January 2013: The UN Development Programme (UNDP), together with the Capacity Development for Development Effectiveness (CDDE) Facility, has released a working paper that shares lessons from UNDP’s implementation of a methodology for assessing government-wide public expenditures against stated national climate change policy.

The paper, titled “Climate Public Expenditure and Institutional Reviews (CPEIRs) in the Asia-Pacific Region: What Have We Learnt?” offers a comparative analysis and findings of CPEIRs on policies, institutions, and public expenditures in five countries. Findings include: a lack of policies adapted to country-specific circumstances, limited transparency and accountability in delivering national climate change response, and shifts in developing economies from external public financing to private financing.

A series of recommendations offer suggestions for improving public expenditures for climate change at a country level, such as prioritization of climate change plans in conjunction with planning and finance ministries, and discretion for local government agencies in using funds for climate change adaptation. The paper also offers proposals for the future implementation and design of CPEIRs.

The five countries with completed CPEIRs are Nepal, Bangladesh, Thailand, Samoa and Cambodia. Future CPEIRs are being planned for Indonesia, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam.

A companion paper on “Climate Public Expenditure and Institutional Review (CPEIR): A Methodology to Review Climate Policy, Institutions and Expenditure” provides an overview of the methodology, which underscores the need for integrated analysis of policy development, institutional structures, and public financial management. [Publication: CPEIRs in the Asia-Pacific Region] [Publication: CPEIR Methodological Note]