21 Case Study1 Lessons from Tanzania on Mainstreaming Environment into the New Poverty Reduction Strategy

Document begins: 21 Case Study1 Lessons from Tanzania on Mainstreaming Environment into the New Poverty Reduction Strategy1 Tanzania is developing its second poverty reduction strategy (PRS II) for implementation starting in 2005. This new PRS is very different from the first in that it is strongly outcome focused and has deliberately set out to mainstream cross- cutting issues, including environment, as integral to the strategy and not as an `add on'. This was in response to a recognition by the Government of Tanzania, national stakeholders and development partners that environment, and other important cross-cutting issues were not well addressed in the first PRS, and that attention was essential to the achievement of sustainable poverty reduction and growth. A very important feature of the development of PRS II has been national ownership and the implementation of extensive consultation with a wide range of stakeholders on the content and focus of PRS II. The strategy also makes explicit mention of achieving WSSD actions, and is seen as a means to achieving sustainable development. With this increased focus on cross-cutting issues ­ environment, HIV/AIDs, gender, employment, governance, children, youth, elderly, disabled and settlements ­ the challenge was how these should prioritised and how ...