During the first phase of implementation of a PEI programme, the core of the PEI programme is to influence and mainstream environment into policy processes, at national, sector and local level.

In practice, this means performing integrated policy assessments on the inclusion of environment sustainability into the policies (such as Strategic Environment Assessments), raising-awareness, identifying priorities and objectives, and mainstreaming environment into the policy documents.
A number of reviews, methodologies, tools and examples from countries can be used as reference.

Reviews and introductory documents

• Environment in Poverty Reduction Strategies and Poverty Reduction Support Credits, Jan Bojö, Kenneth Green, Sunanda Kishore, Sumith Pilapitiya, Rama Chandra Reddy, Paper No. 102, World Bank, November 2004
• Poverty Reduction Strategies and the Millennium Development Goal on Environmental Sustainability: Opportunities for Alignment, Environmental Economics Series, Paper No. 92, Jan Bojö, Rama Chandra Reddy, World Bank, September 2003
• Environmental Health Issues in Poverty Reduction Strategies: A Review, Environment Strategy Papers No. 12, Sunanda Kishore, World Bank, September 2006
• Strategic Environmental Assessment: A Sourcebook and Reference Guide Based on International Experience, Barry Dalal-Clayton and Barry Sadler, IIED, 2004
• Integrating the Rio Convention into Development Co-operation, OECD, 2002

Methodologies and tools

• Applying Strategic Environmental Assessment, Good Practice Guidance for Development Co-operation, DAC Guidelines and Reference Series, OECD, 2006 [English], [French]
• Strategic Environmental Assessment Toolkit, World Bank   
• Integrating Sustainable Consumption and Production into Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers, UNEP, Wuppertal Institute, 2006
• Integrating the Environment into the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers, A methodology for evaluating a country’s perception of its performance, Anantha K. Duraiappah and Pumulo Roddy, IISD, June 2005
• Developing and Testing a PRSP Evaluation Methodology, Pradeep Tharakan, Mia MacDonald, WWF, November 2004
• Making Mainstreaming Work: An Analytical Framework, Guidelines and Checklist for the Mainstreaming of Marine and Coastal Issues into National Planning and Budgetary Processes, John Soussan, Stockholm Environment Institute, 2007

Examples from countries

• Guidelines for Mainstreaming Environment in the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy, UNDP-UNEP PEI, Republic of Rwanda, 2007
• Analyse de l’intégration de l’environnement dans les Politiques Publiques en Mauritanie, Ministère délégué a l’environnement (RIM), UNDP, UNEP, 2007
• Environment at the Heart of Tanzania’s Development: Lessons from Tanzania's National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty – MKUKUTA”, IIED, 2007
• Review of the Existing Poverty Reduction Policies, Plans, Programmes and Projects for their Adequacy in Addressing Environmental Concerns, Uganda National Environmental Management Authority, Sustainable Development Centre, 2005
• Integrating Sustainability into PRSPs: The Case of Uganda, DFID, 2000
• Uganda: Guidelines for Mainstreaming Environment and Natural Resources Issues in the Poverty Eradication Action Plan, Ministry of Lands, Water and Environment, 2003