The UNDP-UNEP Poverty-Environment Facility (PEF) has developed a booklet offering guidance for country officials and development practitioners for mainstreaming environment.

The Guidance Note on Mainstreaming Environment into National Development Planning is part of the UNDP-UNEP Poverty-Environment Facility’s knowledge management programme that supports the UNDP-UNEP Poverty-Environment Initiative (PEI). The guidance is designed for PEI country-level environmental mainstreaming programmes and for the effective integration of environment into the MDG Support Initiative. The document aims to:

• Share experience with governments and development partners, as well as the wider stakeholder community, on what is involved in launching and sustaining a country-level environmental mainstreaming programme;
• Highlight some general success factors and challenges based on current experience; and
• Explain the common steps in the process and outline the tasks typically involved and what tools might be applied.

The Guidance Note presents the programmatic approach of the PEI, explaining the three phases of environmental mainstreaming and offering practical advice for each phase. Indicators of successful environmental mainstreaming are also provided in the document to assist practitioners in monitoring their progress towards environmental mainstreaming.