In 2015, UNDP undertook a review of the Environment and Energy Portfolio of Latin America and the Caribbean to assess the influence that environmental programmes may have on changes that occur in the livelihoods of rural communities. The study examined how environmental programmes identify and respond to interlinkages between poverty and environment, in line with the expressed aims of UNDP’s 2014-2017 Strategic Plan. The assessment was structured around the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF) which was used as an analytical tool due to its effectiveness in examining these interlinkages between environmental actions and social change.
 
The portfolio analysis inspired the current discussion paper which considers the effectiveness of the SLF as a methodological tool to help: 1) develop in-depth understanding of the complexities of a given local context where projects are implemented; 2) to illustrate the pertinence of revisiting the SLF to demonstrate how UNDP interventions on environment contribute to human development; and 3) improve the monitoring and evaluation of ongoing UNDP environment projects and account for their long-term influence in social change. This is in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted in 2015 by the United Nations (UN), which requires applying an integrated and inclusive approach to development, targeting poor and vulnerable populations, and “leaving no-one behind”.
 

Environment, Agenda 2030