Burkina Faso
Population (thousand) (2015): 18,105.57
Multidimensional Poverty Index Value (2010): 0.54
Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index, Country Rank (2014): 183
Gross Domestic Product per capita, at Purchasing Price Parity (2015) (US$): 1,659.2
Background
Burkina Faso is one of the PEI Scale-Up countries that started implementation of the PEI country programme in 2010. Burkina Faso’s economy is mainly based on mining, agriculture, livestock and fishery. 85 % of the population depends on natural resources and it is estimated to contribute to 31.5% of the GDP.
The natural resource sector is hence of crucial importance to Burkina Faso’s development and in order to promote sustainable development in this sector the PEI country programme focuses on supporting the acceleration of productivity and growth, through the mainstreaming of P-E objectives into the strategic planning processes and budgets. Thereby the country programme is contributing to the achievement of national development goals and the overall PEI Programme outputs.
PEI Burkina Faso is jointly led by theMinistry of Environment (MECV), Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) In addition various sector ministries such as Agriculture, Mining and Livestock as well as the Prime Minister’s Officeare involved in the project implementation. PEI Burkina Faso also partners with the Green Economy Initiative and is closely collaborating with the UNDP CO as an implementing agency.
Enhanced awareness among key stakeholders and increased media coverage on the importance of the poverty-environment nexus attributed to the PEI national communication strategy, the use of Poverty-Environment champions, strategic studies as well as capacity building events.
Poverty-environment issues are fully integrated in Burkina Faso’s national development plan (the SCADD) 2011-2015, the national policy for sustainable development, and accompanying legislation and local planning processes (e.g. Agenda 21 in the Po Region).
Three sector policies (Mining. Agriculture and Health) include poverty-environment objectives. The Government has further improved the environmental framework law and developed a manual outlining legal actions and enforcement measures to safeguard livelihoods and the health of the poor based on recommendations from a PEI supported study on the cost of unsustainable chemical use in the cotton and mining sectors.
Burkina Faso’s National Assembly adopted a bill banning the production, import, marketing and distribution of non-biodegradable plastic bags in May 2014.
The bill was informed by PEI and UN Environment Green Economy presentations made to Burkina Faso’s Economic and Social Council in previous years.
In 2011 a budget line to support environment and natural resources management within the Ministry of Finance was created and budgeting and planning tools have been developed for the operationalization of the SCADD. The National Investment Plan for Environment and Sustainable Development was approved in 2013. The plan promotes a green economy through increased investments for pro-poor environmental sustainability. Between 2011 and 2012, the environment sector received an increased public sector allocation of USD 2 million.
The Ministry of Economy and Finance, with PEI support, established a web-based monitoring system for tracking poverty-environment indicators of the SCADD 2011-2015.
The Yanta Union in Bobo Dioulasso, supported by PEI reduced deforestation and developed alternative income generation activities benefiting women from non-timber products.
PEI Burkina has successfully acted as a catalyst for supporting Government to mobilise financial support from a range of partners, including funds for chemical mainstreaming from the Montreal Protocol and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency; the World Bank’s rural development programme includes poverty-environment elements, the EU’s Environment Development Fund 2014-2020 includes poverty-environment as one of its thematic areas and poverty-environment has been mainstreamed into the UNDAF.