Independent Review of UNEP’s Contributions to Poverty Reduction, on behalf of Sida. Synthesis Report

The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) has been a long-term partner of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), providing support to the implementation of its sub-programmes. The Swedish government has been placing environment and climate change among the top priorities within its support to development cooperation with natural capital regarded as the basis of human existence. As part of the Programme Cooperation Agreements (PCA), Sida supported UNEP through softly earmarked funding during the period 2015-2017 and beyond, across selected UNEP sub-programmes, with a focus on sustainable development and poverty reduction and with emphasis on improving conditions for people living in poverty in developing countries. As part of the cooperation agreement of UNEP’s Medium-Term Strategy (MTS) 2018-2021, Sida supported UNEP to perform a review of poverty reduction related results that were achieved through UNEP’s work evaluated and reported during the period 2015-2017. This was in order to assess the level to which, and the ways in which, poverty had been integrated in UNEP’s projects and initiatives. The review was to provide a forward-looking analysis on how poverty reduction results could be further strengthened within, and catalysed by, UNEP’s work in support of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)