The CSCP has developed a Manual for UNEP to provide conceptual and practical guidance for integrating sustainable consumption and production (SCP) in Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs). The Manual aims to support national governments in the process of integrating SCP into the PRSPs. It provides the guidelines to promote coherence among the different policy planning processes. This will ensure that national strategic policy planning processes are more efficient and mutually supportive, as well as reduce poverty more effectively. The manual will also aid in the implementation of SCP as envisioned in the Marrakech Process, a major UN-led international process to implement SCP as was decided upon at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002.

 

The Manual is primarily focused on aiding government officials involved in the development and implementation of Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRSs) within developing countries. However, development practitioners and those who are working to promote SCP, can also benefit from the Manual when viewed as a guide designed to improve their understanding of SCP as a framework and a tool to reduce poverty. While the Manual was developed as part of an ongoing UNEP project that promotes the integration of SCP into PRSPs and other implementation policies in selected pilot countries, the project is hoping to stimulate the replication of such policy integration in other countries.

 

 

This Manual is divided in two parts: Part I intends to provide relevant background information with concrete examples of existing synergies between SCP and poverty reduction policies in different economic sectors, whereas Part II constitutes the guidelines and steps for specifically integrating SCP into PRSPs.

 

The objective of Part I is to lay a foundation where the need for and benefits of including SCP ob-jectives and policies in poverty reduction strategies is understood, and where the links between SCP, poverty reduction and the mutual benefits arising from addressing them jointly is coherently explained.

 

Part II provides methodological guidance for the governments willing to mainstream SCP in their Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs). It provides procedural steps and content information in a ready-to-use manner, allowing the transfer of ideas illustrated in Part I into the specific texts to be included in their PRSPs or Annual Progress Reports (APRs).

 

For more information with respect to the Manual, please contact Michael Kuhndt at michael.kuhndt@scp-centre.org.