Harmonising and managing inter-sectorality: The elaboration of ‘Environment and Sustainable Development Sectoral Strategies’ (SEDDs) in Senegal

The idea of developing ‘Environment and Sustainable Development Sectoral Strategies’ (SEDDs, in its French acronym) in Senegal was born from the observation that climate change, sustainable development and the environment were at best weakly considered in sectoral policies. Therefore, the West African Economic and Monetary Union conducted a study in 2011 to help existing consultation policy frameworks mainstream these topics in sectoral policies.

In Senegal, the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MEDD, in its French acronym), through its ‘Study, Planning and Monitoring Unit’, and the Netherlands Cooperation Fund also conducted an evaluation study of the frameworks for cooperation, which highlighted the operational difficulties in mainstreaming these topics.

Through its integrated vision, the SEDDs represent a tool for defining the orientations and priorities for mainstreaming environment, sustainable development and climate change in a given sector, and thus manage inter-sectorality. In Senegal, the SEDDs aim to develop a sectoral version of the national orientation in these three areas. One of the major objectives is to establish an inventory of the current situation in terms of the integration of ‘environment’ and ‘climate change’ aspects in sectoral policies, with a view to produce high-quality strategic documents developed in a participatory manner. Another major goal of the SEDDs is to contribute to the establishment of effective planning tools for sustainable environmental management in sectoral ministries.

The SEDD preparation process is planned to be supported by the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg under the Bilateral Cooperation Program, notably the Indicative Cooperation Program (PIC, in its acronym in French), for the period 2018-2022. The SEDDs constitute a good practice as they are innovative and replicable in nature, driven by the stakeholders themselves, and spurring inter-sectoral cooperation and learning.

Impact of activities

The projected impacts with regards to the SEDDs are the following:

  • Greater sensitivity of policies and strategies to environmental and climate issues: The different sectoral strategies effectively take into account the environmental and climate related objectives, indicators, etc.
  • Greater attention to the process by actors and officials in other sectors: This will lead to the emergence of more resilient sectors that are better prepared to respond to the real missions of public services (health, training, etc.).
  • Enhanced inter-sectoral dialogue: The process of formulating and implementing the SEDDs between the MEDD and other ministries in Senegal has led to enhanced communication between the sectors.

Enhanced sustainability in the use of infrastructure and natural resources for the production of goods and services: Equipment, grey and green infrastructure and processes will take climate change into account and be selected according to their adaptive potential.

Institutions involved
  • Government agencies:
  • Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MEDD)
  • Other Directorates of the Ministry:
  1. Directorate of Environment and Classified Establishments (DEEC, in its French acronym)
  2. Directorate of Green Financing and Partnerships (DFVP, in its French acronym)
  • Center for Environmental Education and Training (CEFE, in its French acronym)
  • Ministry ofHealth and Social Action (MSAS, in its French acronym)
  • Ministry ofProfessional Training of Handicrafts and Apprenticeships (MFPAA, in its Frenchacronym)
        • Implementation partner: Directorate of Planning and Environmental Watch (DPVE, in its French acronym)

        Other institutions: Luxembourg Cooperation Agency (Lux Dev) / CRES

    Source details
    Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH