Mainstreaming environment and water in development

This discussion paper looks at the integration and mainstreaming of environment and water in national and sector policies and programmes supported by Dutch bilateral development cooperation. It is based on interviews with policymakers in partner countries, a literature review, and a workshop.

Mainstreaming environment and water is defined as: promoting improved environmental and water management in policy formulation and programmes of implementation by public and private sector actors.

While new aid modalities offer a good opportunity to achieve such mainstreaming, donors and partner countries often give it low priority or do not provide enough financial or human resources to implement it.

The paper proposes a strategy for mainstreaming of environment and water in Dutch bilateral development programmes, including the following recommendations:

• build on the engagement in policy processes by strengthening mainstreaming through national agencies
• support mainstreaming in budgeting and implementation
• make more systematic use of strategic assessment methodologies and building capacity in applying them
• support mainstreaming in country programmes where environment and water are not priority sectors, by engaging in general budget support discussions and systematically working with other sectors on innovative programmes that have the capacity to be scaled up
• improve knowledge and content management within the Dutch development ministry’s Environment and Water Department, and support mainstreaming, particularly in non-sector country programmes and in the private sector
• introduce a benchmarking strategy integrated within overall support to mainstreaming environment and water and consisting of best-case benchmarking, the use of opportunity cards and expenditure tracking.