Towards an integrated approach for implementing the SDGs within National

Planning Processes:

Cross-country Experiences of Integrated Approaches, Opportunities & Gaps in Africa

David SmithPEI Africa Manager, Poverty-Environment Initiative, Nairobi

Poverty-Environment Partnership 20th meetingEdinburgh, 27-29 May 2015

UNDP-UNEP POVERTY & ENVIRONMENT INITIATIVE (PEI): WHAT WE DO

The UNDP-UNEP PEI supports governments to:• Include pro-poor environmentally sustainable natural resource use as a

core objective in development planning & implementation

• Build capacity so that decision-makers know :– How pro-poor environmental sustainability contributes to

development &– How to include pro-poor environmental sustainability in development

planning & implementation.

• PEI regional programmes in Africa, Asia-Pacific, ECIS & LAC

• PEI Africa full country programmes in Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Rwanda, Tanzania, Malawi & Mozambique . Support to Kenya & Botswana

• Fully joint programme with joint UNDP-UNEP teams at global & regional level working through Government-UNDP Country Office teams at country level with regional PEI team support. Started in 2005.

PEI AFRICA: A PRACTICAL, PROVEN MODEL OF APPLYING AN INTEGRATED

APPROACH WITH MANY LESSONS FOR SDGS

• Integrated economic-social-environmental approach is the essence of PEI

• Relevance to SDGs identified by donors & countries

• Relevant in terms of– Programme content– Means of implementation– Monitoring, accountability & reporting

• Experiences & lessons reflect trial & error, ongoing learning & adapting – there is always room for improvement

• PEI increasingly requested to provide support to country discussions on how to implement the SDGs

INTEGRATED APPROACHES – KEY ELEMENTS IN PEI AFRICA COUNTRIES

• Integrated UN Support – UNDP & UNEP, using a fully joint programming approach: One UN in Action

• Integrated programme design at the country level focusing on country circumstances, development planning processes & priorities.

• Cross government approach: Planning/Finance, Environment & key ENR sectors (E.G. Agriculture)

• Focus on influencing Planning/Finance by demonstrating how sustainable ENR will help achieve economic & social development

• Five to ten years of UN support: Poverty-environment mainstreaming is a 10-20 year process of institutional change

• Catalysing the large resources for P-E investments from governments & donors.

KEY LESSONS

• PEI focus on integrating ENR sustainability & CC adaptation into Planning/Finance led development planning & budgeting process & into key Sector policies & plans because:– P/F set national development priorities & budgets– P/F have responsibilities for cross-sector links & broader cross-

government co-ordination– Sectors make the decisions that impact the most on environment– Environment Ministries usually lack capacity & status to m/s by

themselves.

• Yes, we want to build up capacity in Environment sector– But we need to convince key decision makers who set national &

sector priorities & budgets that ENR unsustainability & CC are also development problems.

– Then policies will be adopted & more funds will be allocated for ENR sustainability & CC adaptation.

• An active commitment to co-ordination & working together is vital – otherwise P-E m/s is a bureaucratically agonising process & likely to fail.

KEY LESSONS

• Carry out economic analyses to show how environmentally sustainable natural resource use can improve economic & social development. – Use very specific examples.

• Use non-market or informal values also – e.g. family fishing or fuel wood collection

– Use economic evidence tactically – e.g.• Briefing notes• Present evidence repeatedly in different meetings & working

groups

– Present good news as well as bad news – e.g. costs of unsustainability & benefits of investing more in sustainable ENR use and CC adaptation

KEY LESSONS• Support key sector policy & budgetary development processes to ensure

sustainability objectives operationalised

• Design mechanisms for long-term increases in budgets for ENR sustainability e.g.– Prepare Environment- Natural Resource Sector support programmes

for funding by major donors based in country

• Proactive, energetic use of PEI programme outputs is vital to generate change

• Ensure there is a substantive focus on summarising & communicating key messages according to audience– Prepare Policy briefs based on the key message– Repeat key messages over & over again targeting the specific

audience (Planners, ministers, parliamentarians, donors etc)

• Inclusion & application of p-e indicators in the national monitoring system vital

OPPORTUNITIES

• Applying PEI lessons to assist countries to set the SDGs into the national context (IE Domestication of SDGs).

• PEI country programmatic content relevant: – E.g. collection & application of economic & other evidence of the integrated

nature of environment-economic-social problems.

• PEI country programme means of implementation relevant: – E.g. Joint programming, cross-government, focusing on influencing national

development planning & their implementation processes.

• PEI country programme challenges provide guidance for implementation of SDGs – In identifying theory of change, developing & applying indicators to track

change– In ensuring an adequate focus on the poverty side of p-e m/s

GAPS/CHALLENGES

• P-E M/S Is a complex development policy problem – implementing the SDGs will be more complex. Complex problems require appropriate techniques to address them.

• Stronger political-economy support will be required compared with MDGs.

• Institutional co-ordination – horizontal & vertical - more important

• Capacity constraints

• Financial constraints

• Adequate monitoring SDG implementation & impact plus ensuring monitoring results are used to improve implementation will be very demanding

Thanks to our donors

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