1. This is intended to be a fully integrated presentation of international work programme in the ECE region. It includes the statistical work of the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), the Commission of the European Communities, OECD, the UN Statistical Division (UNSD), ILO, WHO, IMF, the World Trade Organization (ex GATT), the World Bank, The Statistical Committee of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS STAT) and many other agencies. The programmes are presented in six separate documents - one for each domain in the Conference's programme of work - as follows:
6. The "priority menu" summarizing the major types of activities the Conference plans to work on during the next two years in all projects in the sub-programme is given at the end of this addendum, together with a consolidated list of meetings that the ECE, Eurostat and the OECD plan to organize under this sub-programme in the next two years.
7. As the integrated presentation is being presented in six separate documents, this explanatory note on the new format of the presentation is being reproduced in each of the documents. A separate short document (CES/1995/R.15.
Sub-programme Programme element
Sub-programme 1: 1.1 Issues of statistical policy
Organization and 1.2 Transition countries
Operation of statistical 1.3 Promotion and coordination of
services (See document international statistical work
1.4 Technical assistance to
developing countries
Sub-programme 2: 2.1 Management of statistical
Technical infrastructure information technology
and other cross-cutting 2.2 Statistical data collection and
issues (See document processing
2.3 Dissemination and interchange of
statistical information
2.4 Industry, commodity and
occupation classifications
2.5 Statistical methodology
2.6 Geography
2.7 Regional statistics
2.8 Training
Sub-programme 3: 3.1 Implementation of the system of
Economic statistics (See national accounts
document 3.2 Money and banking, government
3.3 International trade in goods
3.4 Transport
3.5 Distributive trades
3.6 International trade in services
3.7 Tourism
3.8 Other marketed services, and non-
marketed services
3.9 Price statistics, including
purchasing power parities
3.10 Agricultural statistics
3.11 Industrial statistics
3.12 Energy statistics
3.13 Science and technology
statistics
3.14 Business registers and
administrative records in
support of economic statistics
3.XX Other work in the field of
economic statistics
Sub-programme 4: Social 4.1 Social indicators and frameworks
and demographic 4.2 Gender statistics
statistics (See document 4.3 Multi-purpose social surveys
4.4 Registers and administrative
records for social and
demographic statistics
4.5 Population and housing censuses
4.6 Health statistics
4.7 Crime and criminal justice
statistics
4.8 Education and training
statistics
4.9 Culture statistics
4.10 Labour statistics
4.11 Demographic statistics
(including projections,
migration and fertility)
4.12 Human settlements and housing
statistics
4.13 Statistics of household income
and expenditures, of the welfare
of the population, and of
poverty and income inequality
4.14 Statistics on population groups
of special interest
4.XX Other work in the field of
social and demographic
statistics
Sub-programme 5: Natural 5.1 Standards and frameworks for
resources and environmental data and
environment statistics indicators
(See document 5.2 Natural resources and
CES/1995/R.15/Add.5) environmental accounting
5.3 Environmental database
development and dissemination
Sub-programme 6: 6.1 Dissemination of statistical
Dissemination and data by the secretariats
support for secretariat 6.2 Statistical support for other
activities (See document activities of the secretariats
SUB-PROGRAMME 5
NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT STATISTICS
Intersecretariat Task Force:
The Task Force on Environment Statistics, convened by the UN
Statistical Division, oversees international coordination in
environment statistics, indicators and accounting. In particular,
the Task Force maintains a synopsis of programmes and activities of
international institutions in this area of work. The information
reported here is extracted from it.
5.1 STANDARDS AND FRAMEWORKS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL DATA AND
INDICATORS
Objectives over the next several years:
To develop an integrated
system of internationally comparable environmental statistics
capable of assisting governments in setting and adjusting
regulatory, taxation and resource management policies focused
partially or entirely on natural resources and the environment.
Major components include the development and revision of
statistical definitions, concepts, classifications and frameworks.
Priority areas include: environmental protection expenditures;
waste products and recycling; air; water; land; flora and fauna;
ecological statistics; and environmental indicators.
Expected collective output in the next two years:
Gradual
completion of coverage of international methodological guidelines,
recommendations and standards for use by international institutions
and national offices; updating of existing guidelines,
recommendations and standards in accordance with priorities and
resources available. First priorities on environmental protection
expenditures and facilities and on statistics on waste and
recycling. Provision of a forum for the exchange of methodological
experiences obtained in national institutions, and the discussion
of solutions to arising problems; preparation of assistance schemes
for the enhancement of national capabilities for developing
environment statistics in accordance with national requirements,
particularly as regards European countries in transition to a
market economy.
Attention of the Conference is drawn to the following:
Waste and recycling: Development, in cooperation with Eurostat, of a Single European Standard Statistical Classification of Waste and Recycling.
Secretariat resources: Moderate.
Fauna, flora and habitat: Preparation of a draft habitat classification as part of the overall revised framework of fauna, flora and habitat statistics.
Secretariat resources: Moderate to substantial.
Industrial sector: Development of agricultural statistics of the environment, together with the OECD and Eurostat.
Secretariat resources: Minimal.
Chemicals in the environment: Development of a conceptual scheme for statistics on chemicals in the environment.
Secretariat resources: Moderate to substantial.
Methodology: Organization of joint annual work sessions with Eurostat and, possibly, specific task forces, to consider methodological aspects of environment statistics. Preparation, if and when required, of 'readings volumes' of methods used in the collection, compilation or dissemination of environment statistics.
Secretariat resources: Minimal.
Coordination: Participation in coordination schemes, in particular the Task Force on Environment Statistics.
Secretariat resources: Minimal.
The statistical programme is influenced by the implementation of the Fifth Action Programme of the Community in relation to the environment and sustainable development and the related mid-term review of the engagements taken at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit with the adoption of the Agenda 21. This programme signals a change of emphasis from regulatory environmental policy towards an approach which integrates environmental policy into the economy and the different sectoral policies. This is an excellent opportunity to integrate environmental policies and statistics with the sectoral and general social and economic policy and statistics. Eurostat has reoriented its initiatives onwards to develop its contribution to the high level political discussion on "green accounting" and "environmental" and "sustainable indicators".
The starting of the operational work of the European Environment Agency (EEA) has seen the development of a joint work programme. The broad lines of co-operation were defined in the Council decision on "a four-year programme to develop the environmental component of official statistics". A "memorandum of understanding" on the modalities of co-operation has also been drawn up. This joint programme is based on the one hand on the 1995 Statistical Programme with indication of the Agency's contributions to the different modules and on the other hand on the agency's work programme with indications by Eurostat on its involvement in their modules. International co-operation will be influenced by this new player. The memorandum of understanding gives the respective guidelines for presentation of statistical matters where Eurostat is the Communities' representative in the UN Statistical Commission and in the Conference of European Statisticians and in OECD statistical communities.
Eurostat is taking an active part in the statistics environment task force of UNSD, has joint projects with ECE (i.e. waste, classification of environmental activities for the assessment of environmental expenditure, Dobris report and data bank) and OECD (common questionnaire, Dobris report and data bank, indicator and accounting work). Eurostat will develop further cooperation in future especially in data collection activities.
Waste statistics: The improvement of information on waste is a high political priority of the Fifth Action Programme and is a key area in the EEA's multi-year programme. Present planning includes: developing legislation covering surveys of generation of waste and the activities of firms and others (local authorities) specialised in waste handling; building of a statistical classification as a joint programme with ECE; continuing methodology work; continuing to endeavour to adapt and use external trade statistics in order to get useful data on Community external trade in waste. Water statistics: This is also a key area for the EEA but one in which Eurostat's work is only embryonic. The aim is to build up the data on water abstraction and consumption by major activities, on discharges and loads of waste water and on waste water treatment, as a major contribution to completing overall water balance sheets which will take account of uses of water of different qualities. The work aims to achieve a harmonisation of definitions and units coordinate existing data collection by the Commission (standardised reporting) and by the numerous Council directives on water with the Eurostat/OECD questionnaire which should be adapted to the new needs of the Commission and the EEA work programme.
Atmospheric emission statistics: Highest political priority is given to the implementation of obligations to monitor COý. Nomenclature for integrated emissions inventory should be developed and there should be statistical support for the Corinair programme run by the EEA.
UN Statistical Division (UNSD): Activities will be oriented towards the methodological development of environmental statistics and indicators, in particular: (a) development of a draft set of environmental indicators for national and international data collection; (b) collaborative research project on indicators of sustainable development (with SCOPE); (c) directory of environmental data; (d) glossary of terms of environmental statistics. The development of an agreed list of environmental and sustainable development indicators is under the aegis of the Statistical Commission and the Commission on Sustainable Development.
It is anticipated that a manual of environmental indicators will be prepared in 1997. A compendium of internationally comparable environmental statistics and indicators is also under consideration. Substantive servicing of and participation in the Task Force on Environment Statistics, the Inter-governmental Working Group on the Advancement of Environment Statistics and other coordinating mechanisms for statistics will also take place.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP): Development of standards for environmental metadata (UNEP-HEM); development of methods to use digital environmental maps and data for decision- making; publication of guidelines and quality assurance control methods related to air pollution measurements and assessments; development of new approaches to environmental reporting, in collaboration with RIVM; development of an environmental information and decision support system, in collaboration with IIASA; development of software for water quality analysis (GEMS- RAISON); preparation of monitoring manuals for ground- and surface water; development for conversion mechanisms for land use/land cover data, together with FAO; development of indicators from models of integrated environment-development assessments, together with RIVM; support to the SCOPE project on indicators for sustainable development.
The United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat): Development of the City Data Programme; preparation of urban data concepts, definitions and classifications; development of municipal waste management indicators; development of the environmental component of the Urban Management Programme; development of the Urban Indicators Programme for city diagnostic (social development, infrastructure, environmental management and local authorities); development of a small set of city indicators.
The World Health Organization (WHO): Decade Monitoring System of water supply and sanitation (DEMOS); Joint Water Supply and Sanitation Monitoring Programme (together with UNICEF); development of environmental health indicators (European Centre for Environment and Health, ECEH); Monitoring system on environmental health in the Palestinian Occupied Territories (GAZAMS); Small Community Environmental Monitoring (SCEM); GEMS/AIR and GEMS/WATER, together with UNEP, WMO, UNESCO; preparation of guidance on monitoring and data analysis methods; Health and Environment Data Linkage Analysis and Monitoring Project (HEDLAMP); establishment of emission inventories for data-poor environments; guidelines for decision-making and management in water pollution control and environmental health.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO): Development and consideration of measurement procedures, protocols and statistical aspects of meteorological and hydrological data.
The Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development (DPCSD): Progress reports on sustainable developments; development of a provisional list of indicators for sustainable development.
The World Resources Institute (WRI): Collaborative research on indicators of sustainable development - SCOPE project for 1997.
Specific objectives include the resolution of differing methods of valuation for natural resources such as minerals, timber and fish; the development of methods for valuing non-commercial environmental assets such as wildlife, water and air; considering a consensus on the definition of new "green" national accounting; and the development of a standard organizational structure and conceptual basis for physical resource use and waste output accounts.
For ECE, a report on possible accounting schemes for land use/cover and nutrients in the environment, for submission to the Conference at the 1995 plenary session.
Physical environmental accounting: Preparation of a comprehensive framework for physical environmental accounting through a joint effort of appointed national experts. (Note for the Conference: The Conference created a Task Force on physical environmental accounting at its 1991 plenary session. Its aim was to explore in the context of two pilot studies the feasibility of physical environmental accounting at large scale. The Task Force recommends to launch the conceptual work on a comprehensive framework for physical environmental accounting. The recommendations of the Task Force do not overlap with accounting work done in other fora, notably the London Group).
Secretariat resources: Moderate.
Assistance to the development of accounting schemes in European transition countries: Support to projects, funded from UNEP or other sources, which aim at enhancing capabilities for environmental accounting and related database management in national statistical offices of European countries in transition.
Secretariat resources: Minimal.
Environmental Expenditure statistics: The aim is to test widely the applicability in practice of the conceptual work of SERIEE which, although serving as the methodological basis for the OECD questionnaire and publication on expenditures, has had so far only a restricted testing by pilot survey in particular countries. Although some methodological difficulties are still being discussed, the general aim is to acquire practical experience with the implementation of the macro-economic questionnaire seen as the working background for the OECD questionnaire. This work is being closely linked to the green accounting both in aiming to provide data for the accounts and in providing and receiving methodological inputs. Nomenclature work aiming at allowing a better identification of environmentally interesting categories as subdivisions of standard nomenclatures will be pursued as a joint project with ECE. If resources permit work will start on the matching physical information component.
Industrial expenditure: Work can be considered as part of SERIEE, as part of sectoral statistics and as a component of waste statistics. After various detailed studies the following strategy is being followed: including a small number of key variables in Eurostat's new annual and 5-yearly industrial statistics; after piloting in volunteer countries to test widely the SERIEE methodological as a thematic industrial survey in the general frame of industry statistics eventually backed by Community legislation; gathering full expenditure information (eventually backed by Community legislation) from the small group of environmentally relevant firms in linking the work to the "eco-industries" project.
Expenditure of public administrations: A questionnaire to countries has been sent out on a voluntary test basis. The results will be analysed with a view to its use in the SERIEE system on a regular basis and in national accounting.
Expenditure of households: Studies will be undertaken if funding allows. The prospects of advancing on this topic depend in particular on the progress at Community level with household budget enquiries.
Green accounting: Environment statistics linked to green accounting involves: the support for environmental satellite accounts; development of basic expenditure data and their definition; review and production of environmental indicators in a consistent framework; developing ways of dealing with the sustainability aspects of environmental concerns which are not usefully covered by a national accounts approach. It involves seeking solutions to difficult valuation problems. Work is planned on a "Handbook on a European System for Integrated Environmental and Economic Accounting (ESEA)". This activity is integrated in the National Accounts work programme (3.1).
The Pressure index Project will complement the work on accounts and provide pointers to the work on sectoral statistics. It is a follow-up of the OECD work on environment indicators, and of work in 1993 and 1994 in a Inter service Group on Green Accounting and Indicators chaired by the Commission's Forward Studies Unit. The project aims first at a thorough cost-benefit analysis of the necessary database to describe pressures on the environment coming from human activities. Secondly, when completed, it will furnish a set of Pressure Indexes structured to relate to ten major environmental policy fields and the main economic sectors where appropriate actions are required (agriculture, transport, industry, etc.)
The Environmental component in sectoral statistics is being investigated in the following areas: Energy statistics (energy balance sheets as the basic source for calculating authoritative COý emission figures, energy supplies from renewables sources, energy input-output tables and on prices), Agricultural statistics (use of agricultural statistics to provide environmental information, and the agri-environmental indicator work of OECD), Forestry statistics, Industry statistics (including eco-industries) and Transport statistics.
UN Statistical Division (UNSD): Activities will be oriented towards the development of standardized concepts and methods of environmental accounting based on research and country experience and on the use of environmental accounts in planning and policy making. Compilation and comparison of results of case studies of integrated environmental and economic accounting will be carried out. Country projects, training seminars and regional workshops on the implementation of methodologies in environmental accounting will be organized.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO): Critical examination of the work done on environmental accounting, with a view to the development of a self-contained framework relating to the domain of food and agricultural production.
World Bank: Refining and broadening valuation emthods at project, sectoral and national levels; rapid assessments of green indicators of capital, income and saving.
World Health Organization: Application of the Environment and Health information for Management of Development Activities (EHMDAC) to resource utilization in the area of environmental health; development of computerized packages; incorporation of monitoring data produced from HEDLAMP into an integrated decision- making system.
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP): Implementation of accounting schemes and studies in selected countries, in cooperation with UNSD and ECE; review of progress achieved in the development and application of integrated environmental and economic accounting.
Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development (DPCSD): Progress reports on sustainable developments.
The "London Group" on Environmental Statistics: This Group was created in 1994. It intends to meet annually and its driving purpose is to coordinate discussions on environmental and resource accounting and to examine how to make the results of such discussions fit with the framework of the national accounts. The Group consists of representatives of fifteen countries and of five international agencies. (Contact points: Bureau of Economic Analysis, USA; Statistics Canada; or Eurostat, Directorate B).
Specific objectives include the review and assessment of current questionnaires, databases and compendia; the development of one or more integrated databases; and the publication of an integrated compendium of internationally comparable environmental statistics.
Statistical monograph on road transport and the environment: Preparation of the monograph for publication in 1996.
Secretariat resources: Substantial.
International Environmental Data Service (IEDS): Within allocated resource levels, tailor-made collection and dissemination of data in support of Commission activities and in response to requests from outside users; further development and maintenance of the computerized environmental statistical database; provision of the database to national statistical offices upon request and free of charge; development of updating mechanisms for the database which would reduce the need for hard copy questionnaires; experimental provision of online access to national statistical offices.
Secretariat resources: Moderate to substantial.
Evaluation of the preparation of the 'Joint Compendium': Preparation of a report on the experiences gained in the joint preparation of the CEC/ECE/OECD/WHO-EUR compendium of environment statistics accompanying the 'Dobris Report'.
Secretariat resources: Moderate.
Work on the ENVSTAT database will continue.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP): Compilation of the Human Development Index as part of the Human Development Report.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP): Biennial publication of the Environmental Data Report, in cooperation with GEMS/MARC, WRI and the UK Department of the Environment; biennial publication of the World Resources Report, in cooperation with the WRI; data collection and dissemination in the framework of the GEMS programme; collection of digital maps on a variety of themes for access through a public-domain database; periodic survey of organizations working in the field of environmental data and statistics, through UNEP-HEM.
United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat): Collection and dissemination of a variety of urban environment statistics and indicators in the frameworks of the City Data Programme, the Urban Management Programme and the Human Settlements Statistical Database; cooperation with a series of relevant international institutions working on human settlement data; improvement of existing UNCHS databases and electronic access facilities; collection of municipal waste management indicators.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF): Internal database with qualitative information on environmental issues.
The World Bank: Development of an initial set of indicators compiled by rapid assessment techniques and short-cut methods; compilation of environmental performance indicators; publication, in 1995, of "Monitoring Environmental Progress".
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO): Collection and dissemination of meteorological, hydrological and chemical data relating to the atmosphere and to precipitation.
The World Health Organization (WHO): Maintenance of a data file on investments in health and environment; collection, analysis and dissemination of national data on water supply and sanitation, water and air quality, and environmental health in the Palestinian Occupied Territories.
The Statistical Committee of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS STAT): The Committee systematically (twice a year) collects, collates, analyzes and publishes data characterizing the State and the protection of the environment.
Special comprehensive reports are published annually in CIS statistical bulletins on this subject. In 1995 it is expected to publish a statistical yearbook "Environment protection in CIS- member countries". Economic indicators will also be published in the statistical yearbook "CIS-member countries".
The data collection programme is periodically revised for updating purposes; the next revision will be carried out in 1995.
a) 1995/96
WORK PROGRAMME
OF THE
CONFERENCE OF
EUROPEAN
STATISTICIANS
PRIORITY MENU
FOR 1995/96
Programme Substantive action Major Output for
element required by the ECE coordination the plenary
secretariat required session 1996
5.1 - Continuation of - Eurostat - Report
Standards and the joint ECE/CEC
frameworks for work on the
environmental development of a
data and single European
indicators Standard Statistical - Eurostat - Report
Classification of
Wastes and Recycling
- Revision of the - Eurostat - Progress
Draft ECE Standard report
Statistical
Framework for Fauna,
Flora and Habitat - UNSD
Statistics - Progress
report
5.2 - Organization of
Natural the joint ECE/CEC - UNEP, CEMT
resources and work session on
environmental methodological -
accounting questions of - Publication
environment International
statistics Environmental
5.3 databases - Progress
Environmental - Organization of a under the report
database project for the responsibilit
development comprehensive y of other
and development of a international
dissemination scheme for physical organizations
environmental
accounting
- Publication of the
statistical
monograph on road
transport and the
environment
- Respond to user
requests for
internationally
comparable
environment
statistics in the
framework of the
International
Environmental Data
Service (IEDS)
- Further
maintenance and
development of the
environmental
statistical database
- Dissemination,
upon request, of
updates of the ECE
environmental
statistical database
to national
statistical offices
b) 1996/97
WORK PROGRAMME
OF THE
CONFERENCE OF
EUROPEAN
STATISTICIANS
PRIORITY MENU
FOR 1996/97
Programme Substantive action Major Output for
element required by the ECE coordination the plenary
secretariat required session 1997
5.1 - Organization of - Eurostat - Report
Standards and the joint ECE/CEC
frameworks for work session on
environmental methodological
data and questions of - Eurostat - Report
indicators environment
statistics
- Organization of a
work session - UNSD, - Progress
regarding Eurostat report
development of the
5.2 conceptual basis for
Natural statistics on
resources and chemicals and the
environmental environment
accounting - Eurostat, - Progress
European report
- Continuation of a Environmental
project for the Agency
comprehensive
5.3 development of a
Environmental scheme for physical
statistical environmental
information accounting
- Preparation for
the compilation of
the compendium of
environment
statistics and/or
statistical
monograph
Principal Sponsoring Organization
ECE Eurostat OECD Other
org.
5.1 - Work - - Group on - UNSD:
Standards session on Environment the state Meeting of
and wastes and statistics: of the the Working
frameworks recycling sub-group Environment Group on
for (with on waste (June 95) the
environmenta Eurostat) (June 95) Advancement
l data and (Winter 95) of
indicators - Environment
- Work Environment Statistics
sessions on statistics:
methodology sub-group
(with on economic
Eurostat) ( data (Sept.
Sept. 95) 95)
- Work -
session on Environment
fauna, statistics:
flora and sub-group
habitat on green
statistics accounting
(Nov. 95) (Oct. 95)
-
Environment
statistics:
sub-group
on waste
(Nov. 95)
-
Environment
statistics:
sub-group
on
statistical
programme
working
group (Nov.
95)
5.2 Natural - Work - - UNEP:
resources session on Environment Workshop on
and physical statistics: progress in
environmental environment sub-group the
accounting al SERIEE development
accounting (Sept. 95) and
(March 96) application
- of
Environment integrated
statistics: environment
sub-group al and
green economic
accounting accounting
(Oct. 95) (1995)
5.3 - Group on
Environmentan the state
database of the
development Environment
and (June 95)
dissemination