkhundla consultations and municipal engagements.
• Information submitted during environmental education and awareness programmes.
• Public consultation meetings and workshops.

Data is obtained through:

• Direct submissions (applications, permits, complaints, EIA reports).
• Field inspections and monitoring visits.
• Laboratory analysis and environmental sampling.
• Digital platforms (EDMS, GIS systems, web applications, WMIS, "Government in Your Hand" systems).
• Stakeholder consultations and public meetings.
• Third-party sources such as municipalities, ministries, research institutions and law enforcement.

Data processing is carried out under:

• Environment Management Act, 2002.
• EIA Regulations 2022, Waste Regulations, Air & Water Pollution Regulations.
• Biosafety Act & Nagoya Protocol obligations.
• Data Protection Act, 2022.
• EEA's statutory functions in environmental monitoring, compliance enforcement, public awareness, environmental standards, biodiversity management and waste management.

• Administering EIAs, permits and environmental authorizations.
• Conducting inspections, compliance audits and enforcement.
• Identifying pollution sources and issuing corrective actions.
• Waste management authorizations.
• Environmental monitoring (air, water, land, climate, biodiversity).

• Supporting national obligations under MEAs such as UNFCCC, CBD, Stockholm, Basel, Rotterdam.
• Compiling State of Environment Reports.
• Climate change adaptation, emissions tracking and resilience planning.

• Assessing funding proposals.
• Monitoring performance of funded projects.
• Ensuring transparent and accountable fund management.

• Conducting environmental education, advocacy and community outreach.
• Facilitating meaningful public participation in EIA processes.

• Digital transformation and automation of processes.
• Risk management and performance monitoring.
• Staff and stakeholder administration.
• Financial administration.

EEA may share information with:

• Government ministries, municipalities and regulators involved in environmental management.
• Royal Eswatini Police Service and DPP for environmental crime enforcement.
• International environmental bodies for MEA reporting.
• Parties involved in transboundary movement of waste, genetically modified organisms, and HCFCs.
• Laboratories, auditors and consultants performing work for the EEA.
• Communities and the public where required by law (e.g. EIA disclosures).
• Environment Fund Board of Trustees and donors.

EEA implements administrative, physical and technological safeguards including:

Retention follows legal, regulatory and operational requirements, including:

• Minimum retention aligned with environmental legislation, national guidelines and EEA policies.
• Longer retention for compliance, climate data, biodiversity records, and long-term monitoring datasets essential for national reporting (e.g. SOER, SDG indicators, NDCs).

In accordance with the Data Protection Act, individuals have the right to:

Certain environmental data such as pollution readings, emissions reports, SOER data, and EIA summaries may be published to advance public transparency, scientific research, and national policy development, in line with EEA's mandate.

Where EEA uses websites, environmental data portals, mobile reporting applications, or environmental mapping dashboards, cookies or analytics tools may be used to improve user experience. This includes:

• Websites and web-based portals.
• Environmental data and mapping dashboards.
• Mobile reporting applications.

Any personal data collected digitally complies with the Data Protection Act, 2022.

Service providers must comply with EEA's data protection standards and may be required to sign confidentiality or data processing agreements, especially when handling:

• Laboratory samples.
• Digital systems and platforms.
• Environmental monitoring equipment.
• EIA reviews.
• Training and research partnerships.

When you engage with us through our social media accounts, your personal information may be processed by the social media platform owner. This process is outside our control and the processing activities may be in a country outside of your home country that may have different data protection laws. For more information about the privacy practices of a social media platform, please refer to the terms and conditions of that platform before sharing any personal information.

EEA may update this policy in line with:

• New environmental laws or regulations.
• Updates to the Data Protection Act.
• Institutional reforms.
• Technological advancements in monitoring and compliance.
• MEA updates.

For questions, complaints, or requests regarding personal or environmental information, contact: