The Bank’s Environment Department is working with its country teams to develop “best practice” on greening Country Assistance Strategies (CASs). Studies have been done in the Dominican Republic, Zambia and Azerbaijan and will soon start in Pakistan, Tunisia and Argentina.
The core CAS text will assess key environmental problems, their root causes and aid agencies’ environmental work. Environmental analysis should be integrated into CAS sections on the economy, poverty, rural issues, health and risks. Proposed new indicators for CASs will cover: child mortality, depletion of natural resources (as a percentage of GDP), rural population density, CO 2 per unit of GDP, access to sanitation in urban areas, annual freshwater use as a percentage of total resources, protected areas, particulate air pollution in the capital city, and genuine savings.
Groups concerned about sustainability in these countries, and in all Bank CASs, may want to engage in the discussions.
CASE documents are available from Kirk Hamilton in the Bank’s Environment Department khamilton@worldbank.org or from the Bretton Woods Project.
