HC Deb 11 May 2004 vol 421 cc241-2W
Mr. Bercow

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the members of the Poverty Environment Partnership. [171688]

Mr. Gareth Thomas

The Poverty Environment Partnership is an organised donor network, with an open membership which includes bilateral and multilateral agencies, research institutes, and development banks with an interest in the issues. At the most recent meeting, which was held in February 2004, the membership was as follows:

Bilateral donor countries/agencies:

Belgium, Canada (CIDA), Denmark (DANIDA), Finland, Germany (GTZ), Ireland, Netherlands (DGIS), Norway, Sweden (SIDA), Switzerland (SDC), USAID, UK (DFID)

Multilateral agencies:

World Bank, Asian Development Bank, African Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, International Monetary Fund, European Comission (DG ENV and DG DEV), United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Environment Programme, Food and Agriculture Organisation, World Health Organisation.

Non-governmental Organisations/research organisations:

Netherlands Institute for International Relations, Stockholm Environment Institute, World Resources Institute, World Wide Fund for Nature, IUCN—the World Conservation Union.

Mr. Bercow

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when the analytical methods referred to on page 179 of the 2004 Departmental Report for the integration of poverty-environment issues into Poverty Reduction Strategy processes will be(a) finalised and (b) published. [171689]

Mr. Gareth Thomas

Relevant analytical methods for the integration of poverty-environment issues into Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRS) and other development planning processes are being produced by DFID unilaterally and in conjunction with other members of the multi-donor Poverty Environment Partnership. Much of this work is formally published, although some comprises "working documents" which will be refined and tested in the field prior to more formal dissemination.

Examples of formal publications, which comprise analytical methodology and innovative developments within the issue, include "Linking Poverty Reduction and Environmental Management" (published July 2002), DFID Environment Guide (published June 2003), Environmental Fiscal Reform (to be published June 2004), OECD-DAC Guidance on Strategic Environmental Assessment (to be published late 2004).

Examples of work that is on-going but which will not be formally published in the near future include DFID's work on the contribution of environmental resources to economic growth, and the extent to which environmental issues are a good entry point for tackling wider issues of pro-poor governance and democratic change.

However, all work that is not formally published is still publicly available on DFID's website.