UNDP-UNEP Poverty-Environment Initiative

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Basic facts of the PEI in Rwanda

• The main purpose of Phase I of PEIRwanda (November 2005–May 2007) was to ensure integration of environment into Rwanda’s new PRSP, the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS).
• Current Phase II (August 2007–December 2011,extended at the request of the Government) 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 on-going initiatives to enable the implementation of the EDPRS and its environmental sustainability commitments.
• Phase II is executed by the 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 I of PEI included the Government of Belgium, the Government of Norway,and UNDPRwanda. The Government of Ireland is providing most of the funds for Phase II, 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).

The context of poverty-environment mainstreaming in Rwanda

• Rwanda’s “Vision 2020” is the country’s overarching national planning and policy framework into which other strategies, plans, programmes and policies should fit. Developed in 1999, the Vision 2020 document recognizes that the environment cannot be tackled in isolation. The document states that Rwanda will endeavour to “mainstream the environmental aspect in all policies and programmes of education, sensitisation and development and in all the processes of decision-making”.
• Rwanda’s first PRSP was finalized in November 2001 and endorsed by the World Bank and IMF in July 2002. In the development of PRSP 1, environment was considered a cross-cutting issue but not an independent sector. However, it is widely agreed that Rwanda’s first PRSP did not adequately integrate environmental issues and consequently, the planning processes did not adequately take into account sustainable natural resource management.
• In September 2007, the Rwandan Cabinet approved the EDPRS (the second PRSP), where environment is both recognized as a cross-cutting issue and an independent sector.
• PEI was strongly engaged in the elaboration of the EDPRS and played a crucial role in supporting the work of both the Environment and Land Use Management Sector Working Group and the Cross-Cutting Issues Working Group.
• Rwanda is one of the eight ‘One UN pilots’. Environment is one of five focus areas of the UNDAF, which reflects that the environment is substantively included in the EDPRS, which can be significantly attributed to the PEI Rwanda programme.

Main activities

• Development of environmental mainstreaming tools for the implementation of the EDPRS.
• Increasing 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 analyzing the 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.
• Support to increasing levels ofsustainable financing for the environment through capacity development and technical support to Ministry of Finance to improve environmental mainstreaming in budgets across sectors, develop financial instruments, conduct mainstreaming of environment in public expenditure reviews, and promote 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 active participation in the One UN process.
• “Environment-for-development” media events (radio and TV programmes) to sustain the visibility of the mainstreaming agenda and raise public awareness about poverty-environment linkages.

What has been achieved to date?

• Development of a knowledge base on poverty-environment linkages in Rwanda through e.g. an economic analysis of the 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.
• 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. As a result of training and engagement with the Ministry of Finance as well as other key economic sectors in environment mainstreaming, new public projects are required to conduct EIA as part of the drive towards environmental protection and overall management. Additionally, environment mainstreaming was carried out in pilot sectors including Agriculture, Energy plus Trade and Industry by identifying clear environmental priorities which were then included in the budget call circulars for 2011/2012.
• 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, including increasing opportunities for increased financing for the sector.
• A report on Environmental Fiscal Reform has been published with the aim of improving Rwanda’s fiscal instruments for environmental management.
• Various tools were developed to facilitate effective communication with policy makers to promote the operationalisation ofthe National Fund for Environment (FONERWA). The policy makers included Ministry of Finance, Prime Minister’s office and other political groups that are instrumental in national policy dialogues.
• Linkages between environment and poverty are reflected in Sector Strategic Plans and priorities.
• In the context of the RwandaState of the Environment and Outlook report launch, a dissemination programme to sensitize District Mayors and parliamentarians and development partners on poverty-environment links was carried out. In total 95 policy makers participated in the training, among which the majority were deputies and senators.
• 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.
• Some 1,300 members of the environmental committees at the local level in Southern Province were trained in 2010 in integrating poverty-environment priorities in planning and budgeting in the context of district development planning.
• Capacity development of planners, local NGOs and CBOs undertaken in 30 districts, covering poverty-environment links and their integration in development planning.
• A number of District Development Plans were supported to mainstream environment.
• Some 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.
• In 2010 environment and climate change subsector and ENR sector strategic plans developed with significant input and support from PEI.
• Environment is one of five focus areas for the UNDAF. PEI Rwanda has been actively involved with the formulation of the UNDAF. 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 key evidence-based advocacy tools in convincing policy-makers about the importance and benefits of sustainable natural resource management. In particular the use of economic assessments is vital in influencing development decision-makers in Planning/Finance and key sector ministries.
• It is necessary to provide sustained support over a longer period. PEIRwanda’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.

Way forward

• Continuous support and monitoring of the EDPRS implementation for environmental mainstreaming at both national and district level, including strengthening environmental data collection at district level.
• Promote financial instruments and increased investments in the area of environment, by providing research and training on topics such as environmental fiscal reform, economic instruments and public environmental expenditure review.
• Support the implementation of the recommendations from the recent Public Environmental Expenditure review and the report on Environmental Fiscal Reform in close collaboration with the Ministry of Finance.
• Enhance integration of environment into the budget calls and processes and provide on-the job technical support for environmental mainstreaming to the Ministry of Finance.
• Specific and targeted support to key sectors for environmental mainstreaming activities in sector programmes and budgets, including assistance for the elaboration and implementation of sub-sector environmental plans.
• Building capacity of local government authorities to integrate environment into district development plans, including support for communities to implement projects promoting environmental sustainability and poverty reduction.
• Give strategic support for the Rwanda Environment Management Authority to engage the media for public awareness and poverty-environment mainstreaming
• Promote partnerships with sector ministries, but also NGOs, national academia and the private sector to strengthen sustainability and national ownership.
• Actively participate in the Sector Working Group in support of the Environment and Natural Resource sector and the Sector Wide Approach process. PEI will continue to be part of the Sector Working Group Secretariat and support the Environmental Thematic Group that UNDP and UNEP co-chair.