7 December 2017: The UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) announced a joint project on pro-poor environmental action for the SDGs. The five-year project will support “equitable and pro-poor sustainable development” in the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), including through the inclusion of sustainability in investment management systems.

The new joint project titled, ‘Poverty-Environment Action for Sustainable Development Goals (2018-2022),’ will build on the two Programmes’ current partnership, the Poverty-Environment Initiative (PEI). The project was launched during the third session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA 3), which convened in Nairobi, Kenya, from 4-6 December 2017.

The project will seek to apply social and environmental safeguards to governments’ legal and regulatory frameworks, enable governments to screen investment proposals, and support governments in assessing the economic, ecological and social impacts of proposed investments. [PEI Press Release] [Factsheet on PEI in context of SDGs] [About PEI] [PEI Website]