Green Toolbox

Sida contributes to reduced poverty, sustainable development and just transition in Sweden’s partner countries by addressing the triple planetary crisis of climate change, loss of biodiversity and pollution. The triple planetary crisis undermines the conditions for development and can lead to increased inequality, poverty, conflict and vulnerability of individuals and societies. Sida addresses the crisis through:

1. Targeted interventions (projects and programs where climate and environment is the principal objective of the intervention)
2. Integration of a climate and environment as a significant objective within other thematic areas
3. Strategic dialogue
4. Mobilisation of capital

This page contains materials that give methodological guidance as well as factual background related to these four areas of operation, as well as compilations about Sida’s support to climate and environment. 

Sida’s climate and environment policy from 2022 is the point of departure for Sida’s work on climate and environment. The Policy is part of Sida’s Environmental Management System (EMS) which is a tool to reduce our direct as well as indirect impact on the environment.

This e-learning about the EMS gives you an overview of Sida’s work on climate and environment, including the environmental situation in a few of Sida’s partner countries.

E-learning on Sida's environmental management system on our learning platform

In the following document, you find definitions of key concepts within the area of climate and environment.

Sida’s partner organisations are required to conduct an environmental assessment in the planning phase of all proposals. The assessment shall identify and integrate relevant measures to minimize negative impact on the climate and environment, to contribute to positive impact for environmentally sustainable development and to reduce the vulnerability of interventions to climate and environment related risks.

Program officers at Sida assess the quality of the environmental assessment and follow up on the implementation of measures.

The E-learning course "Putting the pieces together" will teach you the basics on how to integrate climate and environment as a significant objective within other thematic areas.

E-learning: Putting the pieces together on Sida's learning plattform

Environmental integration into Sida-financed projects and programmes (for Sida's partners):

Guide for integration of climate and environment in Sida’s operations (for Sida staff):

Guide for integration of climate and environment in programme and core support:

Climate and environmental aspects interact with four other perspectives that also guide Sida’s operations: poverty, human rights, gender equality and conflict. The following documents provide guidance on how contributions can be set up and assessed to address the perspectives and their interaction.

The following documents provide guidance on how climate, environment and biodiversity can be integrated in specific sectors.

The objectives in the government’s bilateral, regional and global thematic strategies are the points of departure for Sida’s targeted support to climate and environment. 

Applying the OECD-DAC policy marker on environment and the Rio markers for climate mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity and desertification allows Sida to follow up on how Sweden contributes to the implementation of international environmental agreements through its development cooperation.

The following documents provide guidance on approaches that are of specific relevance to Sida’s work on climate and environment.

The following publications are not updated and should not be used as guidance. They can still be useful as background information.

The following documents provide guidance on strategic dialogue on climate and environment within various sectors.

The following documents provide guidance on how to look for opportunities to increase financing and mobilisation of private capital to climate, environment and biodiversity.

The following documents provide an overview of Sida’ support to climate and environment for the past year.

In 2019, an OECD peer review of environmental integration in development cooperation in Sweden, Canada and through the European Commission and the European Investment Bank was carried out.  The evaluation still guides Sida’s work on environmental integration.