Country environmental strategy papers

This paper provides an overview and analysis of Country Environmental Strategies Papers (CESPs). CESPs were developed in the Africa region of the World Bank as a way of bringing environment into the mainstream of World Bank operations. Most CESPs have the following objectives: 1) strengthen the Bank's country dialogue about environmental policy; 2) support the country's National Environmental Action Plan (NEAP); 3) scrutinize the environmental impacts of the Bank's country portfolio; 4) serve as a multi-disciplinary training ground for Bank staff; and 5) be the basis for donor coordination. CESPs all have similar content structure in that they provide a brief introduction to the country, an analysis of environmental conditions in the country and analysis of the causes of environmental problems, an assessment of the currrent environmental strategy, institutional structure and programs, and suggestions for a World Bank envrironmental strategy. The author stresses the importance of the completed CESP in that this is the first time the Bank has had a comprehensive perspective of individual country environmental problems and the relation to individual country development needs.