The fundamental input into a country’s Poverty Reduction Strategy is the most recent Poverty Assessment (PA). The Poverty Assessment identifies the extent and causes of poverty in a given country and proposes the means to reduce poverty. It also assesses the impact of public actions on poverty and is a principle diagnostic tool that feeds into the Bank’s Country Assistance Strategies (CAS). Thus, one of the most effective ways to influence the treatment of environmental issues in the PRS or the CAS is by including environmental factors in the Poverty Assessment. In order to mainstream environment into the Bank’s core activities related to poverty, we work with PREM teams to assess the environmental determinants of poverty and we undertake reviews of Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers.
Our analytical work in this area focuses on on-going poverty assessments. We provide our support to PREM teams to develop background papers on environmental determinants of poverty in countries where PAs are on-going. We analyze household data collected through countrywide surveys such as the Living Standards and Measurement Surveys and the Demographic and Health Surveys. Analyses focuses on forest and fuel wood use, land-use to the extent possible, and environmental health.
In addition to poverty assessments, we also analyze and review how environment is mainstreamed in country-owned poverty reduction strategies, and the subsequent poverty reduction credits which the Bank develops as a support to these strategies.
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