1. Strategic Environmental Assessment in Poverty Reduction Strategies Session B1 IAIA International Experience and Perspectives in SEA 29 September 2005 9:00-10:30 Chaired by: Linda Ghanimé United Nations Development Programme Bureau for Development Policy Energy and Environment Group

2. How can Strategic Environmental Assessment improve Poverty Reduction Strategies Agenda 9:00Summary of position paper –L.Ghanime 9:10Panel outlook experiences and lessons learnt (10-15 each) 10:00Open Discussion (30 minutes) 10:25Conclusions 10:30End of session

3. Panel  1. Experiences from the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers Process: Ms. Laura Tlaiye, World Bank  Experiences in MDG-based Poverty Reduction Strategies: Ms. Dorothy Rosenberg, UNDP-apologies  2. Experience of Ghana: Mr. Evans Darko-Mensah, Consultant to EPA Ghana  Strategic Environmental Assessment and Poverty Reduction in Tanzania: Mr. Hussein Sosovele, Consultant-apologies  3. Success factors in integrating environment in Poverty Reduction Strategies: Mr. John Horberry, Consultant

4. Poverty Reduction Strategies in Development Planning  Key development planning frameworks for developing countries –particularly low income countries of Africa-debt forgiveness mechanisms  Promoted as a main implementation vehicle to make progress on the Millennium Development Goals  Increasingly an overarching framework to manage development assistance and cooperation

5. Outlook on PRS Poverty reduction strategy processes offer opportunities: –for convergence with MDGs, national strategies for sustainable development, national development strategies –to expand and improve on tailoring strategies to context specificities –to set context-specific goals and target –to reconcile global framework and local action –to bring more coherence, balance and sustainability to the national development agenda

6. Progress on Environmental Sustainability for Poverty Reduction  Mixed results in the Integration of environmental,social and sustainability dimensions in Poverty Reduction Strategies  Overall lack of consideration of environmental sustainability and poor reinforcement of poverty and environment linkages  Most integrate issues of water supply and sanitation. Some attention to natural hazards, land tenure, institutional capacity.  Less attention to biodiversity, indoor air pollution, environment links and impacts of macro-economic policies.  Major effort needed to raise level of attention to environmental sustainability in PRS.

7. MDG-based Development strategies World Summit Commitment to MDGs in national development  Long-term vision consistent with the Millennium Declaration,  Based on nationally-determined priorities, supported by medium- term cross-sectoral strategies,  Measured against progress towards concrete MDG outcomes Including outcomes for environmental sustainability.  Countries increasingly seek practical guidance on how to integrate the MDGs into existing poverty reduction and development strategies. Inclusive and integrated approaches are needed at all stages 1.Assessment -2.Policy making-3.Implementation-4.Monitoring How can SEA contribute to such processes?

8. Questions for Discussion 1.How has SEA helped in refining outcomes of Poverty Reduction Strategies,improved pro-poor policies and actions? 2.How have SEA approaches been adapted to country and context-specific capacity development needs? 3.Have SEA processes been successful in bringing together various analytical processes and tools?

9. Detailed Questions in paper 1. Process and substantive change in formulation of policy and programmes In your country or in your experience, what has been the added value of the SEA to the PRS formulation or review? What have been the constraints and challenges to effective stakeholder dialogue prioritizations and analytical processes? Have the national priorities and targets (as expressed in the national MDG7 framework or key national development agenda) been useful assessment benchmarks in the SEA. How has the SEA process assisted in an assessment of the tradeoffs between environmental, social and economic considerations and allow each of these dimensions to be clearly recognized in the PRS? How did the SEA bring together various analytical processes and tools? 2. Value and lessons from follow up actions How has the SEA shaped the orientation and content of PRS follow-up actions? How did the SEA outcomes influence priorities in Poverty Reduction Support Credits? How have SEA conclusions led to improved macroeconomic policies? Or social programs? How did the process help refine data and information needs? 3. Capacity development value of SEA/PRS process How have SEA approaches been adapted to country and context specific needs and contexts and contributed to develop national capacities?

10. PRS Challenges  Tailoring strategies to fit to country circumstances and capacities  Priority and target setting linked to monitoring and better data quality  Moving from an aid and public sector social protection to a more explicit role of sector and economic policies in poverty reduction  Rigorous analytical base to best consider options, cost effectiveness and trade-offs and improve understanding of how development policies and programs best lead to poverty reduction.  Transforming development plans into an iterative continuous learning process  Synchronizing time horizons of different instruments and decentralize at most effective level of governance  Effective participation, partnerships transparency, and accountability attuned to context-specific MDG agenda, development frameworks, and investments and national budgets