Green Toolbox

Our surrounding environment, including our climate and biodiversity, is the basis for human life. Changes in the climate and loss of ecosystem services undermine the development in all sectors and hit people living in poverty the most. Therefore it is important for professionals working with development cooperation to understand the interlinkages between environment and climate and poverty. 

While the challenges are huge, Sida has the opportunity to contribute to a more sustainable development through assessing and integrating environment into Swedish development cooperation and, thereby, support a more sustainable development at global, regional and national level. It is more than do-no-harm.

It is about actively looking at:

• Opportunities for a positive impact from the contribution
• Negative impacts and risks from the contribution, including ways to avoid and mitigate such harmful impacts
• Risks from environmental degradation, climate change and loss of biodiversity on the sustainability and resilience of the contribution, including ways to manage such risks.

Sida has developed tools to facilitate the assessment and implementation of the environment and climate change perspective in our operations.  

This material provides support and guidance on specific processes related to environment and climate change.

All Sida's work should be permeated by five perspectives:

• poverty
• human rights
• environment and climate
• gender equality
• conflict

Read about interlinkages between environment and climate change and the other perspectives:

Environment and climate change must be mainstreamed and integrated in all Sida’s operations. This includes strengthening and promoting environmental sustainability in different sectors and in dialogue with stakeholders at all levels.

These information briefs detail inter-linkages between environment and climate and other sectors.

Normative dialogue addresses Swedish values and priorities and is part of Sida's global advocacy work for better development results. These briefs provide examples of how normative dialogue has been used in the area of environment and climate change.

Sida receives assignments from the government through annual appropriation directions. This sometimes includes reporting to the government on Sida's work with the environment and climate.

Environment and climate context analysis used by Sida to analyse the development dynamics in our partner countries. 

• Environmental analysis Afghanistan on the University of Gothenburg website
• Environmental analysis Western Balkan on the University of Gothenburg website
• Environmental analysis Rwanda on the University of Gothenburg website

These documents give an overview of some of Sida's reported results within environment and climate change.

Sida's portfolio overviews summarise our work in a specific thematic area, and how the money in the area is distributed.

The OECD-DAC has reviewed environment and climate change mainstreaming in development cooperation in Sweden, Canada, the European Commission and the European Investment Bank.