Dalal-Clayton D.B and Bass S. (2009) The Challenges of Environmental Mainstreaming: Experience of Integrating Environment into Development Institutions and Decisions. International Institute for Environment and Development, London

During 2007-08, IIED and its partners conducted a series of country surveys involving dialogues with key decision-makers and development and environmental practitioners to gather perspectives on the challenges of environmental mainstreaming (EM) and the approaches and tools that work. The countries involved included: Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Ghana, India, Kenya, Philippines, South Africa, Uganda and several Caribbean countries.

Those we engaged with were particularly exercised on issues of context – the mainstream drivers of change, the constraints to influencing them to address environmental issues, and the associated political and institutional challenges. These were highlighted as the major issues in the struggle to link the endeavours of development and environmental management. A heavy current focus on tools was seen as part of the problem – technical safeguards and conditionalities ‘pushed’ by environment interests on development interests, rather than strategies to link mutual interests.

This Issues Paper is based on a synthesis of the reports from the country surveys, the lessons from EM learning groups organized by IIED in Tanzania, Zambia and Vietnam, and a review of international experience and work undertaken by a number of bilateral development cooperation agencies and UN organisations.

To access the Issues Paper, click HERE

We hope this paper will be of interest and use to all those who are striving to address environmental issues in development policy-making and decision-taking.

In preparing this paper, we would like to acknowledge the inputs and support of Ella Antonio, Christine Asare, Zainab Birungi, Hernan Blanco, Julie Clarke, Edmundo Claro, Jon Hobbs, John Horberry, Aban Marker Kabraji, Anand Khumar, Sarah McIntosh, Francisco Molina, Caitlin Sanford, Martin Smutny, Ridhima Sud, Penny Urquhart, George Varughese, Marjanneke Vijge, and Catherine Weller.