The aim of the Good Practice Guide (GPG) is to provide a better understanding about the role of the environment and how development policies and budget processes can effectively internalize environmental priorities and benefits. This product, which is primarily directed at officers from finance and planning ministries, will also be of value to individuals from other sector ministries, government institutions, development and environmental groups. Following an overview of what environmental systems are, the GPG offers a variety of environmentally friendly approaches and mainstreaming measures for sustainable resource management and green income generation. By adding an environmental lens to planning, it introduces systemic approaches, market and non-market based environmental valuation and integration methods complementing existing economic criteria, and methods leading to the development of greener poverty reduction strategies, national development plans and sectoral plans. As environmental considerations contribute directly and indirectly towards securing economic sustainability, while reducing poverty and vulnerability to natural threats, a sound understanding of these dimensions will inevitably help effectively achieve national and global development objectives.

 

Policy experts will benefit through this Good Practice Guide by:

-‚ Enhancing their understanding about the environmental links to sector policies;

-‚ Factoring environmental benefits within development policies and plans; 

-‚ Developing pro-poor policies based on environmentally friendly practices;

-‚ Learning about how environmental benefits can help alleviate poverty and contribute towards sustainable development;

-‚ Engaging in mechanisms to build active dialogues with stakeholders around environmental issues;

- Strengthening the environmental efficiency and effectiveness of their strategies through better coordination between line ministries;‚ 

- Providing better planning processes in consultation with environmental stakeholders;‚ 

- Enhancing current environmental monitoring practices and experience sharing;‚ 

- Introducing environmental assessment and valuation approaches built around environmental goods and services; ‚ 

- Efficiently integrating environmental objectives to meet donor requirements;‚ 

- Developing environmentally-based strategic thinking.

 

Financial experts will benefit through this Good Practice Guide by:

-‚ Exploring new revenue options available through environmental services; 

-‚ Identifying recurrent sources of environmental revenue;

-‚ Developing knowledge about environmental valuation approaches and tools; 

-‚ Reinforcing budget processes through better accountability and structure;

-‚ Introducing mechanisms to identify and avoid perverse incentives while allocating more attention to sustainable environmental investments;

-‚ Increasing opportunities to access development assistance through sound and transparent budgeting.

 

Environmental and concerned practitioners will benefit through this Good Practice Guide by:

-‚ Identifying and participating in budget and planning mechanisms to mainstream ecosystem contributions to sector development; 

-‚ Developing new capacity of environmental programme development to harmonize environmental benefits within other sector plans;

-‚ Building stronger cooperation and joint initiatives with other ministries;

-‚ Using the guide as a tool for environmental awareness; 

-‚ Strengthening understanding about the role of the environment through economic arguments and the introduction of new approaches; 

-‚ Accessing new environmental funding mechanisms."