While significant development progress has been achieved over the past two decades, with almost 650 million people moving out of extreme poverty in developing countries between 1990 and 2008, nearly 1.3 billion women, men and children have been left behind living on less than US$1.25 per day. Even greater numbers suffer other forms of poverty and deprivation, and inequality both within and across countries has increased. Looking ahead, the challenge of overcoming poverty and inequality will be greatly compounded by ecosystem degradation, climate change and economic disruption, which disproportionately impact the poor and most vulnerable. These increasingly interlinked crises threaten hard-won development gains and prospects for continued progress. While calls for action have multiplied, the world’s collective response has fallen far short of what is needed.

This joint Poverty-Environment Partnership paper aims to stimulate a dialogue among developing country policymakers, development partners and other stakeholders on how best to support country-led efforts to build inclusive green economies.

Download the paper (PDF)

Examples of the green economy in practice show great potential for delivering a “triple bottom line” of job–creating economic growth coupled with environmental protection and social inclusion. However, there are significant barriers to realizing this potential on a large scale. To build an inclusive green economy that is equitable and sustainable will require carefully designed policies and targeted investments that enable low and middle-income countries and the poor to contribute to and benefit from the transition.

Of particular importance is the need for governance and policy reforms that extend to poor people secure rights over the environmental assets that underpin their livelihoods and well-being, and that ensure a greater voice in decisions affecting how these assets are managed. At the same time, policies and measures such as green protectionism and aid conditionality that could adversely impact low and middle-income countries and people living in poverty must be avoided if the benefits of an inclusive green economy are to be realized.

- From the foreword of "Building an Inclusive Green Economy for All: Opportunities and Challenges for Overcoming Poverty and Inequality," a Poverty-Environment Partnership joint paper

The Seventeenth Poverty Environment Partnership Meeting (PEP 17) was held in Orchha, India on 6 to 9 February 2012. The theme for the meeting was Green Economy for Poverty Reduction: Innovation and Scale.

• Meeting Summary (new!)
• Meeting Minutes (new!)
• Meeting Presentations
• Final Agenda (DOC)
• Registration Form (DOC)

Photos from the meeting:

To prepare for PEP 15, this ‘mapping’ exercise aims to survey what environmental mainstreaming (EM) activities are being undertaken or being planned by PEP members, to facilitate exchange information, ideas and experiences.

The results of the survey will also help to identify possible sources of information and materials for the development of a “Sourcebook on EM” being prepared collaboratively by IIED, UNDP-UNEP PEI, the CBD Secretariat, AusAID, and potentially a number of other PEP members.

Download the survey report (275 KB, PDF)

The impacts of climate change are felt around the world and the least developed countries are often the worst affected. There is today a broad acceptance of the need to reduce global CO2 emissions and to increase resilience to climate change. The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Sida, is one of many agencies that seek to strengthen its capacity to respond to climate change challenges. Sida’s point of departure is to include climate change as part of competence development on environment as well as integrating climate change in tools and analysis for environmentally sustainable development. Sida views climate change as a sustainable development issue along with other environmental dimensions of sustainable development.

The report "Strengthening the capacity of donor agency staff to face the climate change challenge within the framework of environmentally sustainable development - mapping of donor agency training initiatives on climate change" focuses on strengthening staff capacity to deal with climate change and builds on a survey of a number of donor agencies training activities. The objective of the study was firstly to identify opportunities for sharing of training materials and exchanging experiences and the secondly to look for opportunities for joint training sessions. A questionnaire was sent out to eleven agencies. Respondents were also asked to share evaluations, training material and useful links and to report as fully as their time allowed. The report starts with a brief introduction to training events and how they fit within a broader framework to increase capacity for addressing climate change. It is followed by a summary of the answers to the questionnaire including examples of lessons learned. The report ends with a summary of observations from the survey and reflections on the opportunities for increased cooperation in line with the Paris declaration. Finally, several useful documents and websites are found in annex II.

Strengthening the Capacity

This Poverty Environment Partnership (PEP) report is dedicated to the increasingly popular topic of 'Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation' (REDD). Making REDD Work for the Poor outlines how the design of REDD could infuence its poverty implications and the key requirements for ensuring that REDD works for the poor.

Download the report
http://www.iucn.org

How can you make the economic case for better management of environment and natural resources in poverty reduction strategies and other national planning documents?

This important question is addressed in the new OECD working paper “Greening development planning - A Review of Country Case Studies for Making the Economic Case for Improved Management of Environment and Natural Resources”.

Approaches from five countries are reviewed (Lao People's Democratic Republic, Mozambique, Peru, Tajikistan and Uganda). By involving policy makers in the process of making the country reports, and focusing on environmental and natural resources issues in function of their links with prioritised objectives like economic growth, poverty reduction and public health, the chances to influence policy making have been enhanced. Drawing from the review of these country case studies as well as literature on public policy, this report provides recommendations for governments wishing to undertake an economic analysis of the environment and natural resources management for planning purposes, and for OECD members interested in supporting the process.

This report is one in a series prepared for the Task Team on Governance and Capacity Development for Natural Resources and Environmental Management under the OECD Environment Policy and Development Assistance Committees. The project aims to update OECD guidelines for capacity development for environment and provide guidance on selected topics. The report has been produced by a team from the Swedish International Development cooperation Agency, the
Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and the University of Gothenburg.

Download the report (612 KB, PDF)

Related documents:

Lao PDR Case Study

• Lao Biodiversity Economic Assessment (PDF)
  
• Lao PDR - Biodiversity and Poverty Reduction (PDF)
  
• LMPA Lao PDR - Protected Area Development Linkages (PDF)
  

Mozambique Case Study

• An Economic Analysis of Natural Resources Sustainability in Mozambique (pdf)
• Mozambique Country Economic Memorandum Background paper on mining (PDF)
• An Economic Evaluation of Forestry Regulation in Mozambique (PDF)
• An Economic Analysis of Natural Resources Sustainability in Mozambique Fisheries (PDF)
• An Economic Analysis of Natural Resources in Mozambique: Rural Land Issues and Policies (PDF)
• Economic Analysis of Natural Resources in Mozambique: Water Resources (PDF)
• Mozambique - Country economic memorandum : sustaining growth and reducing poverty (World Bank site)

Peru Case Study

• Republic of Peru environmental sustainability: a key to poverty reduction in Peru (World Bank site)

Tajikistan Case Study

• Making Pro-poor Growth in Tajikistan Sustainable (PDF)

Uganda Case Study

• The role of environment in increasing growth and reducing poverty in Uganda (PDF)
• The role of environment in increasing growth and reducing poverty in Uganda: Summary Report (PDF)