1.
Influencing national public budget processes
to integrate environmental sustainability
Experiences from the
UNDP-UNEP Poverty Environment Initiative
Alex Forbes
PEI Africa Regional Team
POVERTY-ENVIRONMENT INITIATIVE

2.
Introduction
Poverty Environment Initiative (PEI) : 2005 - 2017
• Integration of pro-poor environmental concerns into
national, sub-national and sector planning, budgeting and
monitoring.
• Strengthen “bridges” between Ministries of Planning,
Finance and Environment and key sectors in 7 countries
(Burkina Faso, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Rwanda and Tanzania).
• Programmatic approach, tools and experience –
“Mainstreaming Environment and Climate for Poverty Reduction and
Sustainable Development: A handbook to strengthen planning and
budgeting processes” (2015) : www.unpei.org

3.
The Budget
Cycle:
1) Be aware of
the timelines.
2) Identify the
key structures
3) Identify key
individuals
4) Familiarize
with the
“language”

4.
1. Budget Formulation
• MoF issues a budget call with sector ceilings and
instructions.
– Opportunity to influence budget call to require sectors to
include pro-poor environmental sustainability.
• Sector working groups elaborate annual budget and
Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF). Draw
on:
– Budgeting of cross-cutting issues such as gender, HIV/AIDS, and
environmental sustainability. Env checklists / matrices
– Programmes and projects contained in sector strategies &
plans, and National Five Year Development Plans.
– Programme and project appraisals: economic assessment
(CBA), environmental appraisal (EIA), social appraisal.

5.
1.a Revenue : Environmental Fiscal
Instruments
Incentivize use of environmentally beneficial
behavior as well as generate domestic revenue to
fund environment related expenditure:
• Taxation on natural resource extractions which
provide incentives for sustainable use.
• Reform of subsidies (e.g. water and energy)
• National Environment Funds – domestic and
international financing.

6.
2. Budget Approval
• Public consultations with key stakeholders.
• Parliamentary Review:
• Sub-committee on environment and natural resources
• Parliament endorses.

7.
3. Budget Implementation
• Challenge of budget commitments by MoF do not
necessarily match actual sums available.
• Need to work closely with budget holders on informing
and influencing prioritisation and decision-making on
release of funds.
• Ensure compliance with the systems and procedures.

8.
4. Budget Oversight
• Opportunity to integrate pro-poor environment and climate
in the monitoring and assessment of expenditures against
budget commitments and policies.
• Public Environment Expenditure Reviews (PEER) and
Climate Public Expenditure and Institutional Reviews
(CPEIRS): Analytical tools for engaging MoF to review
linkages between planning and budgeting institutions,
policies, resource allocation and expenditure on
environment and climate change.
• Strengthening System of National Accounts (SNA) to
capture environment and climate expenditure through
thematic coding in financial information management
systems

9.
Example: Malawi
• Ministry of Economy Development Planning conduction economic
analysis of sustainable natural resource use (2011).
1) Unsustainable natural resource use costing equivalent of 5.3% GDP; 2) soil
erosion reducing agricultural productivity by 6%; 3) recovering this yield would
life an additional 1.88 million people out of poverty.
• Guidelines on integrating environment in budget process (ODI, ‘12)
• 3rd consecutive FY that annual budget guidelines include chapter
on environment, poverty and climate linkages. Ministry of
Environment and Climate Change budget increased by $7.1 m
between 2013 and 2014. For FY15/16: 7 sectors included
environmental sustainability.
• GoM in 2017 is looking to implement recommendations of the
2014 Public Environment Expenditure Review (PEER).
• GoM Guide to Executive Decision-Making Processes Handbook
(2015) – environmental sustainability chapter.

10.
Example: Rwanda
• Since 2011, Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning
(MINECOFIN), with support from Rwanda Environment
Management Authority (REMA), has issued an environment and
climate planning and budget checklist as part of its annual Budget
Call Circular.
• Requires sectors to integrate pro-poor environmental sustainability
measures in programmes and projects in accordance to checklist
and subject to appraisal.
• Interns / Environment officers placed in each sector / ministry.
• A MoF/REMA sector performance assessment (2015) shows that all
14 sectors and 30 districts integrated poverty-environment linked
initiatives into their annual plans and budgets.
• In Rwanda, environment and climate related expenditure increased
from 0.4% (2005-2008) to 2.5% (2008-2012) of the Government
total expenditure.

11.
Lessons learned and implications for
biodiversity mainstreaming
1. Engage with Ministries of Planning (5 year economic plans) and
Ministries of Finance (budget and expenditure – MTEF), and their
respective sector working groups.
– Understand their objectives: economic growth, job creation, etc.
– Inform and influence Plan and Budget objectives, targets and indicators by
drawing on NBSAP2
– Sustained engagement : e.g. environment units in sectors / ministries
– Offer practical tools – matrices / checklists to guide integration in budgets
2. Be well prepared : evidence of economic and social benefits from
investments.
3. Engage with wider public finance management reform processes.
4. Keep ahead of the timelines.
5. Identify and support “champions” at all levels.
6. Intra-sector “bridge” building within environment sector.

12.
THANK YOU
www.unpei.org