The preparation phase of a PEI programme aims at “making the case” on the basis of the contribution of natural resources to poverty reduction and growth.

The initial steps entails preliminary assessments of the policy and poverty-environment context and are focused on identifying the key poverty-environment linkages and their importance for pro-poor growth as well as the relevant governance and institutional factors that affect policy and planning decision-making.

A number of reviews, methodologies, tools and examples from countries can be used as reference.

Reviews and introductory documents

• Country-Level Environmental Analysis (CEA) and Institutional Assessment: A Review of International and World Bank Tools, Environment Strategy Papers Nr. 11, Poonam Pillai and Leiv Lunde, World Bank, February 2006
• Country-Level Environmental Analysis: A Review of International Experience, Environment Strategy Papers Nr. 8, Lisa Segnestam, Åsa Persson, Måns Nilsson, Anders Arvidsson, Ede Ijjasz, World Bank, July 2003
• Poverty-Environment-Gender Linkages, OECD, 2001 [English], [French]
• Poverty and Environment: Understanding Linkages at the Household Level, Environment Department, World Bank, June 2007

Methodologies and tools

• Contribution of the environment and natural resources to pro-poor growth: a checklist examining these issues within a poverty reduction strategy, DFID, 2004
• UNEP Country Environmental Profile Information System
• FAO Country Profiles and Mapping Information System
• World Bank Country Environment Factsheets
• WRI EarthTrends - The Environmental Information Portal – Country profiles

Examples from countries

• Environment and Poverty Reduction in Rwanda - An assessment, PEI Rwanda, 2006
• Poverty-environment-energy linkages in Rwanda - Policy brief, UNEP, Sustainable Energy Africa, 2006