AGENDA 21, CHAPTER 8
INTEGRATING ENVIRONMENT AND
DEVELOPMENT IN DECISION-MAKING
NOTE: This is a final, advanced version of a chapter of
Agenda 21, as adopted by the Plenary in Rio de
Janeiro, on June 14, 1992. This document will be
further edited, translated into the official
languages, and published by the United Nations
for the General Assembly this autumn.
INTRODUCTION
8.1. The present chapter consists of the following
programme areas:
(a) Integrating environment and development at the
policy, planning and management levels;
(b) Providing an effective legal and regulatory
framework;
(c) Making effective use of economic instruments and
market and other incentives;
(d) 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:
(a) To conduct a national review of economic,
sectoral and environmental policies, strategies and plans
to ensure the progressive integration of environmental and
developmental issues;
(b) To strengthen institutional structures to allow
the full integration of environmental and developmental
issues, at all levels of decision-making;
(c) To develop or improve mechanisms to facilitate
the involvement of concerned individuals, groups and
organizations in decision-making at all levels;
(d) 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:
(a) Ensuring the integration of economic, social and
environmental considerations in decision-making at all
levels and in all ministries;
(b) 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;
(c) Establishing domestically determined ways and
means to ensure the coherence of sectoral, economic, social
and environmental policies, plans and policy instrum>
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he budget; these mechanisms
should apply at various levels and bring together those
interested in the development process;
(d) 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;
(e) Ensuring transparency of, and accountability for,
the environmental implications of economic and sectoral
policies;
(f) 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:
(a) 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;
(b) 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;
(c) 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;
(d) 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;
(e) Adopting integrated approaches to sustainable
development at the regional level, including transboundary
areas, subject to the requirements of particular
circumstances and needs;
(f) 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;
(g) 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;
(h) 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:
(a) 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;
(b) 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;
(c) 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:
(a) 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;
(b) Mechanisms for promoting compliance;
(c) 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;
(d) Mechanisms for appropriate involvement of
individuals and groups in the development and enforcement
of laws and regulations on environment and development.
(f) 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:
(a) 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;
(b) 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;
(c) 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:
(a) Establish effective combinations of economic,
regulatory and voluntary (self-regulatory) approaches;
(b) Remove or reduce those subsidies that do not
conform with sustainable development objectives;
(c) Reform or recast existing structures of economic
and fiscal incentives to meet environment and development
objectives;
(d) Establish a policy framework that encourages the
creation of new markets in pollution control and
environmentally sounder resource management;
(e) 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:
(a) Issues related to energy, transportation,
agriculture and forestry, water, wastes, health, tourism
and tertiary services;
(b) Global and transboundary issues;
(c) 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:
(a) Providing technical support to those countries on
issues relating to the application of economic instruments
and market mechanisms;
(b) 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:
(a) The role of environmental taxation suited to
national conditions;
(b) The implications of economic instruments and
incentives for competitiveness and international trade, and
potential needs for appropriate future international
cooperation and coordination;
(c) 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:
(a) The practical implications of moving towards
greater reliance on pricing that internalize environmental
costs appropriate to help achieve sustainable development
objectives;
(b) The implications for resource pricing in the case
of resource-exporting countries, including the implications
of such pricing policies for developing countries;
(c) 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:
(a) Encouraging institutions of higher learning to
review their curricula and strengthen studies in
sustainable development economics;
(b) 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;
(c) 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:
(a) Make available to all member States the
methodologies contained in the SNA Handbook on Integrated
Environmental and Economic Accounting;
(b) 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;
(c) 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:
(a) 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;
(b) 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:
(a) To provide relevant environmental information
through transparent reporting to shareholders, creditors,
employees, governmental authorities, consumers and the
public;
(b) 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:
(a) National institutions in developing countries
could be strengthened to ensure the effective integration
of environment and development at the planning and
decision-making levels;
(b) 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.
* * * *
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Note 419 A21/9 Atmosphere
unced 6:46 am Jul 10, 1992
From: UNCED
Subject: A21/9 Atmosphere
A-21: ATMOSPHERE
United Nations Conference on Environment & Development
Conference des Nations Unies sur l'Environnement
et le Developpement
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