Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers: making the case for forestry

Introduction The PRSP process Since 1999, Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRSs) have become a major national development framework in many countries. The Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) sets out an analysis of poverty for the country concerned and defines a national strategy for reducing it. Key policy measures and structural reforms aimed at poverty reduction and growth are identified and prioritised during the PRSP process, and their budgetary costs are assessed. PRSs are designed to improve the comprehensiveness of poverty reduction measures, in an effort to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. The process usually begins with the preparation of an InterimPRSP (I-PRSP), which provides the framework for drafting the final paper. Originally set as a requirement for debt relief under the Enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries facility (HIPC2), many non-HIPC-eligible countries have also invested in preparing these plans. The PRSP has thus become a formal representation of a nation’s development policies, and helps determine the attitude of the international donor community towards national efforts (Booth, 2003).