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INTEGRATING ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT IN DECISION-MAKING
8.1. This chapter contains the following programme areas:
- Integrating environment and development at the policy,
planning and management levels;
- Providing an effective legal and regulatory framework;
- Making effective use of economic instruments and market and
other incentives;
- Establishing systems for integrated environmental and
economic accounting.
PROGRAMME AREAS
A. Integrating environment and development at the policy,
planning and management levels
Basis for action
8.2. Prevailing systems for decision-making in many countries tend to
separate economic, social and environmental factors at the policy,
planning and management levels. This influences the actions of all
groups in society, including Governments, industry and individuals, and
has important implications for the efficiency and sustainability of
development. An adjustment or even a fundamental reshaping of
decision-making, in the light of country-specific conditions, may be
necessary if environment and development is to be put at the centre of
economic and political decision-making, in effect achieving a full
integration of these factors. In recent years, some Governments have
also begun to make significant changes in the institutional structures
of government in order to enable more systematic consideration of the
environment when decisions are made on economic, social, fiscal,
energy, agricultural, transportation, trade and other policies, as well
as the implications of policies in these areas for the environment.
New forms of dialogue are also being developed for achieving better
integration among national and local government, industry, science,
environmental groups and the public in the process of developing
effective approaches to environment and development. The
responsibility for bringing about changes lies with Governments in
partnership with the private sector and local authorities, and in
collaboration with national, regional and international organizations,
including in particular UNEP, UNDP and the World Bank. Exchange of
experience between countries can also be significant. National plans,
goals and objectives, national rules, regulations and law, and the
specific situation in which different countries are placed are the
overall framework in which such integration takes place. In this
context, it must be borne in mind that environmental standards may pose
severe economic and social costs if they are uniformly applied in
developing countries.
Objectives
8.3. The overall objective is to improve or restructure the
decision-making process so that consideration of socio-economic and
environmental issues is fully integrated and a broader range of public
participation assured. Recognizing that countries will develop their
own priorities in accordance with their prevailing conditions, needs,
national plans, policies and programmes, the following objectives are
proposed:
- To conduct a national review of economic, sectoral and
environmental policies, strategies and plans to ensure the progressive
integration of environmental and developmental issues;
- To strengthen institutional structures to allow the full
integration of environmental and developmental issues, at all levels of
decision-making;
- To develop or improve mechanisms to facilitate the
involvement of concerned individuals, groups and organizations in
decision-making at all levels;
- To establish domestically determined procedures to integrate
environment and development issues in decision-making.
Activities
(a) Improving decision-making processes
8.4. The primary need is to integrate environmental and developmental
decision-making processes. To do this, Governments should conduct a
national review and, where appropriate, improve the processes of
decision-making so as to achieve the progressive integration of
economic, social and environmental issues in the pursuit of development
that is economically efficient, socially equitable and responsible and
environmentally sound. Countries will develop their own priorities in
accordance with their national plans, policies and programmes for the
following activities:
- Ensuring the integration of economic, social and
environmental considerations in decision-making at all levels and in
all ministries;
- Adopting a domestically formulated policy framework that
reflects a long-term perspective and cross-sectoral approach as the
basis for decisions, taking account of the linkages between and within
the various political, economic, social and environmental issues
involved in the development process;
- Establishing domestically determined ways and means to ensure
the coherence of sectoral, economic, social and environmental policies,
plans and policy instruments, including fiscal measures and the budget;
these mechanisms should apply at various levels and bring together
those interested in the development process;
- Monitoring and evaluating the development process
systematically, conducting regular reviews of the state of human
resources development, economic and social conditions and trends, the
state of the environment and natural resources; this could be
complemented by annual environment and development reviews, with a view
to assessing sustainable development achievements by the various
sectors and departments of government;
- Ensuring transparency of, and accountability for, the
environmental implications of economic and sectoral policies;
- Ensuring access by the public to relevant information,
facilitating the reception of public views and allowing for effective
participation.
(b) Improving planning and management systems
8.5. To support a more integrated approach to decision-making, the
data systems and analytical methods used to support such
decision-making processes may need to be improved. Governments, in
collaboration, where appropriate, with national and international
organizations, should review the status of the planning and management
system and, where necessary, modify and strengthen procedures so as to
facilitate the integrated consideration of social, economic and
environmental issues. Countries will develop their own priorities in
accordance with their national plans, policies and programmes for the
following activities:
- Improving the use of data and information at all stages of
planning and management, making systematic and simultaneous use of
social, economic, developmental, ecological and environmental data;
analysis should stress interactions and synergisms; a broad range of
analytical methods should be encouraged so as to provide various points
of view;
- Adopting comprehensive analytical procedures for prior and
simultaneous assessment of the impacts of decisions, including the
impacts within and among the economic, social and environmental
spheres; these procedures should extend beyond the project level to
policies and programmes; analysis should also include assessment of
costs, benefits and risks;
- Adopting flexible and integrative planning approaches that
allow the consideration of multiple goals and enable adjustment of
changing needs; integrative area approaches at the ecosystem or
watershed level can assist in this approach;
- Adopting integrated management systems, particularly for the
management of natural resources; traditional or indigenous methods
should be studied and considered wherever they have proved effective;
women's traditional roles should not be marginalized as a result of the
introduction of new management systems;
- Adopting integrated approaches to sustainable development at
the regional level, including transboundary areas, subject to the
requirements of particular circumstances and needs;
- Using policy instruments (legal/regulatory and economic) as
a tool for planning and management, seeking incorporation of efficiency
criteria in decisions; instruments should be regularly reviewed and
adapted to ensure that they continue to be effective;
- Delegating planning and management responsibilities to the
lowest level of public authority consistent with effective action; in
particular the advantages of effective and equitable opportunities for
participation by women should be discussed;
- Establishing procedures for involving local communities in
contingency planning for environmental and industrial accidents, and
maintaining an open exchange of information on local hazards.
(c) Data and information
8.6. Countries could develop systems for monitoring and evaluation of
progress towards achieving sustainable development by adopting
indicators that measure changes across economic, social and
environmental dimensions.
(d) Adopting a national strategy for sustainable development
8.7. Governments, in cooperation, where appropriate, with
international organizations, should adopt a national strategy for
sustainable development based on, inter alia, the implementation of
decisions taken at the Conference, particularly in respect of Agenda
21. This strategy should build upon and harmonize the various sectoral
economic, social and environmental policies and plans that are
operating in the country. The experience gained through existing
planning exercises such as national reports for the Conference,
national conservation strategies and environment action plans should be
fully used and incorporated into a country-driven sustainable
development strategy. Its goals should be to ensure socially
responsible economic development while protecting the resource base and
the environment for the benefit of future generations. It should be
developed through the widest possible participation. It should be
based on a thorough assessment of the current situation and
initiatives.
Means of implementation
(a) Financing and cost evaluation
8.8. The Conference secretariat has estimated the average total annual
cost (1993-2000) of implementing the activities of this programme to be
about $50 million from the international community on grant or
concessional terms. These are indicative and order-of-magnitude
estimates only and have not been reviewed by Governments. Actual costs
and financial terms, including any that are non-concessional, will
depend upon, inter alia, the specific strategies and programmes
Governments decide upon for implementation.
(b) Researching environment and development interactions
8.9. Governments, in collaboration with the national and international
scientific community and in cooperation with international
organizations, as appropriate, should intensify efforts to clarify the
interactions between and within social, economic and environmental
considerations. Research should be undertaken with the explicit
objective of assisting policy decisions and providing recommendations
on improving management practices.
(c) Enhancing education and training
8.10. Countries, in cooperation, where appropriate, with national,
regional or international organizations, should ensure that essential
human resources exist, or be developed, to undertake the integration of
environment and development at various stages of the decision-making
and implementation process. To do this, they should improve education
and technical training, particularly for women and girls, by including
interdisciplinary approaches, as appropriate, in technical, vocational,
university and other curricula. They should also undertake systematic
training of government personnel, planners and managers on a regular
basis, giving priority to the requisite integrative approaches and
planning and management techniques that are suited to country-specific
conditions.
(d) Promoting public awareness
8.11. Countries, in cooperation with national institutions and groups,
the media and the international community, should promote awareness in
the public at large, as well as in specialized circles, of the
importance of considering environment and development in an integrated
manner, and should establish mechanisms for facilitating a direct
exchange of information and views with the public. Priority should be
given to highlighting the responsibilities and potential contributions
of different social groups.
(e) Strengthen national institutional capacity
8.12. Governments, in cooperation, where appropriate, with
international organizations, should strengthen national institutional
capability and capacity to integrate social, economic, developmental
and environmental issues
at all levels of development decision-making and implementation.
Attention should be given to moving away from narrow sectoral
approaches, progressing towards full cross-sectoral coordination and
cooperation.
B. Providing an effective legal and regulatory framework
Basis for action
8.13. Laws and regulations suited to country-specific conditions are
among the most important instruments for transforming environment and
development policies into action, not only through "command and
control" methods, but also as a normative framework for economic
planning and market instruments. Yet, although the volume of legal
texts in this field is steadily increasing, much of the law-making in
many countries seems to be ad hoc and piecemeal, or has not been
endowed with the necessary institutional machinery and authority for
enforcement and timely adjustment.
8.14. While there is continuous need for law improvement in all
countries, many developing countries have been affected by shortcomings
of laws and regulations. To effectively integrate environment and
development in the policies and practices of each country, it is
essential to develop and implement integrated, enforceable and
effective laws and regulations that are based upon sound social,
ecological, economic and scientific principles. It is equally critical
to develop workable programmes to review and enforce compliance with
the laws, regulations and standards that are adopted. Technical
support may be needed for many countries to accomplish these goals.
Technical cooperation requirements in this field include legal
information, advisory services and specialized training and
institutional capacity-building.
8.15. The enactment and enforcement of laws and regulations (at the
regional, national, state/provincial or local/municipal level) are also
essential for the implementation of most international agreements in
the field of environment and development, as illustrated by the
frequent treaty obligation to report on legislative measures. The
survey of existing agreements undertaken in the context of conference
preparations has indicated problems of compliance in this respect, and
the need for improved national implementation and, where appropriate,
related technical assistance. In developing their national priorities,
countries should take account of their international obligations.
Objectives
8.16. The overall objective is to promote, in the light of
country-specific conditions, the integration of environment and
development policies through appropriate legal and regulatory policies,
instruments and enforcement mechanisms at the national, state,
provincial and local level. Recognizing that countries will develop
their own priorities in accordance with their needs and national and,
where appropriate, regional plans, policies and programmes, the
following objectives are proposed:
- To disseminate information on effective legal and regulatory
innovations in the field of environment and development, including
appropriate instruments and compliance incentives, with a view to
encouraging their wider use and adoption at the national, state,
provincial and local level;
- To support countries that request it in their national
efforts to modernize and strengthen the policy and legal framework of
governance for sustainable development, having due regard for local
social values and infrastructures;
- To encourage the development and implementation of national,
state, provincial and local programmes that assess and promote
compliance and respond appropriately to non-compliance.
Activities
(a) Making laws and regulations more effective
8.17. Governments, with the support, where appropriate, of competent
international organizations, should regularly assess the laws and
regulations enacted and the related institutional/administrative
machinery established at the national/state and local/municipal level
in the field of environment and sustainable development, with a view to
rendering them effective in practice. Programmes for this purpose
could include the promotion of public awareness, preparation and
distribution of guidance material, and specialized training, including
workshops, seminars, education programmes and conferences, for public
officials who design, implement, monitor and enforce laws and
regulations.
(b) Establishing judicial and administrative procedures
8.18. Governments and legislators, with the support, where
appropriate, of competent international organizations, should establish
judicial and administrative procedures for legal redress and remedy of
actions affecting environment and development that may be unlawful or
infringe on rights under the law, and should provide access to
individuals, groups and organizations with a recognized legal interest.
(c) Providing legal reference and support services
8.19. Competent intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations
could cooperate to provide Governments and legislators, upon request,
with an integrated programme of environment and development law
(sustainable development law) services, carefully adapted to the
specific requirements of the recipient legal and administrative
systems. Such systems could usefully include assistance in the
preparation of comprehensive inventories and reviews of national legal
systems. Past experience has demonstrated the usefulness of combining
specialized legal information services with legal expert advice.
Within the United Nations system, closer cooperation among all agencies
concerned would avoid duplication of databases and facilitate division
of
labour. These agencies could examine the possibility and merit of
performing reviews of selected national legal systems.
(d) Establishing a cooperative training network for sustainable
development law
8.20. Competent international and academic institutions could, within
agreed frameworks, cooperate to provide, especially for trainees from
developing countries, postgraduate programmes and in-service training
facilities in environment and development law. Such training should
address both the effective application and the progressive improvement
of applicable laws, the related skills of negotiating, drafting and
mediation, and the training of trainers. Intergovernmental and
non-governmental organizations already active in this field could
cooperate with related university programmes to harmonize curriculum
planning and to offer an optimal range of options to interested
Governments and potential sponsors.
(e) Developing effective national programmes for reviewing and
enforcing compliance with national, state, provincial and local
laws on environment and development
8.21. Each country should develop integrated strategies to maximize
compliance with its laws and regulations relating to sustainable
development, with assistance from international organizations and other
countries as appropriate. The strategies could include:
- Enforceable, effective laws, regulations and standards that
are based on sound economic, social and environmental principles and
appropriate risk assessment, incorporating sanctions designed to punish
violations, obtain redress and deter future violations;
- Mechanisms for promoting compliance;
- Institutional capacity for collecting compliance data,
regularly reviewing compliance, detecting violations, establishing
enforcement priorities, undertaking effective enforcement, and
conducting periodic evaluations of the effectiveness of compliance and
enforcement programmes;
- Mechanisms for appropriate involvement of individuals and
groups in the development and enforcement of laws and regulations on
environment and development.
- National monitoring of legal follow-up to international
instruments
8.22. Contracting parties to international agreements, in consultation
with the appropriate secretariats of relevant international conventions
as appropriate, should improve practices and procedures for collecting
information on legal and regulatory measures taken. Contracting
parties to international agreements could undertake sample surveys of
domestic follow-up action subject to agreement by the sovereign States
concerned.
Means of implementation
(a) Financing and cost evaluation
8.23. The Conference secretariat has estimated the average total
annual cost (1993-2000) of implementing the activities of this
programme to be about $6 million from the international community on
grant or concessional terms. These are indicative and
order-of-magnitude estimates only and have not been reviewed by
Governments. Actual costs and financial terms, including any that are
non-concessional, will depend upon, inter alia, the specific strategies
and programmes Governments decide upon for implementation.
(b) Scientific and technological means
8.24. The programme relies essentially on a continuation of ongoing
work for legal data collection, translation and assessment. Closer
cooperation between existing databases may be expected to lead to
better division of labour (e.g., in geographical coverage of national
legislative gazettes and other reference sources) and to improved
standardization and compatibility of data, as appropriate.
(c) Human resource development
8.25. Participation in training is expected to benefit practitioners
from developing countries and to enhance training opportunities for
women. Demand for this type of postgraduate and in-service training is
known to be high. The seminars, workshops and conferences on review
and enforcement that have been held to date have been very successful
and well attended. The purpose of these efforts is to develop
resources (both human and institutional) to design and implement
effective programmes to continuously review and enforce national and
local laws, regulations and standards on sustainable development.
(d) Strengthening legal and institutional capacity
8.26. A major part of the programme should be oriented towards
improving the legal-institutional capacities of countries to cope with
national problems of governance and effective law-making and
law-applying in the field of environment and sustainable development.
Regional centres of excellence could be designated and supported to
build up specialized databases and training facilities for
linguistic/cultural groups of legal systems.
C. Making effective use of economic instruments and market
and other incentives
Basis for action
8.27. Environmental law and regulation are important but cannot alone
be expected to deal with the problems of environment and development.
Prices, markets and governmental fiscal and economic policies also play
a complementary role in shaping attitudes and behaviour towards the
environment.
8.28. During the past several years, many Governments, primarily in
industrialized countries but also in Central and Eastern Europe and in
developing countries, have been making increasing use of economic
approaches, including those that are market-oriented. Examples include
the polluter-pays principle and the more recent
natural-resource-user-pays concept.
8.29. Within a supportive international and national economic context
and given the necessary legal and regulatory framework, economic and
market-oriented approaches can in many cases enhance capacity to deal
with the issues of environment and development. This would be achieved
by providing cost-effective solutions, applying integrated pollution
prevention control, promoting technological innovation and influencing
environmental behaviour, as well as providing financial resources to
meet sustainable development objectives.
8.30. What is needed is an appropriate effort to explore and make more
effective and widespread use of economic and market-oriented approaches
within a broad framework of development policies, law and regulation
suited to country-specific conditions as part of a general transition
to economic and environmental policies that are supportive and mutually
reinforcing.
Objectives
8.31. Recognizing that countries will develop their own priorities in
accordance with their needs and national plans, policies and
programmes, the challenge is to achieve significant progress in the
years ahead in meeting three fundamental objectives:
- To incorporate environmental costs in the decisions of
producers and consumers, to reverse the tendency to treat the
environment as a "free good" and to pass these costs on to other parts
of society, other countries, or to future generations;
- To move more fully towards integration of social and
environmental costs into economic activities, so that prices will
appropriately reflect the relative scarcity and total value of
resources and contribute towards the prevention of environmental
degradation;
- To include, wherever appropriate, the use of market
principles in the framing of economic instruments and policies to
pursue sustainable development.
Activities
(a) Improving or reorienting governmental policies
8.32. In the near term, Governments should consider gradually building
on experience with economic instruments and market mechanisms by
undertaking to reorient their policies, keeping in mind national plans,
priorities and objectives, in order to:
- Establish effective combinations of economic, regulatory and
voluntary (self-regulatory) approaches;
- Remove or reduce those subsidies that do not conform with
sustainable development objectives;
- Reform or recast existing structures of economic and fiscal
incentives to meet environment and development objectives;
- Establish a policy framework that encourages the creation of
new markets in pollution control and environmentally sounder resource
management;
- Move towards pricing consistent with sustainable development
objectives.
8.33. In particular, Governments should explore, in cooperation with
business and industry, as appropriate, how effective use can be made of
economic instruments and market mechanisms in the following areas:
- Issues related to energy, transportation, agriculture and
forestry, water, wastes, health, tourism and tertiary services;
- Global and transboundary issues;
- The development and introduction of environmentally sound
technology and its adaptation, diffusion and transfer to developing
countries in conformity with chapter 34.
(b) Taking account of the particular circumstances of developing
countries and countries with economies in transition
8.34. A special effort should be made to develop applications of the
use of economic instruments and market mechanisms geared to the
particular needs of developing countries and countries with economies
in transition, with the assistance of regional and international
economic and environmental organizations and, as appropriate,
non-governmental research institutes, by:
- Providing technical support to those countries on issues
relating to the application of economic instruments and market
mechanisms;
- Encouraging regional seminars and, possibly, the development
of regional centres of expertise.
(c) Creating an inventory of effective uses of economic instruments
and market mechanisms
8.35. Given the recognition that the use of economic instruments and
market mechanisms is relatively recent, exchange of information about
different countries' experiences with such approaches should be
actively encouraged. In this regard, Governments should encourage the
use of existing means of information exchange to look at effective uses
of economic instruments.
(d) Increasing understanding of the role of economic instruments and
market mechanisms
8.36. Governments should encourage research and analysis on effective
uses of economic instruments and incentives with the assistance and
support of regional and international economic and environmental
organizations, as well as non-governmental research institutes, with a
focus on such key issues as:
- The role of environmental taxation suited to national
conditions;
- The implications of economic instruments and incentives for
competitiveness and international trade, and potential needs for
appropriate future international cooperation and coordination;
- The possible social and distributive implications of using
various instruments.
(e) Establishing a process for focusing on pricing
8.37. The theoretical advantages of using pricing policies, where
appropriate, need to be better understood, and accompanied by greater
understanding of what it means to take significant steps in this
direction. Processes should therefore be initiated, in cooperation
with business, industry, large enterprises, transnational corporations,
as well as other social groups, as appropriate, at both the national
and international levels, to examine:
- The practical implications of moving towards greater reliance
on pricing that internalize environmental costs appropriate to help
achieve sustainable development objectives;
- The implications for resource pricing in the case of
resource-exporting countries, including the implications of such
pricing policies for developing countries;
- The methodologies used in valuing environmental costs.
(f) Enhancing understanding of sustainable development economics
8.38. Increased interest in economic instruments, including market
mechanisms, also requires a concerted effort to improve understanding
of sustainable development economics by:
- Encouraging institutions of higher learning to review their
curricula and strengthen studies in sustainable development economics;
- Encouraging regional and international economic organizations
and non-governmental research institutes with expertise in this area to
provide training sessions and seminars for government officials;
- Encouraging business and industry, including large industrial
enterprises and transnational corporations with expertise in
environmental matters, to organize training programmes for the private
sector and other groups.
Means of implementation
8.39. This programme involves adjustments or reorientation of policies
on the part of Governments. It also involves international and
regional economic and environmental organizations and agencies with
expertise in this area, including transnational corporations.
(a) Financing and cost evaluation
8.40. The Conference secretariat has estimated the average total
annual cost (1993-2000) of implementing the activities of this
programme to be about $5 million from the international community on
grant or concessional terms. These are indicative and
order-of-magnitude estimates only and have not been reviewed by
Governments. Actual costs and financial terms, including any that are
non-concessional, will depend upon, inter alia, the specific strategies
and programmes Governments decide upon for implementation.
D. Establishing systems for integrated environmental and
economic accounting
Basis for action
8.41. A first step towards the integration of sustainability into
economic management is the establishment of better measurement of the
crucial role of the environment as a source of natural capital and as
a sink for by-products generated during the production of man-made
capital and other human activities. As sustainable development
encompasses social, economic and environmental dimensions, it is also
important that national accounting procedures are not restricted to
measuring the production of goods and services that are conventionally
remunerated. A common framework needs to be developed whereby the
contributions made by all sectors and activities of society, that are
not included in the conventional national accounts, are included, to
the extent consistent with sound theory and practicability, in
satellite accounts. A programme to develop national systems of
integrated environmental and economic accounting in all countries is
proposed.
Objectives
8.42. The main objective is to expand existing systems of national
economic accounts in order to integrate environment and social
dimensions in the accounting framework, including at least satellite
systems of accounts for natural resources in all member States. The
resulting systems of integrated environmental and economic accounting
(IEEA) to be established in all member States at the earliest date
should be seen as a complement to, rather than a
substitute for, traditional national accounting practices for the
foreseeable future. IEEAs would be designed to play an integral part
in the national development decision-making process. National
accounting agencies should work in close collaboration with national
environmental statistics as well as the geographic and natural resource
departments. The definition of economically active could be expanded
to include people performing productive but unpaid tasks in all
countries. This would enable their contribution to be adequately
measured and taken into account in decision-making.
Activities
(a) Strengthening international cooperation
8.43. The Statistical Office of the United Nations Secretariat should:
- Make available to all member States the methodologies
contained in the SNA Handbook on Integrated Environmental and Economic
Accounting;
- In collaboration with other relevant United Nations
organizations, further develop, test, refine and then standardize the
provisional concepts and methods such as those proposed by the SNA
Handbook, keeping member States informed of the status of the work
throughout this process;
- Coordinate, in close cooperation with other international
organizations, the training of national accountants, environmental
statisticians and national technical staff in small groups for the
establishment, adaptation and development of national IEEAs.
8.44. The Department of Economic and Social Development of the United
Nations Secretariat, in close collaboration with other relevant United
Nations organizations, should:
- Support, in all member States, the utilization of sustainable
development indicators in national economic and social planning and
decision-making practices, with a view to ensuring that IEEAs are
usefully integrated in economic development planning at the national
level;
- Promote improved environmental and economic and social data
collection.
(b) Strengthening national accounting systems
8.45. At the national level, the programme could be adopted mainly by
the agencies dealing with national accounts, in close cooperation with
environmental statistics and natural resource departments, with a view
to assisting national economic analysts and decision makers in charge
of national economic planning. National institutions should play a
crucial role not only as the depositary of the system but also in its
adaptation, establishment and continuous use. Unpaid productive work
such as domestic work and child care should be included, where
appropriate, in satellite national accounts and
economic statistics. Time-use surveys could be a first step in the
process of developing these satellite accounts.
(c) Establishing an assessment process
8.46. At the international level, the Statistical Commission should
assemble and review experience and advise member States on technical
and methodological issues related to the further development and
implementation of IEEAs in member States.
8.47. Governments should seek to identify and consider measures to
correct price distortions arising from environmental programmes
affecting land, water, energy and other natural resources.
8.48. Governments should encourage corporations:
- To provide relevant environmental information through
transparent reporting to shareholders, creditors, employees,
governmental authorities, consumers and the public;
- To develop and implement methods and rules for accounting for
sustaining development.
(d) Strengthening data and information collection
8.49. National Governments could consider implementing the necessary
enhancement in data collection to set in place national IEEAs with a
view to contributing pragmatically to sound economic management. Major
efforts should be made to augment the capacity to collect and analyse
environmental data and information and to integrate it with economic
data, including gender disaggregated data. Efforts should also be made
to develop physical environmental accounts. International donor
agencies should consider financing the development of intersectoral
data banks to help ensure that national planning for sustainable
development is based on precise, reliable and effective information and
is suited to national conditions.
(e) Strengthening technical cooperation
8.50. The Statistical Office of the United Nations Secretariat, in
close collaboration with relevant United Nations organizations, should
strengthen existing mechanisms for technical cooperation among
countries. This should also include exchange of experience in the
establishment of IEEAs, particularly in connection with the valuation
of non-marketed natural resources and standardization in data
collection. The cooperation of business and industry, including large
industrial enterprises and transnational corporations with experience
in valuation of such resources, should also be sought.
Means of implementation
(a) Financing and cost evaluation
8.51. The Conference secretariat has estimated the average total
annual cost (1993-2000) of implementing the activities of this
programme to be about $2 million from the international community on
grant or concessional terms. These are indicative and
order-of-magnitude estimates only and have not been reviewed by
Governments. Actual costs and financial terms, including any that are
non-concessional, will depend upon, inter alia, the specific strategies
and programmes Governments decide upon for implementation.
(b) Strengthening institutions
8.52. To ensure the application of IEEAs:
- National institutions in developing countries could be
strengthened to ensure the effective integration of environment and
development at the planning and decision-making levels;
- The Statistical Office should provide the necessary technical
support to member States, in close collaboration with the assessment
process to be established by the Statistical Commission; the
Statistical Office should provide appropriate support for establishing
IEEAs, in collaboration with relevant United Nations agencies.
(c) Enhancing the use of information technology
8.53. Guidelines and mechanisms could be developed and agreed upon for
the adaptation and diffusion of information technologies to developing
countries. State-of-the-art data management technologies should be
adopted for the most efficient and widespread use of IEEAs.
(d) Strengthening national capacity
8.54. Governments, with the support of the international community,
should strengthen national institutional capacity to collect, store,
organize, assess and use data in decision-making. Training in all
areas related to the establishment of IEEAs, and at all levels, will be
required, especially in developing countries. This should include
technical training of those involved in economic and environmental
analysis, data collection and national accounting, as well as training
decision makers to use such information in a pragmatic and appropriate
way. |