Pada tahun 1992, sehubungan dengan
“sustainable development” pemerintah-pemerintah dunia menyepakati
dokumen “Agenda 21” berupa pedoman tindakan-tindakan yang perlu
diambil menuju Pembangunan yang berkelanjutan. Berikut, disajikan
potongan dari ikhtisar dokumen besar itu, yaitu Bab 8, khusus
mengenai integrasi proses-proses Pengambilan Keputusan Pembangunan
yang memadukan antara Lingkungan Hidup dan Pembangunan, meliputi
bidang-bidang program integrasi di tingkat kebijakan, perencanaan dan
manajemen; kerangka hukum dan peraturan; pengeektifan instrumen
ekonomi, pasar dll; sistem akunting terpadu antara lingkungan dan
perekonomian..
Chapter
8
Integrating Environment &
Development in Decision-Making
Introduction
8.1. This chapter contains 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
instruments, including fiscal measures and the 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.
G) 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;
(d) 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.
