Poverty and Environment Presentation

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Integrating environment in local development planning:

Tajikistan and AR Crimea

Henrieta MartonakovaUNDP Regional Centre for Europe and the CIS

Inclusive Sustainable Local Development ECIS Community of Practice Meeting

Bratislava, 19-20 October 2011

Poverty and Environment Presentation

Tajikistan:

Integrating poverty – environment (PE) nexus in District Development Programmes

(DDPs; 2011-2015)

Poverty and Environment Presentation

Land degradation97 % of agricultural lands (only 7% of the territory of RT) affected by soil erosion, salinization, poor irrigation, and deforestation

Food security and income for 70% of population

Unreliable energy supply

1 million people experience electricity cuts in winter with no heating alternative but firewood, dung and coal

Access to water, sanitation, irrigation, health services, income generating activities

Disaster risks

The country suffers on average nearly 500 disasters per year, which cause widespread damage to communities and social infrastructure

4.8% of gross domestic product

Poverty-environment issues in Tajikistan

Climate Change Sectors affected: water management, irrigated agriculture (consuming 94% of water), and energy (98% of the national energy is produced by the hydropower plants); floods and droughts.

Poverty and Environment Presentation

Context for PE mainstreaming

• UNDP and UNEP Poverty and Environment Initiative (PEI)

• On-going process of local planning improvement and institutionalization (14 pilot districts and 65 jamoats)

• Leadership of the Ministry of Economy and Trade

• Under structure of cross-practice Communities Programme / integrated with Rural Growth Programme (RGP)

• Previous district and jamoat plans do not address environment

• High awareness and interest of local authorities and other stakeholders

Poverty and Environment Presentation

Institutions and groups involved into Development Planning Process

Working Group– consisted of sub-groups for

1. Economic sector

2. Social sector

3. Infrastructure Sector

4. Environment Sector

Structure of the Environment Initiative Group (EIG) chaired by Environment Committee of the District- Government authorities from the departments on land, water, communal services, agriculture

- Industrial companies

- Heads of Farms

- Non-profit organizations

- Women organizations

- Businesses

Ministry of Economic Development and Trade

Committee on Environment Protection RT

Statistics Agency RT

WG on Sughd Region Level

(4 sub-sectors)

WG on District Level

(4 sub-sectors)

WG on Djamoat Level

(4 sub-sectors)

RGP and PEI consultants

Poverty and Environment Presentation

Review of current situation

District/Jamoat vision

Sectoral Analysis

Monitoring and evaluation system

Entry Point 1-Review of Current Situation

Entry Point 3- Screening and Environmental Impact Assessment

Provision of resources for development program implementation

Entry Point 2- Objective setting and Environmental Overview

Entry Point 4- Poverty- Environment Indicators

Integrating PE nexusDDP elaboration

Analytical steps of planning and integrating PE aspect

Poverty and Environment Presentation

Capacity development and consultation

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POVERTY – ENVIRONMENT MAINSTREAMING IN TAJIKISTAN

TRAINING Seminar

Poverty Environmental Mainstreaming Training Handbook for District Development Plans Elaboration

Poverty and Environment Presentation

Results…… (work in progress)DDP Planning Process:

PE fully integrated to RGP support to planning

PE in DDP methodology

PE mainstreaming at early planning stage

PE mainstreaming fully integrated to planning

Local environment authorities actively involved

Initiation of integrating PE in oblast strategy

7 DDPs fully integrate PE

7 DDPs partially integrate PE

DDP Implementation

PE indicators submitted to and tested by the State Statistic

Agency

Environmental sustainability criteria applied to 60 DDPs’

projects submitted to the Trust Fund (DDPs financial

mechanism)

7 PE demonstration projects designed and to be funded

PE criteria for micro-lending developed – to be piloted by 2

Micro Loan Funds (by agreement)

Awareness, Capacity Development and

Consultation

Training materials

Series of training for planers at all levels

Learning by doing / practical experience of planners

Around 100 people per district involved via consultations and

public hearings

Video

Institute for Civil Servants Training to include training

guide to curriculum

Poverty and Environment Presentation

Sustainability and scaling-up (potential)

• DDP methodology, with PE integration guidance, to be approved by the MEDT and used nation-wide;

• PE indicators integrated in the State Statistic Agency database for M&E of DDPs

• Training on PE mainstreaming to be included in the Institute for Civil Servants Training curricula

• PE integrated to the Sugh ‘oblast’ development strategy

Poverty and Environment Presentation

SEA of the Bakhchisaraysky District Development Strategy (2010-2017)

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Estimated trends in environment status:o Increased volume of solid domestic

wasteo Increased air pollution from stationary

sources;o Decreased rivers’ water quality due to

agriculture and household waste discharge;

o Continuous destruction of the coast-protecting line

Key sectors: waste management, tourism, water management, agriculture;

Damaged coast-protecting structures near the village of Beregovoy

SDW landfill in the town of Bakhchisaray

Poverty and Environment Presentation

What is SEA?

Strategic EnvironmentalAssessment

Environmental Impact Assessment

Policy

Plan

Programme

Projects

Source: OECD. 2006. Applying Strategic Environmental Assessment: Good practice Guidance for Development Co-operation.

o Up-streaming environmental considerations into the decision- making hierarchyo Responsibility of developer / planning authority

Poverty and Environment Presentation

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SEA Context o Ukraine – signatory to the UNECE SEA Protocol

o The very first SEA application in Crimea!

o On-going process of local strategic planning improvement

o Leadership and support of the Crimea Ministry of Economy

o Interest and active involvement of district authorities

o Capacity development element

o Conducted by the WG on Water and Environment and local expert group

o Duration: May – December 2009; Budget: 46,000 USD

Poverty and Environment Presentation

Capacity Development and Public Participation

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SEA scoping in working groups, SEA training, Bakhchisaray, 24-25 June, 2009

Head of the Bakhchisaraysky DSA I.Umerov presenting the District Development Strategy and SEA recommendations at public hearings in front of the local council members and the general public, Bakhchisaray, 25 November, 2009

Poverty and Environment Presentation

Results

Over 600 people aware of and involved in the strategic planning process, including SEA, via public hearings and expert meetings;

42 specialists trained in SEA and 54 specialists obtained practical experience in SEA application;

SEA fully integrated in planning process;

80% of SEA recommendations reflected in the final Sustainable Development Strategy for Bakhchisaraysky District

Environment integrated in the strategies of 3 other districts

National conference on Crimea strategic planning calls for applying SEA to become automatically part of local planning;

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Poverty and Environment Presentation

Conclusions

• Openness to complexity necessary at both country and UNDP level

• Clear justification and articulation of goals• Integration with planning process – at its early stage• Iterative and customized to the context• Political will and interest needed (‘champions’) • Multidisciplinary consultations• Participatory• Focus on environment constrains and opportunities• Transparent

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Poverty and Environment Presentation

Materials to sharePEI Tajikistan: - district planning methodology + PE mainstreaming guide; - PE training materials (handbook and ppt)- set of PE indicators - Environmental screening criteria- Questionnaire on environmental situation in the region- Demonstration projects

SEA in Crimea- Bakhchisaraysky District Development Strategy- SEA Report• Video: English: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSF3beGCQTA

Russian: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL_cDQPlF1A

Poverty and Environment Presentation

THANK YOU!

For more information:henrieta.martonakova@undp.org

http://www.unpei.org

http://www.unece.org/env/sea/eecca_capacity.html