Please download the PEI Country fact sheet on Rwanda (PDF)

• The main purpose of the first phase of PEI–Rwanda (November 2005-May 2007) was to ensure integration of environment into Rwanda’s new PRSP, the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS).
• The second and current phase (August 2007-December 2010) is articulated around Rwanda’s medium term needs, namely building capacity for sound environmental management at the local, district, and national level, in collaboration with other ongoing initiatives to enable the implementation of the EDPRS and its environmental commitments.
• The project is executed by Government of Rwanda through Ministry of Natural Resources and implemented by Rwanda Environment Management Authority in close collaboration with Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning.  It is a joint Government of Rwanda, UNDP Rwanda and PEI project.
• The main national partners are the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Rwanda Environment Management Authority, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, the Ministry of Local Government and Good Governance, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Infrastructure, Energy, Transport and Telecommunications and the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Investment Promotion, Tourism and Cooperatives.
• The donors which funded phase one of PEI included the Government of Belgium and the Government of Norway (through UNEP) and UNDP-Rwanda. The Government of Ireland (through UNEP) is providing the vast majority of the funds for the second phase with some contributions from the Government of Rwanda and UNDP-Rwanda.
• The total budget is over USD 3 million: USD 610,000 (2005-2007) and USD 2,470,000 (2007-2009)

Main activities of PEI Rwanda

• Development of environmental mainstreaming tools for the elaboration of the EDPRS.
• “Environment-for-development” media events (radio and TV programmes) to sustain the visibility of the mainstreaming agenda and raise public awareness about poverty and environment linkages.
• Increase awareness and more effective participation of stakeholders in environmental policy and planning processes, including training of women and youth groups and other civil society groups.
• Building capacity through providing trainings to various stakeholders on topics such as integrated ecosystem assessment, poverty-environment indicator development and on-the-job training and technical support.
• Building capacity at national and district level for government officials in understanding and analysing links between poverty and environment and integrate environment into development planning.
• Support to six key sectors in the integration of poverty-environment in Sector Strategies and implementation plans, based on the EDPRS.
• Support district level planning in environment mainstreaming, including training in collection of environmental data and development of indicators aligned with the MDG 1+ 7.
• Capacity development and technical support to Ministry of Finance to improve environmental mainstreaming in budgets across sectors, developing financial instruments, conduct mainstreaming of environment in public expenditure reviews and environmental fiscal reform.       
• Awareness raising targeting the private sector on Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) and capacity building for the overall effective applications of EIA
• Support to the UNDAF formulation and actively participation in the One UN process. 

What has been achieved to date?

• Development of a knowledge base on poverty- environment linkages in Rwanda through e.g. an economic analysis of costs of environmental degradation, identification of poverty-environment-energy linkages, and a pilot integrated ecosystem assessment.
• Environment is mainstreamed in the EDPRS. The evidence and advocacy provided by PEI were instrumental in this accomplishment. Most sectors have taken on board environmental recommendations and planned actions.
• Linkages between environment and poverty are reflected in Sector Strategic Plans and priorities.
• A communication strategy was developed and is being implemented.
• Increased public awareness about poverty-environment linkages through productions for TV, radio and print media, as well as training of journalists. Newspaper articles about PEI issues have been published.
• Strengthening of the environment sector through the EDPRS process with clear priorities developed.  
• Technical support given to the elaboration of the Sector Strategic Plan for Environment and Natural Resources, which provides a strategic tool for environmental mainstreaming throughout various sectors.
• Guidelines for mainstreaming and checklists for all sectors have facilitated the integration of environment as a cross-cutting issue in sector planning.
• Strategic collaboration with the Ministry of Finance to support environment as a cross-cutting issue in budget calls and improved budgeting for sustainability across sector ministries.
• A Public Environmental Expenditure Review and training manual has been produced presented and disseminated and will represent an important baseline for improving the efficiency and effectiveness for public environmental spending in Rwanda.
• A report on Environmental Fiscal Reform has been published with the aim of improving Rwanda’s fiscal instruments for environmental management.
• Capacity development of planners, local NGOs and CBOs in 30 districts about links between poverty and environment and integrate environment into development planning undertaken.
• A number of District Development Plans were supported to mainstream environment.
• 500 people have been trained among District and local staff up to Umudugudu level in environmental data management (collection and reporting) in order to improve environmental planning.
• Improved skills among government personnel and local government officials on the use of tools for environmental mainstreaming (i.e. indicator development).
• In total 200 representatives from public and private sector and NGOs at both sector and District levels have received training on Environmental Impact Assessments.
• Small scale demonstration projects have successfully been presented to policy makers on how sustainable environmental management can improve livelihoods and reduce poverty, and plans are being made to replicate the pilot projects in other districts.
• Establishment of a cross-ministerial Task Team and a Stakeholder Consultative Group ensuring effective stakeholder consultation and sector engagement for environmental mainstreaming.
• Environment is one of five focus areas for the UNDAF, which PEI actively involved with the formulation of. PEI has also been fully engaged in the One UN process.  

Lessons learned

• Involvement of key stakeholders from the very start of programme development ensures broad ownership and improves the efficiency and effectiveness of its implementation.
• It is crucial to clearly demonstrate the links between poverty and environment at the national level in a language familiar to planners and policymakers.  Assessments such as economic analysis of environmental degradation and integrated ecosystem assessments are essential evidence-based advocacy tools in convincing policy-makers about the importance and benefits of sustainable natural resource management.
• It is necessary to provide sustained support over a longer period. PEI-Rwanda’s continuous engagement in the EDPRS process ensures better mainstreaming results by closely monitoring the process and responding to specific needs from the other sectors pertinent to integration of environment.
• A key to success has been PEI’s ability to link with, and insert themselves in, other larger policy processes, and to feed these processes with ideas, tools and opportunities.
• The production of tools such as mainstreaming guidelines, sector specific environmental checklists and poverty-environment indicators provides concrete guidance to the sectors and relevant ministries and enhances the mainstreaming process.