Following the appointment of 20 Poverty-Environment (P-E) Champions in Burkina Faso last year, the Prime Minister of Burkina Faso – himself a P-E Champion -has now sent a request to the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development to meet with the PEI Champions to discuss the draft road map on how to enhance high-level political support for P-E mainstreaming in the country.

P-E Champions represent different parts of society and include politicians, artists, religious leaders, traditional chiefs, activists, parliamentarians and academia. They play a critical role in advocating for and influencing Burkina Faso’s progress towards a sustainable development path. PEI Burkina Faso is currently supporting the development of a comprehensive road map for the P-E champions to take forward in 2013-14 and to raise awareness and catalyze action around P-E issues.

Already in 2012 the P-E champions started to use their new platform for advocating for sustainable development in Burkina Faso. For example, one P-E champion participated in a televised high-level panel—chaired by Amina Billa Bambara, Budget Coordinator at the Ministry of Economy and Finance – broadcasted by one of the most watched TV programs in Burkina Faso, Eco Finance, for a debate about the environment, finance, economy and growth.

The event advocated better planning and management of natural resources for pro-poor growth. Alongside these outreach activities, evidence from PEI-supported studies has been instrumental in putting forward convincing arguments. The Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Jean Couldiaty, highlighted how Burkina Faso loses 20 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) to unsustainable natural resource management. Such activities and declarations highlight increasing collaboration between the Ministries of Environment and Finance and Economy, crucial for the implementation of the first Investment Plan for Environment and Sustainable Development, an important tool supporting the country’s National Development Plan.