February 2012

6-9 February 2012
PEI attends 17th Poverty Environment Partnership Meeting (PEP 17), Orchha/India
The 17th Poverty Environment Partnership Meeting was hosted by Development Alternatives with 60 participants representing over 30 organisations including representatives of developing countries from India, Bhutan, Botswana, Nepal, Indonesia, Rwanda and Uruguay, bilateral development agencies (Denmark, Finland, Germany, Netherlands, Japan and Sweden); multilaterals (ADB, UNDP, UNEP), think-tanks and NGOs from India and elsewhere (IIED, TNC, WRI, WWF) and representatives from business (WBCSD).   Participants discussed Green Economy for Poverty Reduction in practice with a focus on innovation and scale and country examples from India, Bhutan, Botswana, Nepal, Indonesia, Rwanda and Uruguay. [Read more]

17 February 2011
National workshop discusses study results of economic valuation of ecosytem services for sustainable land use in Lao PDR
The National Economic Research Institute (NERI) presented findings from a study on the economic valuation of ecosystem services for sustainable land use at a national policy workshop.The study demonstrates that commercial agriculture plantations such as maize and rubber have the capacity to alleviate poverty in the short term, but without necessary environmental safeguards in place, land resources are exposed to environmental risks, including the loss of ecosystem services. By comparison, the traditional land uses that were studied like upland rice farming and non-timber forest products collection are largely sustainable practices for now but unable to contribute towards alleviating the poverty of rural households. Participants from the ministries of Planning and Investment, Natural Resources and Environment and Agriculture and forestry joined representatives from the National assembly and Oudomxay province to discuss possible policy changes. [Read more]

December 2011

Nepal publishes first ever Climate Public Expenditure and Institutional Review
The Government of Nepal with support from PEI conducted a first ever Climate Public Expenditure and Institutional Review. The review's results feed into Nepal's efforts to develop new ways for financing climate change challenges. [Report]

12-15 December 2011
PEI shares experiences and lessons learnt at Annual Sub-Global Assessment Network Meeting, Bilbao/Spain
PEI shared experiences of supporting sub-national assessments (SGAs) in Guatemala, Mali, Mauritania, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Thailand, with particular emphasis on SGA outcomes informing development planning processes at sub-national and national levels.  Key meeting outcomes included, among others, recognition on the role of economic valuation tools and uptake of SGA outcomes into economic development planning, role and priority functions of the SGA network and its potential contribution towards forthcoming Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. [SGA Network]

November 2011

UNDP-UNEP Poverty-Environment Initiative releases Annual Progress Report 2010
The Annual Progress Report 2010 covers the contineous impact that PEI country programmes have had over the past several years and the progress made in expanding, operationalising and implementing the UNDP-UNEP Poverty-Environment Initiative. The Report presents an overview of progress made at country, regional and global level, details the collaboration between the two host organizations on poverty-environment mainstreaming, looks at opportunities and challenges and reflects the increased focus on good practices and improvements on monitoring and evaluation. [Report] [Executive Summary]

New review released of mainstreaming environment in Malawi’s development
The International Institute for Environment and Development released a new publication, produced by leading Malawian thinkers, which explores several case studies of experience in environmental mainstreaming. It looks not only at top-down planning and coherence but also much bottom-up action; notably, local authority and business partnerships that unleash community management potentials. Where economics is the main language of policy and business, it shows how economic analysis of poverty-environment links has been influential in planning, budgeting and executive decision-making. [Read more]

15-18 November 2011
PEI supports capacity training for African Environmental Journalists
 The African Network of Environment Journalists (ANEJ) and PEI Burkina Faso jointly held a three-day regional capacity building workshop including field visits for ANEJ environment journalists from Mali, Kenya, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Uganda and local counterparts in Burkina Faso. The overall objective of the workshop was to increase coverage of poverty and environmental issues in African media to enhance the capacity of journalists on effective reporting of poverty and environment-related issues. The workshop was opened by Professor Jean Coulidiaty, Minister for Environment of Burkina Faso. [Website]

14 November 2011
PEI Bhutan launches its 2nd Public Environmental Expenditure Review Report
The Royal Government of Bhutan launched its second Public Environmental Expenditure Review Report during a side event of a Regional Climate Summit held in Thimphu, represented by HRH Princes Euphelma Wangchuck. The review covers the two financial years of 10th Plan (2008/09 & 2009/10) and was undertaken as part of the PEI-Danida Joint Support Programme Initiative.  The report reviews public expenditure on environment and natural resources sector, encompassing expenditure incurred by the Ministries and its Departments, Autonomous agencies, local government (districts & blocks). The findings reveal, inter alia, that about 6% of public expenditure is met towards achieving environment related policy objectives of the Royal Government of Bhutan. Other findings include a decrease in expenditure on soil conservation and land management; a modest increase on climate change initiatives; and a substantial increase on environment mainstreaming initiatives within the two fiscal years. [Press release] [Report]

PEI supports Uruguay to recycle waste into livelihoods
22% of Montevideo’s citizens live below the poverty line, and one third of these households are located in irregular settlements. Around 30,000 people participate in an informal recycling sector, gathering trash from the landfill or from the street, separating it, and selling it in the informal market, exposed to serious health and environmental problems. UNDP and UNEP worked with the national and municipal government to develop a pilot plan to bring these informal workers into the formal sector and create a social safety net. One result was the creation of a 21-member cooperative recycling programme which enabled informal recyclers to become part of the formal recycling sector, creating access to social protection, improved salaries and training on hygienic ways of dealing with waste and marketing. [Read more]

2 November 2011
UNDP Human Development Report 2011 on "Sustainability and Equity: A Better Future for All" released
The 2011 Human Development Report argues that the urgent global challenges of sustainability and equity must be addressed together – and identifies policies on the national and global level that could spur mutually reinforcing progress towards these interlinked goals. The Report outlines great potential for positive synergies in the quest for greater equality and sustainability, especially at the national level and concludes with a call for new approaches to global development financing and environmental controls, arguing that these measures are both essential and feasible. Examples of successfull cooperation of Governments with the Poverty-Environment Initiative in Rwanda and Malawi are highlighted in the Report as positive ways to tackle the challenges of environmental sustainability and equity. [Read more] [Report]

October 2011

24-28 Oct 2011
Study visit: Mozambique and Malawi delegations learn from PEI Rwanda
Both Malawi and Mozambique delegations visited PEI Rwanda for a week long study visit to learn from Rwanda’s successful approaches to mainstreaming poverty-environment; progress on implementing environmental fiscal reform and sector mainstreaming. Discussion panels with government planners from various ministries were complemented by a field visit to a local village with model character for a sustainable rural life.
[Programme]

17-21 October 2011
Study visit - PEI Mali delegation learns from greening Ghana's Poverty Reduction Strategy process
PEI Mali is currently supporting the Government of Mali in revising the country's Poverty Reduction Strategy by making it environmentally sustainable. Ghana’s example of designing and successfully implementing a sound and 'green and sustainable' Poverty Reduction Strategy and associated policies is widely recognized. A One-week study visit to Ghana served the purpose of familiarize the Mali delegation with proven successful operational and programmatic approaches, methods and tools how to design and implement a 'green' Poverty Reduction Strategy and related policies and legislation. [Programme]

10-11 Oct 2011
UNEP Workshop on Valuation of Ecosystem Services in Practice: Lessons Learned from Africa and Asia
UNEP's Ecosystem Services Economics team organized a technical workshop reviewing and discussing recent experiences and challenges of valuation exercises of ecosystem services in Africa and Asia. Delegations from Thailand and Lao presented findings of their on-going ecosystem valuation studies, conducted as part of Poverty-Environment Initiative country programmes. [Programme] [Press article]

3-7 October
Study visit - PEI Burkina Faso delegation learns from Mauritius' mainstreaming experiences
A high-level delegation from Burkina Faso met with a broad range of stakeholders, including numerous government officials and private sector, in Mauritius as part of a one-week study tour. Mauritius is one of the most successful African countries in integrating environmental sustainability into national policy planning and processes and across sectors.  The objective of the study tour was to study Mauritius' successful practices and innovations in implementing environmental policies, with a focus on sustainable investment policies and integration of poverty-environment issues in sub-national and sector planning processes. [Programme] [Photo 1] [Photo 2] [Photo 3]

PEI in cooperation with World Resources Institute releases new Primer on 'Enabling local success: Mainstreaming Local Ecosystem-Based Solutions to Poverty-Environment Challenges'
The new Primer features current knowledge and illustrative case materials on the benefits of and enabling conditions for local ecosystem-based initiatives. It documents how nature-focused activities and enterprises developed and implemented by local actors can sustain ecosystems and improve the livelihoods and well-being of the rural poor. The primer is designed to help mainstreaming practitioners and others engaged in the mainstreaming challenge communicate to policy makers the positive poverty and environmental outcomes that can result at the local level when environmental mainstreaming efforts at the national and sectoral levels succeed. [Primer]

September 2011

24 September 2011
Bangladesh holds Climate Change Expenditure Policy Dialogue
The Government of Bangladesh, with support from PEI, brought together a broad stakeholder coalition of government representatives, civil society, climate change expertise, finance expertise and other key actors to discuss the basic concept of Climate Change Expenditure, identify key components and scope, review existing and past practices and identify implication for Bangladesh. The output of the workshop will be used for implementing the forthcoming Climate Public Expenditure and Institutional Review and to prepare a comprehensive climate fiscal framework for Bangladesh. [Summary Report]

21-23 September 2011
PEI Europe & CIS presents lessons learnt at the 7th Ministerial Conference ‘Environment for Europe’, Astana/ Kazakhstan
The PEI Europe & CIS team presented experiences and lessons learnt from its programme countries Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan in form of a side event on “How people live in harmony (or not) with the environment and natural resources also plays a role in addressing social exclusion and reducing poverty”. The event featured, inter alia, a 5 min video about the Poverty-Environment Programme in Tajikistan, life discussions with Tajik women and was well received. High-level country and UN representatives introduced the event, including the Director of the State Agency on Environmental Protection and Forestry/Kyrgyz Republic. The side event is documented through a blog, including 3 short interviews with UN officials on ‘Why is it important to link poverty, economic growth and environment’.
[Blog] [Flyer] [Video]

PEI Asia's regional annual meeting to discuss lessons learned and best practices
The PEI in Asia-Pacific brought together over 50 senior government representatives and development partners from a number of countries in the region including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Philippines, Lao PDR and Thailand to review lessons learned and experiences of institutionalising pro-poor environment and climate mainstreaming into national planning and budgeting processes. The workshop took place in Hua Hin, Thailand. [Programme] [Workshop website]

7-8 Sep 2011
PEI Botswana holds Workshop on Green Economy, Gabarone/Botswana
The Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, the Ministry of Environment Wildlife and Tourism and PEI Botswana in collaboration with the International Institute for Environment and Development organised a Workshop on Green Economy. Participants discussed the linkages between the economy and environmental / natural resource management sectors such as agriculture, tourism, water and energy as well as the opportunities within the sectors to alleviate poverty through green jobs. Participants put together an initial 10-point vision of what a green economy in Botswana could entail. The workshop brought together key government officials, civil society organisations and private sector representatives. [Workshop website] [Workshop proceedings]

August 2011

New report on economic instruments for environmental conservation in Tanzania
The Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs/Tanzania and UNDP with funding from the Poverty-Environment Initiative released a new report on "Use of Economic Instruments to Promote Environmental Conservation in the United Republic of Tanzania".  The report reviews and assesses the current use of economic and financial instruments for environmental policy in Tanzania; sectors examined include waste management, water, energy, transport, wildlife and biodiversity protection, agriculture, forestry, fisheries, mining and manufacturing.  The report concludes that there would be numerous areas benefiting from further implementing environmental fiscal measures. Proposed actions include new legislation for product taxes and CO2 tax; a new Environmental Fund and green public procurement; introducing greening budgeting processes and cost covering user charges; greening commercial finance and introducing pollution charges/taxes. [Report]

July 2011

27 July 2011
Inception Workshop for new PEI Kyrgyzstan programme
An inception workshop to launch officially the new PEI programme in Kyrgyzstan was held in Bishkek. The workshop was attended by a broad range of stakeholders, including representatives of ministries and agencies, local self-governance bodies, non-governmental organizations, journalists and UN staff. The programme seeks to strengthen financial and technical support to the Government for better integration of environmental and poverty considerations into national, sectoral and local development plans and budgeting. The main implementing partners of PEI in Kyrgyzstan are the Office of the First Vice PM, Ministry of Economic Regulation, National Agency for Local Self-Governance Affairs and the State Agency on Environment Protection and Forestry. Two provinces, Naryn and Suusamyr, with the highest poverty level across the country, were selected as pilot areas for implementation and the current local development plans will provide a good basis for integration of environmental priorities and poverty issues.  More....

22 July 2011
UNDP-UNEP Joint PEI Management Board
The UNDP-UNEP Poverty-Environment Initiative held its annual one day joint management board meeting with high-level UNDP and UNEP representatives in New York to discuss joint programming and management issues. Agenda topics included, inter alia, the contribution of PEI to the Rio+20 process, and programming options beyond 2012.  

New economic analysis of Local Government investments in rural roads in Nepal
Roads are an important priority for local government bodies in Nepal as they enhance much needed local livelihoods in a highly mountainous and inaccessible country.  Since the early 1990s, the desire to establish road connections quickly resulted in increased use of unsustainable road construction approaches and methods. PEI Nepal helped the Government to conduct an economic analysis of the costs and benefits of alternative road construction approaches, including social and environmental concerns, and propose specific recommendations on sustainable rural road construction tailored to political decision-makers at central, district and village level. [Summary Report]

June 2011

29 June 2011
Inauguration of PEI supported village demonstration project by President of Rwanda
President Kakame inaugurated a PEI supported pilot village project in Rwanda's Gicumbi district.  The Rubaya demonstration project combines an integrated environmental management and poverty reduction approach and seeks to provide a practical model for local level development activities to improve incomes and diversify livelihoods options for the poor in the area.  Lessons of the demonstration project have been accumulated backed by local innovation and technologies. Activities included houses for 43 families using biogas (from animal and human waste), piped to the houses for cooking and lighting, rainwater harvesting from rooftops s purified for household consumption, a cow for every household, terraces and kitchen gardens for crop production as well as reservoirs to trap water for irrigation and prevention of soil erosion. A critical success factor for the success of the demonstration project  was the involvement of the poor beneficiaries in direct participation.  Decentralization is considered a core feature for improved local service delivery by the Rwandan government and effective local government structures are envisioned to play a critical role in the bottom-up planning and execution of development activities.  The government aims to promote this pilot village project as a successful and novel rural settlement scheme for Rwanda. [Project brief] [News Article]

24 June 2011
Launch of first United Nations Development Assistance Plan (UNDAP) for Tanzania
The UN in Tanzania signed the first ever UN UNDAP programme in June 2011. PEI Tanzania provided comprehensive technical support to the 'Tanzania UNDAP Working Groups on Economic Growth and Environment and Climate Change', which helped to successfully integrate environmental sustainability into the new Economic Growth working programme. PEI also worked closely and continuously with the UNEP Delivering as One Team  in Tanzania to ensure inputs. [Press release] [UNDAP]

May 2011

This new guide published by PEI provides practical, step-by-step guidance on how governments and other national actors can mainstream climate change adaptation into national development planning as part of broader mainstreaming efforts. The guide draws on substantial experience and lessons learned by the UNDP-UNEP Poverty-Environment Initiative in working with governments to integrate environmental management for pro-poor economic growth and development into national development planning and decision-making. [Guide]

14-24 May 2011
PEI cross-regional study visit: Rwanda delegation visits PEI Asian countries
The PEI successfully conducted its first ever cross-regional lessons learning exchange. A delegation from Rwanda, including government officials and UN PEI staff, visited three countries in Asia (Lao PDR, Nepal, Thailand) to learn from poverty-environment mainstreaming experiences while also presenting its own achievements. Government officials and national PEI teams exchanged lessons learnt focusing on local development planning; sustainably managing private and public investments and green budgeting processes. [Report] [Photos]

4-10 May 2011
Bilateral PEI Thai-Lao study tour on economic valuation of ecosystem services
PEI Lao PDR and PEI Thailand organized a first ever bilateral study tour discussing country experiences with economic valuation of environmental services. Lao's National Economic Research Institute in cooperation with PEI Lao is conducting research on economic valuation of ecosystem services from land use change, including the financial and environmental costs and benefits of four different land uses in Oudomxay Province. A similar project is being conducted by PEI Thailand in Nan province to assess the impacts of large-scale maize and rubber farming. Both teams exchanged experiences and reviewed methodologies and ways forward. A joint field visit to Nan province in Thailand complemented meetings with Thai government officials of the Ministry of Interior.  [Programme] [Press release] [Photo 2] [Photo 3]

18-19 May 2011
New National Investment Management Strategy for Lao PDR
Lao PDR's Ministry of Planning and Investment held a ‘Sustainable Investment Forum’ to discuss a new National Investment Strategy and Action Plan, developed with support from PEI. The strategy is designed to guide the promotion and selection of quality investments, and strengthening effectiveness and institutional coordination between all involved ministries in managing investments as well as maximizing returns to the national economy and societal well-being from investment decisions to ensure lasting positive economic, social and environment impacts. Highlights included private sector leaders discussing experiences and challenges in implementing best practices. The forum was well attended by a broad range of stakeholders including government officers from all relevant ministries, the private sector, NGOs and parliamentarians. The PEI primer on “Managing Private Investments in Natural Resources” was launched during the forum.  [Primer Managing Private Investment] [Press Release] [Photos]

April 2011

11 April 2011
Burkina Faso and PEI launch Green Economy Initiative
The Government of Burkina Faso and PEI held a joint workshop to officially launch a Green Economy Initiative for Burkina Faso on 11 April 2011 in Ouagadougou. The UNEP-sponsered Green Economy Initiative and PEI  in close cooperation with the Ministries of Finance, Economy and Environment initiated this new partnership in January 2011. Main objectives of the partnership include the 'greening ' of the economy to achieve poverty reduction in combination with sustainable natural resources management.  As part of the launch, PEI presented key findings of three economic studies examining the contribution of the environment and natural resources to the country's economy, with a special focus on the cotton and mining industry. Those key findings will be the basis for the development of a fully-fledged Green Economy programme in Burkina Faso. [TV News Clips 1] [TV News Clips 2]

28 April 2011
New UN Partnership Framework in Thailand well aligned with poverty-environment concerns
The UN Partnership Framework (UNPAF) 2012-16 for Thailand was signed by the Royal Thai Government and 19 UN agencies on 28 April 2011. The agreement guides the preparation and implementation of UN programmes in Thailand during the next five-year period. PEI support helped to closely align the UNPAF with the development strategies contained in the Royal Thai Government’s 11th National Economic and Social Development Plan (NESDP 2012-2016), of which ‘managing natural resources and the environment towards sustainability’ highlights the focus on issues with respect to the nexus between poverty and environment. [UNPAF] [Press release]

PEI Bhutan and UNCDF pilot new Climate Facility tackling vulnerability to climate change at local level
The United Nations Development Capital Development fund (UNCDF) has launched a new initiative in Bhutan called “Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility (LoCAL)”, which aims at helping communities respond to threats posed by global warming by providing top-up capital grants to pilot local governments. The grants are intended to enable communities to develop and invest in plans of action designed to mitigate the effects of climate change and natural disasters. The initiative will be piloted as part of the PEI Bhutan Joint Support Programme (PEI Phase II). LoCAL is a fusion of UNCDF’s expertise in local financing (investment, fiscal decentralization, public financial management, and procurement), and PEI’s experience in capacity building for climate and disaster resilience. [UNCDF LoCAL]

March 2011
New PEI country programme signed in Kyrgyzstan
A new PEI country programme has been signed for Kyrgyzstan. The programme runs from February 2011 to December 2013. The PEI programme will have a strong focus on P/E mainstreaming at district level. Two provinces were selected as pilot areas (Naryn province and Suusamyr aiyl okmotu). Lead agencies will be the Office of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Economic Regulation, the National Agency for Local Self-Government Affairs and the State Agency of Environment Protection and Forestry. The UNDP Kyrgyzstan Country Office organized a successful round table in November 2010 to discuss the PEI draft programme document with high-level participation of the Presidential Administration, concerned ministries, agencies and NGO representatives which helped to generate ample ownership of the country programme among pivotal stakeholders. More

Revised Poverty Reduction Strategy for Burkina Faso incorporates strong poverty-environment linkages
With strong technical support from the PEI Burkina Faso country team, the Government of Burkina Faso has released a revised Poverty Reduction Strategy (“Strategie de Croissance acceleree et de developpement durable 2011-2015”). Poverty-environmental principles have been successfully mainstreamed into all pillars of the revised PRSP and environment has been incorporated as cross-cutting issue development issue. [PRSP]

Ministry of Economy and Finance of Burkina Faso establishes new environment unit
The Ministry of Economy and Finance of Burkina Faso has released a new directive in March 2011 that calls for the inclusion and set up of an environment unit as part of the organizational structure of the Ministry. The PEI country team had successfully lobbied for this institutional change to improve understanding and awareness of environment-poverty linkages among policy-maker in charge of economic development and planning.

PEI Lao PDR releases series of policy briefs on private investment and poverty-environment indicators
The PEI Lao PDR team has developed a series of eight policy briefs aimed at political decision-makers and addressing issues surrounding private investments. Issues addressed range from joint development goals for sustainable growth, poverty-environment indicators for monitoring and evaluating sustainable growth goal to investments and women’s economic empowerment; economic, social and environmental impacts of investments in plantations and mining; and investments in biofuels, hydropower and in the forestry sector.  More....

February 2011

16-18 February 2011
PEI participates at 16th Poverty Environment Partnership Meeting (PEP 16), Vienna/Austria
The 16th Poverty Environment Partnership Meeting's overarching theme was "Supporting nationally owned Green Economies to achieve the MDGs and respond to climate change." The first day focused on economy and policy aspects of a Green Economy, including on approaches and tools to factor in the economics of ecosystems and biodiversity into development, the second day was dedicated to sharing knowledge and experiences concerning governance and institutional aspects. The last day offered an opportunity for exchange on policy and implementation processes at development agency level. More...

January 2011

New Poverty-Environment Indicators report for Kenya released
The report takes stock of the national monitoring and evaluation system including different levels of reporting and the links to MDGs indicators; analyses key issues in Kenya’s environment and natural resources sector and suggests a framework for poverty-environment linked monitoring within the context of national monitoring and evaluation of the development process. Some of those proposed indicators have been incorporated already in Kenya's Vision 2030 and first Mid-term Plan (2008-2012). [Report]

PEI Tajikistan publishes Training Handbook on poverty-environment mainstreaming
PEI Tajikistan has developed a Training Handbook on poverty-environment mainstreaming for district and local government officials and planners to guide the revision of district development plans. [Handbook]

Bhutan launches Help Desk services on environment-climate-poverty issues
The National Environment Commission together with the Gross National Happiness Commission with support from PEI Bhutan launched an inter-agency Help Desk comprising members from Department of Local Governance, Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, and Development partners. The help desk is intended to serve as a technical working group to assist and build capacity of sectors, local government, government officials, individuals involved in development programs and environmental issues to facilitate mainstreaming of environment-climate-poverty issues into the policies and plans. In partnership with AusAid and Griffith University, trainings were conducted to train members of the Help Desk service. [Concept Note]

December 2010
PEI Asia releases Discussion Note on Local Governance and Climate Change
The PEI Regional team Asia released a discussion note in 2010 based on findings of a regional workshop on “Local Government's role in environment, natural resource management and climate change (2009)”. It identifies ways in which local governments can address climate change, both at the policy level and on the ground and outlines approaches for national governments, development agencies and civil society institutions to improve the performance of local governments in addressing climate change. The note was produced jointly by PEI Asia-Pacific and the United Nations Capital Development Fund. [Discussion Note]

Positive internal evaluation of the PEI Uruguay's first programme year
In December 2010, UNDP conducted an internal performance evaluation of PEI Uruguay´s first programme year. The evaluation findings highlighted a number of positive impact-oriented results, including increased government allocation toward the thematic pilot area of the project (i.e. waste management, poverty and environment) and newly established solid dialogues and partnerships with strategically important ministries.

November 2010

22-28 Nov 2010
Francophone study visit: PEI Burkina Faso delegation visits Tunisia
The PEI national team of Burkina Faso spent a week in Tunisia learning from the country's advanced mainstreaming efforts and poverty reduction policies.
[Photo 1] [Photo 2]

8-11 November 2010
PEI Africa conducts Regional Economic Forum to discuss economic assessments and methodologies
The UNDP-UNEP Poverty and Environment Initiative is currently working in 10 countries in Africa  to integrate environmental sustainability in national development planning processes including poverty and growth plans and strategies as well as budgeting and monitoring processes. 
Since 2005, PEI has applied various economic assessment tools and methodologies including economic valuation, public expenditure reviews and reviews of the use of economic instruments to provide economic evidence of the contribution of environment and natural resources to growth and poverty reduction. 

This forum discussed and consolidated lessons learned from country experience and developed a consistent approach to the application of economic assessments and methodologies as part of PEI country programs in the region.

Read more: PEI Africa conducts Regional Economic Forum to discuss economic assessments and methodologies

3 November 2010
Regional workshop on exchanges of Asian Experiences with Environmental Fiscal Reforms, Bangkok/Thailand
The PEI Regional Programme Asia-Pacific in cooperation with the German Technical Cooperation Agency (GTZ) conducted a one-day introductory training workshop on environmental fiscal measures with government officials from Environment, Planning and Finance/Economic Ministries. Topics discussed included environmental taxes and benefit-sharing; managing environmental and social impacts of agricultural subidies; reforming taxes and subsidies; natural resource taxes at local government level; social and environmental impacts of investment fiscal incentives and charges; and managing diverse stakeholder interests and stakeholder opposition. [Agenda] [Report]

September 2010
September 2010
PEI Kenya - Policy Brief published on Achieving the MDGs and Vision 2030 through Sustainable Development
One of the major challenges facing Kenya today is the increasing environmental degradation which has huge, but un-quantified cost to the economy taking into account the country's heavy dependence on natural resources and ecosystem services for the majority of livelihoods. The Kenyan Government, through a consultative process, and in cooperation with the national PEI Kenya team, has developed and published a policy brief which addresses the question how improved environment and renewable natural resources management can form the basis of economic growth and poverty reduction policies for Kenya. The policy brief highlights major issues that need to be addressed to strengthen the understanding of the linkages between Environment and Natural Resources Management and economic growth and provides succint recommendations for policy-makers and practitioners. More...

28- 30 September 2010
Regional training on Environmental Fiscal Reform for Francophone PEI countries / Atelier sous regional sur la reforme fiscale environnementale, Ouagadougou/ Burkina Faso
The German Technical Cooperation Agency (GTZ) and PEI Africa conducted a three-day regional joint training on environmental fiscal reform for three francophone PEI countries (Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania). The participants consisted of government representatives from planning, finance and environment ministries. The training introduced the participants to the basic concepts of environmental fiscal reform and participants are expected to implement a first country-specific action plan in their respective countries. More...

16 September 2010
PEI Tajikistan and the Tajik Government hold Inception Workshop for new PEI Tajikistan programme
The PEI country programme in Tajikistan was officially signed in May 2010. The programme focuses on strengthening the institutional framework, planning and budgeting processes through improving implementation capacities as well as raising awareness on poverty and environment linkages. Special emphasis is given to the sub-national level. The Ministry for Economic Development and Trade acts as main coordinator of PEI activities in the country. An inception workshop to launch the Tajikistan PEI programme will take place in Dushanbe, on the 16th of September.  [Agenda] [Flyer - English; Russian]

14 September 2010
Presentation of key findings: Economics study on the cost of sustainable and unsustainable natural resources management in Malawi
The Ministry of Development Planning and Cooperation in Malawi in cooperation with PEI Malawi convened a national stakeholders consultative meeting in Lilongwe presenting the draft report on the economics study on the cost of sustainable and unsustainable natural resources management in Malawi. The meeting was attended by Government officials, academia, UN agencies, the civil society, representative from parliamentary committee on Agriculture and the media. The participants found the report to be useful in raising the profile of environment and natural resources issues in Malawi. A key message of the report finds that Malawi loses MK 26.6 billion (US$191 million) due to unsustainable natural resource use. This amount represents 5.3% of the GDP and is higher than the budgetary allocation to most sectors including health and education. The report will be offcially launched later this year but has sparked already a lot of debate in the local media. More...

August 2010
23-25 August 2010
High-Level workshop in Burkina Faso launches new PEI country programme and reviews results of preliminary studies
The Government of Burkina Faso and PEI officially launched the new PEI country programme on 23rd August with broad participation from government representatives and other stakeholders . The launch was accompanied by a presentation and discussion of a study concept for a comprehensive economic evaluation of the environment and natural resources in Burkina Faso which will be conducted in the coming months. In addition, a two-day workshop was held to review lessons learnt and key messages of a number of preliminary studies initiated by PEI, including the examination of major poverty-environment issues in the country and an analysis of the political and institutional context for P/E mainstreaming in Burkina. More...

July 2010
27 July 2010
PEI Bangladesh and the Government of Bangladesh hold Inception Workshop for new PEI Bangladesh programme
The PEI country programme for Bangladesh was officially signed in January 2010. The Government of Bangladesh, UNDP Bangladesh and the UNDP-UNEP Poverty-Environment Initiative organized an offical Inception Workshop for the new PEI programme. More....

New PEI programme launched in Burkina Faso
The Government of Burkina Faso and the PEI have signed the new PEI programme document end of July 2010. The PEI programme is scheduled to run for two years. Key national partners include the Ministry for Environment as well the Ministry for Commerce and Finance. Main objectives of the PEI programme include the creation and dissemination of specific knowledge on the linkages between Poverty and Environment; sucessfully mainstreaming poverty-environment linkages into the national development strategy ("Stratégie de Croissance Accélérée et de Développement Durable"), sectoral policies, planning processes at the local level and budgetary mechanisms; and the strengthening of national capacities for P/E mainstreaming for an effective implementation. More....

16 July 2010
PEI Thailand and Thai Government hold Inception Workshop for new PEI Thailand programme
The PEI country programme in Thailand was officially signed in March 2010. The programme will focus on strengthening the institutional framework and planning processes for public participation in environmental management with special emphasis on provincial and local levels; in facilitating benefit-sharing arrangements from ecosystem services; and in raising awareness and engaging the private sector to support pro-poor sustainable development.

Read more: PEI Thailand and Thai Government hold Inception Workshop for new PEI Thailand programme

PEI releases its Annual Progress Report 2009 entitled "Scaling up the UNDP-UNEP Poverty-Environment Initiative"
The Annual Progress report provides a comprehensive overview of PEI's activities and achievements to date at the country level and the progress in 2009 of the PEI Scale-up. The report highlights continuous lesson learning at country level, delivering on transformative targets, supporting the evolution of the PEI approach, living with climate change adaptation and measuring the longer-term impact of PEI. [Report]

June 2010
7 June – 2 July 2010
PEI supports international training course on 'Mainstreaming Poverty – Environment Linkages into Development Planning', Rehovot/Israel
The Weitz Center for Development Studies with support from the UNDP-UNEP Poverty-Environment Initiaive conducted an international training course on Mainstreaming Poverty – Environment Linkages into Development Planning. The course aimed at building capacity of professionals and decision-makers working in the fields of economic and community development, environmental management and poverty reduction, with practical experience in the field. PEI staff supported the training course with technical expertise, lectures and facilitation of training sessions and discussions.  [Course website] [PEI Lessons Learnt presentation]

23 – 24 June 2010
Annual meeting for Regional PEI community of practitioners for Asia-Pacific in Vientiane/Lao PDR
The regional PEI community of practitioners for Asia-Pacific held its annual meeting in Vientiane/Lao PDR. Government representatives involved in PEI and PEI regional and national staff discussed the opportunities and challenges of public and private investment strategies and policies for pro-poor environment benefits. They reviewed the progress of on-going PEI programmes and discuss related lessons learnt.

Read more: Annual meeting for Regional PEI community of practitioners for Asia-Pacific in Vientiane/Lao PDR

Economics Primer available in Spanish
The PEI Primer on "Making the economic case: A primer on the economic arguments for mainstreaming poverty-environment linkages into national development planning" (2009) has been released in Spanish, entitled: "Argumentos Económicos: Manual para presentar los argumentos económicos a favor de la integración de los vínculos entre pobreza y medio ambiente en los procesos de planificación de desarrollo". The primer provides guidance on presenting evidence about the economic, development and poverty reduction benefits of the environment to public sector decision-makers. [Primer]

May 2010
New PEI country programme launched in Tajikistan
The PEI country programme in Tajikistan was officially launched in May 2010. The first phase of the poverty-environment mainstreaming programme will run from May 2010 to December 2012. The Ministry for Economic Development and Trade will be coordinating the PE activieities for the Tajik Government. The programme's focus lies on strengthening the institutional framework and planning processes with special emphasis on district and sub-national levels and capacity-building activities for sub-national authorities to improve implementation capacities. More...

April 2010
27-30 April, 2010
PEI presents lessons learnt at Cairo Conference on Exploring win-win Strategies for Sustainable Local Development: A MENA Initiative on Poverty–Environment Mainstreaming
The German Hanns-Seidel Foundation has launched a new intiative entitled " Win-Win Initiative - A MENA Initiative on Poverty–Environment Mainstreaming". A regional conference celebrating the launch of the Initiative and bringing together governments, research and relevant stakeholders from the MENA region was held in Cairo/Egypt. PEI contributed to the conceptual review of the poverty-environment mainstreaming agenda and presented lessons learnt from its programme work.  [Win-Win Initiative] [Agenda] [PEI Presentation]

PEI releases videoclip featuring poverty-environment mainstreaming achievements in Rwanda
PEI, in cooperation with the Nairobi-based Cultural Video Foundation, produced a short documentary videoclip (8 min). showcasing the work of the PEI team on the ground in Rwanda. The videoclip features some of the major problems and challenges of poverty-environment related issues in Rwanda and highlights major achievements of the programme over the years. It introduces the people behind the day-today work of the Poverty-Environment Initiative in Rwanda and shows how they advocate for successful poverty-environment mainstreaming within the government system and beyond, April 2010.

Read more: PEI releases videoclip featuring poverty-environment mainstreaming achievements in Rwanda

March 2010
31 March 2010
New PEI country programme launched in Thailand
The PEI country programme in Thailand was officially launched in March 2010. The programme will focus on strengthening the institutional framework and planning processes for public participation in environmental management with special emphasis on provincial and local levels; in facilitating benefit-sharing arrangements from ecosystem services; and in raising awareness and engaging the private sector to support pro-poor sustainable development. More...

10-12 March 2010
PEI Bhutan and the Bhutanese Government hold Lessons Learning Workshop to review poverty-environment mainstreaming achievements
The PEI Bhutan team in close cooperation with the government of Bhutan conducted a successful lessons learnt workshop mid-March. The purpose of the workshop was to review the overall experiences of the first poverty-environment mainstreaming phase in Bhutan and to discuss in particular the lessons learnt of PEI Phase I. A special focus of the discussions was the review of sector-related achievements of pe mainstreaming. A short video showcasing the workshop topics has been released as well by PEI Bhutan.   [Agenda] [Workshop Report] [Background review] [Video]

1-5 March 2010
PEI participates in and contributes to 15th Poverty-Environment Partnership Meeting
The 15th Poverty-Environment Partnership Meeting took place in Lilongwe, Malawi. The meeting was co-organised by the United Nations, DFID, OECD and the World Bank. Participants discussed Climate and Environment Mainstreaming experiences as well as the latest developments of the Green Economy Initiative. PEI shared lessons learnt from its newest country developments in Africa and Asia. More...

February 2010
10-11 February 2010
High-level PEI workshop in Mauritania to review recent achievements and way forward
The PEI Mauritania in close cooperation with the Government of Mauritania conducted a two day high-level workshop with ministerial participation to review PEI achievements. The workshop partipicants included ministers and government representatives from various sector ministries, the private sector, non-profit organisations as well technical advisors.

Read more: High-level PEI workshop in Mauritania to review recent achievements and define the way forward

January 2010
New PEI country programme launched in Botswana
The joint Government of Botswana/PEI programme (2010-2011) will largely focus on programme activities that contribute to economic diversification and poverty reduction as well as environment and climate change activities ensuring that rural poor, especially women, will enjoy greater benefits from the environment and natural ecosystems under the United Nations Development Assistance Framework for Botswana (UNDAF). The main partner institutions involved include the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning and the Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism as well as Ministries of Agriculture, Tourism, Health and Water. More...

New PEI country programme launched in Nepal
The National Planning Commission and the Ministry of Local Development of Nepal as major partners have signed a new PEI country programme. Major focus of the PEI programme will be support for poverty reduction efforts and inclusive development by integrating pro-poor climate and environment concerns into national development planning and economic decision-making. More...

New PEI country programme launched in Bangladesh
The Government of Bangladesh, represented through its National Planning Commission as major partner and PEI have launched a new PEI country programme. Major focus of the new programme in Bangladesh will be support for mainstreaming poverty-environment-climate issues into MDG, national development planning and budgeting processes and climate-resilient poverty reduction. More...

December 2009
23 December 2009
First PEI Latin America country programme launched in Uruguay
The first PEI country programme in the Latin America region has been signed and launched by the Government of Uruguay and the UNDP-UNEP Poverty-Environment Initiative. The immediate focus of the PEI programme is to promote greater impact of public social spending by mainstreaming the poverty-environmental dimension into planning processes and harmonizing sector and national development and poverty reduction policies. More...

New guidelines released: Mainstreaming Sustainable Consumption and Production and Resource Efficiency into Development Planning
UNEP’s Division for Technology, Industry and Economics in cooperation with the Poverty-Environment Initiative has released guidelines – available in English, French and Spanish – on how to mainstream sustainable consumption and production and resource efficiency into development planning. The guidelines are accompanied by a short issue brief to be used for quick briefings. More...

7 - 9 December 2009
New advocacy and communication strategy for a national poverty-environment programme in Botswana
PEI Botswana in cooperation with the Government of Botswana conducted an inclusive 3-day stakeholder workshop with the objective to define advocacy needs, stakeholder groups and the right messages to improve outreach on environment-poverty concerns. More...

November 2009
16-20 November 2009
PEI and UNEP-WCMC conducting a joint training on ecosystem assessment methods
PEI and UNEP-WCMC conducted a joint training which focused on introducing the forthcoming Millennium Assessment Methods Manual: Assessing ecosystems and human well-being: a guide to the process. The training workshop did target national practitioners who may carry out ecosystem assessments in their home countries.

Read more: PEI and UNEP-WCMC conducting a joint training on ecosystem assessment methods

PEI publishes updated Guidance Note on Mainstreaming Poverty-Environment Linkages into National Development Planning /Note d’orientation sur l’intégration des liens entre pauvreté et environnement dans la planification du développement national in English and French
PEI updated and released its Guidance Note on Mainstreaming Poverty-Environment Linkages into National Development Planning in English and French. The Guidance Note provides a succint summary of PEI's mainstreaming approach and work methods. [Guidance Note] [Note d'orientation]

17-18 November 2009
PEI participates at first UNEP review meeting of Green Economy report
The PEI attends the first review meeting of the Green Economy report, the main outcome of UNEP's flagship project the Green Economy Initiative (GEI). The Green Economy Report seeks to make a macroeconomic case for green investment using research and analytical tools, reviews, projections, and policy recommendations. PEI is one of many partners partnering with the GEI to help generating expertise and practical experiences.

November 2009
IIED publishes new review on 'the challenges of environmental mainstreaming'
The Challenges of Environmental Mainstreaming’ is an initial synthesis of IIED’s work with partners in 13 developing countries. It reviews the rapidly changing context and challenges to environmental mainstreaming, discusses what it takes to achieve effective mainstreaming, and provides a roadmap for selecting operational methods and tools. It explores the current emphasis on getting environmental issues reflected in key government processes – notably development plans, poverty reduction strategies and national budgets. It assesses the outcomes as well as the risks of limiting efforts to these core processes alone. More...

October 2009
5-6 October 2009, Bangkok/Thailand
PEI Asia holds thematic regional workshop on local government's role in environment, natural resources management and climate change
Several countries in the Asia Pacific region are strengthening the role and capacity of local government with UN support. An area of growing concern is the impact and role of local governments with respect to environment, natural resources and climate change. The workshop brought together local governments in the region, UN staff and other development agencies to learn lessons from ongoing experience and to improve programmatic support.

Read more: PEI in cooperation with UNCDF organizes thematic regional workshop on local government's role in...

PEI releases the French version of its Handbook for Practitioners: Mainstreaming poverty-environment linkages into development planning
PEI has released the French version of its principal publication for policymakers: 'L’Intégration des liens entre pauvreté et environnement dans la panification du developpement: Manuel de bonnes pratiques' [Report]

Bhutan – Moving on from PEI Phase One to PEI Phase Two
The PEI Phase One country programme in Bhutan will come to an end in December 2009. A PEI Phase 2 has been agreed and will be implemented in cooperation with the DANIDA-funded ‘Support for Environmental Sector Programme” programme. Among the main outputs of the PEI I programme are new poverty-environment mainstreaming guidelines and raised awareness for the importance of public environmental expenditure assessments. More...

September 2009
UNEP publishes 6th edition of the Poverty and Environment Times
The theme of the 6th issue of Environment and Poverty Times is resource efficiency as a catalyst for a greening of the world economy and its contribution to poverty alleviation. It presents practical examples of resource efficiency that contribute to a greening of the economy, highlighting such themes as sustainable energy, waste management, construction and sustainable tourism. Prepared by UNEP/GRID-Arendal and UNEP’s Division of Technology, Industry and Economics. More...

August 2009
Independent evaluation of the PEI Africa Regional Programme – Pilot Phase 2004-2008 released
The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, one of the main supporters of the PEI, released the final report of an independent evaluation of the PEI Pilot Phase, the initial country programmes in seven African countries (2004-2008). The evaluation was conducted by the UK-based International Institute for Environment and Development and assessed the effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability of PEI implementation, as well as suggesting lessons about the PEI design and implementation approach. Overall, the evaluation depicts the PEI Africa as highly relevant, its effectiveness as good, equity as satisfactory, and sustainability as satisfactory – and its efficiency as highly variable, depending upon country. More...

July 2009
PEI releases its Annual Progress Report 2008 entitled "Scaling up the UNDP-UNEP Poverty-Environment Initiative"
The 2008 UNDP-UNEP Annual Progress report covers two main areas of achievement: first, the impact that PEI country programmes have had over the past several years against key targets; and second, the progress made in the expansion of the UNDP-UNEP Poverty-Environment Initiative. The PEI Annual Progress Report for 2008 has been produced by the UNDP-UNEP Poverty-Environment Facility, based in Nairobi, as part of the process of keeping key PEI stakeholders - especially governments who provide financial support to PEI - informed of progress against intended results.

Read more: PEI releases its Annual Progress Report 2008 entitled "Scaling up the UNDP-UNEP...

June 2009
12-15 June 2009
PEI Regional programme Asia-Pacific hosts regional planning meeting for Government officials
The PEI regional programme for Asia-Pacific conducted a regional planning meeting that discussed the state of the art of lessons learnt regarding integrating environment-poverty linkages into national development planning and operationalising the challenge of mainstreaming in the Asia-Pacific region.

Read more: PEI Regional programme Asia-Pacific hosts regional planning meeting for Government officials

April 2009
PEI conducts training for Poverty-Environment Champions in Francophone PEI countries
The UNDP-UNEP Poverty-Environment Initiative in collaboration with LEAD International and LEAD Africa conducted a Poverty and Environment Champions training for 13 representatives of Francophone PEI countries (Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso). Participants included the main actors involved in PEI country programmes: Government representatives from Ministries of Finance/Planning and Environment, National PEI coordinators and advisors, UNDP Country Office Focal Points.

Read more: PEI conducts training for Poverty-Environment Champions in Francophone PEI countries

UNDP and UNEP publish Handbook for practitioners and decision-makers on Mainstreaming Poverty-Environment Linkages
The UNDP-UNEP Poverty-Environment Initiative has published a new Handbook, which is designed to serve as a guide for champions and practitioners engaged in the painstaking task of mainstreaming poverty-environment linkages. More...

March 2009
9-12 March 2010
PEI Francophone countries study exchange visit to Benin
Government representatives of the PEI Francophone countries Mali & Mauritania visited Benin as part of a study tour. The objective of the exchange was to learn from and discuss with the Government of Benin the application of strategic envionmental assessment (SEA) as part of an overall greening process of a national poverty reduction strategy. 

Read more: PEI Francophone countries study exchange visit to Benin - ‘Greening the Poverty Reduction...

January 2009
New PEI report looks at the economic arguments for mainstreaming poverty-environment linkages
The PEI has released a new report called "Making the economic case: A primer on the economic arguments for mainstreaming poverty-environment linkages into national development planning

Read more: New PEI report looks at the economic arguments for mainstreaming poverty-environment linkages

December 2008
9 - 10 December 2008
UNDP-UNEP Poverty and Environment Initiative hosted the inception meeting for the launching of the UNDP-UNEP – PEI regional programme for Europe and and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
The joint UNDP-UNEP PEI Programme for Europe and CIS hosted an inception workshop with representatives from countries in the region that have expressed interest in the PEI. The workshop took place 9 -10 December 2008 in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Read more: UNDP-UNEP Poverty and Environment Initiative hosted the inception meeting for the launching of...

2 December 2008
UNDP-UNEP PEF holds workshop on the rapid evaluation of three pilot Ecosystems Assessments
The PEI is committed to helping partner governments to use the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) approach to understand better the contribution of ecosystem services to human well being and use this information to improve economic development policy. The three Ecosystem Assessments (EAs) were launched as part of PEI country programmes in Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania. Based on the results and experiences of the completed assessments, the World Resources Institute (WRI) conducted an evaluation and provided recommendations how EAs can better inform in-country policy processes.

Read more: UNDP-UNEP PEF holds workshop on the rapid evaluation of three pilot Ecosystems Assessments

November 2008 
11 November 2008
 Regional PEI Programme for LAC hosts Workshop
The joint UNDP-UNEP PEI Programme for Latin America and the Caribbean held a meeting with representatives from countries in the region that have expressed interest in the PEI. The meeting took place from 10 to 11 November 2008 in Panama City, Panama.

Read more: Regional PEI Programme for LAC hosts Workshop

NEMA and Uganda PEI programme produces brochure on budgeting for environment
 The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) and the PEI programme in Uganda have produced a brochure entitled, "Planning for Prosperity: Have you counted the resources you are counting on?". The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) and the PEI programme in Uganda have produced a brochure entitled, "Planning for Prosperity: Have you counted the resources you are counting on?"

Read more: NEMA and Uganda PEI programme produces brochure on budgeting for environment

October 2008
UNEP Stands-up Against Poverty
Millions of people worldwide will today participate in the annual STAND UP and TAKE ACTION against Poverty and for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) event to demand that world leaders keep their promises to end poverty and inequality. More...

September 2008
23 September 2008
PEI Shares Success Stories from the Country Level at High Level MDG Event
The Poverty-Environment Partnership (PEP) hosted a policy dialogue on Environment, Climate Change and the MDGs.

Read more: PEI Shares Success Stories from the Country Level at High Level MDG Event

23 September 2008, New York
Environment, Climate Change and the MDGs: Reshaping the Development Agenda, A Policy Dialogue in Support of the UN High-level Event on the MDGs
On 25 September 2008, the UN Secretary-General and the President of the General Assembly will jointly convene the High-level Event on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) at UN Headquarters in New York.

Read more: Environment, Climate Change and the MDGs: Reshaping the Development Agenda, A Policy Dialogue in...

17 - 19 September, Bangkok, Thailand
PEI Asia workshop on Economic Development, Poverty Reduction and Environment and Climate Change: Environmental Economics for Policy Makers
Poverty and Environmental Initiative organized an Asia regional workshop on “Economic Development, Poverty Reduction and Environment and Climate Change.

Read more: PEI Asia workshop on Economic Development, Poverty Reduction and Environment and Climate Change:...

Evaluation of pilot Millennium Ecosystem Assessments.
The ultimate value of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) approach will be in its influence on policy and action to restore critical ecosystem services and contribute to poverty reduction and human well-being.

Read more: Evaluation of pilot Millennium Ecosystem Assessments

August 2008
19 August 2008
Poverty-Environment Partnership Releases Publication on Poverty, Health & Environment
The Poverty-Environment Partnership (PEP) has released a joint-agency publication Poverty, Health & Environment. The publication was supported by UNDP and UNEP, in addition to a number of development partners, bilateral and multilateral organisations.

Read more: Poverty-Environment Partnership Releases Publication on Poverty, Health & Environment

New Report Looks at Africa's Ecological Footprint
Africa has tremendous natural wealth and consumes fewer resources than other regions. However, a new report from the Global Footprint Network asserts that population growth in Africa is pushing the region towards its ecological limits.

Read more: New Report Looks at Africa's Ecological Footprint

July 2008
UNEP-UNDP PEF Releases Final Report of Fourth Annual PEI Meeting
The final report of the Fourth Annual PEI Meeting, which was held in Nairobi, Kenya from the 13-15 May, has been released and can be found here.

Read more: UNEP-UNDP PEF Releases Final Report of Fourth Annual PEI Meeting

June 2008
9-11 June 2008
Poverty-Environment Partnership meeting: Minutes and Presentations now available
The 13th meeting of the Poverty-Environment Partnership was hosted by the Asian Development Bank on 9-11 June 2008 in Manila, Philippines.  Representatives from the Facility, the Asia Regional PEI team and PEI country programmes in Asia joined over 70 multilateral and bilateral donors and representatives of NGOs in attending the meeting.

Read more: Poverty-Environment Partnership meeting: Minutes and Presentations now available

9 - 11 June
13th Annual Poverty-Environment Partnership Meeting.
The 13th Annual Poverty-Environment Partnership (PEP) meeting will be held in Manila, Philippines from 9-11 June, 2008. The meeting is being hosted by the Asian Development Bank.

Read more: 13th Annual Poverty-Environment Partnership Meeting

May 2008
16 May 2008
SEED Awards 2008 is open for submissions
SEED Award finalists are announced and SEED’s Associate Partners Network is launched. May 16, 2008. More...